The report “Auroville in Crisis & The Way Forward,” prepared by a subgroup of the Auroville Global Fellowship and published in January 2025, documents how the current Auroville Foundation administration has undermined the balanced governance structure established by the 1988 Auroville Foundation Act. Through analysis of governance, financial management, planning, communications, security, and community impact, it reveals violations of the Act, the Auroville Charter, and residents’ rights.
This extensively researched document brings clarity to the complex situation and proposes a practical roadmap for resolving the crisis while honoring Auroville’s founding vision as an experiment in human unity through restored collaboration among the three statutory bodies: the Governing Board, Residents’ Assembly, and International Advisory Council.
The job you did is almost perfect in its expression, presentation, clarity, encompassing in length all aspects of the problem, opening ways forward as possible solutions. You have put your great intelligence and deep sincerity at the service of the truth of Auroville. The result is astonishing.
What you did had to be done, and you have done it to perfection. For my part, I offer you all my whole hearty congratulations for this impressive document. It will stand like some kind of triumphal arch built in homage to the ideals of Auroville.
I haven't been able to read the entire piece but it's clear this is the most comprehensive report to date. I hope this will open up avenues in high places. I was thinking yesterday that if the present Government would accept what you have presented as the way forward, that would be a great victory indeed, a great turning point for us and for India.
We need a few more breakthroughs soon and I think they will come.
This is exceedinglty impressive. More than that. Written so beautifully, expressed so clearly and intelligently… I believe it is a document that has the power not only to change things in India, but also to motivate all Aurovilians. It’s a beautiful reminder of our ideals and the responsibilities expected of us.
Mother has breathed much inspiration into all of you for this work — it is CERTAIN to succeed, in whatever form she crafts. It is a treasure for Auroville and for all of us Aurovilians.
We seek an enlightened intervention by the Government of India to reverse the direction of the Auroville Foundation’s current administration and restore the integrity of the Auroville Foundation Act and principles of the Auroville Charter so that Auroville can fulfill its purpose for India and the world in bringing about a brighter future for humankind.
Actions taken by the administration in Auroville over the past three and a half years threaten Auroville’s future with irreparable damage. The administration has violated fundamental principles required to administer Auroville properly. It has engaged in serious abuses of authority, leading to a profound failure of governance.
The Governing Board that took over in 2021 has repeatedly violated the fundamental principles needed to administer Auroville in accordance with its Charter, the Auroville Foundation Act, and the vision of the Mother and teachings of Sri Aurobindo. It has cast aside the standards established by government-appointed administrations for more than 30 years upon which Auroville’s future depends.
The Governing Board’s seizure of assets and appropriation of power has specifically violated provisions established by law in the Auroville Foundation Act, including its unprecedented assertion that it alone has “supreme authority” over all aspects of Auroville. It has overridden the powers and functions of the Act’s other two statutory bodies and violated fundamental rights and responsibilities accorded to Auroville residents by the Act and that are universal norms in any democratic society
The Governing Board has been responsible for serious abuses of authority in six major categories: governance, financial management, planning and development, communications, safety and security, and impact on local communities.
These abuses are summarized in Auroville Global Fellowship report and have been extensively detailed in nearly 2,000 pages of publicly available reports, presentations, letters, court rulings and other documents over the past three and a half years.
These actions have led to a profound failure of governance in four key areas:
A successful resolution of Auroville’s crisis is within reach. But certain conditions are required. The report provides the blueprint for a resolution of the crisis and the establishment of a positive path forward featuring three key elements.
Cessation of all acts of destruction and coercive measures taken against Auroville residents, and reinstatement of the rights and responsibilities of Auroville residents as specified in the Auroville Foundation Act.
Restoration of the core values and practices that guided previous Auroville administrations, specifically including balance, mutuality, and collaboration among the three statutory bodies as specified by the Act.
Under those two conditions, the collaborative development and implementation of a crisis resolution plan, leading to:
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