Actions for the land

Since the beginning of the year a number of initiatives and events have taken place both to raise money and awareness these are some of them.

• A monthly farmers market at the Youth Center where produce grown and made in the community is sold and exchanged, artists come and introduce children and other members of the community to their particular medium, and on the stage artists play music, or stage drama for the entertainment of the gathered folk.
• A night of guitar music was held at the Youth center with 12 different performers producing over 3 hours of music.
• An exhibition featuring the work of over 30 different artists was held at Bharat Nivas Auditorium called Creation for Land. It ran for ten days, during which time the number of participants grew. All the work was donated, and the proceeds of the sales raised over two thousand dollars.
• A flea market was held in the Eucalyptus grove in February, many people came, bringing items for sale, and also purchasing other things. Over one thousand dollars was raised for the land.
• Over 150 Aurovilians have signed up to make a monthly contribution to the land fund; this brings in over five thousand dollars a month.
• A visiting Clown gave a performance, with some fellow fire artists, at the information center at the beginning of March, in aid of the land fund.
• The Earth day celebrations towards the end of March were in aid of the land fund; around a thousand dollars were raised.
• A donation of around forty thousand dollars came from the UK to support the purchase of land adjacent to the Botanical Gardens that is currently in the hands of a property developer. Around two hundred thousand are required to save this piece of Auroville from outside interference.
• A donation of around fifty thousand dollars came from America, as a result of a land fund newsletter detailing the threat of the property developer.
• La Ferme Cheese production unit are making a special edition cheese, Gouda, which will be sold and all the proceeds will go to raising a thousand dollars.
• An auroville artist, Mayura, has donated one hundred prints of one her paintings to sell in aid of the land fund.
• The Golden Mumpti Awards were held on April 1st, an evening of good humor, at which the entries in the video competition "One Million Dollars" were screened. There were eleven pieces between 30 seconds and 3 minutes long. The winner of the competition was a beautiful piece about the wild life of Auroville created by Bernard Borg and Kripa, which will be shown at the AVI meeting later this year in France.
• A visiting Actor, Norman Bowler, recorded a CD with four of his autobiographical stories at sunshine music in Auroville, and has donated them for the land fund to sell.
• Tina S has recorded a music CD called thousand miles, and donated some of them to the land fund to sell.
• A massage course was given in Auroville and all the participants were asked to contribute a thousand rupees to the land fund.
• Various individuals have simply pledged to try and raise a thousand dollars by August 15th.