Auroville Guards – an institution
Purpose
To provide a futuristic alternative to managing social order and emergency requirement
Explanation
Just as the Mother had provided hints above visiting Matrimandir chamber, similarly she had provided broad hints about managing Auroville’s internal law and order situation and for meeting emergency requirement replacing the traditional police department.
An extract from one of her conversation: “There are no police. We have… we haven’t found the word… a band of guards, a battalion of guards, something like the firemen in Japan, who are gymnasts and who do everything when there are accidents — anything, earthquakes — they do everything. They climb up into houses. Instead of police, there will be a kind of battalion of guards, who will go out regularly into the various parts of the town to see if they are needed.” (Ref. CWTM, V. 13, p.261-2)
On another occasion, she wrote:
Auroville
the free international city.
No army, no police,
they are replaced by
a battalion of Guards
consisting
of athletes and gymnasts.
(Ref. The Mother on Auroville, Sept 1966)
However, since years, far from this vision of Auroville Guards, Auroville employs a hired security personals who comes everyday to Auroville as employees to keep watch at the important entry points of Auroville and at the specific road junctions. Aryadeep envisions an institution in Auroville where, under the leadership of an able and motivated director, trainees – both male and female – preferably from within Auroville, will be recruited after screening and will be familiarised i¬n simplest ways into the ideas, vision, history, aspects and aspirations of the future-oriented society as well as in physical training to meet all kinds of exigencies of a functioning international city – firefighters, natural calamities, safekeeping of public places and properties, law and order maintenance, implementations of verdicts / decisions by Auroville’s internal administration, social upheavals, protection and security of citizens, traffic maintenances etc. Auroville Guards will have, relatively, better understanding and approaches of Auroville. Their presence will be collectively uplifting and moral boosting to the mosaic of life in Auroville.
The proposed Auroville Guards will absorb as much as possible those currently working as the security guards as well as managing Auroville security. It will not disrupt the existing set up but start a new chapter in the life of Auroville.