BACKGROUND

Since the last several years BHARAT NIVAS has been serving the physical and cultural necessities of the community of Auroville as a whole. The so called unfinished buildings of Bharat Nivas have been the centre of activities of life in Auroville by housing most of its service units as well as some of the important services of Auroville Community. This provided the most important physical place for existence of these activities detrimental to the growth of Auroville as a whole.

Fostering these activities have always been seen by the BHARAT NIVAS group as its dayitva, our commitment to the ideals of Auroville in the light of Indian ethos and Culture. Now that Auroville is growing and as the new infrastructure of buildings is available for more permanent spaces for these services and units, BHARAT NIVAS has some more breathing space as well as it readies itself to rejuvenate itself to play the role of Indian Pavilion as envisioned by the Mother.
Various units and services, which occupied much of the space in the campus of BHARAT NIVAS, have moved in the last year, 2003-2004. Since then, it has become possible for us to put these spaces to its intended use where all the activities of BHARAT NIVAS can be housed. These activities in the last year have grown much fuller as now it has more physical space for its manifestation.

As always BHARAT NIVAS is committed to play a role of catalyst in the life of Auroville Community, as part of the International Zone of Auroville, where the local, bioregional, national and the international dimension of its work will find its space.

This report wishes to update all concerned individual, groups and the Community of Auroville of the activities of BHARAT NIVAS and the physical changes which have taken place in the campus of The Pavilion of India. Various units of BHARAT NIVAS remain as they have existed since years, but their presence and the activities may be more visible now as it has its own space for its expression.

Nevertheless, some of the most important community facilities and services still remain within the campus, such as AUROVILE FOUNDATION, SAIIER, AUROVILLE ARCHIVES, POST OFFICE, VEHICLE SERVICE, SEWA, FREE STORE AND TAILORING SERVICE, LIBRARY, LABORATORY OF EVOLUTION, AUROVILLE MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY & MULTI PURPOSE HEALTH CENTRE . We reiterate our role to foster these activities and its physical existence till they all find their final locations and infrastructure in the Community of Auroville, in the next phase of growth of Auroville. This is in the Spirit of the Indian Pavilion and Cultural Ethos of the host country, we represent as part of the community.

PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE BHARAT NIVAS GROUP
& THEIR AREA OF WORK

MEMBERS

Ashoke Chatterjee : Government Of India Liasion, Atithigriha, SAIIER
Meenakshi : Tamil Heritage Centre, Bio Regional Issues
Aster Patel : Centre Of Indian Studies, Centre Of Indian Culture
Santosh Malik : Senior Advisor On All Issues
Tapas Bhatt : Sri Aurobindo Auditorium, Kala Khoj, Cultural Events
Elumalai : Bharat Nivas Maintenance, Campus Incharge
Dharmesh Jadeja : Kala Kendra, Bharat Nivas Development & Maintenance
Varadharajan : Tamil Heritage Centre, Outreach Programmes, Bioregion & Education
Shyamala : Tamil Heritage Centre, Outreach Programmes, Bioregion & Education

OTHERS

Kathiravan : Secretary To Bharat Nivas Group