Auroville Endings

The days at Evergreen were really good, with two workshops given by the Point of Convergence on Deep Ecology - Dave, Natasha, Tamar and Amir from Evergreen, plus their friend Mark who works at La Terrace, as well as having just started a small coffee roasting business.

On Monday, after cycling to Financial Services to close our guest account at Auroville, then going to see the Canadian Inuksuk, and finally dropping our Hercules Thriller rented bicycles back at the Visitor's Centre (such awful bikes! No gears, and just hard work on Auroville's dirt roads! Still, it was good excercise cycling all over the place), we went and sat out the back of Dave and Natasha's lovely house at Evergreen.

We sat in a circle and did a little tuning in, a round of names - a small fraction of that "Findhorn Feeling," wow! After running through a timetable for the week, we did a couple of excercises. Firstly, in pairs, holding another person's hand and exploring it with eyes closed - rather like one of the Group Discovery Games, but interestingly only one way - we did not switch roles. I partnered with Mark, and he said he really felt I had "added something" to his hand - that it felt heavier afterwards!

The second excercise had us walking slowly, then more quickly, around the house, looking at interesting objects Dave and Natasha have collected over the years - stones, feathers, porcupine quills, and so on. Eventually we came to rest in front of one object, and were led through really seeing it, feeling it, connecting with it - drawing it - and finally immersing ourselves within it. Very potent stuff! I found myself inside a stone, looking out through the cracks, feeling safe inside my Cave - and then stepping out into the bright sunshine.

On the second day - Tuesday morning - we first did a concentration. Beginning seated, cross legged, with hands resting fully on our knees, and with eyes closed, we very slowly lifted our hands to mid shoulder height, then rotated our palms inwards; moved our palms to meet each other in the center; and then reversed the whole process, to end as we had began. Everyone went through this concentration at their own pace - once only - and I think it took roughly 15 minutes for me. What comes up when we focus in this way is amazing.

Finally, following the end of the Concentration, we individually walked out into the forest to have some time alone with nature. For the other participants, this was time to connect with a being that they would create a mask to symbolise on Auroville's Earth Day celebratory march. As we were not there for Earth Day, it was just a nice time to be outside, really seeing the forest. Kara connected to an ancient whale, where I spent time stroking and studying one of Evergreen's cats, climbing a tree, and watching nature just be.

Goodbye, Evergreen! You were a lovely oasis of peace.

On Tuesday afternoon, then, we finally left Auroville, after almost 3 weeks there. We took a taxi to Pondy bus station (25 minutes, Rs. 163); a bus from Pondy to Chennai (3 1/2 hours, Rs. 104 for both of us!!); a bus from Chennai Bus Station to Chennai Central Train Station (40 minutes; Rs. 8 for us both); and finally a train ride from Chennai to Agra (about 32 hours, Rs. 1400 for us both).

At the station, we went into the international section of the large restaurant they have there - blessed air conditioning, a really good meal for Rs. 70 that we shared, and two cups of "Special Milk" for Rs. 15 a cup. When I asked what was special about the milk, the waiter said "nothing, just milk" - so I had to see... and it was absolutely wonderful, hot milk, perhaps sweetened or just very full fat... yummy!

On the train, I'd opted to put us in Sleeper class - reserved seating, with both of us in upper bunks. The upper bunks stay as bunks the whole time (whereas the middle bunk becomes the backrest for the lower bunk, which everyone sits on) - so we could stay "upstairs" relaxing the whole way. We departed Chennai at about 10pm, so I was soon asleep - curled somewhat uncomfortably around my big backpack, with my small backpack on my chest. I actually got cold during the night!!

Next morning, Wednesday the 15th, we got bread cutlets for breakfast - two heart shaped deep fried slightly spicy something-or-others, a sachet of tomato ketchup, and two slices of white bread. The bread wouldn't fit both the cutlets, so I'm sure I wasn't supposed to make a sandwich. Anyway, it tasted good, and cost Rs. 20 each.
During the day we drank cups of chai at Rs. 5 each; had vegetable biryani for lunch and dinner (a big tinfoil tub; very tasty, but rather heavy) for Rs. 40 a time; drank butterscotch milk for Rs. 15 (cold! Mmmm...), and finally slept fitfully, ready to get off at Agra at 3:45am...

As it turned out, the train was about an hour late, so we didn't get off til nearly 5am. We got a prepaid taxi to our hotel, and sat in the lobby til 8am, and then crashed into a nice room. The owner thankfully told us the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays; as we were staying Thursday night in Agra only, off we went (after a good if expensive lunch - chocolate milkshake with real icecream!)...