Farewell

Last rites

Throughout the years, there have occasionally been people who have left their body while in Auroville. They were either buried or cremated by the residents, surrounded with love and flowers, and incense and light. Presently, as the township moves towards a critical number of residents, the number of people passing away is bound to increase. Hence we are in the process of looking at the issue of undertaking post-mortem arrangements and last rites in a proper, more formal manner.
A 'Farewell' project is taking shape, aiming at the creation of a burial and cremation ground large enough to respond to the needs of the growing population.

Seven days

When looking at this in the perspective of the integral yoga underlying Auroville, we find the following observation from Mother, as published in her Agenda:

"When they're in too much hurry to burn them, sometimes they burn them alive..! They should wait. For there is a consciousness of the form, a life of the form. There's a consciousness, a consciousness in the form assumed by the cells that takes SEVEN DAYS to come out. So sometimes the body makes abrupt movements when burnt - and people say it's mechanical. It's not mechanical, I know it is not."

We therefore are planning to create facilities with the aim of keeping bodies above ground for a maximum of 7 days, and be able to perform a cremation or burial after that, according to the last wishes of the deceased. A further advantage of such a set-up will be that the organisational matters are arranged by a team of Aurovilians once a structure for this is being set into place.

Adventure community

So far, people have been cremated and buried - with great love and care - at random in Auroville, mostly in plots in the Green Belt, or in the settlements where the Aurovilians had been living before their departure. Presently, the 'Adventure' community in the Green Belt has offered to consecrate a part of the land under their stewardship for the performance of last rites. A combination of activities seems to be the most effective way of dealing with matters, and a team of Aurovilians is working on this.

Specific after-arrangements

The team needs to accommodate the various wishes coming in for after-care. As Auroville is dedicated to a more conscious way of living, also the process of dying is seen in a more conscious way, and specific after-arrangements may be asked for by the dying persons themselves. There will be, for example, a 'keeping-room', an A/C room to keep the body preserved during the possibility of suspended animation (for the first 3 days). After that the body will be further cooled down on a freezing plate, so as to prevent any further deterioration before cremation or burial. At least two of these keeping rooms will be available. The aim is to keep the body for 7 days. If, however, deterioration of the body advances quickly, disposing of the body can take place earlier. For burials, sufficient space is available on the plot. For cremation the team opts for the traditional way, using wood as a fuel, and also looks into the possibility of using solar energy.

Place to meditate

For this 'Farewell' service there will be office space for the caretaker and a kitchen/bedroom/livingroom for the persons who take up the guard of the body. There will also be space provided where people can meditate or otherwise be together whenever a body is kept there. The aesthetic aspects in landscaping and construction are essential in order to feel at ease with the space.

The whole set-up is to be built with a sense of beauty, and integrated into an environment that breathes a sense of calm and peace in order to facilitate the voyage of the soul.

There will be beauty and joy. After all, the place doesn't mark an end but a staging point to a new adventure and a new beginning.

Contact: cristo@auroville.org.in