Special events to mark Auroville founding anniversary

Auroville has launched a variety of events leading up to the commemoration of the anniversary of its founding on February 28, 1968, on Monday. A ‘Divine Flowers’ exhibition, which opened at the Savitri Bhavan on February 21, coinciding with the birthday of its founder Mirra Alfassa (The Mother), is on till the Founding Day. The exhibition features a variety of cut-flowers, all with relevant spiritual significance, as expressed by The Mother herself, Auroville said in a press note. This Founding Day also coincides with the 150th birth anniversary year of Sri Aurobindo. A high-level committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been constituted for nation-wide celebrations in August, Auroville said. During the 75th Independence Day celebrations last year, Auroville had launched a year-long 150th birth anniversary fete for Sri Aurobindo, broadly centred on the theme, ‘Sri Aurobindo: A Force in Action (1872-2022)’. As is the custom, Sri Aurobindo’s Independence Day message (written for All India Radio, Tiruchi, and broadcast on August 14, 1947) was played on the occasion at the amphitheatre near the Matrimandir . The run-up to the Founding Day will feature silent meditation sessions, music concerts and dance performances, tree planting and a clean-up of the Crown corridor around the Matrimandir. Among the highlights is an exhibition at Unity Pavilion on Roger Anger, the French architect who came up with the galaxy plan for the township that was approved by The Mother, and a series of webinars on her life and The Auroville Charter.