The second edition of the Auroville Literature Festival 2025 is underway in the international township of Auroville, bringing together writers, scholars and students to explore Sri Aurobindo’s ideas across science, management, aesthetics, ecology, spirituality, the world and human unity. Announced at a press conference at the Unity Pavilion in the International Zone, the week‑long, multilingual festival spans Sanskrit, Tamil, French and English, with officials from the Auroville Foundation and the Government of Puducherry inviting students, aspiring authors and seekers of knowledge to participate.
The Sanskrit Literature Festival, held on December 15 and 16, opened with a Bhagavad Gita invocation by Team Auroville. Guest of Honour Dr Jayanti S. Ravi spoke on “Sanskrit as a Vehicle for National Integration”, while keynote speaker Prof. Sampadananda Mishra highlighted the role of Sanskrit in the Indian Knowledge System.
It also featured a two‑day children’s workshop titled “Discovering Sanskrit through The Mother’s Verses”, conducted by Udaya Shreyas of The Sanskrit Channel.
It was a pleasure to inaugurate & be a part of Auroville Literature Festival 2025, featured thoughtful & knowledge filled sessions, offering valuable insights into our literary & cultural traditions.
— Jayanti Ravi (@JayantiRavi) December 16, 2025
A meaningful gathering of scholars and literature enthusiasts. pic.twitter.com/zG6701N4JF
Other key sessions featured Dr Rajalakshmi Srinivasan on “Bhasha to Devabhasha” and a presentation by Sashka from the Sanskrit Research Institute on Sanskrit digital tools and cataloguing for preservation and wider access. The day ended with a Gita Natyam performance by Pavitra Srinivasan.
The second day of the Sanskrit segment included the launch of Mishra’s book The Wonder That Is Avadhanam, followed by a talk by Sri Rangan on applying Vedantic wisdom in daily life and a panel on “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges in Health, Leadership, and Life”. The segment concluded with Sushrut Badhe’s talk on Sri Aurobindopanishad and an evening of devotional sagun and nirgun bhajans by Siddhant Negi, accompanied by Sri Tapan.
The Tamil Literature Festival on December 17 and 18 opened with a keynote by S. Ramachandran on “The Secret of the Vedas”. A special children’s segment celebrated the works of Manoj Das and Azhavalliappa, followed by a session on the Indian Knowledge System by Namrata and Srihari of The Vedic Pond.
The afternoon featured a powerful musical presentation of Sri Aurobindo’s epic Savitri by 17‑year‑old Sreevaidehi and a session on “Sri Aurobindo and Bharatiyar” by Dr Sudha Seshayyan. Day two began with a Silambam performance by Auroville schoolchildren and continued with talks on “Cultural Portrayal in Tamil Literature” by Jatayu, a book launch and discussion on Kambanil Kaattiruppu by S. Jagannathan, a session on Sanskrit–Tamil translation and national integration, and a talk on “The Divine Feminine” by Dr Aravindan Neelakandan.
As the festival moved into its English segment on Friday, December 19, and is set to continue till December 21, authors and speakers have started arriving in Auroville.
