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See
also the photo gallery
 A. K.
Raman, a Tamil Aurovilian, has been in Auroville almost since its
beginning. As a youth he worked at and around the Amphitheatre during
school leave to make some extra money. Later he worked at a variety of
jobs. He credits the late Ruud Lohman with much early support and his
introduction to Auroville. Raman is one of the Aurovilians who, after
joining the township, has made full use of the opportunities given to
develop many of his various latent skills. Widely appreciated in the
community, he is known by some as an artist, by others as an architect,
and today Raman devotes his time to cultural restoration & awareness
projects and video film-making.
Click here for festival
photos
Architect
In regard to his architectural background, Raman quickly points out that
he has no formal 'school' training as an architect. He learned this
craft through practical apprenticeship in the early Aspiration
architects office, as well as through practice itself, building
buildings with low-budget contracts such as the night-schools in
Kuilapalayam and Bommayapalayam. In 1994 he astounded Indian officials
by completing a government commissioned day-school in Poothrai (near the
Hermitage settlement) using less than the allocated budget of Rs.1 lakh
20,000. "Probably the first time in Indian history: there was even
a notice in the Hindu (newspaper)", he says. Raman's work in
Auroville can be seen in a number of places, including ABC at CSR,
Verite Hall and Auroville Bhakti, which, while initially meant to be a
large factory, today contains many of Auroville's small workshops.
Although structures he has built abound, he says, "Still, I
wouldn't call myself an architect."
Filmer
Discussing his current practice, video film-making, he talks about his
first film, in which he "looks at Auroville from the villager's
point of view." He traveled around the three main villages in the
Auroville area, asking questions. "It was a huge work. The amazing
thing is that people f.i. working in Matrimandir for twenty, twenty-five
years don't know what Auroville is, what Matrimandir is..! So that's the
angle I was tackling. But I did feel awkward. The people are very sweet,
smiling: typical Tamil Nadu faces. We should include them also - this
place is not only meant for people who read literature, Sri Aurobindo
and Mother; it must be also for these locals."
Although the villagers generally may not know the ideals behind the
practice, Raman agrees that nonetheless their involvement in the work
here has had a strong influence on them. His film, 'Voices from the
Village', was shown a number of times in Auroville, and is available at
the video library as well as at various AV International Centres.
Pursuing video filming
entails varied challenges for Raman. With no definite money source to
draw on, essential materials such as tapes can take time to acquire.
"The work is very slow. If there is money you just take your
footage, get the editing done, and things like that. I have to learn to
do it myself. Often my machine crashes because it's not upgraded; often
I make mistakes because I don't know the programme well; so it takes
time."
Tamil culture of
long ago
In addition to his film-making and architecture, Raman has been
promoting the ancient Tamil culture through projects such as the
restoration of Irumbai Temple, which he initiated and oversees. "I
want to introduce Auroville to the Tamil culture as it was long before
the time that neon and loudspeakers proliferated. Mostly what
Aurovilians get to see is loud music during these very loud festivals;
they aren't able to see the very quiet and beautiful things that happen
too." Twice in Irumbai and once in Auroville itself, Raman has
facilitated such celebrations, poojas "which touch the heart of the
people."
Irumbai temple
"Irumbai temple I respect particularly, not only because of its
ancientness - it dates from the 7th century! An amazing thing is that a
saint from Seergari, who became enlightened at the age of three; sang
straightaway the praise of Lord Shiva; and lived only thirteen years,
travelled to 256 famous Shiva temples during that time and also visited
the little Irumbai temple. So there must be something here, which we'll
have to discover somehow. Before I started some three years back with
cleaning up the place it was like a jungle, unclean, thorn bushes
everywhere, that kind of thing. Since then the temple got its own life.
Now there are twice a month celebrations, attracting a big crowd. It
doesn't matter how they orqanise them; at least now the temple is alive
again, and draws a crowd from the neighbouring villages, they'll take
care of it. ( >> see also the Irumbai
legend.)
Around the region of Auroville there are a lot of these ruins, and I'm
strongly attracted by them. Because of their age, because of the life
involved in the 'ancientness' of the place. Even with nobody else around
one gets a feeling for the ancient atmosphere by visiting these old
sites and listening to the worn stones."
Future temple
renovations
As for future projects, Raman outlines one he'd really like to see
materialise: "There is a Peruman Temple ruin down at Neyvelli. It's
amazing. Huge pillars about 8 or 9 metres tall, granite, just standing
unfinished. Amazing sculpture. I'd like to initiate a project to give a
one-day or one-night festival there, something like what they did once
at the Taj Mahal, but on a smaller scale. Get some nice musicians, take
three bus-loads, and give a programme there. Light the temple, decorate
it all, so that the whole village becomes aware: "Wow, such a rich
thing is in my own village!" Like this there are so many ruins. If
there were funds we could do one such a ruin each year - Rs.5,000 to
7,000 (roughly $ 100 to 150) would be more than enough for each. If you
do it just once, the place will become alive, that's how it worked in
Irumbai. And no modern music, just the classic stuff, because modern
doesn't last for long; through time it changes. And once people have
caught the 'fire' then it goes on by itself."
On money
Currently Raman is working on a video about money - 'MONEY', a hot
topic in Auroville and the world today. Raman tells about two original
Tamil words for money and their meanings: "Of course I'm tackling
this thing from my own culture. Long ago, two Tamil words were given for
the first coins: 'Naanaiyam' and 'Selvam'. Selvam itself also has two
meanings: one is your offspring, the other is money. Very interesting.
The word Selvam indicates "who has completeness". Money/Selvam
means prosperity, abundance of land, cows, wealth. The second word,
Naanaiyam, means trust, honesty, and coin. One can have a very good
relationship with this.
 Promoting
education
Raman also talks about a long-term video project which will follow the
progress of talented local children through their varied pursuits. One
girl whose case he wants to document, for example, is studying Bharat
Natyam and computers, and is first in her academic class. By showing
such a study he hopes to make a motivating impression on other local
school children.
On Auroville
Thoughts on Auroville: "Living in Auroville is neither living in
the East nor living in the West. Being here helped me to learn to read,
and to understand. I keep hearing the English expression, 'a fish in
water knows nothing about water'. If I had lived in Madras or elsewhere
in Tamil Nadu, I don't think I'd have been the same person."
As Auroville occupies
the space between East and West, living here gives us the opportunity to
see ourselves better, and what is valuable and undesirable about our
native culture. A viewpoint that, had we remained in our native culture,
we might not have gleaned, or only with great effort and through good
fortune.
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