The Spirit of Auroville

On 7th September 1967 I went to the Mother in the afternoon. She told me:

Child, now I am collecting the money you are giving me. I am collecting it in the leather bag which also you have given me.

We are planning for 1968. We haven't decided who will lay the first stone, but it is very interesting to find who it will be. I am now waiting for an order.

Later, one afternoon the Mother told me:

Child, it is very interesting. You see, we have invited the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to lay the foundation stone of Auroville on 28.2.1968.

But unhappily I came to know that Mrs. Gandhi could not do so because of her numerous political commitments. Later, she sent the following message to the Mother from New Delhi on 25.3.1969:

Pondicherry was Sri Aurobindo's place of political exile and spiritual unfolding. His effulgent message radiated to different parts of the world from Pondicherry. It is appropriate that seekers of enlightenment from various lands should found a new city there bearing Sri Aurobindo's name. It is an exciting project for bringing about harmony among different cultures and for understanding the environmental needs for man's spiritual growth.

May Auroville truly become a city of light and of peace.