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Auroville , envisioned as an international township in the making to realise human unity, now faces existential challenges. The township is in turmoil after allegations of land encroachment , drug abuse and drug peddling, and a host of other crimes have come to light. Founded by Mirra Alfassa, revered as the Mother and spiritual collaborator of revolutionary-turned-philosopher Sri Aurobindo, Auroville was established on 28 February 1968, in the presence of representatives from 124 nations, gathering for the inauguration.
In September 1988, the Union govt took control, enacting the Auroville Foundation Act to resolve internal disputes between community power centres and representatives of the Sri Aurobindo Society . By January 1991, the Auroville Foundation was formally established. The Mother had laid out Auroville's vision in its charter, comprising four key tenets: "Auroville belongs to nobody in particular; it belongs to humanity as a whole.
But to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the divine consciousness. Auroville will be a place of unending education, constant progress, and youth that never ages." Auroville, says the charter, "will be a site of material and spiritual research for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.
" Over the years, Auroville has faced challenges arising from governance issues, environmental concerns, and ideological and cultural differences within its communities. The issues intensified in recent years, leading to debates around the town's vision, management and sustainability. A lack of consensus among Auroville Foundation's three main authorities — the governing board (GB), the residents' assembly (RA), and the International Advisory Council (IAC) — is often cited as the main reason for the conflict.
This has led to ongoing debates, allegations, counter-allegations, and legal battles. The absence of a unified leadership structure and decision-making process further compounded the issues. The township struggles to balance its spiritual vision with modern-day pressures of development and growth.
Tension increased after the current administration, which took charge in 2021, fast-tracked township projects. The administration felt projects were progressing at a snail's pace and resumed implementing the French architect Roger Anger's master galaxy plan by clearing trees and residential and community structures. This led to opposition from some residents, leading to ongoing legal battles.
The Union govt's recent involvement in Auroville's administration has only added fuel to the fire with residents feeling their township's autonomy is being undermined. Matters worsened after the Union education ministry disclosed it had received complaints about land encroachment, drug abuse, peddling, and cybercrimes, including data theft via foreign servers. Union minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar revealed these details in response to questions from Villupuram VCK MP D Ravikumar in the Lok Sabha.
The ministry said there were also complaints about violations of immigration laws, black money circulation, money laundering, donation collection without registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and other economic offences, as well as irregularities in land exchanges. Majumdar said complaints related to cybercrimes under the IT Act and offences under the Indian Penal Code had been forwarded to the appropriate agencies for investigation. Complaints regarding land exchanges have been sent to the Auroville Foundation for review.
The Foundation will assess the allegations and present its findings to the GB, to recommend further action. However, the working committee of the RA, in an email to Majumdar, called his statement "evasive and misleading", stating that it failed to address the concerns regarding land exchanges in Auroville. The committee members include Aravinda Maheshwari, Chali Grinnell, Ilayabharathy Somasundaram, Maël Shanti Vidal, Matthieu Gardelle, Prashant Hedao, and Valli Senthilkumar.
"Instead, they divert attention by digging up old allegations related to activities in Auroville, which have neither been properly investigated nor proven, despite numerous audits conducted by the secretary and her office in the last three years," the committee members stated. The members said the questions raised in Parliament rightly focused on the serious issue of Auroville's high-value lands being exchanged at alarmingly low rates without any consultation, including with the RA. This, they claim, resulted in a loss of 200 crore for Auroville.
"We have repeatedly reported the issue to the GB and the education ministry over the past two years, but we have yet to receive a response. The IAC has also raised concerns about these land exchanges. The GB is making these drastic decisions independently, disregarding the RA and IAC, as outlined in the Foundation Act," the members said.
Members said that no govt funds were used to acquire land in Auroville. "All were purchased through private donations from individuals and organisations committed to the Mother's vision. It is shocking, both by natural justice and the spirit of Auroville, that these exchanges were made in secrecy, without consulting the affected members living and working in these communities.
" The lands are held by the Auroville Foundation under the Auroville Foundation Act of 1988. "These are not govt lands, and the GB and secretary's office alone do not constitute ‘the Foundation' to exchange lands without due process or consultation with the RA and IAC. It is troubling that, instead of addressing the issue, the education ministry has simply asked the Foundation's administration to investigate, essentially tasking those involved in the land mismanagement to investigate themselves.
No honest outcome can be expected from such a process," they said. The committee has urged the Union govt to appoint an impartial and independent inquiry panel to engage with all stakeholders, including committees recognised by the RA, and conduct an investigation. Auroville is home to more than 3,000 residents from 60-plus countries.
UNESCO and Union govt have recognised it for its unique contribution to human progress. With the working committee alleging that since 2021, the new administration of the Auroville Foundation (AVF) has systematically undermined decades of progress through authoritarian measures and arbitrary actions, one can only wonder what lies ahead for Auroville, the "first and only internationally supported experiment in human unity"..
