Village Irumbai, 25th March 2015: The Sustainable Livelihood Institute (SLI) was Inaugurated in a simple and elegant ceremony at the beautiful Naicker House in the Irumbai village near Auroville this morning. The event started with a chanting by the Auroville chanting team followed by a beautiful flute recital by a young Aurovillian. Indicating the spirit of the Institute, several young Aurovillians lighted the lamp on one side while the other lamp was lit by senior Aurovillians and Government Officials.
The SLI (as it is shortly called) is a joint venture between the Tamilnadu State Rural Livelihood Mission and the Auroville Foundation set-up to bring in sustainable values and ideas into the thought and actions of the rural livelihood department functionaries. The State government has committed to provide support for construction of a SLI campus in the neighbourhood of the current location and the Auroville Foundation is making available the land for the purpose.
A short poem of the tamil poet Avvayaar emphasizing the need for conservation was read out with a greeting message penned by the Tamil Poetess Meenakshi specially for the occasion. Ms. Deepti, the principle of the Last School read from the works of Sri Aurobindo and highlighted the fact that the purpose would be to invoke the higher quality within each individual.
Mr. Joss Brooks of Pitchandikulam Forest spoke of the relevance of SLI to Auroville and Mr. Radha, Project Director of the Department of Rural Development in Villupuram spoke of the role of the Institute in shaping the rural development scene in the State. He emphasized that not merely in thinking sustainable, but, also on Innovation, there is a vast scope for the Institute to influence the State government and the rural development department in particular.
For Samanvaya, it was a moment to cherish, Sri. T.M. Mukundan, one of our well wishers and mentor for long giving an inspiring speech as the Chief Guest of the event. Invoking Gandhiji, he spoke of the paradigm of development and how the contemporary consumerist economic organizations doesn't have the ethical delimiters and how sustainability can only be regained if there were delimits to the greed of mankind and the needs rather than greed becomes the driving force of development.
Samanvaya has been involved in the creation of the Sustainable Livelihood Institute from the stage of conceptualizing. Providing consulting services in defining the functions of the Institute, creating the curriculum, facilitating the collaboration and in imagining and implementing new processes befitting such a venture.
The SLI (as it is shortly called) is a joint venture between the Tamilnadu State Rural Livelihood Mission and the Auroville Foundation set-up to bring in sustainable values and ideas into the thought and actions of the rural livelihood department functionaries. The State government has committed to provide support for construction of a SLI campus in the neighbourhood of the current location and the Auroville Foundation is making available the land for the purpose.
A short poem of the tamil poet Avvayaar emphasizing the need for conservation was read out with a greeting message penned by the Tamil Poetess Meenakshi specially for the occasion. Ms. Deepti, the principle of the Last School read from the works of Sri Aurobindo and highlighted the fact that the purpose would be to invoke the higher quality within each individual.
Mr. Joss Brooks of Pitchandikulam Forest spoke of the relevance of SLI to Auroville and Mr. Radha, Project Director of the Department of Rural Development in Villupuram spoke of the role of the Institute in shaping the rural development scene in the State. He emphasized that not merely in thinking sustainable, but, also on Innovation, there is a vast scope for the Institute to influence the State government and the rural development department in particular.
 |
| Sri. Mukundan delivering the guest talk at the Inauguration of Sustainable Livelihood Institute |
For Samanvaya, it was a moment to cherish, Sri. T.M. Mukundan, one of our well wishers and mentor for long giving an inspiring speech as the Chief Guest of the event. Invoking Gandhiji, he spoke of the paradigm of development and how the contemporary consumerist economic organizations doesn't have the ethical delimiters and how sustainability can only be regained if there were delimits to the greed of mankind and the needs rather than greed becomes the driving force of development.
Samanvaya has been involved in the creation of the Sustainable Livelihood Institute from the stage of conceptualizing. Providing consulting services in defining the functions of the Institute, creating the curriculum, facilitating the collaboration and in imagining and implementing new processes befitting such a venture.
Comments