AVI USA 50 Years: The Lasting Legacy of June Maher
by Binah Thillairajah
In 1972 June met the Mother who put her hand on her head and gave her a single message regarding her work in America for Auroville, “No recruiting, but money may be obtained.”
She made that message her purpose and poured herself into it. Her legacy lives on 50 years later in AVI USA and is a testament to what a person can do with a big heart and singular devotion. The flame of her love for Auroville and her gentle demeanor drew people to her from all over the world to pitch in and support Auroville.
-Binah Thillairajah
From its inception, the organization, first as The Auroville Association and then as Auroville International USA, led and inspired by June, collaborated with similarly inspired people and institutions. In the 1970s and 80s AVI USA, with the help of the self named Auroville diaspora, travelers, friends and part time residents of Auroville, worked tirelessly to raise funds for a nascent Auroville’s basic infrastructure.
The money flowed in larger or more modest streams, and as soon as it appeared was quickly directed towards the numerous needs of Auroville, including purchasing land, building schools and constructing the Matrimandir. In the 1980s and 90s, we supported several youth exchange programs. A collaboration with the Merriam Hill Center in New Hampshire allowed youth from Auroville to experience America and American youth to visit Auroville. And the Peace Trees initiative brought together youth from the former Soviet Union, India, Holland, Costa Rica, Jordan, and the USA to plant trees in each country.
Beyond just an expanding of horizons, these programs offered Aurovilian youth the opportunity to participate in a global dialogue with their peers. Many who attended are innovators in Auroville today, and they still refer to these programs as pivotal in helping them find their voice and inspiration.
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Under June’s inspired guidance AVI USA hosted multiple fundraising campaigns that contributed to the purchase of critical Auroville lands, completing the inner skin of the Matrimandir, and building both the International House and the Tibetan Pavilion. In 2004 when a tsunami hit the coast of Tamil Nadu, AVI USA was ready and able to reach out to foundations and individual donors to effectively raise and channel funds. This led to a four-year collaborative effort involving Auroville, the Indian government, and the United Nations Development Program. The project helped local people in the devastated coastal fishing villages to rebuild and stabilize their lives and economies.
June inspired a spirit of collaboration and often reached out to friends, centers, and other organizations connected to Integral Yoga to support Auroville. She worked with Anie Nunnally on her efforts to build up the Foundation for World Education (FWE) and in 2009 AVI USA ran a capital campaign to raise funds for FWE’s endowment. She had seen the seed of her efforts to support Auroville blossom over the years. Her faith that the global community would respond to Auroville’s mission to serve human unity was and is the foundation of AVI USA then and now.
Today, 50 years after the founding of the Auroville Association, June’s legacy continues. All of AVI USA’s current collaborations in support of Auroville projects, as well as our contributions to Auroville during the pandemic, are built on the foundation that June laid through her tireless and powerful commitment to Auroville.