 Hello. Hello. Is it on? Yeah. Good evening and a very, very warm welcome. So all those who are here in the exhibition hall, we just request you to please come seated. We start our proceedings for the day. We invite each and everyone to just take a seat for the evening. And a very, very warm welcome to each one of you and thank you for coming in here. So thank you for each and everyone for coming here. This is our seventh year for the Artful Land Exhibition. And we're really, really happy to inaugurate today in the August presence of some people who have been supporting our cause and who have been generously also donating our artworks. We have Jaya who has been the spirit and the essence behind this. Jayanti of course needs no, sorry Dr. Jayanti, I'm sorry, I'm so used to calling you by your first name. Needs no introduction. Who has been supporting this and is really happy to be here. We have Kirti who's one of the artists from Pondicherry who has been over the years regularly donating works and she's been here. We have Gino and a few others who have been here. So we just wanted to formally inaugurate the seventh Artful Land Exhibition happening in our very, very precious campus, the Unity Pavilion. And of course not to forget is our very dear Meenakshi Akka who has consented to be here and recite poetry, Sri Aurobindo's, her own poems and from the literature. Because when we are talking about art, it's not just the visual art or the ceramics of the woodworks but it's also the art and the essence of poetry which Sri Aurobindo really, really believed a lot. So she's been gracious enough to come here and after the inauguration. She is for 30 minutes going to be rendering poetry from these different selections, bringing in the essence, unity for peace and harmony because that's one of the things we decided that this year what is needed across the world is the unity, unity in and out for peace and harmony. So with that theme I'm inviting Jaya, Jayanthi, Kirti, Meenakshi Akka, please come in and Aryadeep. I'm really sorry I haven't met you before. Aryadeep is from the land board and the fund and one of the team that works behind the scenes to get a lot of funds for us. So I'm really, really sorry because I wasn't formally introduced to you but it's a pleasure to have you serve with us. Can we just invite you all to just be seated on the stage, Kirti, Dr. Jayanthi, Jaya. So I'm just going to be inviting Jaya who has in many, many ways been the spirit behind this idea of supporting the cause for art for land who for six years in a row and today the seventh year has literally put a heart and soul into putting all these artworks. Her connection to the art world is there right from her childhood. So just to really get a sense of what the art for land exhibition is all about, what's the essence, what's the reason and what's the way forward. So over to you. I will say a few words. First I want to welcome you all. Thank you so much for being here and thank you to all of you. And art for land really came out of an understanding of the work that was being done by Aryadeep and Mandakini and a wish to support them, to do something that would actually because sometimes we take things for granted with people who work for us and do a lot of very, very big work. So it was a wish that came one evening. How can we support them in this work? So that was art for land had already happened one time so we didn't have the first idea about it. Jasmine and Aryadeep had already been working with Mandakini one year. But then we took it up to see how could we bring it into a bigger space, giving more awareness and also hopefully bringing in more money for the land. So we have been working, this is our seventh exhibition. I see quite a few friends in the audience who have been giving us a hand with generosity along the road, both artists and other friends. And I really want to honor you for all that you have been doing. All this work never happens by anybody alone. It really happens in community, collectivity and working together through the difficulties and through all the good things. This year, Orville has been facing a lot of difficulties and is still kind of in the troughs but it's not only Orville, it is the whole world who is in this situation. The forces of division are very, very strong working all over. I think through all of us at times and moments. And somehow it's really been a wish for how we could promote unity and peace. And somehow in these last weeks, I think, don't know where I have Suda now, they came up this talk about this painting by Usha Patel called Prayer of the Earth. And we managed to borrow the original from Lalit Verma who had it. We also spoke with Usha Patel's sister Urmila and asked for permission to use it. And I think it kind of, we also have Yoti Kare's Globe here which has been used at Matrimandir, I don't know if you see it. This little golden spot here is actually Orville. What we are doing here with the Art for Land is that we are supporting the racing of funds of land for Orville. Whatever land is raised for Orville is raised for mankind. I always myself feel that we are buying the earth free when we buy this land. It's no more there for exploitation. It's no more there to belong to anybody individual. It belongs to humanity as a whole. And even if we falter a bit on the way here and there in our aspiration, it is not only our aspiration that is carrying this. I wanted to remind us that it is the aspiration of the earth itself. And true man, it is the aspiration of the earth. So I wanted to put us in that context that when we raise this money, we do it for Orville, but we really do it for that much, much larger vision which Sri Aurobindo and Mother has brought to us through all their work from whichever angle we touch on it. So I think that is most probably I forgot a few things. I will remember them tonight and tomorrow. But from all my heart, I wish that this will go very well. I'm very grateful to be doing this work. We have more than I think 130 artists who work together with us. We don't have that many artists this year who are actually in the room with the artworks, but that's how many who over the years have worked with us. And I see only in the last two days, people have been coming in here. Just happened to walk by or heard about it from somebody. Exhibition was underhanging still, but they have asked, how can we contribute? How can we do? Can we have an address? How can we send it? So I think that we will move forward. My dream is that we will, Covid kind of stopped us in the middle of a big energy, but that we actually will expand in such a way that this will be a permanent feature in Auroville to have this one month for the land, that we will be able to work between our different galleries in Auroville and our different campuses, that we will work together with Pondicherry. Pondicherry tourism is very keen to connect and they are very keen to have our work in Pondicherry, also in the cities of India and from abroad. We have a few things that I wanted to mention more. We have been encouraging since years, and we want to see if we can do a drive again, that in Auroville at least, everybody gives on a monthly basis something towards the land, like a flow of generosity. We have actually seen in the calculations and what we have been doing to see what we have, that we could in a year, only from Auroville without any of us suffering from it, it's our cup of coffee or our dinner in Pondicherry or something like that, we would raise a crore per year by doing this. This is actually a fact, how it works. And a chain is not stronger than its weakest links, so for the people who give the 10 rupees, it is great. And for the people who give 1000 rupees, it is great, but we shouldn't try to push something because we are ashamed of giving little. We should have something which can go on year in and year out because we don't even notice it. Mother was asked, I think it was by Madhav Pandit, well, how is it if you give money to the divine work, which you don't really need? Does that give you spiritual benefit? I'm putting it in my words now. Hello? Yes. Does it give spiritual benefit? And Mother said, no, it doesn't. And then she said, but it helps the divine. So she said, for spiritual benefit, it needs to pinch a bit. So that is a good thing to us to remember that on our birthdays or a special day or we have an inner thing, we give that part that pinches a bit because we need to stretch out. But giving that part which we don't really need is actually helpful for the divine work. So it's a reminder that it's good. That 10 rupee thing is not wasted at all or 30 rupees or whatever. And then a second thing that we want to do is that we have seen now that it is very possible for us. It doesn't involve any difficulty with tax and these kinds of things. For the pure donations that we get, when you buy an artwork, there is a GST and we follow all these rules and regulations that it's natural to do. When you give a donation, we will, from our side, put aside artworks which will stay with Auroville. So we are creating an Auroville collection which we are matching with donations, pure donations which comes into Art for Land. We are offsetting from our side and creating a permanent collection of artworks for Auroville that will stay with Auroville and be exhibited. We have artwork that are connected to Sadhana, to inner life, all these aspects which are maybe not so widely known in the rest of the world as they are especially here. We know the work Mother has done with artists and we know how we can see around us in here a lot of the work that is connected to inner work. And we want to somehow safeguard that for the future generations to be able to see these developments. Okay, that's the work on this side. Thank you very much. So I invite Dr. Jayanti to say a few words to us. Jayan, can you just read the prayer? What? Oh, yes, yes, of course. I will do this. Let's carry away. So this is the prayer of the earth that Madra gave. Supreme Lord, eternal truth. Let us obey thee alone and live according to truth. It's such a special day today that we are continuing this tradition of generosity of people who have really poured their time, their creativity and all their emotions, expressions, their devotion for the divine which is being offered for a very, very special cause. We are celebrating this. I'm given to understand this happens year after year. I just wanted to also share a few facts about this because some of us like me when I first came here didn't really realize or know the magnitude of it. But at the outset I want to congratulate and express deep gratitude to everyone who's involved in this, all the artists. We start with the characteristic Pierre. I don't know where he is. I just saw him a minute ago. He's probably gone in to see paintings and I would love to speak for hours together about the wonderful work he does and what he has been contributing and so many other artists here. But I think making all this possible, I think Jaya has been doing this with a great deal of sincerity, commitment over all these years. And of course, Aryadeep and Mandakini because I think within a few weeks of my joining in Auroville, I remember getting emails from Mandakini and even now a few days back about this exhibition and how these efforts are on. And I was given to understand that so far about 130 artists, approximately 130 artists from Auroville, from Pondicherry and from all over India and the world have been very generous in terms of offering their art, it could not just be paintings but like we see today, woodwork, ceramic work and so many other things that they have created with a lot of devotion, with that sense of offering and something which is very beautiful exquisite as I walked around. I saw many of the paintings, Dileep Bhai's painting, Dileep Patel's paintings. I saw Kirti's work and of course Jyoti, Khare and many other crystals. There are several others whom I may not personally know but I think the quality of work is absolutely outstanding and the fact that it is being offered here. I'm told these numbers approximately about five million US dollars worth of money has been raised true. So they are centrally involved in this whole effort and I think this whole idea of acres for Auroville, art for acres and land for Auroville units, I think this itself, the idea itself is so very special that we are offering anything and everything that is done with the sense of devotion, sincerity, whether it's a piece of art fundraising, we have so many artists here, whether it is dance, any form but then in this case, we're looking at the more the fine arts as we say, about 163 paintings, 20 woodworks, 30 plus ceramic works have been displayed today and over six years we've had more than 209 plus artists who have been artworks and artists who have been here. So what's the purpose of this? We do know to create greater awareness and to inspire more and more people to offer their art just as to create an awareness and have more and more people contribute by purchasing these pieces of art or funding sponsoring in whatever way because as we say, it's not funding per se that's important but I think as Jaya mentioned, if everybody contributes their bit, I think that participation is far more valuable. It's not about one person giving or maybe it would not be difficult for big foundations, agencies, or even the government probably to give but I think that value is far less than the value when you really have thousands of people, millions of people giving their bit then that's when that true meaning of human unity and the word unity too, there are many dimensions because we're sitting here in unity pavilion. A few days back as I was doing a bit of research, Aridip will of course know this much better than many of us. I was looking at the symbol of Auroville that mother had drawn and we often, even in the last several months, we know that there's a lot of churning happening within Auroville too and I think all this is a part possibly of the divine moment, historical moment that we are in. It's the 150th birth anniversary where there's something like an evolutionary trust which is happening in a way gently nudging us, pushing us, prodding us, sometimes even provoking us, giving us a shake up to make us do everything and anything that we can do to manifest something extraordinary which even the word extraordinary doesn't do justice to it, something that mother has given to us and to see how we can all make it available for sisters and brothers across the world but coming back to the symbol, the central dot in the symbol, mother said in her, this is a quotation as I'm not repeating it verbatim, but what I saw and I was very, very happy, she says it represents unity and our general, the normal understanding of the word unity that we all is about, how we feel about being bonded with each other or with other beings and so on but she goes, she gives a little pause and she says supreme, unity, she makes it synonymous with the supreme. So in that sense, it's not just about having friends, sometimes losing friends temporarily, sometimes not being very popular, sometimes having to say things which may not be very appealing necessarily but yet to have that courage and to have that faith and to sincerely try and do the work that is the work of the divine and that's again a part of the chapter which says to be the one thing that is expected of all of us is to be willing servitors of divine consciousness and I also want to read out a little piece of information because we also in Auroville talk about various people who've contributed, there are pioneers who have done amazing incredible work in terms of the lands that were got for greening them and then we've had incredible work that has happened in Matramantir and so on but I often feel that this word pioneers also has several layers to it and if you see that the mother of all these pioneers was indeed the mother, she thought of this idea, she got all this land and it would surprise a lot of us like it did me when we went into the numbers that prior to 1988 which is when formerly the Auroville Foundation Act came over 60% of the land that the city needed, the city although the master plan has the green belt area was actually solidly with us which meant that that's the kind of diligence and here I want to specially acknowledge a lot of people in Pondicherry as well connected with the ashram because these are artificial divisions that have grown up over the years and I think it is high time that we sincerely pray and wish and hope as we just read about how Sri Aurobindo there was a beautiful quote that Sudhanyaji just mentioned I would like to read it with your permission Sri Aurobindo the son of India when arose in the eastern horizon darkness scattered into pieces he's talking of the revival of the Vedas the mountain high resistance of British unable to stop his advent so in that context some of these walls have developed maybe that's also a part of the divine Leela the play but I think this is a very very special poignant and a very special moment in the divine journey and I think these walls ought to melt break gradually, firmly, strongly so that we all realize and which is the truth unity is about being united with the divine and the fact that we're all one and in that context I also want to acknowledge the fact that several people from the ashram and a non-nigonarian 95 year old Dhyanandji from the ashram he registered 1116 land purchase documents for 2,300 acres and laid the boundary stones of Auroville along with many other people but I think it's important that we acknowledge, realize and offer our full sincere appreciation, gratitude to all those who have made this happen so we're literally standing on the shoulder of giants but we also have a lot of work to do so in that spirit I appreciate all this outstanding work that is happening and I have two small asks of all of us here I'm taking a little time but I thought it's important to request these two things now this is a beautiful year of festivity celebration notwithstanding a lot of introspection, churning also which is life is always, all life is yoga it's going to be, you know, seven colors all the colors will be a part of life and it's a mosaic but in that can be possibly a few months from now this is again for Sudha who's now a part of this team and Jaya and the entire team and I think Sudha also I'll be failing if I don't mention the kind of special energy that your presence here has also brought and we wish you continue here for a very long time and help see all these things fructifying and the idea was over the next several months that we have, can we institutionalize like this exhibition something like this on an annual basis where we really invite possible donors from not only Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu but from Delhi all over India and abroad possibly around December or even during January when you have the Pravasiya, Bharatiya Divas kind of time when there are people from all over the world non-resident Indians and others who've contributed a great deal abroad but whose hearts and souls are still anchored in India so if we can invite them and have another festivity of this kind where these artworks are exhibited we can also have all these artists do little workshop at that time in different locations so people could go and see for example when I saw Pierre the way he does it with the paints and when he said these are all very special imported paints and then there was a bit of a pregnant pause and he said about from the hardware shop in Pondicherry I don't mean to in any way decrease the value of it but I think that's also so important that it's all not about using something which is extremely expensive, exorbitant but using ordinary things and creating something beautiful out of it so if we can have some kind of an exhibition of this kind with artists also present sometime in December, January we could invite a lot more people who can sponsor and really get an idea of how this money is being used what is it that they're contributing similarly now there is this whole talk about NFTs the non-fungible tokens and also the metaverse which is a big big big movement happening on the digital and the internet media so if there's a way to actually tap on that because we have so many iconic things in and around Auroville so if it's possible for this movement for us also to participate in it and I must say that the Deeksha program that Manoj, Divyanshi and all are working on we did mention this sometime there was a bit of discussion about it and there is a group working on this as well the NFTs and metaverses as they're called so if that also was to take shape I think the contributions as Jaya said it will truly be a global crowdsourcing of funding, of people contributing to something as special as divine after all this is for all of humanity Auroville is for everybody who has that good will, that genuine aspiration to be here so once again very happy to be here and of course Meenakshi Akkar she has been also my Tamil teacher but I've been a very irregular and probably not a good student so but it's such a pleasure that we are also privileged to be here and I think the kind of points that she composes all her contribution whether it is Ilangyar girl and so much of it, I think these are all the bricks which have actually contributed to the edifice that slowly is taking shape called Auroville so once again thank you all and thank you Jaya for this opportunity to feel very humbled Secretary Jayanthi Ravi in her speech spoke of Auroville as something extraordinary and more than extraordinary that is almost universal feeling my first long ego I came across a book on introduction to Sribindo Ashram and in the second part of the book late there was an introduction to Auroville and the sensation you get is that it is something new something which belongs to the unfolding future something which gives hope to soul and heart so when I came to Auroville actually I did not wanted to come to Auroville because it was so precious to me that one should not touch it when there is something so precious you do not want to you want to keep it in a nice way so I thought I should not go because Auroville is so precious but anyhow circumstances so changed that I had no other option left but to come to Auroville so I came to Auroville with the idea that I am going to something very precious something extraordinary a universal township and during my first years in Auroville when I was moving around in Auroville area one cycle and I become aware that this plot does not belong to Auroville that plot does not belong to Auroville so the general world reality is that that physically, materially if you do not own it it will be owned by somebody else and then the Auroville will get compromised the force of Auroville will get compromised even future of Auroville might be highly compromised even perhaps destroyed at that time the word that came to me rose flower rose flower Auroville that this rose flower has to have a space to grow fully and that is how I got involved in it it is a another point of view I am grateful that I got this opportunity to work for the vital, fundamental, important aspect of Auroville over the years I have seen the human beauty human nobility how completely anonymously donating money without any condition without expecting anything there was one lady from abroad her name was Viveka and she would send check of 1 million, 2 million rupees without anything without writing anything I got an email from somebody he wrote that he has got some graduate money graduate is money people get when they work for 20, 30, 40 years when they retire they get some good amount for the retirement life he wrote I want to give it to Auroville land consolidation and this is appropriate because it is really mean those 158th anniversary so when people I told him please take care of yourself I hope you have taken arrange your family, your personal future and everything but this kind of response gives us a added responsibility to live up to the expectations these are symbolic gestures whole humanity is expecting looking up to Auroville when minister came to Auroville and he said what you are doing should be doing the whole humanity doing the Auroville it means that Auroville ideals Auroville vision, Auroville philosophy Auroville ideals should be the ideals of humanity Jihaditata has the same thing so we have added responsibility because even though Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole as a caretaker of something which belongs to humanity as a whole and land consolidation is a pioneer foundation secretary Javendra Ravi has brought a big hope to Auroville and if somehow we succeed in this task of consolidating all the area city area possible maximum possible in Greenbelt it will be one of the fundamentally important work and it will send a strong message to even those who are not here today we all know why so many people are not here today there are two there are two realities in Auroville now but even yesterday itself one person who does not belong to another camp who has been told not to come participate she wrote to me hey there is some land getting encroached please do something so I said please calm down we are following it up foundation office is following up so even those who are not present here because of their personal dissatisfaction even they will get a strong message that when it comes to future of Auroville for the interest of Auroville we are all together and that we have a talented person here who can our our years of work can lead to the successful culmination I will close with one small incident many years ago I met a number American student in Ahmedabad she has come to do research on Gandhi but I met and I told her about her window mother she wanted to go there and she changed her subject of research from Gandhi into Gandhi and her window she came here alone and she was staying somewhere in Auroville she was very open person very receptive person and one day she was in greenbelt and suddenly she had an inner opening because mother has said that she has put a special force on Auroville and she was a receptive person so she said while moving in the greenbelt on my cycle I suddenly had an opening on the different dimensions and I felt that this place has the possibility for anything to happen this Auroville an American student who knew nothing about her window mother suddenly had a tremendous possibility something unusual is going to happen here now suppose she comes here and she all missed development that she will be disappointed but if we protect the land if we concentrate the land then we have the control over what can happen fire and the Auroville's great potentiality extraordinary potentiality can manifest Auroville is a hope for the world and we have to live up to it thank you thank you so much Aryadeep Kirti will you say a few words before we ask Meenakshi I have been associated with art for land from the very first year that time Arvind Bhai and Jasmine used to in the first year they initiated it and I can tell you over the seven years the way the energy has evolved and people's hearts open up when they hear its art for land in Auroville the hearts of the artist just open with love a small example is two friends here who are here Lingeshwar sir and his son Bharat just two days back when Sudha told me that you know we need more works so I said I will just send a little whatsapp message in the artist groups and lot of works came to my doorstep and Sudha came and picked them up so I just want to share this small feeling that being an artist myself and running an art space I know both ends of the work and I know what it means so this show which has been so beautifully put up I'd like to thank Jaya to allow us to be part of it it's a blessing to be part of this beautiful show and to be having the possibility to offer our work for a cause like this I think there cannot be a nobler cause than this to be a work for a beautiful thing like this and speaking about offerings just reminding me of a small incident once I was travelling in train from Mumbai to Pondicherry and I met another person at Tirupati and when he heard that I'm coming to Pondicherry he said wow so can you take these 50 rupees and offer it to the Samadhi for me he said I've never been but it's my dream and he just gave 50 rupees to offer at the Samadhi so we all have such a great opportunity to offer our lives and I think it's a great pleasure to be part of it thank you Jaya and thank you Sudha thank you everyone here to be part of it before I hand over to Minakshi to say that some of the artworks we got in late we have not been able to incorporate in the exhibition but we keep some for next year and some we will during the exhibition because often as we sell artworks because people are travelling through they go and then we remodel the exhibition a few times during the month so know that your artworks have been very welcome by us and that they enter into the room even if they are not here right now I just wanted to make that assurance because we always want to honour all the gifts that we receive Minakshi you will use this microphone yes just a brief introduction to Minakshi Akka she hails from a southern Tamil Nadu she came to Auroville in 1976 to lead the Tamil fund for rural development she has been the bridge from the neighbouring villages to Auroville she is a researcher she is a youth consular and I think one of the biggest things is a Tamil poet and we are going to be hearing our own works today she has authored more than 15 books of which 11 of them are honoured by the government of Tamil Nadu for her creating writing and truly it's a blessing for us that we get to listen to her not her own poetry works but that of those written by Shri Aurobindo and from Tamil literature herself so Minakshi Akka over to you is the microphone ready? yes can I ask you something? yes for Auroville Kalai Kuruvi our first greetings my daughter Auroville the bridge Kottai Karai, Bharathipuram Alanguppam Sanjeevinaher Kuilapalayam Mathur Idayanchavadi Irungbhai did I tell you everything? from all the villages my first greetings to you the participation of the children of these soil Auroville land is impossible the manifestation of Auroville city is possible because of these simple people who are participating with us in sharing their land space, time, labour energy so my first one to come to all the local native Tamil people for bringing me here to sit thank you people say I am a poetess in Tamil I am writing for the last 50 years non-stop but still I don't know what is poetry sometimes it's from the mind sometimes it's from the heart sometimes from outside something hitting your emotion I try to catch poetry so I started defining what is poetry of course I have seen the future poetry book and many pages of Bharati but still I am struggling I am searching what is poetry my emotional painting poetry means poetry poetry also a poem getting back to your shores poetry is your life Dharma poetry is my humanity poetry is my humanity poetry is good language poetry is nature poetry is wonder poetry is my soul very difficult to define that in English my inner source poetry is my future poetry is my life poetry is the revolution of the youth poetry is that's my capital poetry is my divine poetry is my fullness poetry is my wholeness poetry is my fullness poetry is my worth poetry is silence poetry is my youthfulness youthfulness poetry is my soul poetry is deathlessness immortality you like it my poetry was read by many students in Tamil Nadu a few years ago years ago, just before pandemic, in Tamil Nadu textbook society has included my poem Pillai Kudam, Child School, in 11th standard Tamil textbook. You won't believe in the whole of Tamil Nadu, more than, and Pondicherry, more than 25 lakhs students have studied, are paid for examination with this Meenakshi's poem, of course. The title is Auroville Meenakshi. So Auroville has gone into the textbook of 25 lakh children. Why I mention it here, one day I got a phone call from Tiruvannamalai. Girls of 11th standard through their teacher, I was in Ilengar Hill Centre. Akka, my students, will Kavingar ever live? Can we see a living poet? Because we study Kamban, Manikavasagar, Thaymanavar, Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan, none of them are living in real life or not living in the book. But we don't want to believe someone is living their writing poem. Thanks to Government of Tamil Nadu to include a living poet for the first time in their textbook, so I could visit some of the schools, give you my autograph. So poetry is still living. It is more than 4,000 years old in Tamil language. We went to a bookshop. We asked, how is the business? Amma, readers, buyers, writers, more poets are writing and writing, I receive books, more than the readers and buyers. Just imagine in Tamil Nadu especially, each household will have one or two poets. We are more into poetry and that's one information. The second, we were asking in our school to create poetry. They all had difficulties, even to write in Tamil. Even after studying in 12th standard college Kallam Pona kuda, the modern times, they have some difficulty. So in our evening school, you have all age group, 10, 14 to 50 years age group in the evening, lifelong learning program. Our Mr. Anand this year, he's one of the language teachers there. So we conducted a poetry session. What happened that I come to the end? Because some of you are well versed in Tamil, could have heard about Tamil language history and its richness. You may love to hear how it sounded 2,000 years ago. I will read a 2,200 years old poem. What's the translation says by Professor Thangappa? All the world is our home. All the world is our home. All men are our kin. Good and evil are not caused by others, nor our pain and joy. Death is not new to us, not living a matter for relation. We do not rejoice that life is sweet, nor cry that life is hell when sorrows come. We know from visions of the rishis that life runs its natural course, like a raft on a rapid current. And hence, we neither marvel at the great, nor the smaller men disdain. We never jump at something happened, wonderful, or never cry when something happened bad. Another Pulavar, Sangha Gala Pulavar, 2,000 years ago, his name was Pishirandayar. Pishirandayar is a symbol of friendship with the Chola king. Oh friend, you look so old, you are old, but we don't see any gray hair on your head. What's the secret? Pallar, Yan, Varumore, my wife is the gem of women. You ask me why my hair is not yet white? I have no worries. My wife is the gem of women. My sons and daughters are full of virtue. My household servants are prompt at my call of the Kriparinjivalasai one. Before I even look at, they will come and finish the work. Knowing my inmost mind, my household servants are prompt at my call, knowing my inmost mind. You have to see the next one. You have to see the next one. My country is well protected by a righteous king. We are well protected by the rulers. We are so safe. We feel secured, kind of village I live in. And this, my village is full of elder men, serene, in wisdoms, profundity, such a wonderful, great people are living in my village. That, is it any wonder then that I remain without a single gray hair even at this ripe age? He was dived into the ocean and washed away, but his song remains. The world is still rotating. Why? The world is moving correctly. Why? I give you the reason. Because of great men. What kind of great men? Just remember, this is 2000 years old poem. Do you know how the world keeps going? It is by saintly men, men who would not eat alone. Always they have a collective kitchen or whatever they have, they will share. It is by saintly men, men who would not eat alone, even ambrosia from the gods. They nurse no hate. They know no fear. They are never cooled like little men before a formidable task. They would lay down lives in deeds of fame, but all the treasures of the world cannot tempt them. Nobody can tempt them. All the treasures of the world cannot tempt them to do a wrong. Never idle. They do not live a single moment for themselves, but strive for the common good. Such men are the salt of the world. Because of that, many people are living and living in Tamil Nadu. In this Tamil Nadu, Shri Aravindar learned Tamil from India's VVS Ayurveda in 1910-15. He was an ardent student sitting with Mahakavi Yogi Subramanya Bharati. Shri Aravindar and VVS Ayurveda and Mandayam Srinivasa Charya, right here in Pondicherry. First in Kallavi Sangranjityaar house and then Sharada Totam and then another house, like that four houses. For some time they will be talking about the politics of India, freedom struggle movement and then world affairs, world war. But most of the time they will talk about literature, from French, from English, from Spanish, from Greek, from Latin, Sanskrit and Tamil. And Shri Aravindar has translated wonderfully Thirukural Sangam literature. 2000 years old Sangam literature, he has translated 15 couplets. From the first world of Madhibakkam, from the first world, 5 songs were sung. And then medieval Bhakti poems. Kulasekara Aalvar, Namm Aalvar, Andal Pasuram, Varanam Aayiram, Sulavalam Sai Vinaranan Nambi, Nadakkinran, Purana Porkudam, Vaithu Puramingum, Thoranam Natta Kanakande, Thodinan, Padu Varkali, Nadia Thukku Padu Vangara, Jain Diya Mala. That song was sung by Andal. That song, I dream to dream, oh my friend. He has translated beautifully. Even in English he can dance. He has translated wonderfully. You have to learn all that. I can't say everything. So, I just take one stanza from Namm Aalvar. Namm Aalvar, a great poet, Vaishnava poet. Puliha Puliha Puliha, Poi Ittvalu Itchabam. That's the third song. Thiriyum Kaliyuham Ningi, Devarahal Thamum Puhande, Periyakidaiyuham Patti, Perin Pavallam Peruha, Karyamuhil Vannan, Yemmaan, Kadal Vannan, Poodangal Manmeel, Yiriya Puhande, Isai Vadi, Yankum, Ilam Kondanave, This is in Perumal Kovila, they sing like this. What does it mean in English? This is by Shri Arumindo, translation. It's glory, glory, glory for life's hard curse has expired. It starts with that. The third stanza, the iron age shall change. It shall fade. It shall pass away. The gods shall be in our midst. The mighty golden age shall hold the earth. Gold is here, right here. The mighty golden age shall hold the earth. And the flood of the highest bliss shall swell. For the hosts of our dark-hued lord, Dark-hued like the cloud, Dark-hued like the sea, Widely they enter in singing songs And everywhere they have seized on their stations. Glory, glory. What is he saying? I started reading slowly, one by one, Shri Arumindo's poet. And you have to excuse me, I have tried my hand in translating that in Tamil. Rose of God. You all must be knowing that poem by Shri Arumindo. Rose of God, the million stain on the sapphires of heaven. Rose of bliss, fire sweet, seven tinged with the ecstasy's seven. Leap up in our heart of humanhood, O miracle, O flame, Passion flower of the nameless, Bud of the mystical name. It was difficult for me to translate this. Bud. There are many words in Tamil. Mokku, Moktu, Arumbu, Avil, Pothu, Alar, Malar, Vee, Po. A bud, a blossom, flower in English. And in Tamil, you have so many words to the various stages of the bud and flower. Po is the one which has touched the land. Po, boomi, po. There are so many stages. Alar means not yet to open. The colour will be there, the fragrance will be just there. Malar, fully opened. Po, which is fallen. So, it was difficult for me to translate, but still I made something. Iraivanin Rojave, Vaanulha Neelathinmi, padayum jyothi chivapuni Ananda Rojave, Ni sarkarai thi Fire sweet. Thi kul virai lai vaithaal nandallala Ninnai teendu minvam thoondru daal nandallala Tell me who said that? Tell me. Bharathiar. If I touch the fire inside the fire, I feel you. Like that. Chartharai thi. How will the fire be? Ni sarkarai thi Yadu vahai kalipudan yadu nilai vannam ni Maanuda pirappin namadai idhayathinul veha paichal Deva arputamai Agini pudambe Payaratru vanthin unarchipu ni Arya onnada payarondin thuli arumbu ni Anka baddu vanthi na arumbu nipottai. I have made his stories like this. Another part, divine hearing. All sounds, all voices have become thy voice. Music and thunder and the cry of birds. Lives, babble of her sorrows and her joys. Caddons of human speech and murmured words. Ovar soundku ovar varthai. It is difficult to understand this in Tamil. But I tried. I have made his stories like this. Ovar soundsku ovar varthai. It is difficult to understand this in Tamil. But I tried. I have made his stories like this. Ovar soundsku ovar varthai. It is difficult to understand this in Tamil. Ovar soundsku ovar varthai. It is difficult to understand this in Tamil. But I tried. I have made his stories like this. Ovar soundsku ovar varthai. It is difficult to understand this in Tamil. You seek harmony, stales through the blind heart and all grows beautiful because the what? She is golden bridge, the wonderful fire, the luminous heart of the unknown is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. She is the force, the inevitable word in her confirmed because transformed in her. Our life shall find in its fulfilled response above the boundless hushed beautitudes below the wonder of the embrace divine. She is a bridge, wonderful fire, the invisible one is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. She is the power of transformation, the invisible one is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. She is the power of transformation, the invisible one is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. She is the power of transformation, the invisible one is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. She is the power of transformation, the invisible one is she, a power of silence in the depths of God. Well, poetry workshop, specially now for a few reasons, of course 150th special year of Shri Arbindo, he is for poetry, so we did a poetry workshop and when I was reading I wanted to announce the result, the students have come here. And they wrote in Tamil and then I sat with them, Anand, we chiseled, we brought poetry, it is really a land of poetry, their heart, their simplicity, the students have put in their poem. And I dedicate this to our dear sister Shradavan. She has given us so much strength. She taught us how to read poems, how to understand Shri Arbindo through Savitri. And also I dedicate our village young people's poetry today, the day of Rabindranath Chagur. We remember him, the noble laureate and the voice of India, the music of India, and we dedicate these poems of our students, Murugveni Vandir Kangala, Murugveni Vadilya, sir. Anyway, I read her poem. She wrote, first of all for the workshop I gave a blue purple leaf plant, the leaf not green, purple blue and the flower also blue. She says, among living green plants seen, you show purple blue beauty created by the divine origin. Rain from the sky, descents for you, I have become a fan for you too. To sing the glory of the Lord, resides in nature, I seek another birth for sure. Murugveni is a milkmaid and householder from Alanguppam, Anaynagar. I am very happy for her. And then Bala Vignesh, Anand is one of the students. He is from Edenchavadi, studying in Alanguppam Government High School, 11th standard. You represent beauty as a plant of comradeship, unique your color, significant our friendship. You live in the five elements, to ward off worries when tears rolled, Krishna came in front of us. Both of us said, we surrender at your feet. He embraced purple plant, Krishna and me. This is Bala Vignesh, student and one more I finish. This is Tenmalar Shankar, living in Matrimandir, nursery, Tenmalar Irkingala. She also saw the plant. She says, Uda chadiyai, un Uda niram, en sinathirku matram, manam yettuthu santham, nandu sullukre, sinanjiru vanna chadiyai, un yajilhandu, en garumam talarandadu, en mayakkam melindadu, ni valandiduha, nesam valandiduha, vadaadha un ilai vadivam kattum katshii le, kuttu kudumbam manan erukkam, arivin talivile uravin perukkam. Tenmalar. Your purple color is a change for my anger, mind sets in peace. I say thank you, dear little plant, a different hue. But looking at your beauty, my pride loosened, my ignorance thinned, grow you more, poor friendship more. Ever fresh your leaves shape, resembling joint families, heart full unity. I get clarity, relationship multiply. Tenmalar Shankar, homemaker, two little sons going to school, she is here. Tenmalar, ten of it, so poetry continues and we all together can chant together with the poetry of Shri Harbindo, Savitri's words, first I read in English and then Tamil, awakened to the meaning of my heart that to feel love and oneness is to live and this, the magic of our golden change, is all the truth I know or seek, oh sage. Now everybody join with me in Tamil. Thank you so much for your transformation, thank you very much. Next week on August 15th, the Acres for Auroville Land campaign will begin the ninth year of its unity action and today we inaugurate the seventh year of Artful Land, the beautiful support action whose proceeds go to A for A for land purchase. I would like to thank Dr. Raviji for her presence today with warm appreciation to all the artists who have donated their creations to bring in funds for completing and consolidating Auroville's master plan area. Acres for Auroville is a collaboration between Auroville's lands for Auroville Unified and the worldwide centers of Auroville International. For the past years, eight years I have worked for LFAU leader Aryadeep and LFAU secretary Jyothi for Auroville's land fundraising with the active collaboration of the AVI's of cigarette and support from friends in and outside of Auroville. Our efforts provide the sole resources available for the work of Auroville's land board. Since A4AA start, 83 plots of once missing master plan have joined Auroville with more in the pipeline and we thank everyone who has had a role in the success. All the new plots have been exclusively funded by thousands of donations along with the proceeds from Artful Land. Also inspiring is a solidarity from the Auroville area families who could have received a higher price from other buyers but sold their land to Auroville to build Auroville. Some said that they remembered the mother with gratitude. Others said it was because the children attended Auroville schools and others simply said it because they believe in Auroville and its positive impact for the area and the world. So what was Auroville created for? In mother's words, a collective experiment for the progress of humanity, a first step for developing the organized and harmonious diversity for the worlds of evolution that Auroville said was needed and inevitable, a showcase for the multiple oneness of the human family and a way for the mother to give a concrete form to Auroville's greatest teaching that all nations are essentially one and meant to express the divine unity upon earth through an organized and harmonious diversity. And this because truth lies in union rather than in division. The city of dawn is meant to be a place to implant the consciousness of the one. At the same time, the mother said that we are witnessing the birth of a new world which would be the result of transformation. Let me actually also mention it. So on a deeper level, Auroville was created to be the first base for this new world for anchoring the new creation and matter and at long last to provide for the earth. And we did start the day with a beautiful prayer of the mother. A house and the matter for the unborn. Just another two minutes. For this she said, all that is needed is a little soil to let the plant grow. And that is why we fundraise to build and secure the city of dawn's matter, spirit, physical body. As Sri Aurobindo said, it is beauty that expresses the divine best. All over Auroville, you see beauty in many works of conscious creativity built over the past five decades. Here in Unity Pavilion today, you are surrounded by beauty. Sri Aurobindo said that art by an inspired use of form unseals the door of the space spirit. And in his immortal words, beauty is his footprint showing where he has passed. So I did like to finish these three, these deeply inspiring words of the mother. We are united towards the same goal and for the same accomplishment. For a work unique and new that the divine grace has given us to accomplish. Still wish, act, that you may be the new beings for the realization of a new world. And for this my blessings shall always be with you. And for the flower she named, success of Auroville, the mother said, power of success. The power of those who know how to continue the efforts. From the mother's birth country, France, I'm wishing you all the beautiful artful land, 2022, with gratitude and in solidarity, Mandakini, also known to us as Manda. So thank you for really, really coming here and this is a month long celebration beginning from today till September 4th. We will have cultural evenings that begin at seven in the evening, so please do come and enjoy art in a very different form, presented by Aurovillians themselves. The exhibition is on from all the seven days, from ten to six. We would be screening movies like The Mother, The Artist. So feel free, the itinerary is put up and we would love to have you in numbers and really enjoying the beauty that's been created by real, real heartfelt generosity. Thank you once again for coming here and wish you an awesome evening and see you at seven again. There is tea and cookies outside in the back, I think. Everybody is welcome. Look at the exhibition, have some refreshments and thank you very much for coming and welcome back.