A group of 26 youth from the rural north India, representing three different centres of the Sri Aurobindo Society – Rudrapur, Nainital and Paigmberpur – and having undergone training at AuroYouth workshops, performed at a multi-cultural programme on February 26, 2018, organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Auroville, wherein they displayed the immense talent and richness of culture available in the rural parts of our country. A repeat performance was arranged at the Society House of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, on Feburary 28, 2018. 

Choreographed by Kirti Adhikari and assisted by Madhavi from Rudrapur Centre, the performance combined rhythmic movements with inspirational music to create a collective, spiritual harmony. Shivakumar from Puducherry compered the programme, with introductions to all the four presentations by the group. 

The programme started with the entire youth group running into and greeting the audience with a beautiful friendship band, a lamp, a brochure containing the songs of the programme and some sweets put in a beautiful eco-friendly pouch. All the audience were then requested to light the lamp and put in an altar with an invocation for the 50th year of Auroville. 

After the welcome, the first presentation was a beautiful display of the graceful movements of Surya Namaskar by the entire group. The youth performed the postures of the Surya Namaskar along with the corresponding mantra recitation too. 

The second presentation was a high-energy dance to the song ‘Deva Shri Ganesha’. It started off with bells of different pitches combined together, and then the flow continued into a medley of quick movements and expressions. 

The third presentation was a rendition of excerpts from the soul-stirring poem ‘Who’ by Sri Aurobindo, with a display of some statements of affirmation and a few quotations from Sri Aurobindo and Mother. The poem was interspersed with the beautiful Hindi song ‘Ye kaun chitrakaar hai?’ the meaning of which very closely resembles the theme of the Poem ‘Who’. 

The fourth presentation was a series of meditative movements to the background of a composition titled ‘Towards a Luminous Future’ by Shobha Mitra of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. During the presentation, a hand-painted banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday Auroville’ was displayed, interspaced by a colourful demonstration with cloth bands forming beautiful patterns. This presentation was a blend of individuality and collectivity, of the stillness of meditation and the quiet dynamism of rhythmic movements! 

Shivakumar concluded the programme with the words “Let us all express our gratitude to the Mother for giving us this opportunity of collective invocation for the collective harmony and a diversity deeply rooted in unity.” At the end, Jaya in charge of the Unity Pavilion at Auroville spoke a few words on beauty of collaboration between various organizations working for realization of the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and Uma spoke on how touching the performance was, which brought tears to the many present in the audience. 

A shortened, repeat performance was organized at the Society House of the Sri Aurobindo Society on February 28, 2018, for those who could not attend the programme at Auroville.