Auroshastri

Auroshastri was born in Pondicherry at Cluny Hospital on July 4, 1975. His father Gerhard asked Nolini for his name and received Auroshastri, meaning "he who has knowledge of the divine law." He spent his early years happily alongside many friends — Aurosylle, Sukrit, Ritam, John Bosco, Mukta, Auralice, Angiras and others while living at Isai Ambalam in Auroville. When he was six, the family moved to Germany for a few years before returning to Auroville in 1989. He attended Kodaikanal International School and at the age of 17 he went back to Germany, where for some years he lived and worked with his father in the clothing industry, travelling a lot. Then their work took them to England for several years before he came back to live in Auroville in 2000 at the age of 25. Among many other things his father taught him to play GO which he continued to enjoy throughout his life.

In later years, he was deeply fascinated by water and dedicated much of his time to researching it. Living waters and natural energies were passions that consumed Shastri, driving his curiosity and commitment to understanding the world around him. He wasn’t content with simply reading about concepts—he had to test them, experience them firsthand, and make them his own. Whether it was an experiment he devised or a theory he tested on himself, he held fast to his convictions, even when others didn’t understand his thinking.

Walking barefoot on the earth and swimming in the sea were his natural ways of reconnecting, balancing his body in harmony with nature. He explored every new healing technique with deep dedication, diving into its depths until he fully grasped it before moving onto the next discovery. He understood the importance of water for health and the vitality of life itself, recognizing the negative impacts of unnatural, tainted waters long before many others.

Auroshastri had strong convictions and was full of bold, unconventional ideas. He embraced his eccentricity, often enjoying life on the fringe of society. He thought in ways that transcended his time, envisioning a world that others could not always see. He followed his own path and wrote his own life. Throughout his successes and failures he touched many hearts and minds. He is dearly loved and will always be missed. Love never dies.

Bobby, Suryan and Alok

Add your recollections

If you would feel like, you can send us your recollections or photographs, so they can be added to the page in order to commemorate years of dedication to Auroville and its ideals.

This page has been published in order to create a space of remembrance for all of those who lived, struggled and enjoyed in Auroville, making a conscious effort to manifest the Dream of Human Unity that is in the process of emerging.