Auroville Today is a monthly news magazine that has circulated in AV since 1988. My academic superviosr has suggested that I get in touch with the editors for an interview considering their involvement in the issues that concern Aurovilians through the publication of their paper. Aside from these intentions, I have been reading the publications since I have arrived. Although this may paint a negative picture of Aurovilile, I can't resist sharing an excerpt that made me flabbergasted while enjoying a coffee at the popular Solar Kitchen (AVs most popular eatery, which runs solely on solar energy). The article is entitled, "A Korean Family in Auroville," and discusses the transition made by a Korean family that moved to AV around 2002. They talk about the way they enjoy the ideas of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the way that translating their texts into Korean have proved as powerful experiences, difficulties with Indian and western food, and difficulty that they and their son have faced in the challenge of learning English. The article begins to wrap up with positive reflections about Auroville from the Koreans: "Living in Auroville, we are able to find the hidden beauty within ourselves....Auroville stimulates us to improve ourselves and we consider ourselves very lucky to be here."
The author of the articles concludes with a few sentences admiring the Korean culture to which she has just been exposed: the traditional dishware with which she was served, the low wooden table and cushions on the floor. And then she writies in a dreamy tone, "Outside I can hear the Tamil workers on their tea break drinking hot, strong, and sweet tea and I think to myself -- 'This is Auroville, where everyone exists in harmony together.'" I shared the closing paragraph with two of my friends to get their reaction. Like me, they found the statement naive and distorted. One of my friends made a comment about the negative view of Auroville that my work is likely to portray. I reminded both him and myself that my concern is not tensions between the ideals and realities of AV, but how Aurovilians view these tensions. The simple fact that he also found the statement disturbing is of more concern to me than the statement itself.
Aside from the issue of Tamil workers and the interaction with the surrounding villages, other areas of interest that have become important questions for Aurovilians in my research concern education in Auroville, hopes for Auroville, disappointments with AV, what it means to be Aurovilian, the entry process, politics of Auroville, and apathy.