Auroville Arts and Culture
The Mother stated: “Auroville will be known through the arts...” As Sri Aurobindo pointed out, art is an important aspect of human life that acts on different spheres, from the purely aesthetic, to the intellectual and educative, and finally the spiritual dimension.
The aesthetic faculties entering into the enjoyment of the world and the satisfaction of the vital instincts, the love of the beautiful in men and women, in food, in things, in articles of use and articles of pleasure, have done more than anything else to raise man from the beast, to refine and purge human passions and emotions and to lead him up through the heart and the imagination to the state of the intellectual man. Sri Aurobindo also stated that, on the path of yoga, arts can serve as a means of achieving cittasuddhi, the purification of the heart. Auroville was conceived as a place where the arts will be both a means and an expression of human progress, refining and ultimately raising the consciousness above the vital, aesthetic or intellectual or levels, towards opening up to and manifesting the Supramental Force.
The Arts in Auroville
The experimental nature of Auroville fosters creativity in every sphere of life, and encourages a multitude of artistic expressions. Arts practiced in Auroville include Music, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Painting, Sculpting, Ceramics, Photography, Film, and many more. The Auroville website www.auroville.org gives detailed insights into Auroville’s diverse and highly individualized community of artists. This section focuses on initiatives of a collective nature.
Cultural Events
Details of upcoming cultural events are usually published in News & Notes , on the home page of www.auroville.org.in which is publicly accessible, as well as on notice boards at various locations around Auroville.
Many National Pavilions organize cultural events throughout the year, with the peak of activities taking place in the main visitors season (December to March).
For general information on Tamil culture and local festivals contact Meenakshi Ph. 0413-2622141, or visit the Centre for Tamil Heritage and Culture in the Bharat Nivas compound. Lively outreach centres such as Mohanam and Thamarai also thrive with traditional cultural activities.
