Meet Who Brings Our Forest Alive!
Each member of our team finds their own ways to marry their personal goals with the goals of our forest, each tapping into the wealth of the forest when needed, and each nurturing what we can nurture.
We explore pursuits that individually bring us alive, and hence our forest thrives.
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And our forest isn't complete!
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But can any forest ever be?
Gijs Spoor
Gijs came from Amsterdam to rural Rajasthan when he was 18, in search of purposeful work and a deeper understanding of inequality, poverty, cultural diversity and agriculture. 25 years later, the search is still on.
Shaken by injustice, inspired and energised by beauty in all its forms, Gijs offers his gifts of creative thinking and start-up launching to the alternative economy movement.
To respond to the current mess of multiple coinciding Global Crises we need to show up, again and again, with an open mind, heart and will. Like the flowers that bloom year after year, with no guarantee that their pollen will be found, let alone make it to the next stage in the cycle of life.
Sangeetha Sriram
Sangeetha grew up in Chennai and moved to Auroville with her family about four years ago. She has spent over two decades engaging in many social experiments exploring what it means to be an effective change agent in the face of today’s multiple converging crises. She is a student of Integral Yoga and Indic Wisdom, and one of the stewards of Vikalp Sangam, a pan-Indian confluence of systemic alternatives.
Her work is currently focused on enquiring into Integral Change at the bioregional level. She loves to sing, chant, write, forage in the forests and design systems for change.
She identifies most with the aerial roots of the Banyan Tree, supporting the trunk and holding up the vast foliage, the Universal Life. While deepening her own roots and growing in strength, and enabling more roots to grow and stay connected, she hopes to enable many life forms to grow and thrive.
Pragnya Khanna
Pragnya grew up disillusioned by vast degrees of inequality and paradoxical development brewing in Delhi, yearning for community and nature. After completing a degree in Economics, she travelled around India on a range of short-term stints at various grassroots organisations.
To infuse her questions into her ways of being and attempt to metamorphose her lived reality, she came to Auroville. Here, she enjoys playing with heightened senses, a slow pace with deep inquiry, and forming relationships with a whole range of species. Lately, she is discovering joy in curating spaces and organising events for alternative thinking and practices. She tries to learn experientially in the company of elders, mentors, peers, and trees.
