Brihaspathy: Auroville`s Tamil Farmers
As a kick-off for the presentation of the Auroville Sustainable Agriculture Plan (ASAP), within the next few months, Auroville Radio presents a series of eleven interviews concerning the foods we eat in Auroville. What were the ideas in the old days of Auroville regarding agriculture and sustainable foods? Which agricultural developments did Auroville been through since the first Aurovillians started to change the dusty plains into the forest it is today? How is the present situation in Auroville’s greenbelt and what is it capable of? And, perhaps most important, what are the challenges for the future?….
..Different people, all involved in Auroville’s food sector, give their personal views and opinions on these matters from their own background…In this third interview Ayyanar (Brihaspathy Farm) gives us an insight in his personal history which illustrates the history of Auroville’s farmers with a Tamil background. He explaines how his farm developed without the aid of any financial resources. Arriving at the age of eight in Auroville his interest in farming started. Through clever thinking and persistence, Ayyanar managed to obtain his own farm in Auroville’s greenbelt eleven years ago. What challenges do Tamil people meet in becoming an Aurovillian without the aid of money as some others do? Ayyanar explains how Auroville’s politics are not always easy for people who lack financial resources.