The Aura of Auroville

Aura of Auroville

“There should be somewhere on earth a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens  of the world and obey one single authority, that of supreme truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his sufferings and miseries, to surmount his weaknesses and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the concern for progress would take precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the search for pleasure and material enjoyment”- An extract from A Dream by The  Mother, August 1954

It’s been almost a month since I landed in Chennai in search of greener pastures and except for appearing in job interviews and watching the Bollywood movies on ace boxer Mary Kom and another one on child trafficking Maardani screened in Ampa SkyWalk and Escape respectively, I have not much ventured out in the oppressive heat down south. Well, Chennai has only three weather- hot, hotter and hottest and I don’t know into which of these degree of hotness the month of October falls as it is still scorching hot. I am yet to get drenched in the north-east monsoon rains here (the Tamil Nadu coast experiences it when it is winter season in the rest of India).

So I escaped out of Chennai for the weekend, a day after World Egg Day on 10-Oct after ensuring that I devour at least an egg before I hit the road as I was already stuffed ‘mentally’ with a lot of Amma(s) and Anna(s) viz. Anna University, Anna Memorial, Anna Square, Anna Nagar, Anna Salai (Road) etc. etc. and almost all the national and regional news channels for the whole week fed viewers with news about Amma aka Jayalalitha, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu who has been jailed in the Indian state of Karnataka in the disproportionate assets case along with her aides Sashikala, her foster son et. al.

Pondicherry/ Puducherry 11-Oct-14 (Saturday)

Pondicherry now known as Puducherry is a Union Territory of India and comprises Mahe in Kerala, Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, Karaikal and Pondicherry, the last two geographically located within the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was a French colony in the historical past and the city still has retained its French flavour in many ways. Pondicherry stands out from the rest of the Indian cities in its architecture and style. Most of the duplex houses along the East Coast Road, commonly known as ECR in short, are a riot of colours brushed with pink, yellow, blue and purple. The wooden balustrade in the porch, the cafés, bakeries and kiosks  adds to its uniqueness. Shops sell all sorts of colourful fancy floral dresses which are a perfect wear in the sea beaches.

ECR is a single-lane, scenic highway along the eastern coastal belt skirting narrow sea inlets, rivers that fork out into the sea, coconut and date-palms; dotted with tiny temples dedicated to Tamil Gods/ Goddess commonly Murugan and churches and cathedrals; connecting Tamil Nadu’s capital city Chennai with the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Since it was the weekend, cyclists- both men and women in helmets, Indian and foreigners, were seen paddling  as far as Mahabalipuram (now Mamallapuram). It was cloudy weather when we set out in the morning and the weather God was kind to us (the cyclists and the travellers) throughout the day. Work on road widening by a meter or so till Mamallapuram was in progress. Except for the cyclists, there were very few motorised vehicles on the road. I found it difficult to read the signboards since most of it appeared in Tamil with scant English places names on it. The green paddy fields and water-bodies attracted the flocks of bogolis (cattle-egret) numbering more than hundreds. A few salt plant and several hatcheries (after World Egg Day on 10-Oct) and fisheries could be seen from the highway. Every now and then the driver overtook the green-coloured State Transport Bus. Most of his talk, in fragmented English, centred around Amma aka Jayalalitha and he reasoned out why she should be released from the jail. Amma has entered the pantheon of Tamil Goddesses as people worship her, many even self-immolated and committed suicides after the court verdict sentencing her to jail. One newspaper caption which particularly caught my attention was “Take Cavery water, give us Amma” since there is a river-water dispute between the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Our departure was at 6:30 am and we hit the Toll Gate in P’cherry at 9:25 am with a halt for breakfast at Motel Mamalla (with a roof-top resto) in Mamallapuram which serves good south Indian masala dosai, idli, vada, appam, pongal,  . . . (the Center Fruit T.V. ad did come in my mind) and coffee for breakfast. Fancy and catchy names of resorts like Hidden Bay, Tropical Tides, (O)scar Resort- with my poor eye-sight missing the ‘O’ (written in black) of ‘Oscar’ (written in light orange colour).

Locals in white cotton dhoti and foreigners in shorts on bikes is a common sight. Sharanga Guesthouse, a cosy, homely, quiet ambience under the shade of a banyan tree amongst other green canopy, with each home carved out in exquisite traditional décor; a small, shallow-water pool roofed by 4 wooden pillars with a presiding water deity in the centre in one end of the pool; three broad tables spaced out in the open opposite the small pool with cottages in one side, a clean and spacious kitchen attached with 24 hours accessible electric tea and coffee maker, toaster etc., a roofed but open dining hall with a table for 8, a common recreational room with a T.V. set, a gym, a Tai-Chi hall, an image of a Hindu deity- a place of sanctum sanctorum, cobbled pathway with greenery from ground to a sea of green screen though the thick foliage and big, beautifully coloured pitchers for water laid all across the guest house complex of Sharanga, a reception with stained glass windows and ventilators and beautifully carved out woodwork with a book corner towered by a large globe and a wall map of Auroville and framed photographs of sepia hue in black and white greets the visitors. There is also a bicycle parking hut with slanted roofs.

Sharnga Guest House serves breakfast at 8 am and dinner at 7:30 pm and charges Rs 2800/ per day. The food served for both b/fast and dinner appealed to our taste buds, neither very hot nor pungent and spicy compared to food served outside and is a mixture of south Indian and continental. The guests of Sharnga from across the globe also have the option of eating their meals (breakfast and supper) together while getting to know each other. Both veg and non-veg are served to the guests.

The rooms have bed for two, a wooden cabinet, table-chair, attached bath with hot water and 24 hours electricity. Internet service is also provided. The receptionist Janani and her husband Sundaresan is sure to provide you with all the details which a guest needs in order to explore Auroville and its surroundings. A map of the locality definitely comes in handy. Bikes are also easily available on rent from Sharnga GH. Bourgounvillea floweres with white, orange, pink, purple and yellow blossoms add a riot of colours while the chirping of the local birds is perfect music for the senses. Try Dinesh Restaurant for local cuisines.  Auroville beach is accessible for guests of Auroville. The Visitors Centre, International House, Youth Centre, Town, Foundation Tibetan Pavilion, Sri Aurobindo’s Statue, Fleurs d’ Auroville, The Kindergarten, Buddha Garden, Botanical Garden, Integrated Animal Care, Pony Farm, Certitude, Solar Kitchen, the Windmill, Water Harvest, Menhir and all other places of Interest is centred around the Matrimandir- a golden globular shaped structure resting on 12 petals in the middle of an extensive green manicured lawn with an adjacent amphitheatre. Visitors are permitted entry inside the Matrimandir (and even in its periphery) only with a visitors pass issued in the Visitors Centre. Lose yourself under the shade of The Banyan Tree, where The Mother meditated, and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere. One is sure to feel rejuvenated and recharged.

Auroville has sprouted from a once barren plateau of red earth with nationals from 35 countries from different hemispheres and time-zones honeycombing this unique society. At the inauguration ceremony of Auroville on 28^th February, 1968, representatives from 124 countries and 23 Indian states scooped out a handful of earth from their homelands to place it in a lotus-shaped urn symbolising the unity of humans across diverse religion, caste, creed and colour in a sea of humanity. This is the aura of Auroville. What better place to pray and meditate than inside the Matrimandir complex in Auroville on my husband’s fifth death anniversary, for his soul to rest in eternal tranquillity, as I seek solace and embark in the journey of life . . . Bon voyage!