journal d'une transition

1368

V. This letter then, in and of itself, may constitute what is termed as an act of defamation, and remains so to this day as it has not been substantiated and cannot be substantiated. VI. Yet this act of defamation by one member of the Governing Board appears to have been considered by all its other members, under the chairmanship of Dr. Kireet Joshi, as sufficient evidence to take the unprecedented step of direct intervention. VII. Since all the other members of the Governing Board are highly respected individuals one may wonder how they could consent to this very dubious process. VIII. Could one then assume that it is also our right to call attention to the various cases of wastage that have been the direct responsibility of the architect over the years? Conclusion: The point here being that the means elected to ‘resolve’ a crucial difference of approaches rich with a potential for real collective progress, may not be, in effect and in spirit, the correct ones. Note: On the 2 nd of August, 2003, four of us were served each a legal notice called a “Caveat”: Arjun, John H, Walter and I each received by Registered Post the same legal document containing the text of a Caveat filed in the Court of the Hon’ble Principal Sub Judge at Tindivanam by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation, through its chosen Advocate, a Mr. P. Krishnamurthy, M.A., B.L. It said that “The Caveator apprehend that the Expected Applicants may file a suit and petition against the Caveator and get some interim orders. LET NOTHING BE DONE WITHOUT NOTICE TO THE CAVEATOR in the proceedings. The Caveator undertakes to serve the notice of this caveat on the Expected Applicants and file proof of service before this Hon’ble Court…” In short, the Chairman had expected and feared that we would take him to Court for his recent actions, knowing full well that we did have grounds for such recourse. Yet, unknown to him – and this made us to reflect with some amount of awe on the individual destinies concerned -, we had not ever even considered such an option, let alone discussed it; in fact, it never even crossed my own mind! We did lodge articulate protests where we could, that is, to the known players of this game, directly and as fairly as we could; but it would never have occurred to us to seek redress in the ordinary courts of law. While the Chairman, on his part, had in fact a long history of court cases, some of them still unresolved, since his leaving the Ashram. On the 4 th of August, 2003, the Chairman wrote a long formal letter to the AV council and Working Committee, in which he wielded both the carrot and the stick with shrewdness, so as to ensure the tacit support of the majority in Auroville – large funding for a wide range of activities and projects under the umbrella of education in Auroville being the carrot dangling before so many people who had been promised contracting, teaching, building, or documenting jobs. Eventually this large funding was blocked at the Centre. Here is his letter in full: Submitted by Divakar”