Places - A Visit to Auroville

February 12, 2007

I just returned last night after a visit to Pondicherry and Auroville. More on Pondicherry later. Auroville was founded by Sri Aurobindo and his French companion - she is simply called Ma. He apparently passed away sometime in the 1950s. Ma passed away in 1973. Sri Aurobindo was a yogi and philosopher. The approach to Auroville is very pretty indeed. One good thing the Auroville authorities have done is to protect the environment around the community, in terms of forest cover. It is much greener than the surrounding towns and villages. I do not know much of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, but I got the strong impression that Auroville is Ma's idea.

The idea was to set up a utopian community without social hierarchies and where people from all over the world could work together in a collaborative (as opposed to competitive) spirit. This sounds suspiciously New-Agey and hippie-like and a born skeptic like me is full of questions.

While this sounds very good on paper, history demonstrates that such attempts to build utopian communities invariably fail. Leaderless communities disintegrate into chaos. Ultimately, a social hierarchy of some sort always develops. Whether we like it or not, capitalism is still the only viable form of economic governance between human beings. This is because it is based on rational self-interest. Is capitalism perfect? No. Can a balance be drawn between pure capitalism and concern for humanity? Yes - this is the quintessential search that has occupied most well-meaning people since the beginning of civilization.

While the community's goals sound lofty, the impression I got is that Auroville is ultimately not what Sri Aurobindo set out to achieve. As a yogi, he probably realized that the spiritual quest is essentially an individual one. By attempting to commoditize it as at Auroville, it appears that one set of community beliefs (organized religion with a leader) has been replaced by another, which is remarkably similar to it.

The centerpiece of Auroville is the huge golden-plated geodesic dome in the centre of the campus. While the dome is certainly worth a look, I am not sure that it accomplishes any specific objective in particular - apart from providing Auroville with an unforgettable symbol and brand recognition. Of course, this could be the whole idea. I found the enormous, ancient banyan tree next to the geodesic dome to be more interesting.

The place is populated by hippies, young and old. The place is a little "Disneyfied", with a gift shop selling highly priced artifacts and souvenirs.

There is, however, a undeniable sense of calm and serenity at Auroville, which is probably what most "seekers" come for. I sat near the geodesic dome for an hour, soaking in the ambience.

Oddly, the one memory I will always carry from Auroville has nothing to do with the place at all. There was a little boy of four or five who was lost near the Information Area at the Visitors' Centre. He looked like a small child from one of the surrounding villages. He was about to start panicking, when he spotted his parents. The look on his face when he saw his parents, as well as the joy and relief he felt upon being re-united with them was worth going miles to see.

And that ultimately, is the human experience. To want and love, and to be wanted and loved in return is what constitutes life. Yogis or saints preaching renunciation may have something valuable to say, but for me, the key to salvation lies in engagement with humanity and not retreat from it.