The Banyan Talks... European pavilion – A Beginning

The International Zone of Auroville occupies roughly a quarter of the available land, and yet it is the last to be developed. The Mother was quite clear when she outlined her vision for this area. She wanted all the nations of the world which had developed a tradition and culture expressive of their 'nation soul' to be represented in Auroville.

She said: "If nations collaborate in the work of Auroville, even to a very modest extent.....it will do them good - it can do them a lot of good, a good out of all proportion to the appearance of their actions."  Auroville International is actively engaged in the process of discovering how to carry out the Mother's intention. The ceremony on her birthday, 21st February marked in a symbolic way the aspiration of the European nations to work together to create and carry forward into the future a true representation of the best in their diverse cultures and achievements.  Active groups from Africa, China, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, the U.S. and South America are working towards the same goal.

The announced ceremony of the European pavilion groups took place in the afternoon of February 21 and was attended by an unexpected big number of 160 people.

In a beautiful atmosphere ­ concentrated and charged with the aspiration for freedom, peace and unity on the European continent and in the world at large, but also light and cheerful with little musical performances ­ a tree was planted to mark the beginning of further development in the European area of the International Zone. Soil from 44 European countries had been collected, was brought to the ceremony, mixed with soil from the Samadhi and given to the Auroville soil with the sincere wish that it may nourish the tree and also our own dedication and joy of togetherness.

As an acompanion to the tree a stone sculpture has been erected close by, a combination of white marble pieces from Matrimandir, originally hailing from Italy, and a shell lime stone which is endemic all over Europe. The central marble piece carries the Mother’s name Mirra in Sanskrit, a symbol with great protective power, as described by Her. Protection is very much needed, for the International Zone and for Auroville’s overall integrity, so it is hoped that this little ceremony will have its positive repercussions in the future!

*News sourced from Auroville Members and published under ‘News from Centers’