Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
But walk through Auroville today, and you’re not likely to hear the silence of the wilderness. You’ll hear the hum of espresso machines, the chatter of curated yoga retreats, and the buzz of electric scooters ferrying spiritual tourists from one Instagrammable café to another. The soul has gone quiet; the spectacle has taken over.
It’s hard not to notice how Auroville today seems to take cues from other spiritual-commercial hybrids like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living ashram or Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation. These places, though impressive in scale and design, reflect a certain trend—where spirituality is polished, branded, and served as a lifestyle product. Wellness replaces sadhana. Branding overtakes bhakti.
Once a symbol of spiritual wilderness, Auroville now feels like a beautifully packaged contradiction. Boutique shops sell organic soap at international prices. Cafés offer gluten-free croissants with imported almond milk. ‘Sustainable living’ becomes a sellable aesthetic, not a disciplined inner practice.
This was never the dream. Aurobindo and The Mother spoke of transformation—not tourism. They envisioned a collective evolution of consciousness, not a retreat for Western seekers to escape their burnout in climate-controlled mud huts. If they are watching from above, I doubt they’re smiling.
Spirituality, when stripped of austerity, becomes theatre. When wilderness is replaced by manicured trails and commercial intent, the soul of the land retreats quietly. Auroville isn’t dead—but it’s slowly drifting from its essence.
And it’s not just about Auroville. It’s about how every sacred space, once opened to the world, risks becoming a commodity. The question is—can we still create a space where silence is sacred, simplicity is not for sale, and the soul—not the selfie—is the destination?
https://askenni.com/2025/07/03/auroville-from-spiritual-wilderness-to-curated-commercialism/?amp=1
https://x.com/askenni/status/1940761522764239010?t=11XnbWp9268nQgExtVV4fQ&s=19
Have you read our deep dives into Auroville and the ideological battles playing out in the township?
In the first part we looked at how a spiritual ‘utopia’ is being remade for a group in power—and what it reveals about power in India today.
https://x.com/thenewsminute/status/1940795261103886814?t=gA6fo85M8mNZpXkOy6WKTw&s=19
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