Simon and I often dream about living in India year
round. We both love India and have
returned year after year. But
living there full time raises some issues. First of all, foreigners are usually only granted a six
month visa. Now visa restrictions
are making it more difficult to re-enter after the visa has expired. Second,
what would we do for work? We have
to have some way of making a living. Plus, we worry about Arun. On our recent visit, he was showered
with attention. People stared,
pinched his cheeks, offered him sweets and generally made a big fuss about
him. This is fine as we were just
visiting, but we both feel that we want him to grow up with peers who speak the
same language as him and have a similar culture.
Matrimandir, courtesy Auroville.org
Among a couple possibilities, we became interested in
Auroville, an experimental township in Tamil Nadu, just a couple of hours from
our home away from home, Tiruvannamalai. Auroville was established in 1968 by Mirra
Alfassa (aka ‘The Mother’) and Sri Aurobindo as a universal city where people
of all nations could live in ‘human unity’. Now there are over 2000 residents from 45 counties, about
1/3 from India. The township is
divided up into communities, each with a different focus, from creative arts to
organic farming. The community is
quite self sufficient- they run their own schools, restaurants, cafes,
guesthouses and a number of shops including a grocery store, a couple of
clothing shops, bookstores and a bakery.
Film Exhibition at Kala Kendra ©Ireno Guerci
Children on the Beach ©Ireno Guerci
Women's Group Courtesy Auroville.org
During our last week in India Arun and I visited our friend,
Veronica, an Aurovillian who has been living and working in the community for 8
years. We stayed with her in her
lovely treetop apartment in the ‘Creativity’ community. I wanted to learn more about living in
Auroville, and staying with a local was the perfect way to do it. On our first night we went out to
dinner at the visitors center, where we had a yummy Spanish meal cooked by a
group of Spanish and Latin American Aurovillians. Later, there was Spanish dancing and guitar, although we
left early to put Arun to sleep.
Just about every night there is something to do- from theatre
productions, to dances, to art exhibitions. I was impressed by the number of children from all over the
world- Arun played with children from India, France and Holland one evening at
the local playground. I hear that
it is an amazing place for children to grow up and judging from what I saw, I
believe Arun would love it.
Arun and Veronica
So what, you ask, could be more perfect for our traveling
family? There are several obstacles
that are keeping us from jumping on the next plane back to India. First, there is a huge housing shortage
in Auroville, so it will probably be tough for a family like us to find
adequate housing when we first arrive.
Second, there is a bit of investment- although one is expected to work
full time (unpaid) in a project of their choice, you have to pay your living
costs for the first year or two until you become a full member of the
community. In India, this is
relatively cheap, but still a bit more than we have in savings. As a member, basically all services are
free, so theoretically we could get housing, basic clothing, medical service
and schooling for Arun. We would
receive a small stipend, which we could live off in India, but it would not be
enough for any luxuries or tickets back home to visit family. Maybe the biggest reason for me is the
climate. November through February are pleasant months, but the rest of the
year is simply too hot.
It all sounds like lots of fun, and I am curious about going
there for a few months to check it out…what do you think?
Read more about Auroville at www.auroville.org
