The Spirit of Auroville

Much later the Mother gave the painting of The Spirit of Auroville through me to my elder brother Laljibhai. She wrote on 19.7.68:

Laljibhai,

I think this painting will be quite appropriate in your new office.

With love and blessings.

When Laljibhai's new office with the name "Auroville Electronics and Allied Industries" was opened on 15.6.1969 at 8.45 a.m. the painting was placed between the photographs of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Indeed, without the Spirit everything is lifeless. This applies to each and every case, whatever we execute. And The Spirit of Auroville reflected the Mother's own vision.

In March 1983 the painting was given back to me by my nephew Suresh in a totally ruined condition. Rain-water and mildew had worked havoc with it. I had a terrible shock.

The picture remained in my apartment for a month. Then I tried to remove the stains with turpentine. The painting had become so brittle that it broke into shreds. The one surprising thing was that only the tiny face of the "Spirit" had survived the damage. So I cut it out very carefully and put it in a red plastic box and placed it in my Meditation Room near Sri Aurobindo's photograph. Later the box was placed on the Mother's chair in the Mother's room upstairs in the Ashram main building.

Here is the Spirit's face.

Afterwards I was inspired to do a new painting of The Spirit of Auroville. On 9th April 1983 I took a canvas board and held it forth towards the Mother's photograph in my Meditation Room and prayed to her ardently: "O Mother, if the Spirit is still there, let it manifest on this new canvas board."

And lo! within two hours, without any preliminary drawing, a picture took shape as if the Spirit were emerging from the board. I had only to follow what was shown to me. The whole work was done in a sweep, not needing the slightest alteration. My hand felt possessed by the Divine Force as it moved.

After finishing the painting I offered it to the Mother's photograph. The eyes in the photograph were as if living, laughing, moving, appreciating.

Later the new painting was placed on the Mother's chair in the Mother's room upstairs in the Ashram main building. This was the Victory of the Mother!

The entire work was done in an inexpressible serenity. It was an extraordinary experience for me. I was touching oil colours and brushes after sixteen years. I was not certain whether my hand would be steady, but to my amazement it was much steadier than before. It was the Mother's miracle!

I have chosen the new painting for the cover of this book The Spirit of Auroville. In 1997 we got 3000 cards of The Spirit of Auroville printed through our Trust, the Havyāvahana Trust, which was created on 24-11-1995. On that same day Nirodbaran of Sri Aurobindo Ashram laid the foundation stone of Savitri Bhavan in Auroville. Some 2,700 Cards were given to be sold for the benefit of Savitri Bhavan when Auroville completed 30 years, on 28-2-98.

The Spirit which is now manifested in the new picture may be the brilliant destiny of the true Auroville, which will be realised by the Power of the Supreme Lord.