journal d'une transition

1132

titled a member of the “Working Committee” was eventually trapped and alienated and that every “Working Committee” ended up functioning “in camera” and deluded into thinking itself more “responsible” than the rest. I kept saying, whenever I had a chance, that we were responsible for our freedom only: we could conform to the expectations of the world by providing them with our own device for a spokesman and call it “Working Committee” as required, but we did not have to believe in it; in fact we must NOT believe in it, and it must have no existence between us: it must simply disappear and merge back into our own chosen way of functioning internally. It must be our protective shield, our totem and our visiting card, but it must not rule or determine our choices. But with time, political motivations became more and more active, while a general disaffection led the majority of people in Auroville to desist from any involvement in the search for a collectively chosen organisation. Note: The “permanent” issue of the Matrimandir’s direct environment – basically whether Matrimandir was to be surrounded with the richness and abundance of natural beauty, as the Mother had initially described Her dream of it, a vast area of silent experiencing at the centre of the city, or merely adorned with some minimalist and symbolic array of decorative arrangements as Roger A wanted it, with the inner ring of the city overlooking the direct, almost barren approach to the golden sphere – had been troubling many of us almost since the birth of Auroville. To some of us it was clear that the Mother had placed apparently divergent views at the service of the Matrimandir precisely because through their respective surrender to Her Action would be revealed their complementary creativity. To others among us, it was certain that there had to be a hierarchical order and that Roger A had been given final authority by the Mother. In 1999 this issue escalated. The appointment of Kireet Joshi as the new Chairman, replacing MS Swaminathan at the helm of Auroville’s affairs, brought about the re-appointment of Roger A as a quasi permanent member of the Governing Board and his official anointment as the Chief Architect and the Mother’s spokesman, where the Matrimandir was concerned. Insofar as the very controversial design for the golden sphere and its 12 surrounding petals, authored by Roger A, was concerned, we had found that there was a sufficient evidence of the Mother eventually agreeing to it. It was not overwhelming evidence, but there was enough to hold on to and to at least honestly try to realise this concept. But where the park and gardens were concerned, all the written and recorded statements by the Mother were abundantly clear, as She had talked at great length of these, and Her vision of the central park as a sanctuary with its Pavilion of Truth and Love sheltered within it, was the actual beginning of Auroville. *** Our position and approach as a team had been since the beginning that we would go by what the Mother had expressly communicated.