Colony to Commodity: Tourism and the Utopia in Pondicherry and Auroville
- Shreya Chaudhary
- Oct 14
- 6 min read
The colonial legacy of spiritual sanctuary built at the cost of natural heritage and marginalisation.
Pondicherry is marketed as a "quirky blend of French finesse and Indian zest, where baguettes meet dosas and croissants mingle with chai." It presents a reality of a "good" consequence of colonialism and relies on people believing in the French as the kinder colonialists. It provides the charm of "Indo-French" connections rooted in heritage architecture and multi-cultural cuisine, while leaving out the colonial injustices and allowing people an escape from the past.
Pondicherry is often seen as a place where visitors can escape the discrimination of colour and caste, avoiding challenges they might face in other Indian cities. The city capitalises on the exoticism of the colonial era imagery, focused on a "white city" and escape from India within India itself. According to a study on the attractiveness of Pondicherry, Beach and French colony are the most common names of Puducherry, which is being called by most respondents. It is marketed towards Western people visiting the country and the rich Indian population.
Tourists often consume the city through curated experiences like walking tours, yoga retreats, boutique stays, and French-inspired cuisine, which privilege colonial nostalgia while the realities of local communities are sidelined. Selective consumption in Pondicherry of colonial heritage mostly only helps the business catering elites. The influx of tourists brings in wealth, but this wealth is not distributed equally within Pondicherry. The locals rarely benefit from the economic benefits of tourism and the industry is controlled by settlers and foreigners, creating a new form of colonial hierarchy.
Auroville emerged in the 1960s under the guidance of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Mirra Alfassa. Back-to-the-land movements emerged in the 60s and 70s, when people moved to "simpler" places for a more "natural" life. They believed in the power of yoga, leaving behind the world's problems and returning to nature, thus establishing Auroville. The settlers came from settler colonies and viewed it differently from colonialism due to their "willingness" to settle in Pondicherry and return to the ways of nature and human connection.
Auroville emerged as this "place of the future" where Western people could leave behind "the past" of horrendous colonial histories, world wars and whatever was wrong with the world. Thus, a utopia in its truest sense. This perspective has been expanded by the works of people like Jessica Namakkal, who explores the utopia of Auroville and how the Western world has treated Auroville and the people around it.
Ecological Impact of Auroville and the Galaxy Masterplan
Auroville has been imagined as a galaxy and a circular township. Its construction has been centred around land restoration and has revived the evergreen forest. Auroville has been successful as an ecovillage focused on agriculture, forestry and architecture. It also succeeds in providing an alternative lifestyle and values for the residents there.
The problem emerges with the governance of the place and the execution of the galaxy master plan. Auroville aims to house 50,000 people, but currently houses only about 3000. Since the passing of the Mother, the Sri Aurobindo Society has sought to execute the masterplan and make for 50,000 people, but a few problems have emerged, such as the increased price of land around Auroville that it needs to acquire, and conflict between organicists and constructionists.
Trees are being cleared to build the circular roads and harm the current forest coverage, with the current project being executed by the Auroville Foundation and government bodies. The Galaxy Masterplan by Roger Anger lacks detailed development plans. It is not seen as feasible in the current economy and space, even by Auroville residents, some of whom are now resisting the development. While some community members have adopted more radical interpretations of the Mother's vision for creating a 'city of the future,' believing that constructing the Crown as a 'perfect circle' is essential for accelerating Auroville's spiritual progress.
Auroville’s execution of development plans is at odds with community and climate needs, as well as its spiritual foundations. Compromising the natural heritage of Pondicherry and adjacent lands for outdated city plans developed with a ‘settler mentality’ is an act of colonial violence against the land and its peoples.
Social impacts of Pondicherry’s tourism industry
While Pondicherry is marketed as a Westernised destination, it replicates existing social structures, reinforcing deep inequalities and hierarchies. Many people working in the tourism sector come from Dalit and other marginalised communities, yet they are routinely excluded from development plans. Their caste or socio-economic status often becomes a barrier, especially when dealing with Indian tourists. However, the tourism of Pondicherry is also dynamic, as the place attracts many international tourists, thus allowing people to transcend these caste hierarchies and work in the business.
Auroville has the people who work in it and the people in surrounding villages who work and serve the people in it. These are bio-regions that serve the activities in Auroville, from manual labour to working in kitchens, etc. But where does the exclusion come in? It first came in when "mother" Mirra Alfassa talked about how Auroville can only be home to those willing to give up their religion and move up from that, thus excluding the existing population near Auroville who followed religion like Hinduism. The Tamil-speaking population in Auroville is a minority that gets excluded because of their language, as Auroville is primarily English-speaking.
Thus, while local people are included in Auroville, only high-status people have power and say. Others are used as labour and excluded from the township they helped build.
Way forward
The charm of Pondicherry and Auroville are vast parts of its identity, and tourism keeps increasing every year, but what can one do after knowing the realities of these places? We can look at how the local narratives have shaped Pondicherry in becoming what it is today, and explore what these exclusions did to the population and acknowledge the colonial atrocities instead of just romanticising it. As tourism increases in Pondicherry, so has the hospitality industry, and now it is opening big chains of hotels like Radisson. This is leading to a sharp decrease in homestays; some are unable to sustain themselves and have had to close down. Luxury hotels are known to outcompete local tourism industries under the guise of job creation and economic activity, while polluting the local environment and marginalising communities.
Supporting local stays for visits can help the Tamil population financially and keep their culture alive. Before visiting Auroville, one can also make a conscious choice to see which businesses to support and look at the current politics of the place to ensure your money is going to the right places. While Auroville can be a complicated and contested space for tourists, volunteering at places like Sadhana Forest can be a good step, offering a more conscious and grounded way of participating in the community. Instead of perpetuating colonial extractive practices that marginalise local communities, tourists must make a deliberate choice to support local efforts to reclaim their space and autonomy.
The realities of Pondicherry bring its charm down, and in fact, all of it seems illusory. The building, the matamandir, the Indo-French charm, all have deep histories of colonialism, forced or not. Auroville markets itself as a utopia, but one built on the labour of surrounding Tamil villages, whose people remain service providers rather than equal stakeholders. The ones who benefit are foreign settlers, urban elites, and tourism entrepreneurs, those with the privilege to consume history and spirituality without confronting their costs.
The benefits are disproportionately captured by tourism boards, elite business owners, and foreign settlers. At the same time, the local Tamil population and Dalit communities remain confined mainly to service and labour roles, excluded from decision-making and ownership. Tourism sustains existing social and economic hierarchies rather than dismantling them.
References
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