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passing any judgement, other than the obvious in case of unbalanced or untoward
conduct.
. Records are kept meticulously of each person’s visits, so that the direct
relationship with the Matrimandir, once established, is not burdened or affected by
duplication of procedures.
. Later on, the same process is to be applied for access to the Inner Gardens area.
- Part III.
The two approaches share naturally several concerns:
. There must be no distinction of class / caste / religion / financial power /
education: the Matrimandir is for whoever in their heart is attracted to its gift.
. For all, regardless of their status, the same procedures apply.
. Ideally, the “Aurovilians” are those who have committed their all to the task of
Auroville, and the Matrimandir is naturally the core and soul and generating power
of their endeavour: they ought to be able to enter it at any time, according to their
need, in a self-disciplined way. This, however, is not yet the reality, and
“Aurovilians” are often the cause of confusion and of the misuse of “privileges”.
(The Mother is also reported to have said to Roger A that not every Aurovilian
would be allowed to enter and that doubtful cases should be referred to Her.)
Meanwhile, the population of Auroville is increasing, and it will eventually become
necessary for every Aurovilian to comply with the need to fix a time in advance.
. The Matrimandir must be approached within the context of Auroville, and not
separately from it. A very considerable effort must be made by Auroville to receive
the interested public in a way that will convey the nature and spirit of its work,
aims and import. (This applies as well to VIPs, and special arrangements can only
be sought when security requirements are attached to their visits.)
. There must be an increased Aurovilian presence in all the duties relating to the
access to the Matrimandir.
. There must be a proper Reception Pavilion at the entrance to the Gardens, well-
equipped, spacious and quiet, with a constant staff and simple monitoring facilities.
. We, as “Aurovilians”, are stewards and not judges. Within basic guidelines and
regulations, people must be left to the experience itself and we are not to interfere.
(Later note, on July 10, 2005: The issue of the access to the Matrimandir and to Its
Inner Chamber was one closest to my heart. To my understanding, it was crucial to
the development of Auroville, and the way we approach it and understand it would
determine, or reflect the way we approach and understand the raison d’être of
Auroville. In 1995, Arjun and some others had forced me to abandon the approach
referred to as the third approach, in order to apply the second approach. I had
been extremely distressed at the time, and had even wanted to leave Auroville, as I
could not reconcile myself to the prospect of seeing multiplying hordes of tourists
and visitors flocking to the doors of the Inner Chamber to have one peek at it and
leave without any understanding of it. I kept trying to warn everybody of the way it
was bound to grow and overwhelm us, in the long run, and of how it would
eventually tend to nullify the very meaning and significance of the Matrimandir. But
I only met blank walls. Over the years, this system developed on its own lines,
involving an increasing number of regulations, while compromising ever more with
the pressure from “important people”, to the extent that two systems began to
operate side by side on a daily basis, one for the general public and one for “special
guests”. Traffic inside Auroville became something of a disaster, as more and more