Residents’ Assembly expresses relief at Governing Board’s commitment to take Auroville out of stagnation

The Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly welcomes the message conveyed by the Chairman of the Governing Board and T.N. Governor R.N. Ravi on November 7 as a necessary wake up call to make a collective commitment to take Auroville forward

Members of the Residents’ Assembly of Auroville Foundation have expressed relief at the Governing Board’s commitment to take Auroville out of a long phase of stagnation and support the development of Auroville’s vision-driven master plan as conceived by The Mother.

According to a press release from the Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly, a large section of the community welcomed the message conveyed by the Chairman of the Governing Board and Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on November 7 as a necessary wake up call to take stock of where things stand and to make a collective commitment to take Auroville forward.

“Auroville is in a phase of transition, poised at a point of much-needed growth in all sectors, in policies, and in population. This requires its ability to evolve, adapt, collaborate and move forward with all aspects of the city together with a conscious inner development,” the statement said.

“The unusual assertions by certain unauthorised groups who have been claiming authority without legitimacy over the rest of the Residents’ Assembly have become a matter of concern. This has caused more division and confusion in Auroville and among well-wishers outside and brought obstructions in the work of the legitimate working groups,” the working committee pointed out.

Stating that the call to update the Register of Residents (RoR) within a month, in May 2022, before taking any action with regard to selecting new groups was flouted, the Working Committee said that the selections were carried on regardless. The RoR had not been updated since 2005. A full-scale exercise has been undertaken by the Auroville Foundation with the Working Committee and a team of resident volunteers to complete the process, review and update all the new data.

“The unauthorised groups have attempted to position themselves as the Residents’ Assembly authorities while taking an antagonist stand against the Auroville Foundation. The unauthorised Working Committee has also written to the Ministry of Culture on behalf of the Residents’ Assembly, without any consultation with the residents, to express satisfaction at the cancellation of the UNESCO conference to commemorate Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary in Paris. This is not only objectionable but deeply unethical,” the Working Committee added.