Auroville is a city located in India. Though at first you may not think so, it’s completely different to other cities you might have seen. It’s considered a universal city where all men and women can live in peace and harmony, no matter what their beliefs, nationalities or ideologies are. “Human unity” is the objective of this magical place.
It has existed for 50 years
Auroville is an experimental city, and although this might make you think it’s a utopia and would never work, it has already been around for half a century! It was created in 1968, with the idea of creating a society free of police, with no money or religion.
Contributing with whatever you have to offer
In it, every citizen would contribute in their own way, with their own particular virtues and skills. There are 12 virtues that lead this city: equality, generosity, perseverance, humility, receptivity, honesty, gratitude, courage, peace, aspiration and progression.
Adapting is difficult
The original idea was building a city of 50,000 people. However, there are currently only around 6,000 citizens actually living there. Although the concept of the utopian city might seem like the ideal project, in reality it is not all rainbows and butterflies.
A lot of people leave right after moving in, because of how difficult adapting is. Plus, if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements, you are rejected by the population.
A society filled with peace and harmony
However, once you do adapt to this way of living, you’ll see how amazing life can be. Education adapts to the wants and needs of the children. Only organic food is sold, and no alcohol is provided. They don’t have any type of currency, and it’s the citizens who govern, through consensus. Auroville only accepts 120 citizens per year, but everyone is allowed to enter the city. No one is excluded, no matter where you come from.
Not everyone agrees with this utopian concept
The problem is that there is a huge contrast between this city and the ones around it. This leads to attacks from people who don’t believe in this type of society, as well frauds coming from organizations that use the city’s name to attract tourists.
Would you move there?
Also, you will likely face some difficulties once you decide to leave Auroville again. You’ll be so used to this way of living, you’ll probably find it hard to adapt to other places. And how will you buy a plane ticket with no money? There’s a lot to think about. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.
Images: Instagram and Unsplash