There are no wicked witches here. Not the yellow brick road, but red sand winding path through this jungle. Poppy fields? Who knows.. Found opium incense though…
Alice has come to the Emerald city. Let’s see what we find along the way.
Ozoville…?
Weirder than expected, in some ways. A village where it takes more than a kilometer for a phone call or a local shop, we don’t go out after six as there are no streetlights; but people speak English and wi-fi is in the air.
I sometimes feel that this place is in a way, stuck somewhere in the middle of past, present and future, but is surviving and doing pretty well for itself. Fascinating. Auroville, the green forest that we see now, was made on a barren plateau and it powers itself largely on solar energy. I am constantly reminded of doing something in life that reaches beyond myself, and my doubts about doing something larger for the general good of the world and environment seem to fade a bit. This place is a symbol of hope for the environment and humanity.
When I finally went to Matrimandir, the experience was both extremely peaceful, yet a little scary for me. The ray of sunlight falling on the crystal, pure whiteness all around and Absolute Silence. I had never experienced such silence before. I could not hear anything outside of me. Nothing. That made me sharply aware of the sounds ringing in my ears. Three different pitches of loud ringing in my own head. How we lose track of ourselves in the outside world. The room had so much peace in it, that I realized that it is only my mind that needs to rest. By the end of the ten minutes, the ringing probably reduced, or maybe I got used to it. I wouldn’t know that until a few more visits to Matrimandir.
We have nothing else but ourselves to deal with.
I would describe Auroville as a place that gives hope and harmony. It’s beautiful, but that doesn’t make me miss college any less. As I struggle to type this on Neelam’s Mac, wishing it was Windows instead, thanking heavens for wi-fi; I count the number of days to get back to college. Almost a month.
Even though Alice likes the trip to Oz she really belongs to the Wonderland. She has the magic shoes to come back anytime she wants. And she’ll keep them safely.
