More on Auroville

See www.Auroville.org for more about Auroville, Mother, and Sri Aurobindo.

Auroville is a grand experiment where a diverse mix of people from all over the world are joining together in sharing a spiritual vision of living together in peace. What a concept! Forty years ago, this bit of South India near Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu was a barren plateau, all its topsoil having long ago been washed into the sea. The first group of dedicated pioneers came here following Mother’s vision and began building dyke-type barriers to retain the water, planting trees, and sharing in the toils of starting a community from scratch. Today, Auroville is a lush shady forest with several organic farms, many different communities living sustainably with wind and solar power, about 2,200 devoted members and many short- and long-term guests and visitors. Auroville encourages people to live their dreams, and nurture their creativity. Many Aurovilians have begun industries that are quite successful – textiles, clothing, jewelry, alternate energy sources (I ride my rented electric power-assisted bicycle), organic food products, etc.

I came here to experience living in this grand experiment, and to work with Anandi to launch her vision of starting a live/raw food restaurant in Auroville. We are trying out various recipes using local ingredients and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Anandi nurtured and grew KOFPU (Kottakarai Organic Foods Processing Unit) for the past 15 years. KOFPU produces and sells many organic products from Brahmi balls, to Ragi cookies, to Rose Petal Kombucha, to Spirulina spaghetti, to pesto and marinara sauces, skin and hair products, and much more. Now her colleague, Sami and about ten Tamil workers continue this efficient process, using both primitive and modern techniques. I continually marvel at how they are able to use every bit of all the ingredients, wasting not a drop, and leaving very little to dispose of. Anandi’s main interest now is in introducing raw foods to Auroville and India. For me, one big perk of working here is enjoying sharing in the preparation of and eating delicious raw lunches and other dishes each day. The biggest perk of all is in knowing Anandi. She is a delight, a ball of energy with an infectious deep spiritual joy that emanates from her every pore. It has been a real joy to work/play with her these past four to five weeks.

I’ve gotten to know many people from all over the world, mostly Europeans who are also delving deep into the Auroville vision. When I’m not working, I spend my days going to the Matrimandir or one of its petals to meditate, always receiving there amazing and precise answers from my inner guides to my burning questions. I’ve also taken several classes including yoga, Being Well, and Open Space dancing. There are frequent films, plays, seminars, workshops, puppet shows, etc, mostly offered free of charge.

Now, I’m planning to leave Auroville. It’s getting way too hot for me in South India! I didn't find anyone to travel with, at least for the first part of my journey, so on Sunday, I’ll be taking a train for about 38 hours to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. After that, I plan to go to Corbett Tiger Reserve, Haridwar and Rishikesh, and then to a 10-day Vipassina Retreat in DehraDun, and maybe to Dharmasala after that. That’s my plan for now, subject to change at any moment. Hopefully, I will also be spending some good amount of time in the much neglected Northeast states with a friend I met here in Auroville. I decided not to go to Bhutan this time around. I plan to be in New York by mid-May to take a road trip through New England with Lily upon the completion of her junior year of college. Then back to Seattle in early June…

I'm posting some random photos below of my time in India so far. You'll see Anandi and me at the KOFPU stand at the Farmers' Market, some KOFPU staff at work, my little bungalow and electric bike, me in my Indian clothes, and several shots of the exquisite temples, bas reliefs and statues at Mamalampuram, between Chennai and Pondicherry.

I probably won't be adding to my blog for a while, so don't worry about me. Just send me blessings for safe travels and wonderful adventures. I'll do the same for you!