Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Auroville in February in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations of the universal township, founded five decades ago by Mirra Alfassa, or The Mother, to her legion of followers from across the world.
It is reliably learnt that the Prime Minister’s Office has accorded in-principle to an invitation by Karan Singh, chairman of the Auroville Foundation, requesting the Prime Minister to associate with the golden jubilee event.
Auroville Foundation, which is an autonomous unit, has communicated this to its oversight body, the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
“We have tentatively proposed February 24 and 25 as the likely dates for the Prime Minister to join us,” said an Aurovilian. The weekend was preferred as the dates were likely to coincide with the Budget session of Parliament, he added.
Auroville, which celebrates its 50th anniversary of its founding in February 28, 1968, sees the occasion as presenting “an unprecedented opportunity to honour the birth and vision of Auroville, to increase the recognition of its relevance for India and the world, to attract people of all ages from India and abroad to visit Auroville and participate in the events, and to document and share its journey of 50 years.”
This four-fold purpose underpins the series of golden jubilee events which include diverse celebrations, conferences and outreach events that seek to engage the community.
According to a programme proposal submitted to the MHRD, the Auroville Foundation expects the line-up of golden jubilee events to reiterate the universal township’s core commitment to the spiritual vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and the raison d’etre of the creation of Auroville, serve an occasion to express gratitude to India, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and UNESCO for constant support and fortify collaboration with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, The Mother’s centres in India and the Auroville International Centres around the world.
The proposed programmes feature a symbolic ceremony at the amphitheatre, Matrimandir, on the lines of the one held on inauguration day in 1968, involving the youth representing different states of India and countries abroad as well as pioneers from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry and Auroville.
Celebrations in Paris
Parallel celebrations are also planned at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, which includes a round table conference, a cultural event and an exhibition.
Also on the anvil are an international conference on the theme, “The relevance of Auroville — India and the World,” cultural events as well as afforestation projects.
The opening of a new building of the Auroville Sustainable Livelihood Institute, an ongoing collaboration between the Government of Tamil Nadu and Auroville, with a foresters’ seminar, week-long youth event, an Auroville fair and public art installations are also on the agenda.
Stamp, coin release
A postal stamp and commemorative coin is also part of the proposals.
In essence, the golden jubilee programmes seek to strengthen relationship with Auroville’s neighbouring villages and evolve a better understanding for common growth, document the evolutionary journey of 50 years, including challenges and successes, and establish a clearer projection of Auroville’s relevance to India and the world.
The golden jubilee celebration of Auroville is also intended to focus on youth, education, afforestation, waste management, and village empowerment.
Tracing the birth of the City of Dawn
Auroville, the City of Dawn, was inaugurated on February 28, 1968. Youth representing 124 nations and 23 Indian states deposited a handful of their native soil into an urn, a marble clad structure in the form of a symbolic lotus bud, located in the centre of Auroville.
The Auroville Charter, which was read out in multiple languages, remains the guiding philosophy for Aurovilians “in their daily life, in policy development, and in decisions, big and small.”
The charter states that Auroville belongs to nobody in particular; but rather to humanity as a whole, to be an Aurovilian one must be a willing servitor of the divine consciousness, that Auroville aspired to be the bridge between the past and the future and a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.
The aim of Auroville as put forth by The Mother was: “Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women from all countries will be able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.”
