Auroville will launch a year-long 150th birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter, philosopher and spiritual sage Sri Aurobindo on Independence Day, falling on Sunday.
The traditional pre-dawn bonfire at the amphitheatre near the Matrimandir will be followed by meditation and mass invocation with Sri Aurobindo’s ‘Gayatri Mantra’.
A press statement from Auroville said proceedings would be live-streamed from the anniversary website https://sriaurobindo150.aur oville.org
The anniversary celebrations are broadly centred on the theme, “Sri Aurobindo: A Force in Action (1872-2022)”.
This year only Aurovilians, newcomers and Aurocard holders can join the meditation at the amphitheatre. Strict COVID-19 protocols are to be followed. The dawnfire is at 5 a.m. and Gayatri Mantra invocation at 5.45 a.m.
A host of other events will follow from 8 a.m. at the Bharat Nivas campus and at the Savitri Bhavan from 10 a.m.
Aurobindo’s message
As is the custom, Sri Aurobindo’s Independence Day message (written for All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli, and broadcast on August 14, 1947) will be played on the occasion .
Auroville Foundation Secretary Jayanti Ravi will hoist the National flag and deliver an address to mark India’s 75th Independence Day at 8.30 a.m. An exhibition /(SAWCHU) is also part of the events.
The Secretary will open a flower exhibition at Savitri Bhavan dedicated to special significances of Sri Aurobindo and the Supramantal Consciousness expatiated by the Mother.
This will be followed by a reading from Savitri, (Book 11, Canto 1), Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem and a talk by Shraddhavan, who is among the early Aurovilians.
Webinar to be held
A webinar is scheduled at 7.30 p.m. on the theme “Sri Aurobindo’s Five Dreams for India and the World" from his Independence Day message featuring Karan Singh, former chairman of the Auroville Foundation, Sir Mark Tully, former international advisory council member of Auroville, Shashi Tharoor, MP and former UN Under Secretary, Ameeta Mehra and Aster Patel, former members of the Auroville Governing Board.
To join, register https://us02web.zoom.us/ webinar/register/8916277429629/ WN_kN0pn-G-SDGw Tc_6Q6niMQ
