Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A section of Auroville residents gathered in Chennai on Saturday, June 6, to publicly voice concerns over what they describe as a massive tree cutting, the weakening of Auroville’s self governance structures, and an increasing ideological influence on the township's institutions.
The event, titled Auroville: An Experiment Under Threat, was held at Besant Nagar, featured photographs, documents and petitions related to redevelopment works undertaken since 2021 in the international township located at Puducherry.
Auroville, founded in 1968, an international township, where people could live together beyond divisions of nationality, religion and politics, is home to 3000 residents from around 60 countries.
The Auroville Foundation Act, passed in 1988, created a governance structure comprising the Governing Board, the Residents’ Assembly and the International Advisory Council.
The dispute centres on competing visions for Auroville, where the current administration of the Auroville Foundation, led by Secretary Jayanti Ravi, has maintained that its actions are aimed at implementing the township's long-pending master plan and fulfilling the vision of founder Mirra Alfassa, known as The Mother, who had envisaged Auroville as a city of 50,000 people.
Residents, who are criticising the administration argue that the implementation of the founder's dream is being done at the cost of environmental protection, community participation, and the township’s international and experimental ethos.
‘Without freedom, there is no Auroville’
Jasmin, 67, originally from Canada and a resident since 2010, said Auroville transformed her life after she encountered the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in her twenties.
“Without the experiment in self-governance, there will be no Auroville. There cannot be spiritual progress without freedom,” she said.
Referring to visa-related difficulties faced by some foreign residents, she said families and friendships have been affected, even as many residents continued to place their faith in India’s support for the international experiment.
Jasmin said residents were not opposed to development itself but were concerned about how it was being carried out.
“There is a need to build the city. Nobody objects to that. The question is how,” she said, adding that the residents wanted the Governing Board, Residents’ Assembly and International Advisory Council to function in a collaborative manner.
Amy, 59, from Northern California, who joined Auroville in 2004, echoed similar concerns.
“Earlier we had freedom with responsibility. People could make mistakes and learn. Now it feels more top-down,” she said.
TNM has previously reported the ongoing conflict in Auroville through a two-part long-form series that explored disputes over governance, development, ecology, cultural changes, and competing interpretations of the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.
‘People are losing their voice’
Balamurugan, 53, from Chidambaram and a resident since 1998, said one of Auroville’s defining features was that responsibilities were assigned without regard to caste, religion, or language.
“I was given responsibilities based on my work. That's the beauty of Auroville,” he said.
He alleged that the administration’s outsourcing actions had resulted in the loss of jobs for several workers and raised concerns about the purpose of ongoing construction activities.
‘Ideological shift’
Several residents who spoke at the exhibition also alleged that the changes underway in Auroville are not limited to governance and development, but reflect a broader ideological shift.
Ashok, 48, from Villupuram, who has lived in Auroville since 1990, alleged that the current administration was attempting to introduce ideas associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into a township that has historically projected itself as an international community.
“We have always lived in unity rather than merely speaking about it. What worries many residents is the feeling that Auroville’s international character is being weakened,” he said.
“For decades, the Tamil Heritage Centre promoted Tamil culture among residents from across the world. Now a Sanskrit workshop was conducted there. Many residents see that as a symbol of a larger shift,” Balamurugan said.
“Some among us suggest that RSS ideologies are being imposed here. I am not sure what the purpose of that would be. Auroville was meant to transcend religion and national identities,” Lata said.
Questions over governance
A theme throughout the event was the relationship between the Auroville administration and the Residents’ Assembly.
One member of the Residents’ Assembly Working Committee alleged that decisions affecting residents were increasingly being taken without the consultations that were common in earlier years.
“Earlier, residents would at least know the agenda and discussions before major decisions were made. Many people now feel excluded from the process,” she said.
Many residents that TNM spoke to, have acknowledged that Auroville has long struggled with internal disagreements and competing interpretations of The Mother's vision.
Yet they say they maintained that those disagreements were traditionally resolved through dialogue and consensus building.
Debate over development
Many residents argued that development should not come at the cost of ecological restoration efforts that have transformed the once-barren landscape over decades.
Prashanth Hedao, 64, a member of Auroville's town planning committee, who joined in 2003, said modern city planning must account for environmental sustainability.
“If you want to build a city, you have to make it liveable. Urban flooding, groundwater recharge, traffic and climate change have to be considered,” he said.
He expressed concern that large-scale tree felling and increased concretisation could have long-term environmental consequences.
Lata, 63, also associated with the town planning committee, said many residents were struggling to understand why the township had become the focus of such intense intervention.
“What worries people is that the essence of Auroville is changing very rapidly,” she said.
“Nine years ago, I was bitten by a snake and admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry for a week. During those seven days, Auroville residents took turns staying with me every hour as attendants,” she said.
“The hospital staff thought I must be some celebrity because there was always somebody by my side. Later they realised they were simply people from Auroville. That is how the community functions,” she added.
Environmental concerns
Environmental activist Piyush Manush, who attended the exhibition, criticised what he described as a development model that prioritises large-scale infrastructure over ecological considerations.
“It is the will of the residents that has shaped Auroville over decades. The question many people are asking is why this process is now being hurried,” he said.
Awareness over Auroville’s future
The exhibition drew a range of visitors, including film personalities such as directors Raju Murugan and Vetri Maaran and actor Andrea Jeremiah.
Several exhibition panels focused on the trees cutting down and environmental impacts associated with recent development works.
Visitors spent time examining photographs comparing past and present landscapes of the township.
Madhumitha, a Class 12 student who visited the exhibition, said she always associated Auroville with its greenery.
“The photographs showing tree loss were disturbing”, she said.
Lokesh, a commerce student, said he became aware of the conflict only after attending the exhibition.