Q. Who is in charge of Auroville?
A. While the assets of Auroville, and overall responsibility for ensuring that it achieves its goals, are in the hands of the Auroville Foundation, the day-to-day running of the affairs of Auroville is entirely in the hands of the Aurovilians. Auroville maintains a totally non-hierarchical society.
Bodies like the 'Working Committee' and 'Auroville Council' are elected bi-annually from volunteers willing to dedicate themselves to meeting the basic administrative needs of the community, but have no ongoing power.
Most major decisions are taken at ad-hoc Residents Assembly meetings where all Aurovilians are equally free to express themselves. In other words, all are essentially equal and have an equal voice in the affairs of the community; no one individual or group is 'in charge'.
In addition to the WC and AVC (above), Auroville also encourages the formation of 'working groups' able to deal with specialized matters such as the economy, farms, health care, entry process, needs of commercial units, housing and so on, but these always remain answerable to the community at large.
Q. Who owns Auroville?
A. The land and assets of Auroville are held by a Government appointed body called the Auroville Foundation. All is essentially collective property; there is no private ownership of land or utilities within Auroville.
Q. What is Auroville's relationship with the outside world?
A. Auroville maintains normal relations with the outside world. It is not, nor would wish to be, in any way isolated or cut off from the mainstream of life in India and the rest of the world.
Q. Have you authorities amongst yourselves?
A. Auroville has no 'authorities', in the normal power-based sense of the word, but gives responsibility for certain key functions and services relating to the community - such as visa processing, wells and water, electricity, telecommunications, etc - to groups of individuals who deal with the administration on behalf of the rest of Auroville.
Q. Do party politics play any part in Auroville?
A. No. Involvement in party politics is prohibited in Auroville, and by Aurovilians in general. Auroville seeks unity, and party politics involve partisan activities, in which participants are for some and against others.
