Arulvazi Education Centre               

Arulvazi Education Centre is an educational institution founded in 1982 and is located near the Morattandi Village, Promesse community of Auroville. Our main aim is to provide an ambiance of student-oriented activities for inner and outer growth using yoga, sports, adolescent girls' education, and computer training also to educate underprivileged children with the cooperative help of dedicated volunteers. The focus is on the seamless passing of responsibility of education from older to younger generation because some of the teachers themselves are old students.  The school was started by Sri Varadarajan and Syamala, with varied contributions from a few other Aurovilians, in the process of integrating villages into Auroville as told by the Mother. 

The Creche functions five days a week between 9 am and 12: 30 pm. Well being sessions are conducted for women which include yoga, creating awareness about the importance of physical and emotional health, usefulness of homeopathic remedies etc.

Present Executives: Velmurugan and Chitra

Arulvazhi has five areas of activities:

1. Kindergarten group for 25 children aged 3 to 6 years
2. Primary stage children group for 50 children
3. Special yoga asana group for 45 children in the mornings from 6.00 to 7.30 am 
4. Adolescent girls group (12 to17 yrs) of 22 children training in asanas, cultural expression, health education, social awareness particularly in relation to gender problems
5. Puduulagam group for about 15 children who attend games and academic education from 5pm to 8pm.

Seminars and workshops are conducted in cooperation with the Tamil Heritage Centre on themes from Sri Aurobindonian literature, wherein delegates from Auroville, Puducherry and other parts of Tamilnadu participate for mutual improvement of knowledge.

Considering the proximity of the international community of Auroville, the village children get practical exposure to actual human unity and unity in diversity. This educational centre works in close collaboration with existing government educational structures. Excursions to places of great cultural, educational and spiritual interest are arranged. The children are encouraged to practice and develop indigenous forms of art, folk songs, stage plays, etc. The self-improvement programmes for girls help in training them in various activities like child care, sports, and useful crafts like tailoring, etc.

For the kindergarten, it is planned to take advantage of the research done within and outside Auroville to evolve suitable methods which can be replicated for the development of the rural children. Regarding other age groups, who spend a major part of the day outside the Auroville environment and who are available only in the evenings and on holidays, the centre wants to evolve suitable models and practices which will provide for their integral growth.

Due to the four-lane national highway project, the major part of the building in which the centre was functioning was demolished. The centre is now developing its activities in a new place and gradually trying to get adequate space as before for its multifarious activities.