Happy Birthday Auroville

Today is Auroville’s 43rd birthday. At 5:30am, we went to Auroville’s birthday celebration bonfire at the outdoor amphitheatre next to the Mantrimandir. At the center of the amphitheatre is an urn that contains handfuls of soil from every state of India and almost every country in the world. The soil samples were placed in the urn at Auroville’s inauguration ceremony on February 28, 1968. Every year, hundreds of people attend the birthday celebration bonfire to honor the Mother’s dream and to contemplate the symbolic urn.

I’ve never attended a birthday “party” quite like this one. Silence is expected as everyone is invited to sit quietly around the bonfire to contemplate the moment. The energy of hundreds of other people present can definitely be felt. Personally, I also felt very connected to Auroville’s past as well as the future of this very special place. As the sun rose, one could start to make out the faces of all the other people present. Although no words were spoken, it was clear that everyone in attendance today was very unified in spirit. I think all of us were reminded of the purpose of Auroville’s existence – to help achieve human unity across all cultures, religions and social status.

Auroville’s history was quite tumultuous. The original vision for Auroville was the Mother’s dream. When she was still alive, she wrote the original charter, collaborated with architects and city planners and even chose the specific location that was to become the center of Auroville. After she died in 1973, political infighting and power struggles divided the devotees working on this monumental project. However, the Mother’s original charter stood the test of Indian courts and Auroville became an independent entity no longer controlled by the Pondicherry ashram where the Mother once resided.

The stories of the original pioneers who built Auroville from literally nothing are recorded in a wonderful book called Turning Points. Their candid personal stories are crazier than fiction, extremely moving and told with great wit. The stories expand upon Aurovilee’s many accomplishments since its inauguration 43 years ago: Over 2 million trees and shrubs planted, major infrastructure constructed (roads, water, telephone, waste collection, etc.), education and empowering programs for local villages initiated, ongoing alternative energy experiments conducted, award-winning buildings designed and built, and much much more. Today, we’re all benefactors of the energy, dedication and perseverance of these crazy pioneers who believed a better world was possible and then actually did something about it. And it was all done without any commercial motives or corporate sponsorship.

It feels to me that Auroville’s momentum which has been building for decades now is just about ready to explode. Who knows what these people will accomplish in the next 10 years. I guess I’ll just have to come back to see for myself.

P.S. It just so happens that today is my birthday, too. Coincidence or serendipity?

(See more pictures of Auroville)