Auroville
| Auroville ஆரோவில் |
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| State : |
 India
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| State : | Tamil Nadu | ||
| District : | Viluppuram | ||
| Location : | 12 ° 0 ′ N , 79 ° 49 ′ E | ||
| Residents : | 2,953 (September 2018) | ||
Auroville ( Tamil ஆரோவில் , Ārōvil , more rarely அயுரோவில் , Ayurōvil ) is a planned international city with 2953 inhabitants (as of September 2018). It is located 150 km south of Chennai (formerly Madras), 9 km north of Puducherry and 5 km inland in southeast India on the Coromandel Coast . The name Auroville means city of dawn, but the name Sri Aurobindos has also been included in the naming.
Historical development
The idea of a “universal” city is based on the social theory of Sri Aurobindo and was put into practice by Mira Alfassa , who had organized the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry since the 1930s . Together with the Indian government, the concept of a universal city was also presented to the United Nations . In 1966, UNESCO passed a resolution declaring recognition and support for the project.
The opening and inauguration ceremony on February 28, 1968 was attended by the Indian President, representatives from 124 nations and 23 Indian states, who brought earth from their home countries as a symbol of “universal” or “planetary property” and in the center of the city to a special one simple urn made of white marble erected there for this purpose and sealed. The assembly area for the city community was built around the urn, and right next to it was the sacred central building Matrimandir in the heart of the city of Auroville.
The Auroville Charter
On the occasion of the founding celebrations, Mira Alfassa read out Auroville's 4-point founding document, which documents her vision of integral life and coexistence, in a direct broadcast by Indian radio:
- Auroville doesn't belong to anyone in particular. Auroville belongs to all of humanity. But to live in Auroville one must be willing to serve Divine Consciousness.
- Auroville will be the place of lifelong learning, constant progress and youth that never ages.
- Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Utilizing all external and internal discoveries, Auroville will boldly step toward future realizations.
- Auroville will be the place of material and spiritual research for a living embodiment of real human unity.
Legal basis
The city is located in the Viluppuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The legal owner of the land is the Auroville Foundation (Auroville Foundation). The legal basis for this was created in 1988 by a separate law, the Auroville Foundation Act . The foundation currently owns around half of the space required, and further acquisitions are to be made possible through fundraising activities.
population
The social composition of Auroville, which is planned for 50,000 residents, includes over 2,700 Aurovillians, some of whom have been members of the first generation of the city community for many years, their children and grandchildren, new residents and guests, volunteers and students (around 2000 in seasonal times) as well local employees (5000–6000) who do not live in Auroville. In return for cooperation in the community (service), which can look different in its design, Aurovillians have a monthly maintenance at their disposal, from which the cost of living can be covered if they do not have their own means. This "maintenance" is around 6000 rupees .
According to the official statistical survey of April 2017, there were 2,719 people (2,037 adults and 682 children) in Auroville at the time. In total, the residents of Auroville come from 53 nations. The largest proportions of the population are Indians (43%), French (14%) and Germans (9%).
City layout
In June 2017, more than 100 settlements (communities) with different characteristics, standard of living and focus of professional and other activities stretched over the area of Auroville.
Designed by a group of architects around the French architect Roger Anger, the future city is to extend around the central area in the form of a spiral galaxy for around 50,000 residents. In the center rises the Matrimandir (Mother's Temple) , a central building of sacred character in the middle of a specially created, public garden. Four urban sectors , each with a focus of use - culture , internationality, industry and residential area - as well as agricultural areas and forests extend radially from the Matrimandir over an area of 25 km², of which only 10 km² have been acquired so far (as of June 2017). The project itself is still in the experimental city stage . Like the Arcosanti (USA) project, it represents the collective attempt to realize an urban utopia , to experiment with new living conditions. In addition, other forms of social coexistence are being developed through larger communities. Various projects are promoting the use of alternative energy sources. In addition, a reforestation program that is exemplary for India has been carried out for several decades due to the strong erosion in the areas .
Auroville Village Action Group
The Auroville Village Action Group, or AVAG for short, was founded in 1983 by a group of Aurovillians, villagers and social workers. The goals were cultural cooperation, exchange on educational and cultural projects and a long-term promotion of integrative processes with the Tamil villagers. With the involvement of women and young people, village groups have rebuilt schools, organized evening courses and repaired streets, thereby helping to raise the standard of collective life in the 50 or so villages around Auroville. The current focus is on the emancipation of women and microfinance . The project has been supported by social workers from the Austrian Foreign Service since 2005 .
UNESCO celebration of the 40th anniversary
On October 10, 2008, UNESCO invited representatives from Auroville and Auroville International to a celebration in Paris to honor the 40-year cooperation between UNESCO and Auroville. The 700 guests also included ambassadors and other officials from numerous countries. The UNESCO Secretary General Koichiro Matsuura made a speech and reiterated the support of his organization for Auroville, which was "an unprecedented experiment." Auroville's ability to survive and develop for four decades is testament to the strength of the founding principles as well as the determination and perseverance of its people. He hoped the lessons learned at Auroville would inspire similar sustainable living experiments in other parts of the world. In a letter to the Indian delegation, UNESCO proposed that Auroville be declared a World Heritage Site by adding it to the Indian list of proposals.
Inauguration of the Tibetan pavilion
On January 20, 2009, the Dalai Lama , assisted by eight monks, inaugurated the Tibetan Culture Pavilion in the Auroville International Zone, lighting scented candles and chanting prayers according to Buddhist rituals. The Dalai Lama later visited the individual rooms of the pavilion and the Matrimandir. In a lecture he paid tribute to the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood in Auroville, which is of great importance in a world where most of the problems are due to too great a weighting of individual interests. The true cultural heritage of Tibet is based on compassion and has been preserved over the millennia. It belongs not only to the Tibetans, but to all of humanity, and the Tibetan pavilion is a symbol of it.
With the inauguration of the Tibetan Center, the implementation of a plan vaguely suggested by Mira Alfassa began : Over time, each country in the world should build and operate its own pavilion in the Aurovilles International Zone in order to bring its own specific culture to life together with other nations to represent.
Celebrating the 50th birthday
On the occasion of Auroville's 50th birthday on February 28, 2018, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind sent a message of greeting to the community. In it he called Sri Aurobindo "one of the greatest sages of modern India", who stands for human unity, transcontinental cooperation, harmony and synthesis. Auroville's goals and endeavors in various areas of life are inspiring, and he wishes everyone luck and success.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally traveled to attend the celebrations on February 25th. First he visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and then went to Auroville, where he meditated in the Matrimandir . He then took part in a ceremony that brought together water from 321 different springs, including the Indian sacred rivers Ganges, Kauvery and Narmada, which Modi poured into a lotus pond. He later gave a speech in the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium after initially presenting a special postage stamp issued for Auroville's birthday. In his speech, referring to the Auroville Charter, he explained five key basic Auroville principles and then stated: “Indian society is fundamentally diverse. It promoted dialogue and a philosophical tradition. Auroville presents this ancient Indian tradition to the world by bringing together a global diversity. India has always made mutual respect and the coexistence of different religions and cultures possible. ”At the end of his address, he expressed the wish that Auroville would continue to support and develop new and creative ideas for India and the world.
Auroville International
To support the project, the non-profit association Auroville International (AVI) Deutschland e. V. founded. He wants to make Auroville known and contribute to the realization of the ideal of human unity. He is a member of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Auroville International, registered in the Netherlands in 1983 .
See also
literature
Title in German
- Mira Alfassa : The mother about Auroville. Auropublications (Ed.) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry 1978, or ISBN.
- Renate Börger: Auroville - A vision blossoms. Connection Medien, Niedertaufkirchen 2004, 3rd revised edition, ISBN 3-928248-01-4 .
- Alan G. (Ed.): Auroville - A dream takes shape. o. O. (probably Auroville / Pondicherry) 1996, o. ISBN.
- Michel Klostermann : Auroville - city of the future man. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1976, ISBN 3-436-02254-3 .
- Ulla Lenze : Archanu. Novel. Ammann Verlag, Zurich 2008, ISBN 3-250-60105-5 .
- Jürgen Axer: Integral Education - An educational concept based on Sri Aurobindo's philosophy. Dissertation University of Cologne. Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-8046-8621-4 .
- Herbert Eisenschenk : Experiment Auroville - Live at your own risk. Verlag Grubbe Media, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-942194-21-1 .
Title in English
- The Auroville Handbook. Abundance Publications, ACUR, Auroville.
- Auroville - Development Perspectives 1993–1998 - An Invitation To Participate. Typescript . Authors / ed. Auroville Development Group, Bharat – Nivas, Auroville 1993, without ISBN.
- KM Agarwala (Ed.): Auroville - The City Of Dawn. Sri Aurobindo Center New Delhi 1996, without ISBN.
- Auroville References in Mother's Agenda. Auroville Press, Auroville, undated, undated ISBN.
- Jerome Clayton Glenn: Linking the Future: Findhorn , Auroville Arcosanti . Hexiad Project / Center on Technology and Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts 1979, without ISBN.
- Anupama Kundoo: Roger Anger, Research on Beauty, Architecture 1953–2008. Jovis Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86859-006-7 .
- India. Lonely Planet 2005, without ISBN.
- Peter Richards: Experience! Auroville - Guide Book for Guests and Visitors. Pondicherry 2000, without ISBN.
- Savitra: Auroville: Sun-Word Rising - A Trust For The Earth. The Community of Auroville, Auroville 1980, or ISBN.
- The Auroville Adventure - Selections from ten years of Auroville Today. Auroville Today, Auroville 1998, without ISBN.
- The Auroville Experience - Selections from 202 issues of Auroville Today, November 1988 to November 2005. Auroville Today, Auroville 2006, or ISBN.
Web links
- Auroville.org Official website of Auroville
- AurovilleRadio.org
- AurovilleTV.org Broadcasting Aurovilles
- Auroville-International Deutschland eV national branch of the International Auroville Funding Association
Individual evidence
- ↑ Formulation on the official website of Puducherry
- ↑ Renate Böger: Auroville - A vision blossoms. Niedertaufkirchen 1993, p. 73.
- ↑ Census - Auroville population April 2017, Auroville Residents Service April 4, 2017, http://www.auroville.org/contents/3329
- ↑ International Zone - an introduction. In: "A compilation of texts from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother concerning Evolution and Human Unity". Online: Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on June 2, 2014)
- ↑ Message from January 23, 2018. Source: http://www.outreachmedia.auroville.org/
- ↑ AVI News 2/2018, Auroville International Germany eV, Berlin, pp 6-9. Modi speech quote, see p. 8
