paulette has left a new comment on your post “It was Kireet Joshi who ultimately saved the Ashra…“:
The split between the SAS and Auroville initiated in November 1975, when a group of residents registered the ARA, a legal body called the Auroville Residents Association. The SAS took the matter to court and got an immediate injunction. This marked the beginning of a long, painful war, where excesses were committed on both sides. By the mid seventies the Sri Aurobindo Society, heavily indebted, had blocked all flow of money directed towards Auroville; there were law and order problems as well. On 21.12.1976 the Government of India passed a resolution constituting an Auroville Committee “under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant-Governor of Pondicherry with representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu and of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Central Government” for the purpose of thoroughly investigating the Sri Aurobindo Society’s affairs and modus operandi. The committee submitted its report in 1977. Because of its findings, with the Auroville (Emergency Provisions) Ordinance, first promulgated by the President of India on November 10, 1980, one month later replaced by an Act of Parliament, the Government of India took over management of Auroville from the Sri Aurobindo Society, appointing as Administrator a retired Judge from the High Court assisted by a Deputy Administrator. This came into immediate force.
The Sri Aurobindo Society, which was registered in 1961 in Calcutta, challenged the initiative in the Calcutta High Court with a writ petition contesting the constitutional validity of the Act. The Government had the case transferred to the Supreme Court, which decided that constitutional matters were involved and set, for this purpose, a special Constitutional Bench consisting of five judges, debating the distinction between religion and spirituality. For one claim of the SAS was that the Government was interfering with Auroville’s right to practice its own religion, based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. Had Sri Aurobindo’s “teachings” been acknowledged as a religion, the SAS would have regained control of Auroville.
In 1982 a judgment was passed by a full constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in favor of Auroville against the Sri Aurobindo Society, upholding the validity of the Act. Major Gen. Krishna Tewari, retired, was the signatory for Auroville. At first valid two years, and extendable for not more than five, the “Emergency Provisions” remained in vigor for eight consecutive years, as it kept being extended from year to year. The debate in Parliament went on for years, throughout the transitional period under the Administrator’s umbrella, until the Auroville (Emergency Provisions) Ordinance (shortly afterwards turned into an Act by the Parliament then in session), gave way to the final legislation. On September 29, 1988 the Auroville Foundation was established by an Act of the Parliament.
Kireet Joshi, who in 1977 had resigned as registrar of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram system of education, and had settled in Delhi as special adviser on education of Indira Gandhi, was directly involved throughout all the legal battling, and so were some Aurovilians close to him. Kireet is the father of the Auroville Foundation Act that, if integrally implemented, is but the legal side of the Mother’s guidelines for Auroville regarding a number of most essential aspects. Having discussed for years the process with some of the major protagonists, I have glued excerpts from a book that I have published years ago with a grant from the Auroville Foundation, together with additional information. This is the historical truth, leaving no space for fanciful interpretations – whether by supramental successors or other characters adorning this picturesque blog.
paulette has left a new comment on your post “Sudha Sinha is a resident inmate of the Ashram wit…“:
I have replied yesterday on the reasons for the Sri Aurobindo Society war, and the outcome of it. But as it seems that our ineffable Prof has problems, here is the abridged answer.
By the mid seventies the Sri Aurobindo Society, heavily indebted, had blocked all flow of money directed towards Auroville; there were law and order problems as well. On 21.12.1976 the Government of India passed a resolution constituting an Auroville Committee “under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant-Governor of Pondicherry with representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu and of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Central Government” for the purpose of thoroughly investigating the Sri Aurobindo Society’s affairs and modus operandi. The committee submitted its report in 1977. Because of its findings, with the Auroville (Emergency Provisions) Ordinance, first promulgated by the President of India on November 10, 1980, one month later replaced by an Act of Parliament, the Government of India took over management of Auroville from the Sri Aurobindo Society, appointing as Administrator a retired Judge from the High Court assisted by a Deputy Administrator. This came into immediate force.
The Sri Aurobindo Society, which was registered in 1961 in Calcutta, challenged the initiative in the Calcutta High Court with a writ petition contesting the constitutional validity of the Act. The Government had the case transferred to the Supreme Court, which decided that constitutional matters were involved and set, for this purpose, a special Constitutional Bench consisting of five judges, debating the distinction between religion and spirituality. For one claim of the SAS was that the Government was interfering with Auroville’s right to practice its own religion, based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. Had Sri Aurobindo’s “teachings” been acknowledged as a religion, the SAS would have regained control of Auroville. In 1982 a judgment was passed by a full constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in favor of Auroville against the Sri Aurobindo Society, upholding the validity of the Act.
I will forward to Prof the first chapter of “The Auroville Foundation Act and the Mother Guidelines”, a book I wrote in 2005, sponsored by the Auroville Foundation/GOI. It was my svadharma, as an Aurovilian, to ascertain the historical facts. But as I have never been an Ashram inmate it is equally my svadharma not to enter into the Ashram’s internal matters. These, concerning exclusively those who have chosen to live as ashramites, must be sorted out EXCLUSIVELY from within the perspective of Integral Yoga. This demands dealing with what the Mother calls the shadow, and Sri Aurobindo the evil persona [SABCL, LY p.1660]. All the years I lived in Pondy I refused to be involved with Auroville’s internal affairs, during the SAS war. But upon joining Auroville, in 1985, after a preliminary year working at the Matrimandir construction, on the roof, I spent the next five years doing archival research on Mother’s undiluted vision of Auroville: concept of the town, Matrimandir, guidelines etc. Funded by the GOI, this resulted in several compilations distributed for free to the entire community.
Facing one’s Evil Persona is the cure and answer. Integral Yoga! Paulette
Posted by paulette to Savitri Era Open Forum at 8:53 PM, November 15, 2010
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