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Report of the 20th Annual meeting of the Auroville International Association
held in Retiro das Rosas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
June 14 – June 20, 2004 Theme: Sri Aurobindo´s Ideal of Human Unity – Aurovilian Ways to it
Present:
Members of AVI Centers and Liaisons:
Argentina: Anandi E. Fernandez Brazil: Paulo B. Pereira; France: Devasmita Patnaik, Satyakam Karim Germany: Friederike Werner, Wolfgang Schmidt-Reinecke, Christoph Mühlhans Spain: Alfonso Galiana The Netherlands: Mia Berden UK: Sonia Dyne USA: Chandresh Patel, Soleil Lithman
Auroville: Tine, Aryamani, Bindu, Julietta
Guests (later: founding members of AVI Brazil association): Betty Bauch Zimmermann, Paola Charry Sierra, Miriam Amorim Rezende, Lenora da Cunha Guimaraes, Conceicao Muniz Corréa, Anaeliza de Oliveira, Horivaldo Gomes da Silva, Emilio César Pereira Rezende, Jefferson Moisés Santos da Silva, José Ricardo de Oliveira Bernardo, Marcelo Fortuna Figuera, Marcelo dos Santos Ribeiro Cunha,
(Total 28 participants)
The meeting basically had four different levels that sometimes went parallel, sometimes meshed together:
1. Public presentations in the UFMG, Federal University of Minas Gerais (a federal state with Belo Horizonte as its capital) 2. Meetings of AVI Board 3. AVI General Assembly 4. Getting together with our Brazilian hosts and their guests for mutual presentations, and finally the founding of a new centre: AVI Brazil
1. Public presentations
The first three days were dedicated to presenting Auroville and its aims and ideals to the Brazilian public. The venue at the School of Music and the School of Fine Arts at the Minas Gerais University was very well chosen for it attracted a genuinely interested young public.The Auroville team, Aryamani, Bindu and Tine, did a very fine job in opening hearts and minds, and the question and answer sessions that followed some of the presentations gave evidence of a good understanding of what they had tried to convey. The main topics and presentations were:
• “Ways to the Divine”, a power point presentation by Bindu translated by Aryamani • “The Vision of Sri Aurobindo”, a talk by Bindu, translated by Aryamani • “How Auroville was born”, a talk by Aryamani • A power- point presentation in the School of Architecture by Aryamani on “Several Aspects of Architecture in Auroville” – innovations, researches, challenges and consequences. This was followed by an open dialogue. • An Introduction to AUROVILLE and AUROVILLE INTERNATIONAL by Aurovilians and members of the AVI Centers. • “ India – The Maya of Reason”, a talk by Prof. Emilio César Pereira Rezende (Philosophy Faculty of UFMG) • Film: “The Genius of India” on a text by Sri Aurobindo – Introduced by Aryamani (Auroville) • Video: AUROVILLE: “A Dream of the Divine” in English with Portuguese subtitles • Video: “AUROVILLE – de la utopia a la realidad”, in Spanish (translated as ‘Auroville - from Utopia to Reality’) a film by Harry Haener and Laurence Bolomey, made in 2002 for the Italian Swiss TV. This program was accompanied by an exhibition of photographs on Auroville, as well as a book and information stall. A special offer by Devasmita from AVI France was an Odissi dance presentation, and an open class of Indian classical dance for the students of the School of Performing Arts. Together with her husband Satyakam (also AVI France), she presented a seminar on “Indian Music and its relation to the classical Indian dance.”
The opening and welcoming speech was given by the Director of the School of Music of the UFMG, Prof. Lucas Bretas.
On the 3rd day of our public presentations the Consul A. H. of India , Mr. Elson de Barros Gomes Jr., came to address the meeting. He started by reporting that he had just arrived back from the 11th session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which was taking place parallel to our AVI meeting, only some hundred kilometres away in Sao Paolo. Interestingly enough this conference was especially highlighting the importance of close co-operation among developing countries, the so-called “South-South co-operation”, reaching a special “Sao Paolo consensus” to link and strengthen countries like Brazil, India and South Africa (!). He then spoke about the global situation, which urgently calls for a shift of paradigm, for a return to female values, like caring for others, sharing and co-operation, as opposed to male values like competition and strife, which have dominated for centuries, causing the global problems we are confronted with.
To our surprise he then turned out to be well versed in the works of Mother and Sri Aurobindo, mentioning the importance of the Supramental Descent on 29th of February 1956 as the one event that opened doors for this paradigm shift, for a global transformation of consciousness and matter. He even mentioned that he has been in Pondicherry and Auroville before. Our chairman Sonia found the right words to thank him, saying that we came to Brazil in order to bring the Auroville spirit, only to find out that it is already there. A genuine highlight at the end of these three public days! We hope for a fruitful further co-operation of AVI Brazil with this friend and companion in spirit who offered his help whenever needed.
2. Board meetings
Our discussions focussed around the question of how we can revitalise our Auroville International organisation, which presently seems too weak to stand up to the challenges lying ahead. To find out where we want to go our first questions were:
What is the aim and purpose the AVIs see for their work and action? What is the role the AVIs are given and should be given from the side of Auroville?
First there were some more basic, “traditional” answers and approaches, like:
But then we shared the experience that, due to new media like the websites, the giving of information is no longer the most important part of our activities, as many people find their own way to Auroville and when they contact us they want substantial co-operation, like offering themselves for voluntary work or special project involvement. Here we see the future challenge to get people involved in Auroville who can contribute with special skills, like researchers, scientists, artisans, technocrats etc. A close co-operation (with Auroville telling us who and what is needed) has to be established.
While in earlier days fundraising on a comparatively small scale was a big help, today the demands of projects, like Village Action for example, have reached a scale where governments or other big organizations have to be contacted.
This brings us closer to a task that The Mother has formulated for the AVI, which is to bring Auroville in contact with national governments and global organizations like UNESCO. She wanted these links “for the sake of the world”. But in order to fulfil this task we need a concerted action between Auroville and AVI, whereas at present there is still a lack of co-ordination and information sharing. We see the big challenge is to help Auroville secure the international character of the whole project, which Mother wanted to belong to “humanity as a whole”. In this connection we mentioned the importance of the IAC and a better future co-operation with its members. During our meeting we heard the news about the nomination of new IAC members, which we warmly welcomed, even if there were some reservations about the strong Indian/Aurovilian representation in this body, which was initially created to represent the international community. One point where international support may become crucial is the problem of quit notices and visa withdrawals.
We agreed on the idea to create an International Advisory Body for our own AVI association. Names mentioned were:
- Norman Myers and Mary King,, former IAC members - Dr. Hans Georg Wieck, former German Ambassador to India - Dennis Kucinich, the American Democratic Party candidate who knows Sri Aurobindo´s works - Doudou Dienne, UNESCO Director for Intercultural Affairs (now designated IAC member) - Lynne Twist, American activist on alternative approach to money - Peter Russell, English writer and scientist - Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentinian Nobel Prize Winner in Peace - Gilberto Gil, Brazilian singer and Minister of Culture in the Lula government.
Those of our members who can establish contacts with these persons should approach them with the idea as soon as possible. In this context we should start a new move to link up with UNESCO and to make connections with the India chair at the UN.
Another big task for our future AVI work will be to help connect Auroville with those “light-points” in the world where the new consciousness is already anchoring.
In order to fulfil the above-mentioned tasks we need a close co-operation with Auroville´s active bodies, mainly with the International Zone group, as we feel challenged to actively participate in the building of the International Zone through their pavilion groups.
In this context some criticism was heard regarding an apparent lack of willingness to work with us from Auroville´s side. Some of these criticisms were: Auroville still lives in a glass bubble, it still has a “small village” mentality; is too self protective, not open to novel ways already proven successful outside; it still has not understood the universal message; it is not really inviting to young people from outside; it is not keeping us informed when good co-operation would bear better fruit.
One special point of discussion was the lack of co-operation with the International Zone group regarding an initiative by AVI Germany to create an International Volunteers Camp around the American students hostel in the IZ. While the American project holders were very much in favour and a well worked out plan was presented the issue was not openly discussed in the International Zone forum but rejected by a majority of IZ group members present at one meeting. In this connection it was felt that the agreement reached at the California 2002 meeting to make the pavilion groups part of the IZ group was not being properly implemented. Board members unanimously supported the idea that the creation of an International Volunteers Camp would be one step towards bringing life to the International Zone and engaging young volunteers in the development of it.
Sonia will write a letter to the IZ group and we want to make the question “Is Youth really wanted in Auroville?” one of the important topics for our forthcoming AVI meeting in Auroville.
To put the above in a concise form we have formulated the following manifesto:
1. AVI wants to live and promote the ideas of Auroville. 2. AVI wants to be the interface between Auroville and the world. 3. AVI wants to give practical help and advice, responding with new developments in the international world and the changing needs of Auroville. 4. AVI is aware of the special relationship between Auroville and India and wants to co-operate with the Governing Board and the Working Committee in maintaining a harmonious relationship. 5. AVI wants to help maintain the international character of Auroville and work in close co-operation with the International Advisory Council. 6. AVI wants to work in full partnership with the International Zone group of Auroville. 7. AVI wants to bring Auroville in contact with all countries of the world through actively engaging the youth of each country and strengthening the links with the UNESCO and other international organizations in order to fulfil our aim of Human Unity.
There was the common feeling that the new challenges and changes we see for AVI´s role also calls for a change in our representation in Auroville. It was reported that also in Auroville there is a discussion going on about termination of offices and AVI itself has laid down certain terms of office. So we agreed that we should start looking for a new representation. First contacts have been established with Aurovilian Kathy who may be interested to take over. Her work for SAIIER, her networking activities with UNESCO, the California Institute of Integral Studies and others, as well as her involvement in youth and student exchange programs seems to make her fit for the tasks ahead. We are very grateful to Tine who has done for five years a wonderful job in bringing the AVI community closer together through her great communication skills – Sonia reported that in Singapore, where her reports have often featured in a newsletter, she has a real ‘fan club’! We asked Tine to continue for a transitional period till January and help the new representative get into the job. Sonia will write an official letter to Kathy asking her to take on the job.
The question was raised whether we should formulate a job description for our different offices. A basic frame was discussed and will be attached to this report. It was the general feeling that this description should be flexible, and adjustable to new needs. The functions of the Board members should be ratified or redefined each year at the Board meeting. In future the Board meetings should be better prepared, possible decisions communicated well before the meetings.
The AVI financial report sent by Sylvie was discussed. We decided that in future it should be sent to the Board at least one month before the meeting so that questions can be answered and cleared. Devasmita and Satyakam gave the good news that AVI France will raise its yearly contribution to EUR 400. A new budget plan for 2004/2005 was discussed and will be attached to this report.
We agreed to have the 2005 meeting in Auroville from January 11 – 15. This meeting has to be well prepared, it will have two main focus points: a) to intensify the collaboration and create a communication network with Auroville bodies, projects and individuals; and to this end special invitations to future partners in Auroville to come to the meeting have to be sent well in advance. b) to invite as many AVI members as possible to participate in the meeting in order to strengthen our own association and network. We see a greater chance for more participation in Auroville than in far away countries. In our AVI budget we want to create a support fund for liaison people.
We should soon start a Board discussion about how the AVI could best present itself and its work to the Auroville public.
As in 2003, when we had a second meeting in France, it may be useful to have a second meeting also in 2005 in order to discuss and organize the many tasks ahead. Alfonso will sound out the possibility of this happening in September in Spain. Another possible venue could be Holland.
We received invitations from both S. Africa and Kazakhstan for our next meeting in 2006 and thank them warmly for their generous offers. We finally decided to have the 2006 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, We feel that there is a deeper sense, a hidden chain that leads us from mainly Central Europe based meetings in the 90s to Russia in 2001, USA 2002, South America 2004 and now Africa in 2006, where the “Rainbow Nation” South Africa and its attempts to realise Unity in Diversity are an inspiration and promise for an “African Renaissance” in the 21st century. Appropriate dates could be either September or February/March when some participants might be able to stop over after their Auroville visit.
Next steps and tasks:
3. General Assembly
The Board members started by giving a report about their previous discussions on AVI’s task and challenges to act as an efficient networking agent for Auroville. The report was met with great appreciation. Then the Aurovilians answered questions regarding the actual situation with the Governing Board, Matrimandir, Village Action, Land Fund and SAIIER.
It was mentioned that the Auroville Foundation act was intended to be a temporary solution and was not envisaged by The Mother as part of her plan for Auroville’s future development. Different models are conceivable like a foundation involving AVI, under the auspices of the UNESCO. But in order to make major shifts Auroville has to grow up to its ideals. A future great aim could be to bring together, like the three steps of Vishnu, the three bodies that Mother and Sri Aurobindo have created or envisaged: Ashram, Auroville and AVI. Mother wanted Auroville to be a laboratory, a field for experiments on all levels, inner and outer. In working this out Auroville needs support by a strong AVI.
It was emphasized that Auroville needs to present itself as a holistic, integral project in all its complexities. Often it presents a picture of many individual, quite often mutually exclusive initiatives, which makes fundraising sometimes very difficult. A well-structured Project Co-ordination Group would be helpful which could then work together with AVI, even if individual funding of projects by friends and visitors has to continue.
Unanimous support was given to the idea to re-apply for funding for Village Action. We all regret that in the actual already tense situation this major setback has happened and AVI UK´s initiative to get EU funding did not bear fruit. Auroville´s efforts to establish good relations with the surrounding villages are seen as crucial for the survival of the whole project.
We discussed a question posed by many visitors: why was so much gold used for Matrimandir in an area of rural poverty? Possible answers are: Auroville is not only a social but a spiritual project, with Matrimandir as the symbol of a new spirituality. Matrimandir with its “sacred geometry” is the physical center of a new vibration on earth and, last but not least, the villagers themselves love Matrimandir and are proud of it.
The Land Fund One Million Dollar Challenge is still going on, up to now $ 800.000 has been collected. AVI is asked to continue to remind members that their support is crucial. A new film funded by ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization is available in Auroville. It is a very good compilation and demonstration of Auroville´s efforts and achievements in the field of alternative energy. Available at CSR.
Aryamani presented the Citadine habitat project in Auroville for 60 people which is planned to give space for Auroville residents, also those without means, newcomers, young volunteers. As it will be completely organized and equipped “till the last spoon” it could also serve as a transit place, but reserved to those who work full time for the community.
In the lively discussion more brainstorming on future Auroville/AVI cooperation followed. It was suggested that we should:
Soleil presented a very interesting idea for fundraising. She has just helped launching a foundation in the United States, which connects people who want to make a legacy to non-profit organizations. She described the situation in the US where 60% die without a will, 25% of whom would be prepared to give to non-profit organizations. The situation in other countries may be similar, so the foundation, which has Auroville near the top as a receiver of donations, plans to operate worldwide in future, looking for holistic lawyers in other countries to link up. AVI could actively promote this idea, also in Auroville it seems to happen that people pass away without a legacy.
Answering questions from our Brazilian friends about how to establish and run an AVI center or liaison we gave the following advice:
5. Brazilian presentations, AVI Brazil association founded
Our Brazilian hosts surprised most of us when they reported about the long-standing history of Brazilian connections with the Integral Yoga.
In the 1960s the German dancer Rolf Gelewski was called to set up a school of modern dance at the university of Salvador de Bahia. Invited by the Goethe Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan he went on a tour to India in 1967. His show scheduled for Chennai was cancelled at the last minute but somebody asked him to go to Pondicherry instead. There he saw The Mother and danced in front of her. In 1969 he returned to stay in the Ashram for eighteen months, and it was Mother who sent him back to Brazil where he started talking about the Yoga in his dance classes, often playing and working with Sunil´s music. In 1971 he founded the Casa Sri Aurobindo, Mother sending her blessings.
Several people joined him in the Casa, which was run in an Ashram style; among them our Auroville friends Aryamani, Paulo, Ila and Jivatman who over the years got more and more interested in Auroville. Their work, apart from the dance classes, which were seen as a way of self-discovery, focused mainly on the translation of Mother´s and Sri Aurobindo´s works and the publication of the journal “Ananda”. The Casa community stayed together till 1978, Paulo and Ila going to Switzerland, where they were the AVI representatives till they moved to Auroville in 1986.
Rolf Gelewski died in 1988 but the association Casa Sri Aurobindo still exists with 30 members all over Brazil. Four of them are living in Belo Horizonte, still doing translation work and publishing the “Ananda” journal. They are happy to join the AVI initiative and they might even offer room for AVI Brazil activities in their Casa flat, as our torch-bearers Paulo and Carlos (who has been the active AVI Brazil liaison for the last three years) also live in Belo Horizonte.
A second stronghold of Brazilian Integral Yoga activities is in Rio de Janeiro, where for 24 years Horivaldo Gomes has been running a yoga school, the Núcleo Cultural Samyama de Yoga. When Friederike, Wolfgang and Christoph stayed for some days in Rio after the meeting they were hosted by people from this school. They were invited to talk about Auroville on three different occasions and met a big circle of enthusiastic people, all thirsting for news about Auroville and the Yoga. Over the years some 20 yoga schools have grown out of the Samyama and a kindergarten and pre-school was founded, based on Mother´s teachings on education. Horivaldo came to our meeting in Retiro das Rosas and became one of the founding members of AVI Brazil.
Two of our meeting participants came from Campinas, a town close to Sao Paolo: Betty, who is one of the early Casa Sri Aurobindo members, and Paola, a young and very enthusiastic woman trying to establish an official sister-city arrangement between Campinas and Auroville. She said that according to her experience of the new Brazilian generation, seeds of the new consciousness are finding fertile fields in which to grow.
Following these interesting personal and historical reports our Brazilian friends withdrew to come back with the good news that our Brazil liaison will grow into a full-fledged AVI center when the AVI Brazil association has been officially registered, the first Board being elected. A big and warm welcome to the club!
We are all looking very much forward to a future co-operation with this lively center. Brazil and its wonderful people, their hospitality and generosity have impressed us a lot. We will never forget the welcoming warmth and kindness of our hostess Sister Rosita at Retiro das Rosas, not to mention the delicious food from her own farm and gardens. To thank her and her team for their loving care our dancers Devasmita, Aryamani, Soleil and Paulo gave an impromptu dance performance. The unity so perfectly achieved in motion inspired Chandresh to the following poem, which he sent shortly after the meeting:
Auroville International, Brazil Dancers
Were they storks, there, in sight, Stretching and gaiting? Nay, they were warriors of light Preparing, in silence waiting –- The four beings of might!
The music was sequenced right Yet the sculpture in air, that night Was cut from fluid motions in flow. Each intent and absorbed, Yet mingled with the others. Rapt and engaged, weaving in and about.
The audience in reflecting pool Of silence, followed this one or the other Or this pair or the whole brood. And the eyes swirled across the canopy To twinkle along with varying arches or bends.
Only the music watched – Nay enveloped us all, rapt, in delight, To be in utter Unity that night.
Chandresh Patel July 7, 2004
Our special thanks go to Paulo who has been the good spirit, the untiring main co-ordinator of the meeting and loving host for many of us, never losing his calmness and sweet smile. We also would like to thank Carlos who developed the idea to have the meeting in Belo Horizonte. He was instrumental in establishing good contacts with the Minas Gerais University and helped a lot in the meeting preparations. Due to his call to the Nehru University of Delhi he could not take part in the meeting but, once back from India towards the end of this year, will certainly play a major role again in the AVI Brazil team.
Last but not least Anandi should be mentioned who was the only one to represent the rest of the South American continent. She led us through a very touching meditation, reminding us of former discussions in Auroville to see “The Americas” as one entity, asking us to concentrate on its unity, to pray for the USA people that they may consecrate their proverbial trust in “everything is possible” to striving for human unity in diversity. OM NAMO BHAGAVATE.
>> A. Job description of AVI offices / B. AVI budget 2004/2005 |
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