The Vision of the Auroville Economy.

(proposed chapter title)

CONTENTS

  1. History

I A. The origins of an ideal town

I B. The Auroville idea manifests

  1. Ownership

II A. Immovable assets

II B. Moveable assets

II C. Present situation.

  1. Money

III A. Auroville money relations

III B. The nature of money

III C. Practical consequences

III D. Present situation.

  1. Relationships between the town and the individuals

IV A. Individual attitudes

IV B. A self-supporting township

IV C. The role of business

IV D. Fundraising

IV E. Present situation

IV F. Prospects

INTRODUCTION

Auroville is an attempt to realise on earth a more ideal life.[1]

This simple statement of The Mother carries worlds of meaning.

Not only does 'a more ideal life' imply that those living in Auroville attain deeper and higher levels of consciousness, the statement also indicates that this ideal life has to be lived on earth with a reversal of presently held material value systems.

This chapter presents an overview of the principles of the Auroville economy, as indicated by The Mother in various conversations and statements, and the extent to which these principles have manifested in the life of Auroville at present.

It is necessary to mention that quotes of Mother from when she was in conversation do not necessarily reflect what she intended to convey. Mother has repeatedly said that, when she is quoted from memory by a disciple, there is hardly ever a correspondence to what she wanted to express - ... That's what I'm afraid of, that people will make dogmas for the creation of Auroville.... But even if what I say is written in the “Bulletin”, when it reaches their heads, it becomes like that.

I'm sure what is recorded there (Mother points to the tape recorder), if three people listen to it, each one will hear differently- will UNDERSTAND differently. That's why I'm not sure that it's really useful to play these recordings. [this reference is to recordings of Mother’s Entretiens]…Each one goes away with the certainty that he has heard, but then he has understood something else altogether. And above all - above all - what I say is seen there (gesture above), while... (gesture showing it's heard at ground level), it becomes so stupid, so flat![2]

-.-.-.-.-

I. HISTORY.

Question 1: Who has taken the initiative for the construction of Auroville?

Mother's Answer: The Supreme Lord.[3]

I A. The origins of an ideal town

The Mother’s idea to create an ideal town originates, as she says, from when she was very young. In a conversation with Satprem she recounts how the idea started trying to manifest again at the very beginning of the previous century, when she was living with Max Théon in Algeria. Much later, during Sri Aurobindo’s lifetime, the idea tried once again to manifest when she was offered a piece of land nearby Hyderabad. There she envisaged to create an “ideal town” with Sri Aurobindo living at the centre. The architect Raymond who had built Golconde in Pondicherry prepared a plan for this city.[4] For various reasons this too did not materialise and afterwards, she said, she was no longer interested.[5]

In August 1954 Mother’s well-known A Dream was published, “There should be somewhere on earth a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his sufferings and miseries, to surmount his weaknesses and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the concern for progress would take precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the search for pleasure and material enjoyment. …” But A Dream ends with “The earth is certainly not ready to realize such an ideal, for mankind does not yet possess sufficient knowledge to understand and adopt it nor the conscious force that is indispensable in order to execute it; that is why I call it a dream. And yet this dream is in the course of becoming a reality; that is what we are striving for in Sri Aurobindo's Ashram, on a very small scale, in proportion to our limited means. The realization is certainly far from perfect, but it is progressive; little by little we are advancing towards our goal which we hope we may one day be able to present to the world as a practical and effective way to emerge from the present chaos, to be born into a new life that is more harmonious and true.”[6]

"What we are striving for in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram" included the employees of the Ashram. One month earlier, in a message to the employees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Mother mentions that she would like to create a big family in which it will be possible for each one to fully develop his capacities and express them. In this message she also mentions that she would like to build a kind of city accommodating at the outset about two thousand persons.”[7]

It should be noted that Mother gives two reasons why the earth is not ready to realise such an ideal. The first is that mankind at that time did not have sufficient knowledge to understand and adopt it. This reason may be understood with reference to the world's happenings in 1954: it was the middle of the Cold War, the French were leaving Vietnam, while the colonies in Africa were still fighting for independence.

The second reason Mother gives is that mankind does not yet possess the conscious force that is indispensable in order to execute the ideal. It may be assumed that this refers to the Supramental Force which, according to Mother, settled in the earth's atmosphere on February 29, 1956.[8]

I B. The Auroville idea manifests

Then, probably in 1964, the idea was taken up again. In June 1965, Mother tells Satprem: “For a long time, I had had a plan of the “ideal” city, but that was during Sri Aurobindo’s lifetime, with Sri Aurobindo living at its centre. Afterwards … I was no longer interested. Then, we took up the idea of Auroville again (I was the one who called it “Auroville”), but from the other end: instead of the formation having to find the place, it was the place (near the Lake) that caused the formation to be born; and up to now I took a very secondary interest in it because I hadn’t received anything direct. Then that little H.took it into her head to have a house there, near the Lake, and have a house for me next to hers to offer me. And she wrote to me all her dreams; one or two sentences suddenly awakened an old, old memory of something that had tried to manifest – a creation – when I was very small (I don’t remember what age), and that had again tried to manifest at the very beginning of the century when I was with Théon. Then I had forgotten all about it. And it came back with that letter; suddenly I had my plan of Auroville[9]

In a later conversation she tells Satprem: “It's sure to work, I KNOW that it exists - the city is already there (it has been for many, many years). Interestingly, my creation with Sri Aurobindo in the centre [the Hyderabad plan, eds.], then when Sri Aurobindo left, I let it all rest, I didn't budge any more. Then it suddenly started coming again, as if to say, “Now is the time, it must be done.” Very well. The Moslems would say, “It’s fated”. It is fated, it is sure to exist. I don’t know how much time it will take, but it seems to be going fast. The city already exists.” [10]

From 1965 till her passing in November 1973, Mother expressed her views on Auroville to many of her disciples, indicating what she considers necessary “to realize on earth a more ideal life.” The basis is a change of consciousness. In April 1952, when Mother inaugurated the Ashram International Centre of Education, she had already explained why this is so.

The conditions in which men live on earth are the result of their state of consciousness. To seek to change these conditions without changing the consciousness is a vain chimera. Those who have been able to perceive what could and ought to be done to improve the situation in the various domains of human life - economic, political, social, financial, educational and sanitary - are individuals who have, to a greater or lesser extent, developed their consciousness in an exceptional way and put themselves in contact with higher planes of consciousness. But their ideas have remained more or less theoretical or, if an attempt has been made to realize them practically, it has always failed lamentably after a certain period of time; for no human organization can change radically unless human consciousness itself changes. Prophets of a new humanity have followed one another; religions, spiritual or social, have been created; their beginnings have sometimes been promising, but as humanity has not been fundamentally transformed, the old errors arising from human nature itself have gradually reappeared and after some time we find ourselves almost back at the point we had started from with so much hope and enthusiasm.[11])

The requirement to change one’s consciousness is not only laid down in Auroville’s Charter (But to live in Auroville one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness – see below) but has beenexplained in numerous conversations. An example is to be found in “To be a True Aurovilian”, where Mother’s writes as the first condition:

The first necessity is the inner discovery in order to know what one truly is behind social, moral, cultural, racial and hereditary appearances.

At the centre, there is a being free, vast and knowing, who awaits our discovery and who ought to become the active centre of our being and our life in Auroville.[12]

Mother also gave a great number of practical recommendations, ranging from the town plan and how life in the town is to take place to the relations with the surrounding villages.

But Mother explains that there is a Guiding Force behind the manifestation of Auroville. In 1969 she explains that “The conception of Auroville is purely divine and has preceded its execution by many years. Naturally in the details of the execution the human consciousness intervenes.”[13].“ What human beings do not know about Auroville is that there is a pressure from the InvisibleWhen men make projects they are often unsuccessful because it was not the right thing to do.When their projects are accepted [by the Invisible] they get realized as the Higher Will decides. But when the Higher Will itself chooses, decides, then the thing has to succeed. It may seem to falter, but it is certain to succeed.”[14] And “It (the city) will be built by what is invisible to you. The men who have to act as instruments will do so despite themselves. They are only puppets in the hands of larger Forces. Nothing depends on human beings - neither the planning nor the execution - nothing! That is why one can laugh.”[15]

On February 28, 1968, Auroville was inaugurated. Mother read this message which was rebroadcast directly to Auroville by the Indian radio:

Greetings from Auroville to all men of goodwill.

Are invited to Auroville all those who thirst for progress and aspire to a higher and truer life.

Then Mother read out the Auroville Charter

  1. Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
  1. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
  1. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realizations.
  1. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.[16]

A few days earlier, on February 3rd, she had told Satprem the occult reason why she had started Auroville.

Then I’ve written something else.... They wanted to prepare a sort of brochure on Auroville to distribute to the press, the government, etc., on the 28th,[17] and before that, there is in Delhi in two or three days a conference of all nations ("all nations" is an exaggeration, but anyway they say "all nations"). Z is going there, and she wants to take with her all the papers on Auroville. They have prepared texts – always lengthy, interminable: speeches and more speeches. So then I asked, I concentrated to know what had to be said. And all of a sudden, Sri Aurobindo gave me a revelation. That was something interesting. I concentrated to know the why, the how and so on, and all of a sudden Sri Aurobindo gave me a revelation. That was something interesting. I concentrated to know the why, the how and so on, and all of a sudden Sri Aurobindo said ... (Mother reads out a note:)

"India has become ...

It was the vision of the thing, and it instantly translated into French words.

"India has become the symbolic representation of all the difficulties of modern mankind.

"India will be the land of its resurrection – the resurrection to a higher and truer life."

And the clear vision: the same thing which in the history of the universe made the earth the symbolic representation of the universe so as to concentrate the work on one point, the same phenomenon is now taking place: India is the representation of all human difficulties on earth, and it is in India that the ... cure will be found. And then, that is why – THAT IS WHY I was made to start Auroville.

It came and it was so clear, so tremendously powerful!

So I wrote it down. I didn’t tell them how or why, I told them, "Put this at the beginning of your paper, whatever it is; you can say whatever you like, but put this first."

(silence)

It was very interesting. It remained the whole time, for more than an hour, such a strong and clear vision, as if suddenly everything became clear. I often used to wonder about it (not "wonder," but there was a tension to understand why things, here in India, have become such a chaos, with such sordid difficulties, and all of it piling up), and instantly, everything became clear, like that. It was really interesting. And immediately there was: "Here is why you have made Auroville." I didn’t know it, you understand, I did the thing under pressure, and it took larger and larger proportions (it’s becoming really worldwide), and I would wonder why.... For a time I thought it was the only present possibility to prevent a war,[18] but it seemed to me a somewhat superficial explanation. Then it came all of a sudden: "Ah! That’s why."

And as that whole power was in it, I said, "Put it." We’ll see – they won’t understand anything, but that doesn’t matter, it will act.

II. OWNERSHIP.

II A. Immovable assets

Question 15: Who will own the land and buildings of Auroville?

Mother's answer: The Supreme Lord.[19]

When the concept of Auroville started to manifest, Mother directed the Sri Aurobindo Society to start purchasing the lands for Auroville. The first land for Auroville was bought as early as 8 October 1964.[20]

In the brochures issued at the time it was clear that interested persons, once accepted by The Mother, could financially contribute towards a house in Auroville, but that they were only granted the right to live there with their family. Ownership of the house and land was never given, though from the leaflets issued by the Sri Aurobindo Society it may be inferred that the right to live in the house would be extended to the person's family after the demise of the person.[21]

The principle of non-ownership of immoveable assets was laid down in the Charter of Auroville of February 28th, 1968. The first line of Auroville’s Charter states explicitly:

Auroville belongs to nobody in particular.

Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole...

and Mother explains to Satprem :”So this is the material fact. Auroville belongs... I didn't put “to no nation” because India would have been furious. I put “belongs to nobody” – “nobody” is a vague term which I used precisely so as not to say “to no human being” or “to no nation”. And I put “Auroville belongs to humanity AS A WHOLE”, because it amounts to nothing! Since people can’t agree together, the thing is impossible! I did it deliberately.”

The principle that an Aurovilian cannot own land or houses in Auroville has been upheld ever since. At first, lands in the Auroville area were legally owned by the Sri Aurobindo Society. Later when Aurovilians were legally able to form trusts, the Auroville Trust and a specific land holding trust, the Auroville Resource Trust, were used to purchase land. Organisations and individuals would make donations towards these trusts, which in turn would buy available land.