On a rainy Saturday evening Shri Soham Munim and Shri Debashish Dass performed an Indian classical concert at the Sri Aurobindo auditorium in Bharat Nivas. Shri Soham Munim was on that stage two years before when he played in a more progressive fusion concert. In this concert he played Hindustani Ragas on his sitar maintaining the classical art in its essence, and, also at the same time using a contemporary feel in his musical expressions. Shri Soham Munim was accompanied by Shri Debashish Dass on tabla. Read more

As it is a custom, when the days of festivals, celebrations are near, events are also piling up, and in those days its actually hard to choose where you would like to be. Tonight we can choose between ethnic chanting in a circle at Verite Hall with Ana, Tiago and friends, or harp meditation and mystic words of Rumi offered by Antarjyoti, or we might see a Spanish movie in Cinema Paradiso. In the conversation with Nicolai we heard some news about Youth Center. Sri Aurobindo's birthday on Sunday 15th of August, which is also India's Independence Day will be celebrated on Friday, Saturday, with different programs and offerings and of course on Sunday with early morning bonfire and with program at Bharat Nivas at 8am.

Just open your ears... For the World Listening Day Svaram invited us for a sound walk through Auroville soundscape. We started in Svaram crossing the village of Kotakarai, continue to the forest, arrive in the Matrimandir nursery and finally reached Unity Pavilion to listen to the mystique Russian bells. Listen to the recording of this walk and try to emerge yourself into the texture of sounds, feel reflection of sound to your inner landscape. The good thing is that we don't have to tell you how to listen, so enjoy !!

Au mois de mai les visiteurs, mais aussi une grande partie des auroviliens ont déserté. Le temps, haletant, semble suspendu; plus rien ne fonctionne normalement. Et pourtant, le croirez-vous ? Pour ceux qui choisissent de rester malgré la chaleur, l'été, c'est magique ! Éric prépare ses couleurs dans l'atelier du “Jeu de Peindre”. Mathilde confectionne du matériel pédagogique pour “Learning Community”, une école pas comme les autres. Satyamayi, 8 ans, barbote dans la piscine. Smiti et Aurevan, en profitent pour “être plutôt que faire”. Et pour Fabrice, être aurovilien, c'est toute l'année. Pour eux, l'été à Auroville, c'est la saison de tous les possibles, leur saison préférée !

Shakti works at the Auroville reception care. But aside from that she is also one of Auroville's artists. Marlenka talked to her about her painting experiences and her emotional journey with her first painting of the Mother. Being a self trained artist, Shakti talks about her accidental initiation into painting and the connection between Auroville and art in general. Shakti feels that Auroville is a new Dawn, that is constantly progressing with Art being a part of it. Here you can listen to an interview with the painter.

Today's news featres an excerpt from a presentation about mobility management by Karl-Heinz-Posch last Friday, the 30th of April at the Multimedia Centre. He presented various aspects and ideas for a development of Auroville, which he created after spending one week in Auroville with meetings and information sharing. Also in the news an announcement for a 10-day Vipassana meditation course from the 4th to 15th of June, which is one of the oldest meditation practices in India.

A talk by Sraddhalu Ranade at Savitri Bhavan on Saturday February 20.The Psychic realisation is the first of three realisations aimed at in the Integral Yoga. The psychic being is the evolving representative of the Divine Truth deep within each of us. When it can open and come forward to lead the whole life, it may produce a first transformation of the whole nature, and prepares the way towards the spiritual and supramental realisations.Sraddhalu Ranade has grown up in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram under the guidance of his mentor the late M.P. Pandit, and is a much appreciated speaker on the Integral Yoga worldwide..

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On the 17th of February there was a presentation by Binu Mukherjee, an eminent scientist and a professor, which many people attended. The presentation was about his experiences of being a scientist and a spiritual person at the same time. He discussed how, unlike common feeling, his spiritual attitude complimented with the scientific view of the world. The discussion made its way into thoughts such as how application of mind on science and logic helps on finding the limitations of mind in understanding the nature. Spirituality can lead science to areas that could help life become better by making the world more safe and beautiful to live in. He stated, that since science and spirituality are in essence search for the truth they are similar and can be at some point unified...

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New Year's Eve... throat singing of Tibetan monks... 2010 candle lights... words of wisdom of Dalai Lama... yes, in Auroville is hard to imagine for that night not to go to Tibetan pavilion, where's every year tradition of lighting tea candles, as many as the coming year counts. It is a perfect time to sit down, reflect to the past year, and maybe set up hopes and wishes for the next one. Candles, many time arranged in beautiful mandalas, peaceful tranquility... and you know that everything is just right, the way it is... ohm mani pedme hum... let the peace prevail on this planet, starting with each one of us... ohm mani pedme hum....

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On December 28 Dr. Debashish Banerji gave a presentation on the theme "A New Emergence: The Need for Policy Change". Debashish Banerji is the former president of the East-West Cultural Center and Sri Aurobindo Center, Los Angeles. Teacher of Asian Art History and Indian Spiritual Culture. Educational Coordinator for the University of Philosophical Research, Los Angeles. Ph.D., Indian Art History, University of California, Los Angeles; MA Computer Science, University of Louisville, KY; BA English Literature, Elphinstone College, Bombay University. In REAM MORE the other parts.Read more

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In this presentation Ashesh Joshi introduces us to The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Spirituality is to grow in spirit and in Sri Aurobindo's Yoga the main process is to put ourselves as an instrument of the Divine Consciousness. Ashesh use The Mother as the main subject of this presentation and the key role that Sri Aurobindo has given to her in the Integral Yoga.

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Recently Uma (Upasana) attended a workshop in Belgium on Inner Intelligence. It is part of management training based on spiritual wisdom of eastern traditions in combination with scientific understanding. Their teaching method is exceptionally effective and unusual using techniques like archery, balancing etc. This is the recording of the presentation dated Tuesday 8th December in Town Hall Conference Hall.

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Second meeting of Asian Unity was held at Pitanga, and as East Asian traditions are, it started with excellent tea, and quiet conversation of arriving guests. From the first meeting in September things started to move for Asian community, and many plans are in the progress. On 17,5 acers of land in Iternational zone proposed for Asia, idea came up to sart to build at least small Tea pavillion with which they could establish Asian zone, and could been used as a place for meeting, for meditation and tea ceremonies. In Asian culture tea ceremony is important part of the culture, it's related to art in general; important part of it is spritual passage without religious projections..

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Il existe un son qui nettoie les autres sons, un son qui englobe tous les autres sons... Est-ce qu'un son peut nous calmer? Est-ce qu'un son peut nous reposer? Est-ce qu'un son peut nous guérir? Est-ce qu'un son peut nous faire vivre? Une ballade sonore à travers le son "AUM" cette semaine pour le magazine français. Un magazine qui voyage avec les voix de la chorale AUM du Savitri Bhavan et quelques Auroviliens « praticAUMiens ». Pour télécharger ce programme cliquez ici.

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When a Zen practitioner gynecologist and a Ken Wilber philosophy advocate merged in one man a new approach arises. Dr. Unmon Boss share with us his experience with wearing the three hats at the same time. Unmon lead the seven empty pages workshop he developed here in Auroville. The seven attitudes non-judging, patience, beginners mind, trust, acceptance, non striving and letting go are the framework and the ground for his workshops. This interview tries to shed some light on his approach to medicine, spiritual life and his relationship with Auroville.

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Without doubt Ganesh is one of the most popular deities in India, and all over the world. Either for his kindness and qualities of a god who's beneficiary in many cases or because of his interesting and cuddly figure of full belly being with elephant head and four arms... however, Lord Shree Ganesh is a god of knowledge and the remover of obstacles. He is worshiped or at least remembered in the beginning of any auspicious performance for blessings and auspiciousness. He has four hands, elephant's head and a big belly. His vehicle is a tiny mouse. A unique combination of his elephant like head and a quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intelligence and presence of mind.

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Michael and Guido of Quiet Healing Centre welcomed some 20 odd Newcomers for an introductory tour. They talked about how the Centre started almost 10 years ago and about various therapies and facilities. Quiet is well known for Watsu therapy and mainly attracts guests from Europe in the peak season. All therapies and massages are offered for free to Aurovilians and Newcomers with priority for those suffering from ailments.

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At small gathering  on full moon in July at Repos we had a chance to listen to soft mellow chords of guitar played by Subash. He told us few things about himself, his life passion -  music, and how he experienced Auroville so far. As he mentiooned he heard about Auroville from his friends who were staying here for few months, and found for himslef that this is really something different to any other. Otherwise he compose music, mostly trance and background music for movies and spin from time to time.

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Children come into this world very pure and it is up to the adults to help them stay bright without losing the contact with their souls. Kids have so much energy, naturally and from their outside world. Yoga gives them the opportunity to take a break and focus that energy inward. Savitry teaches yoga postures, deep relaxation and meditation to a new generation that can benefit and make a difference in the world. Listen to the interview about how she makes yoga understandable, accessible and fun to kids.

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A Journalist: “How do people in Auroville use Integral Yoga practice in their daily life?... What is Integral yoga at all?...  When the Mother envisioned Auroville did you feel that she had this idea that we all would be living inspired by the Divine?... What a guru normally would do is to eventually have the sadhaks know how to go within themselves to find  answers?” Frederic: “In oder to do justice to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother you have to avoid labeling them. Don't give it a title just describe what you experience. Each one for himself. Keep on asking interesting questions. Don't aim at the answers.” You can though listen to them in the interview with Frederic.

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Listening to many people's stories, one could surmise that many of them could be entitled: "Why I can't be at peace now." To create suffering without recognizing it - this is the essence of unconscious living. To end the misery that has afflicted the human condition for thousands of years, you have to start with yourself and take responsibility for your inner state at any given moment. How to do that? Maxim, a writer, painter and musician, shares in this interview, conducted in his native Russian, his experience with finding a state of well being in any situation.

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“I see music as a combination of numbers. The music harmony is a beauty of number sequence. You can't touch numbers. They are beyond the matter. The material world is based on number's canons. They are timeless and never-ending. Their harmony helps you to get out of the mental frame and feel the Divine.” Alexander Zhikharev, a Russian inventor of a unique musical instrument - the set of specially tuned plate bells, is sharing with us in the interview the source of his inspiration in Russian.

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"I can't practice yoga intensively for the whole day, so I have to do something else, that's why I learn foreign languages", - says Ananda, who was born and grew up in France, lived and worked as a French teacher in Germany, England and Japan. Now in Auroville he's busy with accounting and continues to learn languages. He can read or speak in more than 10 languages: German, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Spanish, Norwegian, Russian, Slovenian, Tamil, Sanskrit, Japanese... We haven't mentioned French and English, which are self-evident. In the interview Ananda is sharing with us his method of learning languages with joy and easiness. The interview is in Russian, so you can learn some Russian by the way.

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Last Tuesday His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Auroville  for the third time since 1973, this time to inaugurate the newly completed Pavilion of Tibetan Culture. Prior to his public address he made a brief visit to Matrimandir, accompanied by a small entourage of monks and security guards.  Approximately 3,000 people, including school children, sat quietly to listen to him speak on the of theme ‘Human Unity and Universal Responsibility.'  At the completion of his talk the Dalai Lama responded to a number of questions from the audience.

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Frederick wants to go on in his conversation with Serge who left us last July. Often they did not have the same approach to the problems Auroville was facing through the years, but they were (are?) moved by the same aspiration for Human Unity. You can listen to the conversation clicking the logo play. This conversation is part of a mix up program where Frederick talks with two students of journalism Carole and Chloé.

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Last Sunday, the French Pavilion presented a documentary on Auroville produced in 1972 by Jean-Pierre Elkabbach. This 118 minute documentary, broadcast on French channel "ORTF" in 1973 shows what Auroville was like then: a few houses in a red desert, some school facilities like Last School, the Pyramids and the Yogurt Pots, and of course Matrimandir under construction. After the projection, some Aurovilians felt inspired to discus about this period and their impression after 35 years. You can listen the intervention of Claire, Monique, Shraddhavan and Mallika by clicking on the logo PLAY or download here.

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In January 2009 H.H. The Dalai Lama will visit Auroville and will inaugurate the Tibetan Pavilion. Claude Arpi, who is one of the promoters of the Pavilion, tell us about what is still needed to finish the Pavilion in time. In this interview in English and French Claude ask for financial help from donors to fund raise the sum needed. He also speaks about the logistic of this very important visit.

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Today is a day for quiet reflection yet at the same time a day for celebration. The Independence of India and not surprisingly the birthday of Sri Aurobindo both fall upon August 15. Sri Aurobindo, at one period in his life actively involved in the fight for independence, retired from that work and took on the greater far-reaching inner work, which has brought us all here. The Amphiteatre at Matrimandir at 5:15 a.m. is the site of the traditional bonfire, accompanied by a reading of Savitri by the Mother accompanied by the music of Sunil. Next at Bharat Nivas at 8:30 the Indian flag will be raised, in a meditational moment of gratitude.Read more

In the second program of the series 'Experience Tamil Culture' one can know more about an ancient Indian meditation. The Kolam is a drawing done every day in the space in front of the house. Much more than simple beautiful patterns, kolam is a prayer to welcome the sun god, the good spirits and also the friends. Only women are allowed to do this early morning ritual, the knowledge of which passed from mother to daughter for generations. One can create a lot of different designs, but the tradition requires it to be done bending all the body (as in yoga asanas) and to use white rice powder (a symbolic way to provide food to the ants and insects). Read more

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Aurelio arrived in Auroville after a long trip through the Pacific on the quest of the origin of Music. In this forty five minutes program he leads us from the ancestor's sound of clapping the hands on the legs, through the sound of stones till the more elaborate sound of metals or musical instruments without excluding the main musical instrument of man: voice. In the empty hall of Verite' the sounds find an echo. You can take the full journey consulting the broadcasting schedules.

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