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CIRHU
CITIZEN SCIENCE
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The Centre of International Research in Human Unity 

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If the Matrimandir is the soul and spiritual heart of Auroville, then CIRHU is envisioned as its pulsating circulatory system, to be energised by a plasma of collective consciousness generated by the inner work of Aurovilians and individuals internationally. By circulating this force through a universal network of people, projects, and global collaborations, CIRHU’s aim is to transform abstract ideals into a living, breathing reality for human unity.

The concept of CIRHU came in the early days of Auroville, and has been attempted under different names and with different individuals and groups engaging to manifest it in different periods of Auroville’s history. However, these explorations remained small-scale, in isolated events, and small experimental groups. Now that CIRHU has been established as a Service Unit for Auroville, the time has come to manifest its full vision.

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CIRHU’s aim is to bridge Auroville with the world through material and spiritual research focused on human unity and the evolution of consciousness. In Auroville’s unique environment, CIRHU’s envisioned role is to bring the community's living research and higher integral education to the forefront both in Auroville and globally, acting as a magnetic force to attract individuals drawn to contribute in different ways to Auroville’s unique purpose for humanity.

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While CIRHU was envisaged as a core project of Auroville, it has not yet manifested. Over the years, exploratory workshops and visioning sessions have been held, and the time has come to make this exploration more central to the life of the community. Its official establishment as an Auroville service unit in 2025 has brought new momentum to its manifestation, an opportunity to bring together and align the community's shared living research in human unity.

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The Auroville Charter and other foundational texts (such as “To Be a True Aurovilian”) emphasise the goal of attaining “human unity”, by living “in peace and progressive harmony” “above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.” This ideal of “unity in diversity” is part of the vision of Integral Yoga, which is broadly subscribed by the majority of Aurovilians. The concept is shaped by spiritual values, that is, a connection with what is perceived in oneself and others as the Divine Consciousness.

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An experiment such as Auroville, which seeks to harness “all discoveries from without and from within” and be “a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity” (Auroville Charter) is one which requires unique methods to measure its progress. Auroville's evolution cannot be measured just by population numbers, flagship projects or material development. Instead progress ought to become visible in how our “city of the future“ reflects our collective consciousness. By establishing a shared and living framework to research this collective experiment, CIRHU aims to unite our inner work and daily life with an active research praxis that can make its evolution visible.

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How can the Centre of International Research in Human Unity support the Auroville experiment?

CENTRE  
Much of the work undertaken in Auroville exists in initiatives that are not actively connected – meaning the core aim of human unity is not actively leading our development. CIRHU’s role is to bring together various initiatives within Auroville by individuals across different sectors, making their work pioneering, credible, visible, and accessible. By bringing together the work in Auroville, CIRHU can help scattered energies to flow together constructively, aligning our collective efforts toward a single purpose. CIRHU can bring together people with diverse knowledge, skills, and experience to work toward Auroville’s wider aims. This collaborative environment will allow Aurovilians from all fields to directly lead Auroville’s further development and growth through research.

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INTERNATIONAL 
Auroville is a living experiment created for the world and for all of humanity. CIRHU can help to facilitate a vital two-way flow for Auroville - bringing global expertise and inspiration in, while radiating transformative research and discoveries out to the world. Raising Auroville's credibility as an essential global project will inspire and attract researchers and new Aurovilians from across the globe to join this living experiment in human unity.
 

CIRHU would work to secure international recognition and validation for Auroville's research; it is a crucial step toward obtaining official endorsement for Aurovilians to represent their home countries in this global initiative. Furthermore, this international validation could unlock global funding, legal backing, and official partnerships, giving foreign governments a clear justification to support Auroville legally, financially, and through formal collaborations with research and higher education institutes. Ultimately, wider international acknowledgement of Auroville's research will bring pride to India for hosting such a groundbreaking autonomous project under its Ministry of Education.

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RESEARCH
Living in Auroville and dedicating oneself to the Auroville Charter naturally brings forth research in every aspect of life; CIRHU’s role is to support this research and share these inner and outer discoveries with the world. To achieve this, Aurovilians must establish a strong, pioneering body of work in research and higher education, which CIRHU can collectively inspire.
 

A key focus is building solid, higher integral education that inspires youth to continue their learning within Auroville rather than leaving for traditional universities, while simultaneously drawing young minds from around the globe to participate in this unique educational model and the Auroville experiment. Auroville is also a place for a youth that never ages, through an unending education, where learning, researching and evolving continues throughout life. 

 

Additionally, the CIRHU service unit serves the vital operational role of ensuring Auroville’s continued approval under Section 35(1)(iii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. This provides the Auroville Foundation with a powerful mechanism for domestic and international fundraising by granting a 100% tax exemption to donors contributing specifically toward Social Science or Statistical Research of the Auroville experiment.

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HUMAN UNITY 
Human unity is not a distant future vision, but a living reality shaped by how we choose to live and act today. By better understanding how human unity can be fostered and harnessed, CIRHU allows Aurovilians from all fields to guide Auroville’s growth through active research as a living laboratory. By demonstrating real, lived human unity to the world, Auroville can begin to fulfill its true purpose: manifesting an evolution of consciousness and showing the way through a living solution for the future of humanity.

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