“The action from above has a wide sweep: it covers all the departments and is one harmonious whole. If walls are set up in the field of work, dividing and breaking it up, the work can never be according to the spiritual Will.

So bear this in mind: no collaboration, no right working.” - The Mother

Participants: Members of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Society, Auroville, The Golden Chain Fraternity, World Union, Sri Aurobindo’s Action, Auroville International, SACAR, and those working for the fulfillment of the aims and ideals of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

On Sunday, the 25 Aug. 2019, a one-day event named ‘Sourcing Our Oneness – OPEN WINDOWS’ was organised as a precursor to the longer event to be held at Nainital from 3 Nov to 14 Nov, 2019. The event aimed at opening our windows and peeking into the various activities happening in different fields in the light of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, in the various organisations working for realising their vision. It was collaborative in nature, both at the individual and collective level, in an organic way. There were sharing of some of the ongoing projects, an invitation to contribute to and support these projects as well as to explore possibilities of evolving more ways of coming and working together in harmony.

After a light breakfast at the Ashram dining room, the participants registered in the form of a game to find their respective tables corresponding to their work area and were given a Tsunamika badge related to values from The Mother’s symbol. The work areas chosen for sharing were: Education, Youth, Health, Management and organisation and Outreach. The event started with a soulful invocation in the form of vedic chanting by Shivakumar and a bhajan sung by Sheetal. Each participant gave a Tsunamika doll to their neighbour on the table, representing a value from The Mother’s symbol, as an icebreaker to get to know each other and receive a beautiful value for them to internalise.

Uttama took the first session, an introspective activity, where the 12 qualities of Matrimandir gardens were to be associated with our daily experiences. It was aimed at creating an awareness that values are all around us in our daily lives and all we have to do is dive deep inwards and get connected. The Tsunamika dolls helped in giving colour and meaning to the session as they were attached to a value. After this deepening, there was a juice break before the main session for the day started.

The next session consisted of concise, well prepared, 4-minute work presentations by Presenters from each work area with the help of a PowerPoint presentation and a poster. The session was anchored by Shivakumar and Manoj Kumar Agarwal. There were a total of 13 presentations. Copies of the poster were kept on individual tables where a group of participants sat. After each work area presentation, the table members wrote of how they related to a particular project in terms of collaboration or giving suggestions. The Presentation & the Poster combined included the following:

• Name of the Field of work, projects & their content and core philosophy, briefly explained
• The target audience and the impact it is meant to create in the participants
• When it was started & other statistical details, if any
• What the organization offers and  seeking for any specific form of support
• The name of the organization, the main contact person, along with his/her contact details

The session concluded with a lot of sharing of individual projects happening in different organizations, with an invitation to all to work together collaboratively.

Participants proceeded to the Ashram dining hall for lunch, some from Auroville having their first experience of eating in the dining hall! Post lunch, the participants divided themselves into two groups. The group of Presenters went to a separate room for summarizing the collaborations and suggestions received.

The other group of participants were engaged by Shekhar and Shweta in an Awareness activity where the participants

• became aware of their individual energies with respect to the group energy
• Experienced conscious collaboration
• Experienced widening with the heart centre, linking it to each other

The session came to a close with presenters presenting a summary of collaborations and addressing some of the queries raised during the earlier presentation round. There was a feeling of cooperation in the air and the beginning of building a purposeful relationship between the organizations associated with Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

The day concluded with chanting of Shanti mantras by Sheetal followed by tea and snacks.