A personal meditation on coming to Auroville at the age of 17, finding harmony, and then facing the fear and disruption of the last few years.
Written May 1st, 2025
Dear Community,
I’ve been an Aurovilian for the past ten years. I moved to Auroville when I was 17, after my family introduced me to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, sharing some of their insights with me as I was growing up. My interest grew, and I began reading more about Auroville. Eventually, my family and I moved to join the community. I was deeply inspired by the Charter and the Dream, believing I had found a place where I could live in harmony and grow without the pressures of rigid institutions. A place where community is the heart of life, and where personal growth and inner development are encouraged. For the first time, I felt supported in aspiring to grow consciously, and to express myself from the heart—not just through the limited mind.
Filled with enthusiasm, I began meeting more people, engaging in community life, joining activities, and participating in meetings, processes and decisions of the Residents’ Assembly. I also started organizing classes at the Youth Center, inviting working groups to speak to youth and newcomers about their roles and responsibilities. I had a few mentors who supported my learning about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. I felt more connected than I ever had before.
Of course, as I deepened my personal exploration of Auroville, I came to understand that not everything was perfect. Auroville faces real challenges—building a society that is creative, sustainable, inclusive and conscious, requires deep inner work. There have been struggles and mistakes, and Auroville is far from flawless. Yet I carry a vision with me: that Auroville is the world in miniature.
Why does Auroville feel so powerful for many? Why is it such a challenging place to live, while also being so inspiring? Because Auroville holds everything within it—love, art, nature, inspiration, ignorance, injustice, beauty, contradiction. You find both genuine care for local culture and remnants of colonial behavior. And yet, even after traveling and experiencing different realities, I would still choose Auroville.
It’s not an easy place for youth to build their lives or feel fully integrated, but I’d rather live where the truth is visible, where both the light and shadow can be acknowledged and worked with collectively, than in a place where truth is hidden or diluted by systems that push you to keep up at the cost of your inner self and meaningful relationships.
In the past few years, there has been a lot of pain and fatigue in the community. Many are tired, and it’s easier now to feel frustrated. But I don’t remember the atmosphere being as heavy and fragmented as it has been recently. If I were to visualize it, I’d imagine a dark cloud hovering over Auroville, with rays of light trying to break through, healing the land and the hearts of those who have seen the spirit of Auroville wounded—sometimes deeply—by actions that seemed to lack awareness and love, in the name of Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa—who never wanted to be idolized, nor wished their teachings to become doctrine or instruments of division—it is important to reflect deeply.
It is troubling to see some individuals in positions of service today acting in ways that cause fear and disruption. While I acknowledge that some may have begun with good intentions and were perhaps disheartened by past challenges, the current actions being taken by some are not aligned with Auroville’s spirit. If in response to past injustices or frustrations, we begin to replicate those very patterns—of control, fear, and exclusion—then we are moving further away from what we claim to uphold.
Personally, I no longer feel safe participating as I once did. I have experienced moments where I felt intimidated and even shouted at by individuals from certain working groups not selected by the Residents’ Assembly. It is painful and confusing, especially when I hear people speak publicly about peace and honesty, yet my experience with them has felt contrary to those values.
We still have a long road ahead if we are to make Auroville the city of the future. But that future will not be built through fear, division, or unconscious action.
If we truly care about healing and protecting our community, we need to start by addressing the root causes of harm—we need to find caring and constructive ways to support those who are struggling and may be causing harm—helping them find healthier paths. This cannot be done by targeting those who are sincerely working to create nurturing, collective spaces.
I believe in the Residents’ Assembly now more than ever, and I believe it must be upheld and supported as a vital part of our collective process. Without it, we risk becoming a community under occupation, not one driven by conscious evolution. The behaviors I’ve witnessed over the past few years resemble a kind of indoctrination that dims the light Auroville once shared so freely.
If the spirit of Auroville is still alive, it is thanks to the flame burning in the hearts of those who continue to carry the Dream forward with love.
With sincerity.
By Lucrezia
May 1st, 2025