At the centre of this storm stands Jayanti Ravi, an IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, who took charge as the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation in 2021. The new administration led by her has embarked on a rapid and forceful transformation—building infrastructure, pushing forward a contested version of the ‘master plan’, and introducing programmes that many believe carry unmistakable undertones of a right-wing, Hindutva agenda. 

Many Auroville residents say that the political interference, now involving Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi who was inducted into the Governing Board, is an existential threat to Auroville’s founding ideals.

In its bid to gain a stronger foothold in Tamil Nadu, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been seeking a cultural icon to rally around. Past attempts to appropriate Tamil poets Thiruvalluvar and Subramania Bharati faced intense pushback. Now, the party seems to have found a more fitting figure in Aurobindo Ghosh, whose blend of nationalism and spirituality aligns well with its ideological narrative.

In this two-part series, we explore the various points of contention shaping the battle for Auroville’s future. 

In the first installment, we look at the cultural shifts underway and the growing resistance against them, and Aurobindo’s political philosophy, rooted in religious nationalism, which provides an ideal ideological foundation for the BJP’s brand of politics.

In the second part of our series, we take a look at claims that the new administration is altering The Mother’s Galaxy plan, fast-tracking roads, infrastructure, and even reshaping the landscape. And why many residents suspect this to be part of a broader BJP-RSS strategy to create a ‘federal enclave’ in Tamil Nadu.

A new authoritarian administration

The township is home to around 3,000 Aurovilians, who hail from nearly 60 countries. Many have lived here longer than in their countries of birth. Over the decades, Auroville has developed its own culture—an amalgamation of traditions, philosophies, and a distinct interpretation of Hinduism shaped by its diverse residents.

But what remained on the backburner is a plan that the Mother envisaged. She wanted an expansion of Auroville, in size and number, allowing 50,000 residents to be accommodated. She called it the Galaxy plan and apparently described it to Roger Anger, a French architect personally chosen by her as Auroville’s chief architect.