|
Communities in alphabetic order
|
| |
|
|
|
Halcyon
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Halcyon |
| Number of
houses : |
2 houses |
| Number of
people : |
3 people |
| Date of
creation : |
1997 |
| Guesthouse : |
Yes |
| E-mail
contact : |
supriya@auroville.org.in
or bio1@auroville.org.in |
More details :
We are a little community by the
sea, in between the settlements Waves and Simplicity. Halcyon
was started by Giorgio Meneghetti (Italy) in '97 and later
joined by me (Supriya Menon, India) and our daughter Gauri
Elisa in 1999. I work at my potter's wheel. We have planted
trees, plants and flowers,- they're all still in a very early
stage. When Giorgio started Halcyon, there was nothing except
sand.
Hero, a friend of ours named the
place Halcyon. It is Latin for the colourful 'kingfisher' bird
which one sees here often. In the dictionary it means happy as
in 'halcyon days'.
We have a little independent
guesthouse for 2 persons, usually used by our families or
friends. It's occasionally available for other guests. Prices
during the guest season: Rs 400 for a couple and 300 for a
single person. Off-season: Rs 300 for a couple and Rs 200 for
a single. We are flexible!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Invocation
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Invocation |
| Number of
houses : |
1 block with
14 apartments |
| Number of
people : |
20 adults and
3 children |
| Date of
creation : |
April 1998 |
| Guesthouse : |
No |
| E-mail
contact : |
rolf@auroville.org.in |
More details :
 The common wastewater treatment
plant for the apartments of Arati, Surrender and Invocation is
situated at the entrance of Invocation, where all landscaping
is undertaken with recycled water only. Recycled water is also
pumped to the communities of Arati and Surrender for their
gardening purpose twice a week each.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Isaiambalam
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Isaiambalam |
| Number of
houses : |
3 houses |
| Number of
people : |
5 adults |
| Date of
creation : |
1979 |
| Guesthouse
: |
Yes |
| E-mail
contact : |
No |
More details :
Besides self-contained residential
houses and a guesthouse, this community has the (leather,
crochet and knitting) workshops of the Auromics trust. It has
a business atmosphere with around 100 local villagers coming
there to work daily. The community was started in 1975.
Also the Isaiambalam
School is in this area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kalabhumi
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Kalabhumi |
| Number
of houses : |
4 houses, 1
music studio, 4 sculpture and painting spaces and 1 store room
with a big tank on top. |
| Number of
people : |
5 adults |
| Date of
creation : |
May 1994 |
| Guesthouse : |
N/A |
| E-mail
contact : |
corona@auroville.org.in |
More details :
 Kalabhumi is in the heart of
Auroville's Cultural Zone. It is to be the beginning of an
artist settlement with studios for fine arts and music,
performing arts, youth ateliers etc. The four residents of the
community are artists themselves and they take care of the
place. There are no guest and/or community facilities. The
atmosphere is friendly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kottakarai Farm and orchard
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Kottakarai
Farm and orchard |
| Number of
houses : |
3 houses |
| Number of
people : |
3 adults and 2
children |
| Date of
creation : |
May 1974 |
| Guesthouse : |
No |
| E-mail
contact : |
No |
More details :
Kottakarai Farm
A long-time agricultural area in
Auroville, Kottakarai Farm is managed by Sundaram and Amudha
(Tamil) of the Kottakarai settlement. The soil is very good,
with 2 acres of irrigated land, 2 acres suitable for dryland
farming, 3 acres of orchard and some forest. They are growing
vegetables and rice, traditional millets and pulses and some
oilseeds. The farm produce goes to a lunch scheme at
Isaiambalam School, a bakery and provisions shop, and a food
processing and research center. With so many related
industries in the immediate area the farm is very much
appreciated.
Kottakarai Orchard
The orchard is a 1 ½ acre plot of
land in the centre of the Kottakarai area, begun in 1974. The
orchard contains 93 fruit trees, with other small areas of
banana and papaya. The main harvest comes from the 25 mango
trees of 6 varieties. Other fruits include lemons, limes,
pomelo, grapefruit, guava, chikoo, starfruit, bullock's heart,
pitanga, bhelfruit, kumquat, coconut and breadfruit. There is
one cow and one calf.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
La Ferme
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Community
name : |
La Ferme |
| Number of
houses : |
7 + Cheese
unit |
| Number of
people : |
14 + 5
children |
| Date the
community started : |
1970 |
| Guesthouse
: |
No |
| E-mail
contact : |
olivier@auroville.org.in
or
michaels@auroville.org.in |
More details :
A mix of Tamilians and Westerners,
living a rather individualistic life style but managing pretty
well while dealing with the different problems and situations
a community goes through over the years of its development.
La
Ferme Cheese unit, which started in '88, is
steadily developing, employing around 25 people
(Aurovilians & locals) and producing an average
of 50kg/day of a variety of cheeses and dairy products.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Light
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Community
name : |
Light |
| Number of
houses : |
1 house and a
storeroom |
| Number of
people : |
2 adults |
| Date the
community started : |
June 1988 |
| Guesthouse
: |
No |
| E-mail
contact : |
No |
More details :
Two Aurovilians from Germany are
living here; one is taking care of the Service Farm located at
the far west side of Auroville, while the other works at
Matrimandir. A worker/watchman family (Tamilian, 2 adults, 2
kids) also lives in this settlement, which is located in the
Pitchandikulam forest area, where Aurovilians have planted a
forest from the early 1970's onwards.
'Light' itself is a purely
residential area in a small corner of the forest (appr.1
acre). It is solar powered, with a windmill for pumping water.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Madhuca
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Madhuca |
| Number of
houses : |
7 |
| Number of
people : |
14, including
children |
| Date of
creation : |
29 February
1996 |
| Guesthouse : |
No |
| E-mail
contact : |
chali@auroville.org.in |
More details :
 Madhuca is a community of individual
houses built quite close together for medium to high-density
living. For continuity sake, the building materials were
commonly agreed upon, but the design was left up to the
individual and whichever architect he/she chose to work with.
The settlement has a wastewater treatment plant, a common
parking area/garage/storeroom, a community well (shared with
Sukhavathi across the road) and common water storage tanks
with solar pumps attached. We are trying to complete the
process of setting up our common alternative energy system. We
have solar panels, submarine batteries, and even a wind
generator, but are still lacking the necessary inverter/s. Our
aim is still, as it has been from the beginning, to be an
alternative energy community. There are no community
activities as such, like meals, but there is definitely a good
atmosphere of cooperation, respect and trust among the
residents of Madhuca.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Matrimandir Nursery
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Matrimandir
Nursery |
| Number of
houses : |
6 houses and
a boarding house |
| Number of
people : |
12 adults and
3 young boarders |
| Date of
creation : |
1970 |
| Guesthouse : |
N/A |
| E-mail
contact : |
N/A |
More details :
This is not so much a community as a
special work place - a nursery that nurtures plants for the
Matrimandir Gardens. The people living here, however, do not
all work in the nursery, while many people from other parts of
Auroville come here daily to work! As a place to be in, to
live or to work, the Matrimandir Nursery is simply wonderful:
filled with the scents and colours of hundreds of different
flowers, which come to bloom each season.
The Illaignarkal School
and its boarding facility is also located here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Creation
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
New Creation |
| Number of
houses : |
32 |
| Number of
people : |
84 people |
| Date of
creation : |
1983 |
| Guesthouse
: |
yes |
| E-mail
contact : |
andre@auroville.org.in |
More details :
The New Creation settlement was
started with in view to give to our 'first Aurovilians' (i.e.
the local people present on the Auroville land) a bridging
place where they slowly and gradually could become aware that
Auroville is for all people of good will and that, if they are
willing, they can become citizens themselves. The best
approach to that was to create an educational environment,
like a primary school, boarding and sports facilities.
In order to meet the financial needs to run an undertaking
where everything is free, including a Primary school for 240
children and a school with 30 small kids in a new 'Free
Progress' experiment, we have created several income
generating activities such as guests facilities and a
restaurant. We're also giving support to the local
handicraftsmen in by setting up a boutique-like outlet, a
website (www.arhandicraft.com) and an export facility where
10% is earmarked for the New Creation community.
In our guesthouses we have 16 double rooms and 4 single rooms,
all mosquito-proof, with fans, attached bathrooms, and a guest
dining room with filter water and kitchen. We provide meals
three times a day, our prices vary from Rs.175 to 250 per
person including meals and laundry. Special price for
students. We have a taxi service and we rent cycles and bikes.
There is a gymnasium, a sport ground with volleyball,
basketball, 2 tennis courts, a running track and a small
swimming pool. The sea is at 5 minutes distance from New
Creation.
Rooms booking: andre@auroville.org.in
Tel. (91) 0413- 622125, Fax (91) 413 622 981
We also have a Taxi service : avtransportserv@auroville.org.in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Lands
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
New Lands |
| Number
of houses : |
3 family
houses, 1 keet hut and 2 guest houses |
| Number of
people : |
6 adults and
4 children |
| Date of
creation : |
1978 |
| Guesthouse
: |
Yes (run by
George and Erika) |
| E-mail
contact : |
N/A |
More details:
The settlement is solar-powered, has
a windmill and is environmentally conscious. We take care of
an orchard and vegetable garden as community duty. We like
living in the middle of the forest (Greenbelt), surrounded by
plants and beauty.
Newlands Forest is part of the nature preserve area called
Success Sanctuary.
Guesthouses are simple but nice, cooking facilities in each
house.
150 rupees per person per day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nilatangham
|
Housing & Communities
|
| Name of the
community : |
Nilatangham |
| Number of
houses : |
3 houses |
| Number of
people : |
3 adults |
| Date of
creation : |
1973 |
| Guesthouse
: |
Yes |
| E-mail
contact : |
ambre@auroville.org.in |
More details:
Nilatangham, poetic Tamil name
meaning 'Moongold' as a symbol for lasting
inspiration.. Its 15 acres of land are divided into two
distinct parts, the forest and the orchard. Since the
beginning, great energy has been put into establishing a
productive vegetable and herb garden.
Its quiet atmosphere is ideal for
concentrated work. Nilatangham emphasises a 'DO IT YOURSELF
PHILOSOPHY', - not very many employees are seen in its
premises.
Guest
Introduction Weeks and Newcomer 'Discovery'
Weeks are organised from here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
