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Later on several others joined in and contributed to a number of decisions, the
responsibility for which not all are now willing to share.
Essentially what enabled us to continue with the work was the fact that Roger A’s
design or vision for the whole of Matrimandir did carry a power of realisation and
generated the necessary energies.
This however has not been an easy task; the play of forces has been intense and
every one of us has gone through the mill.
The lack of real unity in Auroville at large has allowed, through various sets of
reactions, for a certain amount of partiality and hastiness to blind the process and
resulted in a corresponding amount of waste and imperfection.
When, early this year, we saw that it had become necessary for us to refuse, in
spirit and in action, a definite trend which sought to impose its momentum on the
destiny of Matrimandir, we found ourselves quite suddenly exposed to an all-round
surge of resentment and animosity.
All this together clearly expressed one singular need for review and reassessment
and for a shift to a higher, wider and truer degree of awareness and unity for the
sake of the Matrimandir’s work.
It was then also that, very unpolitically, we realised that the execution of the FRP
inner skin was flawed and had become unacceptable (the translucent panels
already placed had already began to fade and warp).
We called for a halt so that new and more extensive studies may be conducted.
We felt that, no matter what the cost, Matrimandir’s demand for perfection was a
higher priority.
We also took the decision, along with M.B, to interrupt the production and gilding of
the discs, so as to give him the time to test and perfect another method of gilding
that would ensure durability and easy maintenance.
(Note: the gilding method introduced by the French specialists and recommended
by Roger A was proving unstable and far too vulnerable in our climatic and physical
conditions: birds scratched it the thin layer of gold every day, hard sandy dust was
blown into it and damaged it rapidly and it was also impossible to clean it. Our
further research eventually led us to the new technique of melting small glass tiles
around gold leaf, assembling these glass and gold tiles onto the discs and gluing
them in position.)
There followed the arduous process of questioning as enacted by a series of
Residents Assemblies, until we were able to propose the creation of this Forum,
which we felt would provide a space for the necessary conscious unity, without
which the work of materialising the Matrimandir could not proceed.
We do not perceive this space as a license to question for the mere sake of
questioning and settling scores, nor do we wish to be puppets in the hands of
energies that seek only to obstruct, delay or destroy.
We perceive it as a grace and a great possibility, with its imperative call for
honesty, integrity, humility and readiness to collaborate in the face of a stupendous