1395 / 1424
1395
from cleaning the Inner Chamber felt that. By now birds have moved out under
protest to find undisturbed sleep somewhere else but the tree, unable to escape
human insensitivity, receives the shock every night. This unconscious experiment, if
continued; will destroy the balanced environmental niche right in the centre of
Auroville.
Looking at it squarely, the whole thing cannot even be called an ‘experiment’. Every
Tom, Dick and Harry can place lights somewhere, switch them on and not care for
the consequences. This action has no concept, no options, no choices, and no
considerations, and of course the technician is his own judge: it’s just one person
doing something totally egoistic with the result that Mother Nature at the Banyan
tree suffers heavily every night.
This soulless and aggressive ‘experiment’, which says so much about the
experimenter and the managers who allow it, is sanctioned and carried out in the
name of the Mother because ‘Auroville is for experiments and X (the technician) has
to be given his experiment’, I was told by one of the managers appointed by the
Auroville Foundation. But this experiment is NOT according to the Mother’s wishes,
however much anyone tries to justify it. Mother was so particular about the Banyan
tree, the spirit of which was in close connection with Her and came to Her when it
was hurt. Once She sent a note to the person in charge, when workers had driven
nails into the tree, to get the nails immediately removed. The ring of the day of the
inauguration of Auroville is right around the main trunk of the Banyan tree with the
Mother’s words on it: ‘AUROVILLE? THE CITY AT THE SERVICE OF TRUTH’
My request to one of the managers to stop this lighting experiment was politely
listened to, but of course the lights are still on at night, wasting energy and money
since no one is there at Matrimandir after 8pm anyhow to see the show.
Now I fear for the Banyan tree; the technician’s action shows the trend: Nature has
no priority in the architect’s concept of the Centre of Auroville, which the present
management has to follow. Is this the preparation for a heavy pruning of the
Banyan tree to shape it to the architect’s view of ‘a one trunk with no aerial roots
banyan tree’?
I strongly protest against all this and request the managers to stop the torture!
Walter”
***
Note: Kusum too had left her work of service at Matrimandir. She was very
distressed by the entire situation. I could now spend more time tending the temple
of Sri Ganesh and its garden, and Kusum wanted and needed me to visit with her
more often, as we would not meet at Matrimandir as before.
She felt very sorry for both Arjun and me, and dejected at not being able to do
anything to correct the course of things in Auroville.
In France, C was waiting for me.