News & Notes 665:The Auroville Aura – Noteworthy
The Auroville Aura – Noteworthy
Many of us saw one of the recent screenings of the French film "Demain" (Tomorrow) in MMC or Bharat Nivas. They show clearly the truth about "money" – its creation, use and control. The film also shows Transition Towns (also called New Towns) who have created their own "currency" and the difference it makes in terms of the community and the economy.
Several years ago, Auroville began an experiment with "auras". The aura note is made of Auroville recycled paper at Auroville Papers and printed at the Auroville Press. It is inscribed with symbols we are all familiar with, and has the Banyan Tree on one side and the Urn on the other. It is used as a debit coupon (or better said, as a gift card) and so does not break any laws. It has remained valid since its inception and is backed up by an account in the Financial Service. It is risk-free.
If you went to the Auroville Retreat a couple years ago, you would remember how at the end of the reports on changing the economy, auras were offered freely to the task force and others who requested them. All joking aside, most did not understand that it was for real.
The aura does not de-throne "money as the sovereign Lord" in Auroville and does not fulfill Mother's Dream for a money-less society among ourselves. It is, however, a small step to shatter some of the illusions about government issued currencies held by the ordinary mind. Exchanging our auras among ourselves for goods and services is a totally different feeling than using cash or our FS account number. How much is that worth? It is an experiment. It can go parallel with all our other forms of payment. On a practical level, auras are not so efficient as our FS # but can be more playful. The "value" of the aura is set by those doing the transaction, even though one aura is "worth" one hundred rupees as a standard set in the Financial Service for "investing in" auras. That standard was set to approximate the "cost" of one meal, or a haircut, or a massage, or a simple service exchange. Of course "prices" have gone up since the aura started, and a provider might ask two or three auras now for the same service or may not, or may decide with each customer. It is all open, there is no control. The market is in hands of the users.
You get auras only from those who have them, or use them with you, or give you one for your birthday, or you contribute for them at the Financial Service. The front desk at FS may be mystified by your aura questions, but not Otto. If you sit at Otto's desk you will see the official Aura Sharing sticker on the back of his computer screen facing you. It is has been there for years but very few have ever stopped by to get auras from Otto, or to give him auras for exchange back to rupees when they no longer want to play this "game".
Up until now, the only shop that joined the aura experiment was at the Satchitananda Raw Food Restaurant and KOFPU in Kottakarai. Anandi put the official aura sharing sticker on her counter years ago. Last week, Krishna at Solitude Farm pasted two aura sharing stickers at the counter of the Cafe. Now you can get a thali or a dish of home-made vegan chocolate/banana ice cream or a carrot cake or anything else with auras. Local currency meets Local Organic Food both in KOFPU and Solitude. Our local healthy food and our local healthy "money" are the foundations we are starting and growing from. Anyone can use auras, any shop/service that wants to can accept them. Could it be one small step along the sunlit path towards prosperity in our City of Dawn?
From a lunch conversation at the Solitude Café noted by Author::B
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