Jocelyn

Jocelyn, an American woman from Pennsylvania and one of the early settlers in Auroville since 1969, has written a 450 page non-fiction novel "The Antithesis of Yoga" (photos included) about Auroville’s first 25 years. She chronicles the stories and events of some of the pioneers in that adventure from 1969 to 1993 in a most compelling, humorous and often raw and raucous manner.

A quintessential “hippie” and “flower child” of the 1960’s, Jocelyn left a commune in the Western United States in the late 60’s, traveled through Europe, gave birth to her child in Berlin then proceeded on her journey through Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and eventually made her way into India. Broke and weary she stopped in Pondicherry for a rest on her way to Ceylon where she was to buy gems to sell, as the money her father was sending from the states was running out. Then she was to travel back to America with her baby daughter.

As destiny would have it, while in Pondicherry, she discovered the Mother which led her away from her original plan towards a totally new and unexpected direction and what would later become for her an unprecedented adventure – living in Auroville. Soon after arriving in the ashram she met The Mother and here gives a description of her first balcony darshan of the Mother in November, 1969.