Tamil Nadu Governor visits Auroville, distributes ID cards to residents

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar visited Auroville on Friday and praised the town’s founding vision of global human unity.

During the visit, the Governor met with the residents of Auroville, the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation and members of key working groups and officially distributed identity cards to residents of the town, marking an important step in supporting the administrative framework of the township and the common future.

Mr. Arlekar expressed his deep happiness at fulfilling his long-time dream of visiting the “holy city” of Auroville; This visit was made possible by the persistent encouragement of the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation.

The Governor said, “When I came here with my wife today, we both felt that Mother was here in this whole atmosphere. We could feel that she was here, blessing and guiding all of us. There is no negativity here. Everyone who comes here, even for a short time, will only get positivity from here.”

He emphasized the ancient philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family), relating Sri Aurobindo’s teachings to India’s broader role on the world stage.

He explained that the concept of Arya is not a race, but a quality of goodness that should reach every human being.

Echoing Sri Aurobindo’s predictions, he stated that India is rapidly stepping into the role of a global guide (Vishwa Guru), leaving the colonial mentality behind and returning to the true culturally integrated education system.

Mr. Arlekar said he and his wife are deeply invested in the education sector in Goa and run institutions for children with special disabilities. Stating that Auroville is a global reference point on what integrated education should be like, he said, “Anyone in the world can come here and see what the change is and what the world will be like.”

Jayanti S. Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary, State of Gujarat, Government of India and Secretary, Auroville Foundation, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said that the community, supported by Auroville Foundation and its Board of Directors, is moving decisively to implement the visionary “Galaxy Plan” master plan.

First conceived by The Mother in 1968 and designed by lead architect Roger Anger, Auroville is actively transitioning from a conceptual plan to an evolving urban reality.

Ms. Ravi emphasized that with the latest series of administrative victories paving the way since 2021, development is rapidly accelerating while expanding the district’s infrastructure, economy and population to make it the greenest and most sustainable city in the world.

Auroville’s key working groups, including the Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC), Sri Aurobindo Institute of International Educational Research (SAIIER), Funds and Asset Management Committee (FAMC) and Working Committee, provided detailed updates on the accelerating growth.