Utopia Realized: My second year at Auroville

I stumbled back into this world with the chirping of a sparrow. The first light was breaking forth somewhere in the horizon. The morning chill inspired me to lay on a little longer. When it was bright enough I stepped out from the mosquito net, unhooked it and folded it along with the mat I was sleeping on. Last night under the stars had been very relaxing. The clear bright moon had left many impressions that even the cool morning rays could not erase. I picked a neem twig and sat by the pool watching the turtles as I chewed on it. Another day in Auroville had begun.

The second year was about realizations; the condensation of the work and knowledge from the first year. After the lady in the bamboo house left, my responsibilities suddenly doubled. Drawings, accounts, clients and even a couple of projects on the side. The two strong pillars from Kerela helped keep the roof from falling. Realization was completed and people moved in. Post occupancy had its troubles and we tackled them as they came. Green Kasbah took its first baby steps and began to take form and shape. The Spiti project opened up a whole new area to us and the Thelem project taught the meaning of the word responsibility all over again.

It was more than once that I seriously considered starting the new comer process (the official entry into Auroviile). It was a lovely place and pretty much what I had dreamt of in an ideal life. Except there was one problem: was this all that I dreamt of? Was setting tent here equivalent to abandon the wanderings? As long as these doubts existed I could not put in my papers. And the dilemma persisted till the day I left.

I finally started riding the motorcycle, only to get bored after a while and give it up for the bicycle. Anna, our pottery teacher, was a blessing. We studied under her for nine months. She revealed to us the joy of playing with clay, of forming it into beautiful objects, painting it and finally the magic of burning it to alter it completely. She also initiated us into tea ceremonies, pot luck dinners, Russian customs, love stories and what not. Her love and chidings will always be cherished.

After a one day seminar at Quiet Beach I finally took the leap and became vegan. No milk, curd, honey, butter, biscuits and other stuff in which animal products manifest themselves. It was not easy as old food habits die hard. I slipped (unconsciously) many a times. What I lost with milk I found with tofu, sesame, coconut and a whole lot of foods I had not realized the potential of. However Gaumutra was never considered out of bounds.

We also had time to discover the wonders of Tamil Nadu and Kerela. The disappearing land at Dhanuskodi, the huge corridors at the temple in Rameshwarm, Meenakshi temple, the sarees at Kanchipuram, the serene backwater at Allepy, the taste of Kerela food, two hour long ayurvedic massage, the dense forests and wild elephant herds: all discovered on quick weekend trips.

You can never leave Auroville for lesser things, only greater. Sonam Wangchuk came when the dilemma was at its peak. He offered a chance to visit Ladakh. A school he said where there were solar panels, earth buildings, organic farming and paradise. One utopia was traded for another and I left in fifteen days.

There was a book that I had coveted to buy from my first week in Auroviile. It was a story of the first comers: the people who had changed this barren plateau into a lush green bio reserve. However it went out of print soon after and I could never find it again. On my last day I was out to act on some promises. I was delivering a bottle of Kambucha (the last one before I gave up the mother mushroom) to the man who I ate lunch with at Solar Kitchen. Though we knew each other for more than a year know, I did not know his name. All I knew was that he worked at Land Acquisition office. So I went there only to find the office empty. I recognised the gentleman sitting in a corner bench. We had met in a farm walk. I walked up to him and explained my problem. He said I could leave the bottle with him and he would make sure it reaches its rightful owner. We started talking and I summed my two year experience to him. He was a keen listener and wished me luck for the life ahead. He gave two books to keep me company for the journey back. He wrote, “May the Auroviile experience guide your future work”. It was the same book I had hunted for two years. The miracle of the Mother was upon me.

I stumbled back into this world with the whirring of the propeller. The two year adventure seemed nothing short of a dream. The wish list had been striked off completely and I would have to wait awhile before the columns filled up again.