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The India Trip

This documentary is a portrait of modern-day Pondicherry, an ancient city near the southern tip of India. For several centuries an outpost of France, the city is now home to Auroville, a spiritual community growing on its periphery. There, European and North American devotees of Sri Aurobindo, a Bengali poet and mystic, come to live the contemplative life. Their guru is a 94-year-old woman from France. This mecca of sorts is seen through the eyes of Albert Jordan, a professor from Concordia University, in Montreal, who spent a year there with his family in 1971.
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This documentary is a portrait of modern-day Pondicherry, an ancient city near the southern tip of India. For several centuries an outpost of France, the city is now home to Auroville, a spiritual community growing on its periphery. There, European and North American devotees of Sri Aurobindo, a Bengali poet and mystic, come to live the contemplative life. Their guru is a 94-year-old woman from France. This mecca of sorts is seen through the eyes of Albert Jordan, a professor from Concordia University, in Montreal, who spent a year there with his family in 1971.

Urbanism Religion, Beliefs and Ethics Tourism Developing Countries All subjects
  • director
    Bill Davies
  • script
    Bill Davies
  • producer
    George Pearson
  • photography
    Eugene Boyko
  • sound
    Hans Oomes
  • editing
    Torben Schioler
  • sound editing
    Ken Page
  • re-recording
    George Croll
  • narrator
    Al Jordan

Education

Ages 15 to 16

Notes

Students research eastern religions, meditation, yoga, ashrams, views of spirituality, utopian societies, etc., and report or present to class. Students can debate colonialism/expatriation impacts in India and other communities, and make a comparison: ex. French colonialism in Vietnam vs. India vs. Africa, history/research/today. Students research colonial history in India, Pondicherry in the 1870s and now. Students can compare Euro-centric colonial views in Asia, documentary vs. Somerset Maugham writings. Pick one teaching from film and further research- compare film (70s) to now.

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The India Trip
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