Newsletter 29 | What’s going on at Annapurna Farm?

What’s going on at Annapurna Farm? When running into people in Auroville this is the most common question I get. And the answer is; “We are busy like usual with all the normal stuff; the rice planting season is on which means a lot of work.” After the initial bomb which fell on us in the middle of August, and a meeting with some of the AVFO constituted groups where some details were shared (see link), it has been quiet for some time now. We have visited one land parcel (presumably 11 acres) which was totally unsuitable because of size and proximity to the Irumbai lake and gets for a big part flooded in the monsoon. We have asked farm service to show us another location but have not heard from them since. We have sent a very rudimentary relocation plan to ATDC few weeks back but have not gotten any response as of now. It was interesting to see for us to make this plan, because we tried to imagine how a relocation plan for Annapurna farm would look like. We did realize, if they really are serious about relocating this farm, it will take a lot of land, time, planning and energy, and money to do this. As  mentioned above we are actually very busy with the farm right now. Transplanting rice seedlings with a machine (see picture above) is not just that. Many things change when one introduces a new tool like this in the operation. Every year Annapurna is cultivating rice on approximately 20 acres. This is a very intense operation which needs to be coordinated well to make it work properly. The season for planting is short and needs to be completed in around 2.5 months because our traditional paddy varieties are very time bound and the monsoon is very short. We realized that using the transplanter we need more seedlings than when planting manually, fields need to be less sloshy to have proper planting results, weeds compete faster since there is a bigger time gap between field preparation and planting… and more considerations which I do not want to bother you with. But as you can imagine there is a lot of learning and adjusting because of changing one part of the cultivation. It is very interesting and it takes a lot of our attention right now. Top: the seedlings to be transplanted + Kowshik carrying the seedlings to be loaded on the transplanting machine. Bottom: paddy transplanter in action From the beginning we have decided that we do not want to get caught in the lies and slanderous allegations which are flying around Annapurna. Right now, we see some claims being sent around which have really nothing to do with our reality. Some of the allegations are: Annapurna farm has been repacking outside purchased rice and sold as Annapurna product. A most ridiculous allegation. We never repacked and sold under the Annapurna name. In fact we are under strict IMO Control one of the better organic certification bodies in India and have regular inspections to see that we are keeping to high standards and total transparency is a must. Another allegation which I just read recently is that we have been cultivating marijuana for 40 years at Annapurna. Such an allegation is so ridiculous that I even cannot really muster the energy to react on it. Someone mentioned that we have been enjoying all these acres long enough and it is time we move… There is some truth in that one, since we enjoy the work on the farm it has become what it is; the best equipped farm of Auroville.  We will surely move when the right conditions are there, but the current vision does not look like the right one… All this and much more, makes one wonder under what spell Auroville is right now. The work on the farm, together with the local villagers, being in contact with the elements, the earth, plants and animals keep us grounded and positive. We are getting a lot of support from many people in and outside Auroville and that keeps us going with a purpose and the feeling that we are in it together. Top left: grain storage at the Granary – right: Velu milking Mari Bottom left: Workshop – right: Selvi and Manjula spreading out parboiled paddy for air drying

Newsletter 28 | Urgent update from the farm

And here we are back again with a short, important update. After our last Newsletter in which I tried to describe the processes we are pushed through by our administration, this writing is to continue to describe our current reality. The cumbersome various processes of trying to get your donations released continues. This has gotten to the point that we had to report and declare about all the donations from our inception … that’s 40 years! And still … donation(s) are not released to us. All this is nothing compared to the next challenge we are now facing… Two days ago this letter flew into our inbox from the current Office of the Secretary, Auroville Foundation, and the Governing Board-backed town planning team. We are amazed how far things have gone out of hand by now. Please read it for yourself:  13 August 2025 Dear Managers of Annapurna Farm, It has been decided to allocate 100 acres of Auroville land at Annapurna for the IIT Sustainability Campus project. Consequently, Annapurna Farm will need to relocate its operations to the western portion of the land parcel, comprising approximately 34 acres. We invite you to a joint meeting with FAMC, Farm Service, and ATDC to discuss this matter and work out a transition plan for the proposed shift. Kindly confirm your presence for the meeting scheduled on 18 August 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at the Auroville Foundation Bhavan, Ground Floor Conference Room. Warm regards, FAMC, Farm Service and L’avenir d’Auroville team   Even after all that has happened in Auroville in the last several years, this shocked us to the core. Without any discussion or prior intimation these decisions are made over our heads as if talking about little matters. Relocating a farm? Did any of these people really think about that? We are trying to get more info about this deal between the Auroville Foundation Office and IIT Madras. What we’ve read in the newspapers and social media is that there would be an EV (electric vehicle) truck testing track built on the land. And it’s calling itself a ‘sustainability’ project … being willing to wipe out a fully functional, established organic farm. Boggles the mind.Lots of people are very concerned about what is happening and are offering their help. This is giving us a lot of support. We are looking at how to best respond to this latest challenge.  In the meantime many things are put into motion to put public pressure on decision makers to undo this move of which one is this petition. To be continued soon, Much love, Tomas