From Tea to Thali to Picnic: California Connections 2025
AVI USA In-Person Board Meeting in Lodi
This September we traveled to California, gathering at the beautiful Lodi ashram for our annual face-to-face meeting of the AVI USA board. For us, these meetings are more than business sessions — they are a chance to meet and connect in “3-D,” to remember why we do this work, and to renew the bonds that make it possible.
We were also grateful for the beauty of the garden where our meetings took place and for the meditation room that held us with Grace. And our thanks go to the staff at the Lodi ashram — Ananda, Angelo, Aaron, and Penny — who welcomed us so warmly and nourished us with beautiful meals.
California has always held a special place in AVI USA’s story. Some of our oldest friends and supporters are here, and it was in California, in 1973, that AVI USA was first incorporated by June Maher with the Mother’s blessings. During this visit, we also had the chance to meet supporters and representatives from several integral yoga organizations in the Bay Area, Lodi, and beyond — including CIIS, CIF, Collaboration, and SAA. These connections felt especially meaningful knowing that June herself participated in most of these organizations “back in the day,” continuing the spirit of service and fellowship she embodied.
In the spirit of June, who devoted her life to bringing people together in service, we used this visit not only for our board gathering but also as an opportunity to reach out — inviting friends to meet up in person. Some responded, and what unfolded was a week full of conversations, meals, and renewed commitments.
What stayed with us most is that connecting hearts is our real business. Each encounter was a reminder that the bridge we are building between AVI USA and supporters everywhere is made of friendship, trust, and a shared aspiration for human unity.From Tea to Thali to Picnic: California Connections 2025
Lodi Afternoon Tea
Our first gathering outside the boardroom was a gentle afternoon tea with friends in the Lodi area. Old friends Linda, Jim, and Margaret joined our board members, along with several other local friends. Around the table, stories from Auroville were exchanged like gifts. Linda shared news of her work with the Collaboration and SAA teams, while board members shared fun memories and stories.
What shone through was the closeness of this small circle: living in the same apartment building, attending regular classes together in Lodi, and carrying forward their service work with quiet dedication. The afternoon was less a formal meeting and more a reunion of kindred spirits — filled with fun memories, shared stories, and the simple joy of being together again.
What stayed with us most is that connecting hearts is our real business. Each encounter was a reminder that the bridge we are building between AVI USA and supporters everywhere is made of friendship, trust, and a shared aspiration for human unity.From Tea to Thali to Picnic: California Connections 2025
Sacramento Dinner
From Lodi, the journey continued to Sacramento, where board member Jack and his wife Mary, together with their daughter Jyoti, welcomed us into their home for an evening meal. Around the table were Matthew, Binah, and Ioana, joined by friends whose ties to Auroville stretch back decades.
We were reminded with gratitude of how Dian and Theresa helped AVI USA raise one million dollars for Auroville land in the early 2000s. John Robert shared his deep affection for Auroville, and we acknowledged his ongoing, steady work with the editing of Collaboration.
It was a gentle evening of stories, laughter, and rekindled friendships.
Livermore Lunch
In Livermore, Puja — Auroville-born and also the financial advisor to AVI USA — together with her husband Eric, welcomed us into their home. The afternoon unfolded in the warmth of food and easy conversation. Around the table sat Matthew, Binah, Ioana, Jack, and Mary, joined by friends whose connection to Auroville runs deep.
With Samesh, the conversation turned to his plans to visit Auroville next year, and we shared reflections and stories that might support his journey. In conversation with Jean and Kundan of the Cultural Integration Fellowship (CIF), we reflected together on how future collaboration might highlight the work of some of our project partners in the Sunday Zoom meetups.
For Binah, Jack, Mary, and Puja, who have known one another since the 1970s, the lunch was also a reunion — full of hugs, love, and shared memories. At one point, the whole group paused for a quiet moment of meditation to honor Puja’s son, Jarod, whose spirit continues to be present in her work and in the hearts of those who love her.
The afternoon carried a sense of continuity — old and new friendships being created, and a feeling of warmth that carried us all forward.
San Francisco Dinner
In San Francisco, Matthew and Binah gathered with Kant over a traditional Gujarati thali. A longtime devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Kant came with many thoughtful questions about our project partners and how best to support them. The conversation flowed easily — from the details of education and ecological work in Auroville, to the broader role AVI USA plays in connecting hearts across the world.
Kant shared with us a copy of his father’s book, Introduction to Integral Psychology – Integral Psychology of Personality Development, a work that reflects the spirit of exploration and growth that Auroville embodies. He also offered a generous contribution of $50,000 toward our goal of building a $120,000 Matching Donation Fund for this December’s Double the Love campaign.
We left grateful for his support, both practical and heartfelt, and for the way the evening deepened the bridge of trust and friendship.
Concord Tea
Matthew and Binah were welcomed for tea at the home of Debashish and his partner, Keka. The afternoon was steeped in reflection and warmth. Keka, once a resident of the Pondicherry Ashram and a lifelong seeker, shared her beautiful insights, leaving us all more aware of the blessings of this chance to serve and be connected in such a profound way.
Debashish spoke about his ongoing work bringing students from CIIS to Auroville each year, creating a living bridge between young seekers and the community. He also shared about his own creative path as a researcher and filmmaker — from his earlier production Darshan: The Living Art of India to a new film on the Goddess that he will begin this fall.
We left with full hearts.
Presidio Picnic
At the Presidio in San Francisco, Binah and Matthew met Earl and Linda for a picnic. As we looked out over the bay and watched ships pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, it felt like the perfect symbol for our work — building living bridges between AVI USA and friends around the world.
As longtime devotees, Earl and Linda have extended their circle of care to include AVI USA and our project partners. In recent years, they have supported the Matrimandir and the I Project, which features a web series of interviews with Aurovilians about their personal experiences with the Matrimandir — a living experiment in how each person relates to the soul of Auroville.
We are also grateful to Earl for the wisdom he has shared, drawing on his decades of experience in Planned Giving with Public Radio. His guidance continues to help AVI USA grow its efforts to ensure Auroville’s future is supported with thoughtful gifts from supporters around the world that create a legacy that continues beyond their lifetime.
We parted with gratitude for their friendship and steady support.
San Francisco Garden Visit
Finally, Matthew and Binah met with longtime supporter of Auroville Vaishali in her beautiful garden patio. Surrounded by greenery and quiet, the conversation unfolded gently as we listened to her thoughtful questions and reflections.
Her curiosity and support reflect the care of so many friends who are deeply connected and committed to AVI USA’s project partners. We discussed new collaborations being formed between CIIS and CIRHU to host students coming to learn about Auroville and Integral Yoga.
Before we left, Vaishali invited us to walk her newly created labyrinth in the garden — a fitting symbol of the journey we are all on, weaving paths of unity, inquiry, and devotion.
Walking her labyrinth felt like a simple blessing — a reminder of the paths of unity and friendship we are shaping with every step.
Bridges of Friendship in Northern California
With every meal, conversation, and shared silence, bridges were strengthened — between old friends and new, between U.S. supporters and Aurovilians, and among local communities themselves. These gatherings were a reminder that AVI USA’s work has always been about more than funds: it is about building living connections, heart to heart, across oceans and generations, in service of Human Unity.