Governor of Tamil Nadu visits Auroville, distributes identity cards to residents

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at a rally in Auroville in Villupuram district on Friday.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar visited Auroville on Friday and praised the township’s founding vision of global human unity.

During the visit, the Governor met with the residents of Auroville, the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation and members of key working groups and formally distributed ID cards to the residents, a major step in supporting the administrative framework and shared future of the township.

Mr. Arlekar expressed his deep joy at fulfilling a long-held dream of visiting the “sacred city” of Auroville, a visit made possible by the persistent encouragement of the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation.

“When I came here today with my wife, we both felt that the Mother was here in the whole atmosphere. We felt that she was here, blessing and guiding us all. There is no negativity here. Anyone who comes here, even for a short time, will take away nothing but positivity,” the governor said.

Connecting the teachings of Sri Aurobindo with India’s wider role on the world stage, he emphasized the ancient philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family).

He clarified that the concept of Arya is not a race, but a quality of goodness that must reach every human being.

Following Sri Aurobindo’s predictions, he noted that India is rapidly stepping into its role as a global guide (Vishwa Guru), leaving behind colonial thinking and returning to a culturally integrated system of true education.

Mr. Arlekar said he and his wife are deeply invested in the education sector in Goa, running institutions dedicated to specially-abled children. Noting that Auroville represents a global benchmark for what integrated education should look like, he stated, “Anyone in the world can come here and see what change is and what the world is meant to be,” he said.

Jayanti S. Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary, Gujarat State and Secretary, Auroville Foundation, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said that with the support of Auroville Foundation and the Board of Trustees, the community is definitely moving towards realizing its visionary master plan ‘Galaxy Plan’.

First introduced in 1968 by The Mother and designed by lead architect Roger Anger, Auroville is actively transitioning from a conceptual plan to a thriving urban reality.

Ms. Ravi highlighted that with the recent series of administrative victories paving the way from 2021, development has accelerated rapidly to expand the township’s infrastructure, economy and population while making it the greenest and most sustainable city in the world.

Major Auroville working groups – including the Auroville City Development Council (ATDC), the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER), the Funds and Asset Management Committee (FAMC) and the Working Committee – provided detailed updates on the accelerated growth.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 22:24 IST