The conference will be spread over three sessions that will focus on various dimensions of Sri Aurobindo’s teachings and writings, said Jayanti Ravi, Secretary, Auroville Foundation
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President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Auroville on August 8 to participate in the month-long birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Aurobindo.
Ms. Murmu is expected to visit the Matrimandir, address the plenary of a day-long conference on ‘Aspiring for the Supermind at the City of Consciousness’, and attend a concert by Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam.
Tamil Nadu Governor and Auroville Foundation chairman R.N. Ravi, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, member of Auroville governing board, are expected to address the gathering.
Briefing reporters, Jayanti Ravi, Secretary, Auroville Foundation, said the conference would be spread over three sessions that would focus on various dimensions of Sri Aurobindo’s teachings and writings. The conference would feature scholars from Auroville, Sri Aurobindo Society, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and various national and international centres who would share their experience and understanding of the concept of the supermind.
One of the sessions is devoted to understanding the essence of the Supermind as expatiated in the teachings/writings of Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator The Mother, who founded the universal township 55 years ago.
The supermind, in Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy of integral yoga, represented the dynamic manifestation of the absolute, the intermediary between the spirit and the manifest world which enables the transformation of the common being to an enlightened soul.
Another session, “Attaining the Supermind” will explore the continuum of efforts in the city of Auroville to manifest these higher concepts across all aspects of living — education and research, art and culture, city planning and architecture, economy, farming, health and wellness.
“Aspiring for Human Unity” will be the theme of the third session that would delve into the ethos and nuances of such an aspiration and the process of enlivening it into the day-to-day routine.
The month-long events mark an extension of the year-long sesqui centennial birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo with a host of events connecting people across the country with the quintessence of his expositions as nationalist, philosopher and yogi.
The dawnfire celebration around the Matrimandir will take place on August 15, that conjoins celebration of Independence Day and Sri Aurobindo’s birth anniversary.
According to Ms. Jayanti Ravi, there are also plans to involve school and college students from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu in the celebrations.
The Bharat Nivas, or the India Pavilion in Auroville, would be the hub of exhibitions. About 800 Auroville units would take turns showcasing their products to the public. Yoga sessions are also part of the events, some of which will continue till mid-September.
Capping off the month-long celebrations would be the Auroville Literature Festival from August 25-27 that features top-notch authors from India and abroad attending in person or online. The premiering launch of a translation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s book “Deliverance”, revised by Sri Aurobindo and prefaced by Rabindranath Tagore, focused sessions on Aurobindo and cultural performances are among the high points of the festival of letters.