A free-spirited Kumar shares his story
“Hey, I don't want to have this Tamil banner in front of me,” declares
Kumar firmly but in a friendly tone. I had just asked him what
his perspectives were on being a Tamil Aurovilian. “I was born
in Kuyilapalayam into the Tamil culture. That's all. I don't
regret my background and I don't take advantage of it. I am
a human being and I like to live in Auroville and I don't want
to put any colour on me!”
Born in 1966, Kumar did his early
schooling in Kuyilapalayam and then moved to a school in
Pondy. “In those days, the village
school had classes only up to 5th standard. Then you had to
go out to study.” But this was soon put an end to by his family. “I
was a bit wild actually,” he says sheepishly. “On the way back
from school, I would make trouble with my friends, beat them
up and so on. And then there used to be these fields along
the way where we stopped to play until it got dark and so we
came home late. All this was quite heavy on my parents, so
they stopped me from going to school.”
With nothing to do, Kumar began to
hang out with the Tamil Aurovilian youth from Kuilapalayam. “All of Gordon and Jean's
students – the Rathinams, the Selvarajs – were there. Many
of them were living in Udayam, so I tried to stay with them
there.” Soon Kumar found himself drawn to Aurelec, an Auroville
business unit dealing with electronics. Kumar introduced himself
to Ulli, Aurelec's executive and asked if he could join the
company. “Imagine, at that time I hardly knew how to speak
English, let alone being able to read or write.” He was taken
in as a ‘soldering boy', assigned the task of joining cables
and doing odds and ends. He remained in Aurelec from 1979 till
1991. “It was there I became Aurovilian, I don't know how and
when.” He recalls that time as the most ‘glorious' period of
his life. “In those days lots of resources were available and
nobody blocked you from learning. So if you had motivation
you could do anything you wanted to do.” It was at Aurelec
that Kumar taught himself to read and write English, and learn
about electronics. “I am 100% self-taught,” he says proudly. “No
formal schooling. The management made up of Ulli and others
never treated us like local boys. They encouraged us, gave
us money for our education, and kept us psychologically boosted
all the time. They always said ‘You are good,' ‘You're doing
well'. Not once did they tell me that what I was doing was
wrong. That somehow kept me going.”
Kumar left Aurelec soon after he
met his sweetheart Kala. “It
was time for something different.” The two started living together,
and two years later, married each other. Did their families
approve of their living together? “Both Kala and I are very
independent and we do what we like to do,” he replies. “Also
Kala comes from one of the first integrated families in Kuilapalayam
and all of them were involved with Auroville one way or another.” Kumar
believes that life in Auroville is ‘fantastic' and does not
warrant worrying about what others think about you.
With Kala by his side, Kumar found
his entrepreneurial spirit come to the front. “I wanted to be self-supporting now that
I had my family. From my experience in Aurelec, I knew I enjoyed
electronics and hardware.” So Kumar put the knowledge and skills
he picked up at Aurelec to use. He provides services for the
power systems that support computers and occasionally assembles
computers for private users. “All that I am doing now is totally
what Aurelec gave me. For me my work experience was the most
valuable gift besides the people with whom I worked, and those
who placed their confidence in me.” Kumar has a straightforward
approach to his work. “I don't run around trying to get x amount
of money each month. I work only with people whom I like, and
with whom I have good contact – that way I am happy and they
are happy. And believe me, I am kept busy.”
Besides electronics, Kumar is also
involved in small-scale farming. He stewards a piece of land
in Djaima where he cultivates fruit trees, and he supplies
the produce to the Solar Kitchen and Pour Tous. “I find farming very relaxing. It gives me a
break from the monotony of the computer world.” With the orchards
close to his house, he also finds that farming is a great way
to have the whole family involved and spend time together.
Kumar feels some concern about the
attitude of youngsters in Auroville. “This coming generation does not seem to recognize
what Auroville provides for them,” he says. “They do not realise
what opportunities they actually have and they are not fully
using it.” Kumar and Kala send all their three children to
Auroville schools. His oldest daughter Gayatri, plans to do
her O and A levels at Future School . About the controversial
topic of sending Auroville children to outside schools, Kumar
has this to say. “I really oppose it because I feel people
who do that take Auroville's energy and put it outside.”
What connections does he feel he
has to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo? “I don't want to lie. Till now I didn't even realize
these things and I am not a yogi yet,” he says with a smile.
How about the Hindu religion? “I am not at all religious. But
we celebrate all the festivals; Deepavali, Pongal… and that's
because of the kids. They love it. When festivals come, they
get all excited. It is psychological. ‘Oh we have to get new
clothes, new this and new that', and a lot of food has to be
cooked.” He adds, grinning, “This whole week, they have only
been eating.” (Deepavali ended a few days ago)
Kumar turns suddenly reflective. “I
am here and I do my work. There is a lot to really discover within
ourselves. I think it's only in Auroville one can do this.”
