(written 17 August 2009 after landing in Delhi.)
After six weeks of holiday in Germany and Holland, I have finally arrived in Delhi. I have met here with the other student researchers of the Fulbright program, a colorful bunch with a variety of stories to tell and ambitions to be pursued here in India. Perhaps I should start with a few introductions: an introduction to the Fulbright Program and my own current research.
The Fulbright Program was started in 1946 by the U.S. Congress under legislation introduced by Senator William J. Fulbright. It was created with the intent to expand cross-cultural exchange between the United States and other countries. Today, the Fulbright Program is made possible through a budget allotted by the Congress and is regarded as the United States’ flagship international exchange program. It operates in more than 155 countries and has provided nearly 300,000 people with the opportunity to interact with other cultures.
So how exactly does one win a Fulbright Fellowship? Well, it’s really quite simple. You just have to convince a 12 person committee, which is appointed by the president, that your personally constructed project is feasible, significant, must be done in the relevant country to which you apply and that you are the perfect person to do the job. And, you only have to do this in three pages! I didn’t even break a sweat.
Okay--that’s a lie. Actually, I even cried a few times thanks to my harsh committee of caring professors from LVC. They always said, “You should really be glad that we are so critical. It means that there is actually something here to work with.” I didn’t always believe them, but maybe I should have known better. When someone is really critical, there is a good chance that it is because she really cares.
And now the story of how my project emerged. I completed a dual major in religion and philosophy at LVC. I entered my undergraduate studies with an eagerness to understand the historical development of Western religions, but I was also very drawn to non-Western religious and philosophical traditions. Hinduism especially fascinated me, perhaps because of its long history, but maybe also because of the mere fact that it was utterly foreign to me. In any case, one thing led to another and during my class “Indian Religion and Philosophy” I was introduced to the 20th century Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo. I don’t think anyone in the class enjoyed his writing, myself included. But, after a few unexpected experiences in the following years, Aurobindo’s life, philosophy and impact ended up capturing my own evolving interests, which began with a curiosity of the many different metaphysical understandings of the world and unfolded into an interest in the multiple social philosophies of how the world ought to be.
Because of my unsatisfied allure of Hinduism, I withdrew from LVC during the spring semester of my junior year so that I could pursue a study abroad program in India. I chose a program based at Pondicherry University because it offered the largest variety of courses (including a class on Sri Aurobindo) and it was nearby the community based on Aurobindo’s philosophy, Auroville. I was absolutely fascinated by this place: a 2,000 person community made up of persons from 40 different nations that claimed to renounce all creeds, politics, and nationalities so that it may realise human unity and provide a universal town where all can live in peace and harmony. Sounds too good to be true, right? Unfortunately, whoever told you, “Anything that sounds to good to be true isn’t true” wasn’t lying. Regardless of the discrepancies between the ideal and the reality of Auroville that were readily apparent, I still fell in love. Maybe I fell in love with the people, or maybe I fell in love with the dream; either way, I knew I had more questions to ask.
And so here I am, heading back to Auroville with the amazing opportunity of focusing solely on my interests. My project is constructed in such a way that I continue to advance my studies in Aurobindo’s philosophy while also engaging with Auroville. I will be taking a class on Aurobindo’s thought at the Sri Aurobindo Center for Advanced Research in Pondicherry while living and volunteering in Auroville. There is much more for me to write about the life and philosophy of Aurobindo, but I will get to that in future entries. As for now, I will share a shortened version of my research. In a nutshell, Auroville is a 40-year-old community with utopian dreams. It wishes to sustain unity-in-difference and to be an example to the world. Auroville also recognises itself as a laboratory, experimenting for the world (see www.auroville.org for more information). By shedding the differences of religion, politics, and nationalities, Auroville is attempting to dismiss different approaches, or interpretations, of the world. However, now that Auroville is more than a generation old and a community that welcomes newcomers from around the world, it will also give birth to variant interpretations of its own aims. The way in which Auroville handles these variant interpretations is the core of my project.
So that is the basis of my research and more details will be included in the coming weeks. Since I have not actually started any of my work yet, I must admit that I am a bit nervous about how my research will be received. I know that much of it will be critical, but my criticism is not meant to be negative. As I have learned from those I respect most, criticism is reserved for the things that one cares most about; after all, why waste one’s efforts on a matter that is of no concern to her? I only hope Aurovilians receive my thoughts in this way.
Included are some photos of the Fublright House in Delhi, located in a premier spot in the center of the city.
