= spiritual eco-village near Pondicherry in India, founded on the ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the 'Mother'.

Description

From Wikipedia:

Auroville (City of Dawn) is an "experimental" township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Puducherry in South India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Richard (since her definitive settling in India called "(The) Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger.

Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroville)

Status

Since 2021: government appointees are said to be threatening the participatory nature of Auroville governance:

1.

"Until 2021, everything that has been achieved in Auroville over five decades was organised by its residents, including the selection of internal committee members, the establishment of collective community decision-making processes and methods of development and progress, all whilst maintaining a collective unity. The AVFO’s top-down authoritarian approach to decision-making is contrary to the Auroville Foundation Act (1988), to the collective spirit envisaged by the community’s founder, and goes against the values and principles of freedom to experiment and self-organise around which Auroville was created."

(https://auroville.media/crisis/)

Threat Summary

"A systematic takeover of governance

There has been a systematic takeover by the AVFO of all of Auroville’s major internal working groups and committees that manage the key areas of administration, media, and finances, resulting in the concentration of power in a handful of people who were not appointed by the residents and who do not represent the needs and aspirations of the majority.

In 2024-2025, this concentration of power intensified further as several residents who had previously supported the AVFO distanced themselves from their roles, leaving authority increasingly concentrated among an even smaller circle of appointees. In some instances, individuals now hold multiple critical roles, such as simultaneously serving as “Head of Urban Planning,” “Media Content Vetter,” and “Legal Coordinator.”

New decisions are being taken behind closed doors without any consultation and are imposed along with threats to the livelihood of residents. In late 2024, the AVFO introduced a new “Code of Conduct” and residence criteria that attempt to control even the most basic aspects of residents’ lives, requiring Aurovilians to request approval for absences exceeding two weeks and obtain permission from a newly formed “Human Resources Service” to host guests beyond seven days, including spouses, elderly parents, and minor children. Those who do not toe the line are blackmailed, intimidated, dismissed from their positions, and sometimes even expelled from Auroville.

Silencing the Residents' Assembly

There is a complete disregard for the decisions made by the Residents’ Assembly, normally in charge of organizing all day-to-day activities in Auroville. Residents’ Assembly Decisions to stop these takeover actions were completely ignored, despite over 90% of residents who voted clearly and strongly expressing their call for correct planning and development processes.

In June 2024, 98% of 945 residents voted to halt, review, and reverse land deals undertaken by the Secretary, yet these concerns were dismissed and more land exchanges were approved by the Governing Board in October 2024.

The Secretary to the Governing Board claims that the Governing Board holds “the supreme authority of Auroville,” and appointees have implied that residents should simply follow orders or leave – before they get expelled. In 2024, the Governing Board revealed its intention to “amend certain provisions in the Auroville Foundation Act” to “remove ambiguity” and “facilitate a strong administration in Auroville,” showing a continuing effort to further consolidate power.

Dismissing executives and experts

Skilled executives of key services and groups have been dismissed and banned from accessing their offices, computers, and mailboxes, sometimes without warning or explanation, and their source of income was cut off with little or no replacement. Arbitrary appointments of unqualified people on the basis of their affiliation with the AVFO have become the norm.

These dismissals continued through 2024, including executives of long-standing Auroville guest houses, food outlets and municipal services, despite their proven track records of competent management and increased profitability. A concerning feature of these dismissals is that they often occur without due process or justification, raising serious questions about the motives behind such actions.

Similarly, professional Aurovilian experts in the fields of architecture, planning, water conservation, sustainable housing rejuvenation, reforestation, and more, are being sidelined and ignored in all decisions taken in their relevant fields of expertise. Instead, the AVFO increasingly outsources construction and development work to government entities like the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), even when local Auroville units have demonstrated expertise and capacity.

Bulldozing Sustainable Living

An 'undisputable' plan

Since December 2021, the sudden implementation of an outdated and inappropriate urban plan, called the ‘Auroville Master Plan, Perspective 2025’, is currently being carried out by force, under the direction of the AVFO and associates, with bulldozing at night, destruction of endangered forest and water catchment areas, and the eviction of residents from their homes with only a few days notice.

Mass-bulldozing and tree cutting in project areas funded by the Government of India or the European Commission have become the norm and are still ongoing, with approximately 20,000 trees cut since 2021. In early 2025, a new method of destruction emerged when mature trees in certain areas were deliberately stripped of their bark – a practice known to cause slow death without the immediate visibility of cutting the trees down.

Amongst other issues, this enforcement fixates on a perfectly circular 17-meter wide Crown Road without taking into consideration the social or environmental impacts, disregarding the recommendations of Auroville’s experts, and ignoring the ecological, functional and creative alternative plans proposed by the collective. Large radial roads and an external ‘Outer Ring Road’ are also being imposed, without any proper mobility plan.

Moreover, the AVFO has not undertaken the necessary steps to receive official clearances, such as Environmental Impact Assessments or Detailed Development Plans. Existing functional and sustainable roads have been dismantled and are being replaced by giant concrete-based slabs of substandard quality, which have a calculated carbon footprint of 952% more than the previous roads, and which do not allow for rainwater to percolate and recharge the aquifers.

In late 2024, the newly-excavated Matrimandir Lake suffered serious structural damage during Cyclone Fengal when its retaining wall failed, highlighting concerns about inadequate planning and construction. Despite this failure and numerous requests from residents, no environmental impact assessments have been conducted, and construction continues without proper phasing or independent evaluation.

Forests, food and water under threat

On the basis of ‘developing the City’, many of Auroville’s forests, parks, and naturally preserved environments are either being bulldozed or under threat of having their lands exchanged. Some of these forests include sanctuaries which protect wildlife of protected species, and water-catchment areas which benefit all the neighboring villages and bioregion.

Since the AVFO takeover in 2021, an estimated 20,000 trees have been cut down, primarily for road construction, devastating ecosystems that took decades to establish.

Recent destructive activities include construction of a bridge over Darkali Forest Park that destroyed rainwater systems collecting 3 million liters annually; bulldozing for an artificial hill related to the Matrimandir Lake project, clearing 9 acres of dense tree cover with plans for 7 more; and construction through Revelation Forest Sanctuary, home to rare and endangered species.

Proposals for developing the City while preserving the reforestation work done over 55 years have been formulated, but are being ignored by the AVFO. Land exchanges have severely impacted Auroville’s most productive farms, endangering the entire food security of Auroville. AuroOrchard Farm, one of the most productive, has been fractured by land exchanges, with residents facing harassment from new landowners and disrupted water supplies.

The Auroville 'Master Plan: Perspective 2025' has not been updated since its preparation by the Residents' Assembly in 1999.

Portions of biodiversely rich Auroville forests have been bulldozed in December 2021 to make way for a road. This included protected species and water catchment areas.

Mismanagement of funds and assets

Communal funds, collected with the contribution and work of residents, are being opaquely allocated by individuals who have not been appointed by the appropriate established processes and refuse to answer to the Residents’ Assembly. Communal assets, some being funded by national and international grants, are being repurposed without the agreement of the stakeholders involved.

Budget cuts have intensified, particularly affecting vital sectors like education and culture. In 2024, schools were informed of considerable budget reductions despite no increases since 2019. Similarly, financial support for cultural activities has been drastically cut, threatening Auroville’s long-standing commitment to providing free access to events, classes, and spaces.

In some cases, financial fraud is suspected since tenders have been allocated without following proper procedures, and works of substandard quality have been carried out costing crores of rupees. The value of work assigned to the CPWD is estimated at 60 crore rupees (almost US$7 million), yet the necessity and quality of these works have been repeatedly questioned by residents and experts.

Auroville land being sold out

"Land exchanges and deals continue to be made in an opaque manner and at severely undervalued rates. According to an analysis by members of the International Advisory Council (IAC), these exchanges have resulted in estimated losses of over 240 crore rupees (approximately US$28 million) to Auroville. Land parcels effectively have been given away at 1% of market value, raising serious questions about who profits from these deals, suggesting the possibility of undisclosed motives and financial irregularities.

Furthermore, these land exchanges were made without following any established due process. Despite repeated calls to halt these transactions from the Residents’ Assembly, the International Advisory Council, and even questions raised in the Indian Parliament, the exchanges continue without transparency or accountability.

Despite the duty of the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation as ‘Estate Officer’, several land encroachments occurred on Auroville lands with practically no response from the Secretary. In February 2025, only after over 700 residents signed a petition did the AVFO finally file an appeal to safeguard three acres of prime Auroville land that had been wrongfully appropriated by a politically-affiliated real estate developer. Before this, residents frequently gathered spontaneously to face these encroachments, often without support from those authorities tasked with the protection of these assets."

(https://auroville.media/crisis/)

Discussion

Eric Hunting:

"Another religious community that has impressed with their sophistication is Auroville in southern India. (http://www.auroville.com/ This site used to be more about the community but had since gone more commercial, the community info apparently moved to auroville.org but the site down at the moment.

However, the Auroville Earth Institute page has a good overview of the community architecture) I learned of them through my study of earth block architecture for use in non-toxic MCS-adaptive housing. They have produced some of the most sophisticated earthen architecture in the world and developed what I think is the most advanced form of Cinva Ram ever created; the Auram 3000. They may even hold the world record for the largest span earth block vaults and domes ever built and the largest solar oven kitchen. Unlike other religious communities, they are very public and involved in a broad spectrum of industries."

(http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-role-of-contemporary-spiritual-communities-in-the-post-industrial-reinvention-of-the-pre-industrial-past/2008/08/15)