Auroville Introduction                                    with Serendipity Team

Auroville was founded on the 28th of February 1968 by The Mother (Mirra Alfassa), who was the spiritual companion of Sri Aurobindo. The first mission statement given has been the following: “Auroville wants 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 realise human unity.”

In Auroville, we believe that the only way we can move towards unity is to progressively realize that there is a secret Spirit, a divine Reality in which we are all one; not only realize it mentally but discover it in ourselves and live this knowledge. The secret of unity is within, said Sri Aurobindo; the secret of brotherhood is within. There is no unity except by the soul, there is no real brotherhood except in the soul and by the soul. Only when we live from the soul and not from the ego, will a real unity reign on earth.

Auroville is an emerging community of presently about 3500 volunteers from India and from some 50 countries around the world. It is located in a rural area of Tamil Nadu (South India), it is immersed in the tropical dry ever green forest and it is surrounded by 13 villages (about 6000 villagers directly work in Auroville and many more indirectly for Auroville). Over the past decades, Auroville has been dedicated to a wide range of development programs in the following fields (in many of which it has made impressive achievements): art & culture, educational research, environmental regeneration, handicrafts & small-scale industries, health & healing, innovative building technologies, integrated urban planning, organic farming, renewable energy, and rural development.

The Auroville introduction program is for people who really want to know more about Auroville and its purpose. This is not a tour or a tousrist introduction, this is a real journey within the complexities of Auroville and its Dream. The program will help interested people to get a better understanding about what Auroville is and aspires to be. In fact, participants will get an insight into Auroville’s inner workings and will have first-hand experiences with various aspects of Auroville.

Specifically:
– On day 1 we unravel the roots and history of Auroville;
– On day 2 we familiarize you with some of its current activities;
– On day 3 we focus on the potentialities of the community;
– On day 4 we bring it all together in synthesis with the Dream.

A typical day schedule will be as follows:
08.00 – 09.00: Hatha yoga.
09.00 – 09.30: Auroville farmer breakfast.
09.30 – 10.45: Reflections and sharing on Synthesis of Yoga quotations by Sri Aurobindo.
11.00 – 12.30: Visit of an Auroville project and discussion on Auroville governance / food sustainability / community living.
12.45 – 13.45: Italian / South Indian / Korean lunch break in Serendipity.
13.45 – 15.15: Yoga of inner discovery / Awareness Through the Body / Walking meditation
15.30 – 17.00: Visit of an Auroville project and discussion on alternative mobility / education / economy.

Please note that the schedule of the Auroville Introduction program is created uniquely every time and the above schedule is therefore tentative and may vary in details. The purpose of the program is to offer the participants a unique, precious and insightful understanding of “City the Earth needs”. It is aimed at beginning seekers, but can also be a special experience for those who have already been volounteering or staying in Auroville for quite some time. Participants will be required to attend all the 4 days and it will not be possible to attend single days or activities. The program is free of charge for Auroville guests and volounteers, but priority will be given to those staying in Serendipity. However, we request from everyone a contribution of Rs. 2000 for breakfast and lunch. If you need more information, you can contact us by phone or Whatsapp (+91 9385623342) or write to serendipity@auroville.org.in. For more information about activities, therapies and events in Serendipity, you can visit our Facebook page.