Auroville

Written on January 7th

The train journey there was fine, but long. I met an Aurovillian on it though, Marc from Barcelona. He runs an organic coffee chain in Auroville and has lived there for almost ten years with his family, I think. We shared a cab from Villuparam all the way there, roughly an hours ride between herds of cows with blue painted horns and otherwise adorned creatures that lined the road, causing our vehicle to swerve dangerously between oxen, scooters, dogs, pedestrians and cyclists, and the now and again lorry driving past like a hurricane threatening to blow us right off the road. I noted with glee that this cab was the first vehicle in India thus far with seatbelts.

I was met at the Aurodam Community Kitchen by Anatoli and Nino, along with the promise of vegan pizza and a Bollywood movie.

We are staying with a man called David Allen Nagel, originally from the US, but an Aurovillian since 30 years back. He takes care of the forest plantation and the water management in the area. We sleep on his roof beneath mosquito nets on comfy mats and blankets and pillows. We fall asleep to the sounds of insects and birds around us, wake up to the golden sunlight glinting through the canopy encircling our small tower in the sky.

I've heard Auroville referred to as Utopia sometimes. Utopia project.

It started 40 years ago, a group of people moved to this area of Pondicherry, a desert, barren piece of land. They had little money and just a common vision of a community of living together, and through starvation, drought and poverty they created an oasis for people from all over the world. Auroville is now a working microcosm of sorts.

There is little money exchange between Aurovillians, shops and cafés. Instead each Aurovillian citizen has a personal account into which they put money, and then in shops and cafés and in any other instances where an exchange of money might be required they simply place whatever expenditure they have on their personal named accounts. To become an Aurovillian it is advised (or required?) that you have spent at least 3 months working in Auroville as a volunteer for example. After that time you may go on a year of probation in Auroville, during which you must find work, accomodation and cover for your own expenses. If you pass probation there is then a two week "waiting time" when it is announced in the weekly Auroville newspaper that you have passed probation, and if any Aurovillian has certain complaints or other information that should be accounted for when making the final decision regarding your citizenship, this is the time. And unless if somebody files a strong enough complain about you, you then become an Aurovillian.

Education, healthcare, etc is free for Aurovillians. Most Aurovillians receive a monthly wage of about 5000 rupees, which is about 70 euros. Many build their own houses and manage their own businesses or community profitable project, but what is important to know is that nothing is ever owned by one single individual. Every house that is built, every enterprise started belongs to the Auroville community as a whole, so if you choose to leave Auroville you can't sell your house to get the money back and you can't take your business with you.

The community shares and owns everything. Sustainable houses cram in between organic cafés and community kitchens. The area is about 5x4 km and houses about 2500 inhabitants of which 40% are Indian. Auroville seems wide and spacious though. THe three of us cycle around the lush, green area, bouncing along on dusty, red dirt roads, stopping here and there in the small community clusters of the residential zone. I like it here because it reminds me of home. THe same feeling of a small community strikes me here, a feeling that has me growing increasingly aware of just how much I love my community.

A lot of people claim that Auroville is a very difficult community to get into, but above all to understand. For me this is not so. I feel like I can understand the complexities and problems that Auroville and the Aurovillians face, but in this our modern world many people or most, are not accustomed to community living nor have the knowledge of what a struggle it can be, or how precious it becomes to the people that are part of it.