Dr Elizabeth Ursic has been visiting Auroville during the month of January as a visiting scholar in residence and hosted an interactive session on Friday 13th January at the Sri Aurobindo Centre for Studies, Bharat Nivas on the Divine Feminine. During this session, Elizabeth shared her latest research describing 3 Christian communities in the USA that have adopted a contemporary approach to prayer and worship by bringing the feminine to the forefront, sometimes generating controversy among the more conservative members of their faith. Read more

In today's news we feature interview with Sarasija talking on the Korea-India Artist International Cultural Festival 2011. On Thursday at Pavilion of Tibetan Culture in International Zone between 6.30 to 8.30pm , and On Friday At Sri Aurobindo Auditorium, Bharat Nivas, Pavilion of Indian Culture at 7.30 pm performance Cultural Union of Korea and India with music and dance. Sri Aurobindo Centre for Studies. India and the World presents on Friday 30th in “White Hall” at 6pm Debashish Banerji , who will talk on Contemporary Reality and Superman Read more

On today's news we're featuring three short interviews. Andrea is talking with Ribhu on last meeting with Pudhucherry Municipal Services on waste management. Ronald Rand is talking about his play "Let It Be Art" which we can see on Saturday 24th of December at Sri Aurobindo Auditorium, Bharat Nivas, pavilion of Indian Culture, and about his workshop on 26th and 27th of December. University of Human Unity organized International Seminar on Integral Paradigm, and Vladimir talks about it. Later different approaches to knowledge will be discussed. Read more

No doubt that talk on Lucy - mother of us all at the National Museum of Ethiopia , and the interaction on "Human Unity in Evolution" deeply impressed all the participants. Dr. Berhane Asfaw, leading Ethiopian Paleontologist presented Ethiopian archeological finds related to the evolution of the hominid to man, and after seeing Lucy in the next door we were following with huge respect and anticipation. Deepti followed by presentation of the view of Evolutions as seen by Sri Aurobindo, and both talks and interaction were presented by Haimanot. Read more

The aim of the Sri Aurobindo-Mother avatar was to establish the foundations of a new species beyond the human: superman. In The Supramental Manifestation (1949) Sri Aurobindo wrote that, for the superman to be incarnated on the Earth, an intermediary range of transitory beings would be necessary. The Mother called these beings surhommes, overmen. Moreover, she said explicitly that to realize the transitory beings in their presumably huge variety was our task. This talk given by Georges van Vrekhem at Savitri Bhavan on 12 November 2011 is the Read more

'Present and future science: unending paradigms'. Science is generally presented as a search for the truth of Nature, thereby supposing that there must exist such an absolute, unchangeable truth. This view is now severely questioned. Besides, science is a product of the human mind, which is incapable of grasping absolute truth. Therefore science and technology must gradually be replaced by what Sri Aurobindo called a ‘future science’, including not only matter but all levels of Reality. A talk given by Georges van Vrekhem at Savitri Bhavan. Read more

Full title: 'Vanished and retrograde civilizations'. More and more archeological discoveries show that the civilization of Homo Sapiens Sapiens goes much further back than Sumer. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother affirmed the onetime existence of civilizations like Atlantis and Lemuria which vanished from the surface of the globe. This means that the ‘primitive’ peoples were not so originally, but descended from probably highly evolved civilizations of whom they lost the knowledge and the means. This talk was presented by Georges van Vrekhem Read more

During the formation of Christianity, a series of hard fought councils and creeds formulated what was the authorized thinking in the Christian West. This ‘catholic’ faith dominated the minds for centuries, till its irrationality was eroded, attacked and finally overcome by a rational movement culminating in the Enlightenment. Sri Aurobindo calls its main ideas – liberty, equality and fraternity – ‘godheads of the soul’, and has fought to keep them alive in the build-up of the new world. The Georges van Vrekhem's talk was held in Savitri Bhavan. Read more

The integration of the 4 varnas and the new Dhrama. The 4 varnas, quite other than the castes, have determined the structure of society not only in India but also in the West. Their integration into a human unity is essential for the coming about of the new world. The new inner or spiritual unity will gradually create a new, egoless dharma – “Nous voulons une race sans ? go” – replacing the ego-dharma of the evolution until now. Georges van Vrekhem gave a talk in Savitri Bhavan. Read more

The feature today is about Aurovilians working to change the landscape: an effort to protect health by ensuring proper waste management at the Karu-vadi-kuppam dump. Technology as a way to highlight the connections between the Western humanistic tradition with that of Sri Aurobindo will take place at Savitri Bhavan during its Fall Semester presented by Daniel Goldsmith. Reminder: mark your diary for World Bamboo Day18 September which culminate with a week-long festival. Read more

On Saturday, 14th August, a memorial gathering was held in Savitri Bhavan dedicated to Syam Sundar who recently passed away. Shyam Sundar was appointed by the Mother as the secretary of Auroville affairs and was involved in the township project from the very beginning. About thirty Aurovilians and fifteen Ashramites gathered in Savitri Bhavan to pay tribute to Shyam Sundar. After a short meditation, several friends spontaneously shared their reminiscences of Shyamsunder, who had taken significant roles in his lifetime. Read more

Book 2 Canto 3 The Glory and the Fall of Life (page 120 ~ 121). This recording is a sample of a class that is being given by Shraddhavan weekly at Savitri Bhavan. The aim is to help people whose mother tongue is not English, but who have an aspiration to read Savitri with correct pronunciation and rhythm, and with some first understanding of the words and images of Sri Aurobindo’s revelatory epic. As a side-effect, it is hoped that they can improve their knowledge of the English language. Read more

Featured is an interview with Aurovilian Selvaraj, who has been an active participant in various working groups and schools throughout the years; Selvaraj expresses high hopes for the future through our children due to the education they are receiving now. Also in the news an announcement for a 4-day interactive and experiential workshop on health and harmony, to be led by JV at Savitri Bhavan. Read more

Today's news is news of Bhavana's journey and passage into the Light after a bout with cancer. Offered is an extract of her writings, from her blog, posted several days prior to her departure, in which she characteristically describes in detail steps of the way with the grace and intelligence and humour and kindness Bhavana will be remembered with, with love.

Not that he's know and serious Sufi scholar and musician, but also his lectures, even on sometimes boring subject as it's history, are very interesting and vast. Over a span of almost two hours he managed to attract listeners attention with broad approach to the history of Turkey area with all their migrations. Listening trough the lecture we were reminded with humor that history can be very subjective or depend on who writes it; what to some nation might be a cruel invasion and aggression to other will be merely fight for survival... All the lectures are enriched by Sufi music and read poetry. Read more

‘The Human Aspiration' : Book One, Chapter One of Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine. In 1913, Sri Aurobindo noted that part of his mission was to restate the truths of the Veda and Vedanta in terms accessible to the modern mind. In The Life Divine, the ancient truths, illumined by his own experience, are made accessible to the human reason. Shraddhavan's readings of the 28 chapters of Book One are available on request from Savitri Bhavan. Here is a sample - the very first chapter.

In Auroville tonight we can listen to a third lecture of known Sufi scholar and musician Latif Bolat, who is visiting and giving lectures with sufi music, at SAWCHU at 7.30 pm Bharat Nivas, Pavilion of Indian Culture. And for music lovers of contemporary and pop music Brand New Brand prepared at 8pm at Kalabhumi annual concert. Hibiscus Art Village Project presents on Sunday 1st May at 7 pm in Svedame: Pink Floyd in Concert , followed by Special dinner and screening of Film of live concert PINK FLOYD: "The dark side of the Moon"- P.U.L.S.E 1994 London and after....after at 9pm we are all invited to dance with Jessy.... Read more

At Verite ILC Hall, from Monday 21st to Saturday 26th, from 9am to 4:30pm daily Mobility Management & Land Use Planning workshop is going on In a one-week workshop they aim to develop agreed standards, achieve a better understanding and a more effective interface, to support the process of planning and implementation to arrive at a sustainable transport system as soon as possible. L'avenir and Housing Service are launching an on-line "Housing needs and resources" survey. If you are someone in need of housing they need to hear from you. Filling the survey will: first of all· ensure you are registered with them as needing housing ·and secondly give them valuable information on the number, types of units to build and resources available. Read more

In his talk about the need for change in contemporary psychology Dr. Suneet Varma exposed some important aspects. If psychology does not respond to the need of humanity in terms of fundamentally reconsidering its scope and purpose, it will become redundant for humanity that will grow and progress despite it. As Sri Aurobindo said "God shall grow up while the wise man talk and sleep."He as a yogi not only saw the current psychological impasse of humanity suffering from essentially ego based consciousness, but also did his yoga to be able create conditions whereby a higher stage of consciousness in the form of the supramental becomes the basis of a new psychology and manifest itself not only in a select few but gradually and potentially becomes available humanity as a whole. Goal of the new agenda of psychology to explore the alchemy of the transmutation of the human into Divine. Integral psychology does opens out this new dimension of human development and progress. Read more

One of the most interesting presentation at Mutation II A Clearing was Ravi Chaudry "Quest For Exceptional Leadership", in which he gave some guidelines on what new economy should be based. With it we also see how excellence and leadership contribute to transformation and mutation. New economy it is complex, but not completed, and the future of the Earth depend on the change of consciousness. The enterprise of the future is the one that is getting inspirations from above but in such a manner, that the light from above penetrate all the levels of an enterprise... Business itself become and instrument of transformation. Prof. Ravi Chaudry just released a book "Quest For Excellence in Leadership", which is written in a language appropriate for the audience that should hear it, without loosing any of the essence of it. He himself is a successful adviser and consultant to many corporations and governments on many levels.Click here to download the pdf of the presentation. Read more

Featured in the news a remembrance of 40 years ago today, when Mother sent a special message to those early Aurovilians who would begin the initial digging for what would become the foundation of Matrimandir: 'The fraternity of collaboration; the aspiration towards Unity in Joy and Light. Blessings.' Also in the news some announcements: a call for volunteers to do farm work and building at Windarra Farm in exchange for accommodation; another call goes out for a high level English teacher for Future School and, a chance to use writing skills in Sadhana Forest's 'This I Believe' essay series. And finally a reminder to reserve an evening next weekend to hear the Auroville Choir sing a concert of Celtic songs. Read more

The Mother”To be a good teacher, one has to be a yogi.” In interesting talk of Jean Yves we heard the role of education or no role of it. If Auroville is a specific place to live, work and be, intensity of questions carry us, and it is a learning process where education invades other domains. And if education should be more than just the one which makes people employable on the labor market today, what faculties we should foster? The speed of changes showed us that universe is much more complex as we thought, is a totality of simultaneous complexity. The world has been manipulated by experts of local knowledge; we are globally incompetent, no knowledge of the whole, and we're maybe entering to the new stage of I don't know state.

Prema Nanakumar started her session by poem Presence which she dedicated to the Divine presence in all of us, and which is in-avoidable force of mutation. Trough the comparison with past, and text as Savitri and Ramayana she wanted to pond on the positive side of changes and transformations. She formulated it in idea - there's nothing that is really new under the sun, but there is also nothing that is repeated under the sun. Smilingly she added that elder know that the future is always better than the past, and presented the example of history one hundred years ago. Read more

Georges Van Vrekhem at Mutation II A Clearing started with main question which his talk revolved around - If the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were avatars, what avatars were they? Where we can place them it the avatar is the Divine incarnated as human being. Sri Aurobindo wrote about two sides of avatar-hood - Divine Consciousness which is omnipotent, and Instrumental Personality. To him Divine Consciousness has put forward Instrumental Personality, and it uses is accordingly to the rules of the game. He also clearly expressed that the Divine when he takes on the burden of terrestiality, takes it fully, seriously without any tricks or pretense. And any one who wants to change Earth nature, must first accept it, in order to change. Georges found that questions if the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were avatars as one of the most tabu questions.

In an interesting and thorough presentation by Wolfgang we heard about the tools of Hladina method to discover layers of the heart in order to Align one's soul with the soul of the nation. Layers of the heart is process which leads to effective body-anchored spiritual revelations, which gives direct body sensation and internal vision of personal-emotional heart center, the psychic being and the transpersonal Divine or "the vastness”(experienced behind the physical heart). Wolfgang on the holistic way explained the evolution of the humankind, and evolution of consciousness with it from the mineral to the man. After he continued by evolution of nations from physical body, trough vital to mental, in order to develop awakening to psychic being or supra-national unions, a real human unity. Presentation was followed by three days workshop Aligning One's Soul with the Soul of your Nation, in order to help fostering development of pavilions at International Zone.Read more

In Conference Room at Town Hall this afternoon at 5pm will be introduction program for the Aligning One's Soul with the Soul of your Nation experiential workshop of International Zone, which will take place throughout the whole weekend at Pavilion of Tibetan Culture. Samarthyam Workshop on Access Awareness and Sensitization is going on also at Conference Room in Town Hall for two days. At Well Caffee in Svedam tomorrow and on Saturday they will dedicate their "Art Event” for the Hibiscus Art Village project. Read more

Ladislav Brozman, a well-known musician and violinist from Sri Aurobindo Ashram prepared violin recital at Savitri Bhavan. The repertoir was consisted of Johann Sebastian Bach (Solo sonata in C Major BWV 1005, Adagio, Fuga, Largo, and Allegro assai) and Eugene Ysaye (Sonata Nr. 1 Op.27 in g minor, Grave, Fugato, Allegretto poco scherzoso and Finale con brio) pieces. The acoustic of Savitri Bhavan served the excellent violinists, who is also a teacher of musicology at University of Human Unity, well. An unique event for lovers of classical European music.

The news today offers an audio peek at one of the frequent sessions of The Learning Center children at Fertile, with Johnny as director, a session of hands-on learning through building something, some project of the childrens' choosing, with total participation and freedom of expression and fun all round. Also in the news, a synopsis of the contents of a recent meeting concerning land use, planning and mobility management. Plus, tomorrow's Amphitheater offering featuring Nadaka and Gopika. Read more