Auroville. City the Earth Needs

Auroville. A real-life Utopia, Eden on Earth, the city of Dawn. At least, that’s how it was imagined to be. What was a success and what failed in this daring attempt to build a new humanity?

When visiting Auroville, you may find yourself traveling in more than one sense. You travel through time, as this city takes you back to its founding ‘Mother’, as well as forward into the future when, according to the original idea, all the people will live in harmony and unity. You also embark on a spiritual journey towards understanding some of the universal concepts, such as the aforementioned harmony and unity, along with diversity, eternal learning, peace, and truth. Ultimately, you venture into a parallel reality where human society lives sustainably, one with each other and nature. 

Yet, even this Utopian city has fallen victim to some imperfections, most of which result from the imperfect nature of humans themselves. 

Let’s see how it started and how it turned out. 

The project

Auroville was conceived as a city with no money, no religion, no government, a city of eternal education, change of consciousness, and human unity in diversity. 

It was supposed to have a galaxy-shaped layout spiraling towards the Peace Center. 

The city plan had four zones - Industrial, Cultural, Residential, and International - each dedicated to an important aspect of Auroville's life. 

Intended population: 50,000 citizens.

The reality

Money has eventually found its way into the Auroville community. While there is no cash, the residents do have financial assets, even though they use the money foremost as a collective resource benefiting the community. 

Also, Auroville has become a tourist attraction with visitor cards, bookings, and other things from the outside ‘capitalistic’ world. 

The original city-building concept has not been realized, except for the Matrimandir (aka Golden Globe, a central place for meditation and a major tourist attraction). 

Current population: 3,000. 

On the bright side, they did manage to create an international community of highly spiritual, thinking people who value sustainability, diversity, and nature. 

In case you want to know more, Nullker has made a selection of 15-minute videos about Auroville:

- If you are in the mood for an inspirational and informative video, we suggest TEDx Talk with Anu Majumdar  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv875PK5V8w

- If you aim for a travel vibe or an insider experience, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuIjDndkG7I 

- If you are interested in natural farming and healthy food, this one's for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iOTq6kb4qM