Travel
Auroville — the mystical land of surreal experiences
My visit to Auroville and how it transformed me as a person
Auroville is an experimental township located in India in the state of Tamil Nadu. Auroville was formed with the aim of creating a universal town where people from different countries, faiths, creeds, caste could stay in peace and harmony without any barriers of politics and nationalities. I was introduced to this place through one of my college visits to learn about Earth construction.
Auroville is a place which aims to build a lifestyle on sustainability and spiritual needs of mankind. It has some of the most amazing things happening all year around. I visited Auroville thrice, once as a student to learn the construction of domes, vaults and arches using bricks. Second time I went to volunteer in Bamboo Research Center and third time I went as a tourist on a leisure trip. Each time I went to Auroville, it was a unique experience which transformed me as a person.
Matrimandir
It’s an architectural wonder itself. The Mother who was a spiritual collaborator of the Indian sage Sri Aurobindo, saw the structure of Matrimandir in her dream and she explained it to the architect Roger Anger who designed it exactly as she described. That is how Matrimandir came into existence. It is a meditation center for people of Auroville and it’s visitors.
As a visitor you can book appointment and visit the place for doing meditation. It is situated in the middle of the garden with trees, lawns and open space around it. The moment you enter the gate of the Matrimandir, you are instructed to maintain pin drop silence. Electronic devices including phone, cameras are not allowed inside the campus and are deposited in safety boxes at the security gate outside. Matrimandir consists of an inner chamber, located at the topmost part of the dome which is the main area of meditation. The red brick petal like structure you see in the photo has multiple rooms for meditation each with a unique color denoting a particular emotion. You can choose to meditate in the inner chamber or the colored meditation rooms. The experience at each place is unique and different. It will take you into trance and connect you with your inner self.
When I went to Matrimandir the first time, I was unsure if I could remain silent for such a long time. Walking and moving around the campus in total silence was easier than I thought. When I was outside in the garden, I could hear the sounds of birds, trees and wind which was pleasant and calming. When I went inside the meditation chamber, there was dead silence which felt a bit weird for initial minute or so, later when I closed my eyes and started meditating it felt calm and soothing. I lost track of time and place. I felt grounded and rooted once I opened my eyes after the meditation. Later I decided to go into one of the meditation petals and I went inside the Red color room as I intuitively choose that color. It was magical to sit in a red light aura and in a particular temperature. I can’t explain in words but it felt good and empowering. The first visit left such a positive inspiration on me that I decided to visit Auroville again. For quiet few days later after the trip, the experience of Matrimandir kept coming back as flashback in my memory and I knew I had to visit it again.
Auroville Earth Institute
The Earth Institute at Auroville makes bricks using compressed stabilized Earth blocks (CSEB). This is a low coast, low carbon modern Earth construction technique. The blocks are made using a specific proportion of soil, sand and water and stabilized using less than 5% cement and compressed manually of using hydraulic press. The materials are sourced locally. The blocks are then used in constructing buildings in and around Auroville. Most of the guesthouses, hostels, accommodations, public kitchens, other buildings in Auroville are made using these blocks.
I went to the Earth Institute to learn the technique of constructing domes, arches and vaults. It was a workshop where architects, designers around India came for a 2 -4 weeks hands-on workshop to learn the craft of constructing with CSEB. It was fun to experience the construction and learn about the strength of materials by practically doing it.
Bamboo Research Center
Auroville has multiple different studios, start-ups and research centers. Businesses in Auroville are mostly based on sustainability and community living focusing on empowering local village people and providing them livelihood. Bamboo research center is one such organization which was started to empower local men and women while creating eco-friendly bamboo handcrafts, products and buildings.
I went to Bamboo Research Center as a volunteer product designer to help them develop new range of products. Bamboo research center has 2 broad divisions. One is into bamboo construction and building. Another is mainly operated by women which focuses on creating bamboo products which are utility based products, home décor objects and bamboo jewellery. The women working in this department are local Tamil women who are not fluent in English and are educated only up to elementary or high school education but they are super high skilled in working with bamboo. They understand the varieties of bamboo, properties of the material, strength of the material, they are skilled at operating machines, cutting, drying, treating bamboo and then processing it to make it usable and creating objects out of bamboo.
After interacting with them, I realized that they had all the craft making skills and knowledge about material however what they needed was some basic knowledge about aesthetics, understanding market trends, market needs and making products which will sell in the urban market. I helped them understand the basics of color theory and design principles like symmetry, the rule of thirds, gestalt’s principles etc. which I felt would help them in their product design journey.
Sadhana Forest
One of the most fascinating projects I have seen. Sadhana forest is a community of volunteers which works in water conservation and reforestation. A 70 acres land close to Auroville which was barren and eroded has been converted into dense forest by efforts of all the volunteers and people of Sadhana forest. They have grown and maintained trees over the years and also created water harvesting ponds and lakes. Weekly informational tours are arranged to take visitors / Auroville residents to the Sadhana forest. There is a half day visit tour or overnight stay tour. There is also an opportunity to volunteer at Sadhana forest. When you visit Sadhana forest, you will be greeted by the volunteers and you will sit in a community hall constructed using bamboo and grass. You will be shown a documentary film about how the Sadhana forest was started and how they have helped grow forests all over the world. It’s a big movement and this organization is doing some really great work not only in India but in other parts of the world as well. You will be served with home cooked vegan organic meal, with no salt or spice which is cooked by the volunteers using solar power or biogas.
The life at Sadhana forest is not an easy one. They live by the sustainability rules to the core of every day activities. They eat home cooked meals, the meals are cooked using solar power and local fire wood. Controlled amount of water is used for washing hands and dishes. Bathing and washroom rituals are designed to be biodegradable and composting toilets. All the biomass is converted into fertilizers. There are particular ways of using the washroom so that you don’t end up putting water in the wrong pit. You will be surprised to see the effective use of water and other natural resources. Waste minimization, recycling, natural living are some of the other practices followed here. You will learn a lot by just visiting this place once. Visit to Sadhana forest boosted my love towards sustainability and I practice those learnings in my everyday life. Source
Wellpaper
Another organization which was started with two goals in mind, one to empower local village women to provide them livelihood and second to give a new life to newspapers and reduce waste. Wellpaper makes interesting objects using newspapers and glue. Some of the products are exported to Germany and Europe during Christmas. They make Christmas trees, and Christmas tree ornaments, baskets, trays, home décor items, jewellery etc. I learned the art of weaving the basket. We all must have seen and used paper bags but the way these paper baskets are made is very unusual. They have managed to tap a market and sell these products to the right consumer, making this organization a sustainable initiative. Find more about this organization here.
If you want to experience a different lifestyle, a sustainable lifestyle, a place where people from different countries, coming from different cultural backgrounds and religions living in harmony, you should plan a trip to Auroville. No place is perfect, I wouldn’t say Auroville is the best place in the world. It sure has its own shortcomings, but it has many positive things which we all can learn. Auroville has something to offer to every visitor only if you go with an open mind and an optimistic attitude. You can learn more about Auroville here. Connect with me to know more about my experience at Auroville.
Copyright © 2022, Tanmaya Rao. All rights are reserved.
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