The Spirit of Auroville

Here is the text of the letter Piero sent to me:

Auroville

September 4, 1976

Dear William,

It was on 31.8.76 that we received your cyclostyled letter of 26.8.76. At about 4 p.m. the same day Piero came to your house to invite you to the Matrimandir to see our working model in scale 1:20 of the Room. It is nice that you came so that it was possible to dissipate immediately the doubts you have expressed.

As you noted personally on that day, the following are clearly visible in the model:

a) 12 round columns 9 meters high, 60 centimeters in diameter. (Point iv in your letter.)

b) Flat roof till the walls, without rounded edges. (Point vi in your letter.)
c) Mother's symbol plain and flat with 4 symbols of Sri Aurobindo vertically joined at the corners, supporting the 70 cm translucent globe. There is no hole in the floor. (Point vii in your letter.)

d) Moreover, the interior of the Room is to be finished with 2 cm white marble sheets, according to samples we are trying. (Point v in your letter.)

e) Air-conditioning and ventilation plant is already in the process of being studied in consultation with well-known companies. (Point iii in your letter.)

Regarding the dimensions of the Room (your point i), please note that all the dimensions are in keeping with the plan that Mother made according to Her vision in January 1970, drawn up with the help of Udar and given personally to Paolo and Roger. It is correct that there is an apparent discrepancy between the Entretiens and the drawings of Udar, but these drawings are mentioned by Mother several times during the Entretiens as the reference for the measures and even if there were a discrepancy, still Mother has given it to us with Her own hands and with Her Blessing, and we have acted accordingly.

Finally, about the entrance (your point ii), we confirm again that there will be only one entrance from a short underground passage to the sphere and that the symbolic meaning of the descent, ascent and emergence is even exalted in the actual design, in which the Room is situated in the upper portion of the sphere. The Mother made a comment about the stair inside the Room, which you should also consider:

S.: Et les ouvertures pour les sept escaliers?

M.: J' aimerais mieux qu' elles soient en dehors du mur.

Oh! Oui, et l'interieur serait beaucoup plus net. Voir tour ces escaliers ne me plaisait pas. Même un escalier, je n' aimais pas, mais en voir Sept... Tandis que dehors, c' est bien.

(S.: And the openings for the seven stairs?

M.: I would prefer it if they were outside the wall.

Oh! yes, and the interior would be much neater. To see all those stairs did not please me. Even one stairway, I did not like it, but seven... Whereas outside, it is good.)

(Entretiens of Jan. 17, 1970)

So, William, we are grateful for your deep interest in Matrimandir and its details.

You have spoken about Perfection. Let us add one thing: Matrimandir is the Soul of a vaster and more perfect Vision of Auroville. Only if we can see the whole, together, can we make a step toward a more comprehensive and truer harmony between us all.

Fraternally,

Gloria

Piero

Paolo