AVI 2001 in St. Petersburg

Dolphins

All week, I was delighted to feel the vibration of the Aurovilians, who struck me like a school of dolphins swimming through the Russian sea, leaping in and out of these foreign waters with big smiles on their faces and a radiant transmission from their beings. It was a sweet experience, maybe not entirely obvious to those not already touched at some point by the special, occult atmosphere of Auroville that lies below -or above, or within- whatever momentary turmoil and torment may be bubbling on the surface. So, personally, I want to thank the more than 20 Aurovilians, certainly the largest number ever to have traveled out of Auroville together to one place, for making the effort and taking the time to bring, physically, the power they carry simply by living in that one remarkable place on earth. How nice it would be if such schools of gamboling Auroville dolphins could always be moving around the earth, casting the seeds of a new world here and there through their simple, delightfully seditious presence.

Roger

Greetings from Russia,

- Report by Roger Toll -

The palace

Some began the day by doing asanas with Wendy, others rolled out of bed a little later, but all eventually made their way to the dining room for a Russian breakfast of stir-fried vegetables, cheese slices, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, 'blinies', cereal with hot milk... a typically robust Russian meal. The dining room is in a separate building, beyond the main palace in which we are lodged. Palace? Well, yes. And you thought it was a simple pension. To tell the truth, it's a little of both.

The Znamenka Palace

The Znamenka Palace was built in the early 19th century, then acquired by Tsar Nicolas I in 1835 as a gift to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The 1917 revolution put an end to its elegant days, and the Nazi assault on St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad, almost finished it off entirely. But after renovation to a condition that at least allows some imagining of how it once might have been, it has functioned as an inexpensive pension/hotel for visiting Russian groups. From the former ballroom one looks out, through an alley of birch and pines, to the Gulf of Finland. Two kilometers further west is the great tsarist palace and gardens of Peterhof, started by Peter the Great himself in 1715.

Interaction between the various Auroville/Sri Aurobindo/Mother groups

By 9 am, all 90 of us -- Russian and foreign -- were in the ballroom of our palace getting instructions for the morning: the Russians would meet in one room to began the important process of interacting between the various Auroville/Sri Aurobindo/Mother groups scattered about in the various cities and former republics of the former Soviet Union. The rest of us, participants from AVI centers along with the 20 or so Aurovilians at the meeting, would meet in yet another fabulous room with 7-meter high ceilings, elaborate stucco bas-reliefs and faded candelabra for the annual AVI General Assembly meeting.

Russian AVI liaison activities

Dimitry, as AVI liaison to Russia, gave the first report: in this first year of AVI-related activity, the small group in St. Petersburg has informed people about getting to Auroville, launched a Russian website, published about five books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, translated the Auroville video-film 'Impressions '96' into Russian, and did the enormous work of preparing this conference. Dimitry also introduced a new AVI liaison in Bulgaria, Tatyana, who told us that she had visited Auroville 'by chance' two years ago and is now dedicating herself to furthering knowledge about Auroville in Eastern Europe.

A moving moment..

Dimitry reported that the 40 Russian participants have been inspired by the meetings and have loved the atmosphere created by the group. "We have been interchanging all kinds of ideas.
Before, people tended to be a little closed, but now they are opening up and want to communicate more. It's been a really great event." After the morning session, the Russians and other former Soviet participants went out into the verdant gardens, collected handfuls of soil to send back to Auroville for the Unity Pavilion, then stood in a circle and said mantras and read some lines in Russian from Savitri. Dimitry said it was a moving event, symbolic of the changes they expect Auroville activity in Russia will foment in a formerly closed and fearful society.

.. during which soil is taken for Auroville's International Zone..

.. symbolising the hope for increasing collaboration between the various Sri Aurobindo centres in the former USSR and Auroville.

Reports of the various AVI centres

The national AVIs then gave their reports. A quick sample:

Bill/USA -- America has joined other AVI centres in hiring a key person (Nilauro) to help administer and carry through projects. Besides publication of a regular newsletter that goes to 1,500 people and active participation in developing and fund-raising for the American Pavilion, AVI USA has been pushing forward a program that brings university students and professors to Auroville. One such group will soon be in Auroville building a new dormitory for visiting students.
Alfonso/Spain -- The group has been successfully raising funds from provincial government sources, providing information for people travelling to Auroville, and coordinating Auroville-related exhibitions and talks.
Martin/UK -- Like the USA, Britain now has a paid person to help follow through on projects, one of which recently brought in $300,000 from the European Economic Commission. In all, about a quarter million pounds a month passes through AVI UK for Auroville. Martin pointed out the importance of investing long term in the AVI centres, as Britain has done, for after a few years it has started paying out generously in money for Auroville.
Alain/France -- The group in Paris is reorganising to become more effective and are studying new ways to operate. In an example of the kind of surprising synchronicities these AVI meetings provide, Bill Leon from Seattle USA told Alain about an international fair on human settlements that is taking place in Saint-Die, in les Vosges, 25 miles from where Alain was born!
Friederike/Germany -- Friederike gave a happy report of the successful annual AVI Germany meeting, which featured much discussion of a possible German Pavilion, which in turn brought up a lot of discussion of the German soul, along with old wounds and deep questions. Ananda Reddy, a teacher and lecturer from the Ashram had been invited to the German meeting, and helped the discussions, especially when he pointed out that the existence of the Pavilions themselves in Auroville would serve to heal old national wounds... which all nations share in having.
Harrie/Netherlands -- The Netherlands group is happy to be sending a little bit to Auroville every month for the purchase of lands. He reports new energy, more activity and signs of a possible new centre in neighbouring Belgium.
Evelyn/Sweden -- Things are quiet in these northern lands, though more contacts from young people is a hopeful sign of greater activity. Otherwise, the Swedish group is mainly providing help to people seeking information and advice on visiting or living in Auroville.

A pearlish luminescence lays over the city

We are now about to rush off to the great Hermitage Museum in the tsars' Winter Palace at the centre of St. Petersburg, then the evening and night we have all been awaiting: the White Night of the North, the summer solstice. The sun has been sliding diagonally across the horizon just before midnight, then peering up once again around 4 am. But between those hours, a pearlish luminescence lays over the city like the light of a solar eclipse. No shadows exist, but it is just bright enough to read. We will board a boat at 11 and meander along the Neva River and the numerous canals that wind magically through this regal city. But more on that tomorrow.

For now, poka! as they say in Russia.

Roger Toll

Thursday afternoon, 21 June