Today we spent the day walking around Auroville, an experimental township in the state of Tamil Nadu. This experiment was conceived of in the 1930s and later developed in 1968 as a combined vision of Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa otherwise known as the Mother. The vision – to create a model of “a city that the earth needs”. The city itself was conceived of and designed in the shape of a galaxy. At the center is the Matrimandir, a large golden sphere that represents the birth of new human consciousness. Radiating out of the center are the four zones which house living areas, research/arts, production, and national cultural centers, respectively, all working towards Sri Aurobindo’s vision of human unity. Currently Auroville is home to 3,300 residents, folks from all over the world.
In 1966, UNESCO passed a unanimous resolution commending Auroville as a project of International importance for the future of humanity.
You can read more here: https://auroville.org/
I think in matters of human organization and faith it is normal and even important to feel skeptical. My dad had expressed he felt skepticism the first time he came into interaction with Auroville. On my own personal journey I have found that a healthy balance between faith and skepticism has served me well.
This is not the first time I have had the opportunity to visit Auroville. Each time I have a new found respect for the ethos of this place and its surroundings. This trip I am fortunate to be settling near Auroville for the month of January to immerse myself in Indian Classical dance practice with some of the leading teachers.
On this particular day, while walking through the grounds of Auroville to the viewing point for the Matrimandir, we saw a poster for a free carnatic music concert happening this same day, January 4th, at the Aurobindo auditorium. After returning home to freshen up, we headed to the auditorium. Once we seated ourselves, and before the concert began, we heard a recorded message from one of the directors of programming in Auroville. She spoke about the importance of music and the arts in enriching the human psyche and their importance in the vision of Auroville.
The trio, featuring leading Carnatic vocalist Dr. K Gayatri, began. The concert was beautiful. What was evident was the chemistry between the mridangist, violinist, and vocalists as they nodded and celebrated each other’s craft on stage. One song that was performed was one that had my mom, dad, and I on the verge of tears…was a song my grandma used to sing “Mere to Giridhara Gopala.” The song was composed by Meera, a famous Krishna devotee, and describes Krishna “the one who lifted the Govardhana mountain (Giridhara) and the protector of cows (Gopala)”. Hearing the song made me reflect on the passing of my grandmother. When my paternal grandmother passed away, my dad’s family, which has been living in Canada since 1967, lost a piece of its connection to India through ritual and song. There was something profound about sitting with my parents, as I prepared for three weeks of intensive training in Classical dance, immersed in the intellectual and spiritual heart of India. It felt like a sort of salvation. Salvaging a part of the Indian soul that may have left when we migrated.
I am feeling now more than ever that it is more important to reclaim and deepen cultural practices. I will share more in future blog posts.