Creating Common Ground
(AVAG’s efforts to include the local
villagers in the plan of Human Unity)
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For the past 20 years, AVAG has been a link between Auroville
and the villages that surround it. Ten villages are inside
the planned area of Auroville and at least 20 others border
the Auroville Green Belt. The inhabitants of these villages
have played a major role in the progress of Auroville. They
have sold the lands of their ancestors to Auroville so that
this dream-city may be built. They have worked shoulder
to shoulder with the first Aurovilians to revive this eroded
land by conserving water and planting trees. They have labored
in the hot sun to construct all the wonderful buildings
that make Auroville proud. They have participated whole-heartedly
in Auroville's various research programmes in the field
of education, alternative-energies and organic-farming.
Last but not the least, they have sustained Auroville's
economy by supporting with their daily work its various
craft and textile industries that have made a mark in the
world-market. Needless to say, without the co-operation
of these indigenous people, the dream of Auroville could
not have materialized.
However, AVAG has been noticing a lack of interaction between
the locals and Auroville at the human level. This is certainly
not a healthy sign for Auroville, which stands for Actual
Human Unity. To deal with this situation AVAG's quest has
been to create a common ground where people of predominantly
western or modern culture can comfortably stand side by side
with their neighbors belonging to the traditional Tamil culture.
Today a number of village youngsters have an attraction
towards Auroville and its ideals but due to their traditional
upbringing, they somehow find it difficult to relate to
Auroville’s international atmosphere. For many of
us at AVAG one of the solutions to this issue is ‘Sports’.
Recently a ‘Sports Camp’ for the village boys
was organized by AVAG. Around 40 boys were trained in various
sports activities such as Basketball, Football, Volleyball,
Gymnastics and Yoga. The idea behind this camp was to make
these boys aware of the numerous sports facilities within
Auroville that are accessible to all. The response, as expected,
was very positive. The next step for AVAG is to arrange
for instructors and organize a schedule to start a regular
sports programme.
An Eye-opener
In the month of June another interesting incident, concerning
the youth, took place. A group of 16 village boys visited
the AVAG office and expressed their wish to see Auroville.
Though they had often passed by Auroville they never had
the chance to enter the buildings and see what is actually
happening in the International City. This situation was
quite a revelation for all of us at AVAG. The fact that
these indigenous people of Auroville region do not feel
comfortable to walk into an Auroville building was disturbing.
One of AVAG’s development workers, Gopi, who is passionate
about the ideals of Auroville, took the matter in his hands.
The boys should see Auroville, but it was also important
that the boys received a warm reception at every place in
Auroville. He realized that it was important to make a proper
plan and inform the concerned people to expect the group
at a certain time. Finally on the 7th June the boys were
ready to explore Auroville with banners attached to their
cycles that read “LONG LIVE HUMAN UNITY”, “PEACE
ON EARTH – NO WAR”, “WE ARE FRIENDS OF
AUROVILLE”.
The first place to visit was Vérité, a community
that runs on solar and wind energy. The next stop was C.S.R.
(Centre for Scientific Research) where the boys learnt about
‘Alternative Building Techniques’. At the Solar
Kitchen, the community kitchen of Auroville, the boys were
amazed to see the biggest Solar-bowl in Asia. At midday,
to everyone’s relief, it was time to enter the Auroville
Green Belt. The sun was no more a threat as the group approached
the thickly forested community ‘Pitchandikulam’
to learn about medicinal plants and reforestation.
The cycle procession with its colorful banners was quite
a sight for all who passed by. Some smiled and waved their
hands while others with amazed eyes struggled to read the
slogans. At the end of the day, it had turned out to be
quite a successful cycle trip. For the first time in their
life, these local boys got a clear picture of Auroville.
Gopi was happy that he had managed to fulfill their heart-felt
desire.
Some wonderful proposals for integration
Some educational institutions of Auroville have recently
come forward with some practical proposals to start various
integration programmes between the Villagers and Aurovilians.
Deha-Shakti Sports provides value-oriented
physical education to the children of Auroville. Recently
it has proposed to AVAG to cooperate in starting a Sports
Training Program for the village youth. AVAG has
heartily welcomed this proposal. As girls are customarily
forbidden to do sports in rural India this program will
initially be for the boys but gradually girls will also
be encouraged to come forward and join in. Deha-Shakti also
proposes to have regular sports meets between the locals
and Aurovilians.
Last School is one of Auroville’s
schools that concentrate on ‘individual development’
of each child. It has offered an Integral Development
Course for the village boys and girls. This course
will give the students an insight into arts, crafts, music
and culture of various countries around the world. It will
also help them to enhance their basic knowledge of English,
mathematics and science.
AVAG in association with SAIIER,
a unit responsible for most of Auroville’s activities
in the field of Education and Research, has proposed to
start Exchange Visits between Aurovilians
and villagers. The purpose of these visits is to
give the two peoples an opportunity to share their thoughts,
experiences and ideas about their life and Auroville. This
could eventually lead to more value-oriented visits where
people can share their culture, music, language and arts
with others.
The downtrodden rise – not against, but for…
In addition to the divide between Auroville and the villages,
there is also a lack of Human Unity among the villagers
themselves. For centuries, the Dalits (lower caste people)
in India have suffered the cruel discrimination against
them by the upper caste people. Most villages have a prominent
divider like a road, a canal or thorny bushes between the
Dalit and the Non-dalit settlements. Traditionally, the
Dalits have been denied any opportunity to grow and discover
their potential. Even today, despite Government policies
for the upliftment of Dalits, all the assets of the village
like school, hospital, well, temples etc. remain in the
Non-dalit side. AVAG’s constant effort is to break
this wall of division between the people of this area.
The Dalit people of Kazhuperumpakkam village
felt a strong need for a common place where people could
sit and socialize during the evening time. This place could
also be used as a stage during the festivals. The matter
was discussed in the men’s group monthly meeting.
Finally, with some help from the AVAG Microproject Fund,
this Dalit colony has its own pleasant public place for
all to meet.
The public toilets of Ambethkar Nagar
(a dalit settlement) had been running dry since a few days.
Without any water, the place was in absolute mess. Even
after many complaints in the municipal office, nobody seemed
bothered about the villagers’ plight. Finally, the
AVAG men’s group of the village took the matter in
its hand. After a long investigation, they found that the
water pipe had broken on its way to the village. A plumber
was immediately called and with little effort, and a bit
of help from the AVAG Microproject Fund, a big problem was
solved.
In Vanoor village, the High School kids
could not enjoy their sports, as their playground was uneven
and filled with stones and thorny bushes. As it is a big
ground, it required a great deal of work to get it into
shape. The matter had therefore been pending since many
years. A member of the AVAG women’s group brought
this problem to attention in the monthly meeting. As it
was a tough job to do, another women’s group joined
– and even then, it took three days to complete the
work. The AVAG Microproject Fund helped in this Herculean
deed by hiring a much-needed bulldozer.
The AVAG Microproject Fund is a development
tool that works on two levels. Village Groups have to be
meeting regularly for some time before they can apply, and
their application has to include an estimate showing how
they will provide at least one-third of the cost (usually
in their own labor or in-kind donations), and also how the
project will be maintained afterwards. The grant can come
within a few days of the application, so that the enthusiasm
of the group does not die out. They usually do the work
on a Sunday, when they are free from their paid jobs. Also
on a Sunday, the whole village can see them and many get
inspired to join hands. After the project is completed,
they hold an evaluation session, looking at how the project
was carried out, what went well, what could be done better.
The result is not only a new asset for the village, but
also a group of citizens which has a strong feeling of “can
do” and is ready to take up another project. Sometimes
big projects can bring Dalit and Non-dalit groups, as well
as men’s and women’s groups, together for a
common cause.
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