June Maher’s Legacy of Devotion
Part 5: Erisa Neogy
Back Row: Steven Walton, Stan Alexander, Chris Gray, Jack Alexander, Erisa Neogy, Maria Gray.
Erisa is a highly regarded Aurovilian luthier. In his formative years, after spending his early childhood in Auroville, Erisa spent periods of time in Santa Cruz, CA and the Bay Area.
It was in Santa Cruz that Erisa reconnected with June Maher, whose intervention in his life proved to be transformational. She opened the door to what would become a unique and acclaimed career as a sought-after luthier specialized in rare wood bespoke guitars.
At the time of Erisa’s visit in California, in the 1980’s, the newly renamed Auroville International USA was a vibrant group of close friends with strong connections to Auroville. They had, for different reasons, returned to the US, but kept a strong connection to Auroville. They called themselves the Auroville diaspora. In those days, there were donors. Sometimes they would give money generally for Auroville and AVI USA, not for a specific project in Auroville. It was put in the Serendipity Fund, then it would stay in the bank until it was moved out of there..
The term used in meetings – “let’s save that for the Serendipity Fund”. When traveling Aurovilians like Erisa had a dream, the Serendipity fund is where the money came from to turn it into reality.
Jack Alexander
Memories of June Maher
by Erisa Neogy
In the summer of 1982 walking past Union Grove Music in Santa Cruz California I spied in the shop window the most exquisite guitar I had ever seen.
Looking closely I saw that it was built by the Santa Cruz Guitar Co, a local company.A quick phone call confirmed that”yes” I could visit them the next week.With a lifelong passion for instrument building I could hardly wait.
The place was modest and the company consisted of two people.Richard Hoover and Bruce Ross.Them were very kind and gave me a tour of their workshop.Apon leaving I enquired if there would be a chance to study with them.unfortunately they did not offer apprenticeships but gave me the numbers of four guitar schools in the area . Leaving I wrote my phone number on a scrap and left it with them.Two weeks later I received a call from Richard Hoover asking if I had found a place to study guitar building,I replied that I had not he asked me if they were full and I replied that actually all four had offered me a spot but I had declined.
Richard asked for what reason and I said that none of them seemed like masters but rather more like instructors. After a pause Richard said that he and Bruce would be willing to train me.I could not believe my good fortune and set about looking for the necessary funds to take the course.
The cost was $3000 a huge sum in those days and I was not sure how to find it.Then I remembered June Maher who I had met in Auroville a few years earlier.When I contacted her the first thing June said is tell them yes,and AVI USA will find the funds for you to start your program.
It was a dream come true and when I completed my apprenticeship I had a professional training in guitar construction. Today forty years later I will start a woodworking program here in Auroville.
For that I would like to thank AVI USA and especially June Maher.
Erisa’s Guitars built from Auroville “work tree” wood,
