journal d'une transition

1394

purpose and he thought that the new dispensation would be bound to leave the Nursery be, at least for some time – during which things might possibly change for the better; he had also become very weary of conflict of any sort and any nature and distrusted any group formation, whatever its purpose. As for Walter, he wanted to remain as a token of resistance: this was not an easy proposition and it meant much isolation. Later on, he and M.B decided, when it was found that the German company which had supplied the waterproofing membrane for the sphere, had made a mistake in its selection of one basic component and was willing to cover the costs of redoing the entire membrane, that they would remain to take care of that unexpected work till it was completed, which could mean over two years. The new management was only relieved that it did not have to shoulder that responsibility. But in the aftermath of our ousting, Walter was there like a vigilante and he, who knew very well how much care we had given to the Banyan tree and all we had hoped to be able to bring into matter with the gardens and the study of their completion by Paolo, with whom Walter had worked closely for 3 years – he was very worried for the fate of the Banyan tree. Along with Paolo, in our orientation and approach to the environment of the Matrimandir, we had studied some options for a graceful, subdued lighting, strategically and unobtrusively placed along pathways and just a little above ground, so as to distribute enough light for people to move easily but to leave the night undisturbed. Now that everyone had a “free hand”, reverse and opposite experiments were afoot; when in December of that year powerful floodlights were installed under the Banyan tree illuminating the Petals and the flashing golden sphere, Walter began to stage a one-man protest! Where we had all felt that the mystery and the sense of inviolate individual discovery, ever renewed, of the Matrimandir and its surroundings was a necessary and essential part of the experience of its Power and Grace, the attitude of this group was to make of it a vigorous, overwhelming “Since more than a week now a soulless and spiritless, insensitive and useless ‘experiment’ is being done at night with the Banyan tree at Matrimandir by a technician. Mother Nature is tortured and raped by two halogen flood lights of 500 watts each, which blast their cold, glaring light from ground level up on to the magnificent structure of the tree between 6pm and 10 pm. The Banyan tree is a sensitive micro environment providing the life space and shelter for numerous animals like squirrels, the hundreds of fire flies often dancing through the dark foliage at this time of the year, the beautiful small owls with their lovely round faces and wide eyes who glide through the night without the slightest sound but also noisily giggle at times, and many others, and all of them live there in a natural harmony. When these strong flood lights were switched on the first night, the whole tree was in an uproar at 9pm, because the animals were deprived of their sleep and the tree itself stood in shock. The Aurovilians and people from the Ashram who came down statement of strength and glory, by night or by day. Walter posted and circulated an open letter about it: *Torturing the Banyan tree: a so called experiment. Open letter by Walter, 18-12-2003: