The rhythmic word of the poet is the highest form of speech available to [hu]mans for the expression whether of [their] self-vision or of [their] world-vision.
Poetry in Auroville
Auroville offers a natural home for poetry — its geographical landscape, quietude, and inner exploration form the main elements of inspiration. While the community is dynamic and always evolving, there remains a deep space for reflection, where poets can write not in isolation, but in quiet connection with life around them. Much of the early movement in Auroville found its way into writing, one of the few things one might do by oil lamps and candles. Besides, one of the most treasured books in Auroville is Sri Aurobindo's magnum opus, Savitri, a mantric poem of 24,000 lines in blank verse. This work was written over a long period of time but Sri Aurobindo gave it a final mythic shape in the 1930s.
The first Auroville poetry anthology: Poems from Auroville, was published in 1977. It was followed in 1983 by Seeds of Flame and in 1985 by Dust and Dreams. Poems, letters and other musings were often printed in the Auroville journals of the time, and they still are. Individual publications of tales or poetry appear from time to time, and the more so as Auroville grows. Writings by Auroville poets have been printed by Indian publishers, such as Amity House, Banyan Books, Writers Workshop and Penguin. The Tamil/Auroville poetess Meenakshi was praised in Woman Writers in India (Penguin) as one of the great modern poets of India.
India, the Land of Epics & Poetry
India is the land chosen by Poetry itself - the land of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita, the Mahabharatha and the Ramayana. The range of languages in which poems are written in Auroville, as well as the diversity of the community giving shape to their subject matter, mirror the international aims and aspirations of Auroville. In many cases, you will find an 'Indianness' to the poems, be it an air of reflection and meditation or a reference to the geography and the seasons.
Poetry of Aurovilians
Writings that reflect the inner and outer life of Auroville.
See Also
