Narad: Reflections on the Matrimandir Gardens
Documentary Clip Screening & Conversation with Matthew Andrews
WATCH OUR ZOOM EVENT HERE
Join Narad, Richard Eggenberger and Matthew Andrews for a documentary clip screening, a conversation with reflections on Narad’s lifetime of service to the Matrimandir Gardens and Auroville.
We will watch a short documentary clip as an overview of Narad’s life work for the Matrimandir Gardens, his music with The OM Choir and his deep devotion to Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The clip is filmed and directed by Piotr Redlinski. Piotr will also discuss his experience filming Narad. The screening will be followed by discussion and Q&A.
About Narad
Narad, Richard Eggenberger, arrived in Pondicherry at the age of 23 at the invitation of the Mother. In 1972 the Mother gave him the name, Narad, the divine sage and singer. She also asked him to come and work to build the Gardens of the Matrimandir at the centre of Auroville, a township she planned to be realized on the ideal of human unity.
Narad is a highly regarded poet and horticulturist, equally well known for the ‘Handbook on Plumeria Culture‘ and the ‘Handbook on Oleanders‘ written with his wife, Mary Helen. He is also the author of ‘Homage to the Service Tree’, published by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and ten volumes of a series ‘Inspiration from Savitri,’ Sri Aurobindo’s magnum opus, the longest epic poem written in English and announcing to the world the advent of a Supermind now in the earth assuring the conquest of death by love and the establishment of a Divine Life on earth.
Richard and Mary Helen also wrote ‘Lexicon of an Infinite Mind,’ a dictionary of words and terms in Savitri and Richard followed it with another volume, ‘Supplement to the Lexicon,’ containing interviews with disciples of Sri Aurobindo who gave definitions from their deepest insights and understanding.
He divides his year into six months in the Ashram in India, where he conducts video interviews with disciples and devotees and six months in northern Georgia where he and his wife built a magnificent garden where thousands of flowers bloom in a breathtaking pageant from February to July. He is also in the final stages of completing a series of poems in three volumes, ‘Songs to the Mystic Earth.’
Matthew Andrews
Matthew is an inspirational speaker, teacher of yoga shastras, and life long student of yoga and Sri Aurobindo and Mother’s teachings. He and his wife Corinne co-own Shraddha Yoga in Massachusetts.
Matthew Andrews first visited Auroville in 2001. He returned in 2013 with Corinne, and continued yearly visits, eventually bringing their two young children.
Matthew joined AVI USA in 2015 and has served as board president and executive director since 2020.
Piotr Redlinski, the filmmaker
Piotr Redlinski is a New York–based photographer and journalist whose career bridges continents and disciplines. Born in Warsaw and trained in architecture at The Cooper Union, he has taught in Bombay, contributed regularly to The New York Times, and collaborated on major film productions. Known for blending a cinematic eye with documentary sensitivity, his work spans portraiture, architecture, fine arts, and reportage—always seeking to tell unconventional stories that resonate across cultures.