An interview on the current governance with a married couple who have lived in Auroville for over forty years.
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Published Feb, 2025
Claude and Abha have been living in Auroville since 1974 and 1978 respectively. For the last 45 years, Abha has been running the handicraft unit Shradhanjali while Claude has become a scholar who has authored several books and articles on Tibet, China, India and on Indo-French relations.
Abha: In 2007 [our interview] was about the attitudes and issues between Aurovilians and the members of the working groups selected by them, about how decisions were made; but today we are confronted with the attitude of the Governing Board and its Secretary, and by extension that of the members of their working groups, who are taking all kinds of strange decisions without informing or consulting the Residents’ Assembly and without any accountability to it.
Crucial lands have been exchanged, here an existing road is ploughed up, there a new road suddenly appears; accountants and chartered accountants are changed without units’ consultation; residents’ criteria are imposed; residents’ maintenances are summarily stopped; people are ‘taxed’ the city service contribution and there are consequences if they don’t pay.
Today, these groups use – and I believe misuse – the powers given to them by the Board and the Secretary.
What do you think is the cause of this?
Claude: What galls me are not only the impositions, but also the ways in which things are being imposed. Back in 2007 we talked about the lack of fraternity. Today we see fellow Aurovilians, who have chosen to work with the Secretary and the members of the Governing Board (most of whom have little understanding of Auroville), lording it like masters over other Aurovilians. Fraternity, compassion, they are far from what these Aurovilians are manifesting.
[An example:] In 1991 the Governing Board approved the creation of the Pavilion of Tibetan Culture with His Holiness the Dalai Lama as its Patron. I used to give yearly donations to the Pavilion. More than a year ago I made a donation of Rs _____ but the GB-FAMC blocked the transfer of this donation to the Pavilion. When I asked for the reason, I was told that the Pavilion had not been registered with the Donation Channeling Group constituted by the GB-FAMC. Then last week [Feb 2025] the GB-FAMC decided that the Pavilion needed to become a unit of the Service Trust – of course, without discussion or even consultation.
And we see decisions being taken which are, from the legal point of view, questionable, such as reducing the number of trustees of the various Auroville trusts from three to one, which is illegal according to the trust deeds. I can’t escape the impression that the people in charge do what they want regardless of the laws of India and of the spirit of Auroville. Sometimes I feel that we are presently living in Absurdistan.
Is there a deeper cause for all these issues?
Abha: Mother, on 3 February 1968, spoke about India having become the symbolic representation of all the difficulties of present-day humanity, and that India would be the site of its resurrection to a higher and truer life. And she added, . . . India is the representation of all human difficulties on earth, and it is in India that there will be the . . . cure. And it is for that – it is FOR THAT that I had to create Auroville.
Even assuming that many of us have failed in this constant urge for making progress, why this violence? Even if we needed the kick to remember the true purpose of being here, why such extreme and harsh methods?
How do you see the future? Suppose the Government of India decides one day to return the management of Auroville to the Aurovilians, how do you think we should act?
The situation cannot continue as it is and the management has to return to the Aurovilians. More and more people are leaving Auroville.
[On] 4 April 1972, Mother spoke about the qualities required to organise life in Auroville.
“We must strive for Order, Harmony, Beauty and… collective aspiration – all the things which for the moment are not there. We must… you see, being the organisers, our task is to set the example of what we want others to do.”
This implies that Aurovilians will need to accept that their working groups can assert authority if needed, but in a transparent manner. It’s not that everybody needs to be involved in all aspects of Auroville. Perhaps each working group can have a separate support body that can help in making decisions pertaining to the work of that working group. This is just one idea. But it’s time that Auroville starts thinking about the structures required for the residents to regain control of the affairs of Auroville.
Interview with Claude and Abha
From a longer version originally published in Auroville Today, No. 428 (Feb 2025)
https://auroville.today/articles/4280/aurovilles-governance-crisis-a-call-for-transparent-residents-control