Auroville presented in Berlin

by the Indian Embassy and AVI Germany

September 2003

On the occasion of the 'Asia Pacific weeks', celebrated in Berlin with this year's focus on India, the Indian Embassy opened its doors for an exhibition and presentation of Auroville, organized by Auroville International Germany and its subgroup, the 'Sri Aurobindo Center Berlin' (SACB). It was the same exhibition that impressed UNESCO delegates in Paris (LINK) in April this year, with its 32 panels and the galaxy model put together by Auroville's Future. During the exhibition week of 20-28 September, AVI Germany organized several events with official speakers and new films from Auroville, which were well received.

Importance of Sri Aurobindo in India

One of the main speakers, Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, former Ambassador of Germany in India and currently President of the German-Indian Society, was referring to the historic and also quite actual importance of Sri Aurobindo in India. Mr. Amit Dasgupta, Deputy Chief of Mission, was responding with his more personal experience of Sri Aurobindo`s Yoga. The words of Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, Chief of the Tagore Institute, the cultural department of the Indian Embassy in Berlin, revealed him to be a special connaisseur and friend of the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

German orientation towards integrality

Speaking for Auroville International Germany and the Sri Aurobindo Center, Isa Wagner emphasized the special relation of the SACB with Auroville and the Integral Yoga. She warmly appreciated Dr. Ananda Reddy´s inspiring engagement, his bridge building capacities and his special role in the foundation of the SACB. One of the concrete outcomes of this special relation will be the building of a German pavilion in the International Zone of Auroville, hopefully in the near future.

Wolfgang Schmidt-Reinecke stressed the remarkable resonance that Auroville and the Integral Yoga find in Germany and with 'the Germans'. One reason may be, according to him, that one can trace a clear orientation towards integrality in Germany's history of culture and spirit.

Travelling exhibition

The Auroville exhibition will go from Berlin to Bilbao in Spain. It may come back to Germany in May 2004, to the beautiful surroundings of the 'Villa Rot' in South Germany at the time of to the the annual meeting of AVI Germany. From there it may travel to Brazil for an Auroville/AVI week in summer of 2004.