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Outside Auroville: a call and invitation to all Auroville’s friends and well wishers,
individuals and organisations, to help fund the upgrading of Auroville’s Visitors
Reception facilities in a significant way, so that the message of Auroville and its
universal import may effectively and actually reach more and more people.
In order to illustrate and delineate the efforts with which this call is concerned, we
present here the main elements of the proposed project of upgrading the Visitors
Centre on the one hand, and the access facilities to the Matrimandir on the other
hand.
A third part outlines a proposal for a framework conducive to a more harmonious
and effective co-development with those neighbouring villages that are directly
affected by the increasing flow of visitors to Auroville.
.Part I: Upgrading of the Visitors Centre.
A-
An additional covered space of about 400m2 to hold exhibitions, educational
stands, further sales of Auroville products and a large video room which can
serve up to 200 people at a time.
B-
Setting up of covered areas on the main roof and terraces of the building to
allow for art exhibitions and cafeteria facilities.
C-
An additional block for toilets facilities.
D-
A small, contained children playground.
E-
A “Theme Park” which will demonstrate, besides simple ecological measures
and practices, various techniques for waste water treatment, alternative
building approaches, new architectural concepts, alternative energy devices.
This “Theme Park” is to be combined with a “Discovery Walk” which will lead
one to plots where alternative agricultural methods are also demonstrated
and medicinal plants are cultivated, down to an existing canyon where
methods of water conservation are made explicit.
F-
A well appointed and contained picnic area, with welcoming shady spots and
supply points of clean, filtered water.
G-
A remodelling of the road into Auroville, so that the Visitors Centre is marked
with a more substantial character of entranceway.
H-
Setting up of a proper Visitors Reception and Information Office in
Pondichéry. This is presented here as part of the upgrading of the Visitors
Centre itself as its creation will fulfil one of the main conditions for its
adequate functioning. This Office in Pondichéry will connect visitors to all
facilities in Auroville such as Guest Houses and training centres, and will
provide a wide range of materials on all aspects of Auroville’s research. It will
also establish clear agreements with selected tour operators for the
transportation of interested visitors to Auroville, so as to regulate the traffic
of tourism vehicles in the Auroville area.
.Part II: Access Facilities to the Matrimandir.
The Matrimandir is at present the major focus of public interest.
This fact tends to create misleading impressions in the public awareness both of the
Matrimandir itself and of Auroville as an integral proposition.
A number of factors contribute to the near exclusivity of this focus.