CHENNAI: It’s only made of used cloth and thread, but once it leaves the hands of fisherwomen, the materials have been transformed into a “tsunamika” or “child of the tsunami”, a doll that is empowering the lives of its creators.

The December 26 tsunami has pressed the fisherwomen of seven villages in Tamil Nadu state to come up with innovative ways to get their lives in order and earn a living again, and adversity here has become the mother of innovation in the form of the dolls..

Ipsita Sarkar of the Upasana design unit in Auroville, which supports the programme, said 474 women were trained in handicrafts in the area. ...   more »

A few months after the inauguration of Auroville she [the Mother] further clarified, “The Ashram will keep its true role of pioneer, inspirer and guide. Auroville is the attempt towards collective realization.” Thus Mother stressed from the very beginning two of the characteristics which distinguish Auroville from the Ashram – the fact that it is more ‘outward', more involved with the texture and challenges of the ‘real' world, and the emphasis upon collective action as opposed to the more individualistic yoga of the Ashram. ...   more »

Jerry Schwartz, Treasurer of the Foundation for World Education (FWE), presented a 2-day worshop on Money and Spirituality at the Sri Aurobindo Center of Los Angeles initially in May 2004 and followed it up with another workshop in November 2004. Here we carry a brief biographical sketch of Jerry Schwartz.   more »

William Greaves, a resident of New York City and friend of Anie Nunnally amnd Connie Buckley of the Sri Aurobindo Center of Los Angeles, is a reputed documentary movie maker and follower of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. On June 18, 2005, Bill greaves visited the Sri Aurobindo Center of Los Angeles and presented a screening of his documentary on the 1966 Festival of Negro Arts held in Senegal and answered questions about the movie as part of a workshop on Creativity and Yoga. On the first weekend of July, we screened another of his movies, an award-winning documentary on the black awardee of the Nobel Prize for Peace, Ralph Bunche, behind which movie Greaves claimed the central influence of Sri Aurobindo's Ideal of Human Unity. Here is a brief biography of William Greaves.   more »

Anie Nunnally's book of interviews of twelve senior disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and Auroville is reviewed here by Mangesh Nadkarni.   more »