The Goal
The Mother stated:
“Auroville will be known through the arts...” As Sri Aurobindo pointed out, art
is an important aspect of human life that acts on different spheres, from the
purely aesthetic, to the intellectual and educative, and finally the spiritual
dimension. - “The aesthetic faculties entering into the enjoyment of the world
and the satisfaction of the vital instincts, the love of the beautiful in men
and women, in food, in things, in articles of use and articles of pleasure,
have done more than anything else to raise man from the beast, to refine and
purge his passions, to ennoble [??] his emotions and to lead him up through the
heart and the imagination to the state of the intellectual man. Sri Aurobindo
also stated that, on the path of yoga, arts can serve as a means of achieving
cittasuddhi, the purification of the heart.+ Auroville was conceived as a place
where the arts will be both a means and an expression of the human progress,
refining and ultimately raising the consciousness above the vital, aesthetic or
intellectual or levels, towards opening up to and manifesting the Supramental
Force.
The Arts in Auroville
The experimental
nature of Auroville fosters creativity in every sphere of life, and encourages
a multitude of artistic expressions. Arts practiced in Auroville include Music,
Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Painting, Sculpting, Ceramics, Photography, Film, and
many more. The Auroville website www.auroville.org gives detailed insights into
Auroville’s diverse and highly individualised community of artists. This
section focuses on initiatives of collective nature.
Cultural Events
Details of coming
cultural events are usually published in News & Notes , on the home page of
www.auroville.org.in which is publicly accessible, as well as on notice boards
at various locations around Auroville.
Many National Pavilions organise cultural events throughout the year, with the peak of activities taking place in the main visitors season (December to March).
For
general information on Tamil culture and local festivals contact Meenakshi Ph.
0413-2622141, or
visit the Centre for Tamil Heritage and Culture in the Bharat Nivas compound.
Lively outreach centres such as Mohanam and Thamarai also thrive with
traditional cultural activities.
