Innovations Unlimited: Trashion Show is Upcycling Studio’s initiative to create products from waste materials; a saree created out of collaborative art and a range of products sold by Auroville. more-in As Auroville gears up for its golden jubilee on Sunday — five decades after Mirra Alfassa, The Mother to her followers across the world, founded the universal township on February 28, 1968 — here are some of the interesting experiments inside The City of Dawn. While this may not be a comprehensive guide many units maintain a low profile in spite of making relevant contributions — there are still plenty of initiatives that have caught attention. They have ranged from trashion show (Upcycling Studio) events to a centre (Auroville Language Lab) devoted to teaching four main languages as defined by The Mother – English, French, Tamil and Sanskrit (though more languages have been added subsequently). Sustainable livelihood The Sustainable Livelihood Institute (SLI) at Auroville, a joint initiative of Auroville Foundation and The Tamil Nadu Rural Livelihood Mission, trains SHGs, especially women groups, in a range of areas such as business development, skill development, and marketing. In association with Eco Femme (a social enterprise under the Auroville Village Action Trust of which the SLI is a part), women from rural communities produce cloth washable pads, which are biodegradable, last longer than conventional disposable pads available in the market, and are healthy to use. Auroville Radio Auroville Radio is community radio facility, disseminating not just the ideals of Auroville but serving as a communication medium for the community of Auroville — resident and abroad. Apart from sharing news, announcements, the station also features interviews, music, conferences, workshops and plays performed by Aurovilians. It offers content in several languages – English, French, Tamil, Spanish, German and Italian. Sankalpa The Sankalpa Art Centre is one of the 40 global locations, and one of only three centres in India to be partnering with Art is Moving for Art Break Day, a community co-creation engagement rallied worldwide by U.S.-based non-profit organisation Art is Moving. Functioning as an art therapy and creative empowerment endeavour in Auroville, Sankalpa engages, empowers women from the adjoining rural community by “setting free their imagination”. Auroville online The Auroville Online Store (auroville.com) which ships a range of products across India and to overseas destinations such as France, Germany, Russia and cities across the U.S. It coordinates with more than 30 manufacturing units in the universal township, and also handles customer experience management, from order confirmation through real-time consignment location updates and delivery at the doorstep. Auroville Earth Institute Auroville Earth Institute has for more than 25 years worked towards sustainable development. Educating people and allowing them to explore the earthen techniques to build their dwellings, the institute has come a long way ensconcing as one of the world’s top centres for excellence in architecture. A non-profit organisation, the Institute, specialises in the research and development of earth-based building technologies and sustainable habitats. The institute empowers local stakeholders through an international expertise gained through their experience working in 36 countries. The institute demonstrates that traditional skills and ‘stabilised’ earth using modern technology could be used to create modern, eco-friendly buildings. Garbology Lite WasteLess, an NGO from Auroville, launched Garbology Lite on World Earth Day in 2017 involving youngsters in waste management. The focus is on children studying from Class I to VIII (aged 6-15 years) and the unit promotes positive habits by providing resources online free of charge. The material is available in English and Tamil. The online materials developed through this project are a joint effort of Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER) in Auroville, Sastraprakasika Trust in Chennai and Washakie Foundation in the US. (With S. Senthalir)

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