An update

Housing Service report for January – February 2010

Dear fellow Aurovilians,

As the 42nd Anniversary of Auroville is coming closer, at our service we look into this event from our particular perspective...housing...and try to find some signals in our common horizon, in our next year of work, that can bring some hope to us...that could justify a hearty celebration!
We look around and what do we discover? Around us there are nine or ten ongoing housing projects with a total number of more than 120 apartments of various sizes and types. We try to remember... and we cannot find another moment in Auroville's history in which such a volume of development has taken place... probably we are witnessing today the biggest construction program executed ever here.
What else?...We continue looking and we discover also that if we put together the number of apartments of Citadyn (just now being completed), Inspiration and the youth project of Muyerchi (that will be finalized around May), there are about 50 apartments and rooms that will be offered for free (“pro bono”) to Aurovilians...wow!!!, this indicates that we have been able to create almost 40% of new housing under this category!!...what an achievement!!
We look back, to just two years ago and we remember the acute housing crisis...the total lack of housing projects that we were facing and we have to admit that sometimes the crisis is the best occasion to find new and illuminative solutions. We should recognize that if we are facing this changed and most promising horizon it is thanks to the dedicated efforts of a large number of Aurovilians that have made this possible.
They took the challenge resolutely and now we can witness the blossoming of all these initiatives.
We could, then, take this Anniversary as a favourable moment to reflect about all this and refresh our faith in the hidden force that in spite of all our contradictions, weaknesses and compromises…is leading Auroville toward its final, decreed destiny.
We have to renew our confidence and trust in ourselves, in our collective capacities and determination to work, to dream and to manifest so many other necessary things that are waiting to be realized. Perhaps this can be a special moment also to feel, share and express a deep gratitude. In this context, the Housing Service wishes to express its uttermost gratitude to all those who have contributed in so many ways to make this change possible, and we want to mention especially the team of Citadyn, because beyond any criticism they have been the biggest contributors to this hopeful moment.

And now we would like to give you some recommendations:

· If you have some free time on this February 28th, we invite you to walk around and visit some of the numerous sites where construction is going on and you will appreciate the diversity of answers given to improve the housing situation. There is a lot to see...there is a lot to enjoy!

· Please, don't forget to visit the Citadyn site, where some Aurovilians are already living and you can get a sense of what they are creating.

· In the eventuality that you have some crores lying around in some account and you don't know what to do with that money...please stop by the Housing Service...definitively we have some initiatives in mind to improve the housing situation.

· If your feelings are more positive after these visits we invite you to express yourself in writing and send something positive to somebody or some team working in this area. There is a lot of criticism in our usual communications that for one day we could try collectively something more luminous, grateful and hopeful...and let's see what happens.

And overall we want to wish you...a luminous and joyful celebration of this 42nd Anniversary!

Housing Service 28 February 2010