Five Diverse Individuals, One Family

The five of us below will be your hosts and organizers throughout your stay. We'll be making sure that everything runs as smoothly as it can and that your time at Convergence will benefit everyone involved.

Natasha
I was brought up as a farm child in rural India. I spent most of my higher academic life in the megalopolis of Bombay, trying to make sense of this tantalising urban machine. The city of Bombay was a cultural and sociological monster that I could never really come to grips with. I soon realised that to continue living in Bombay after my graduation was living off the fruits of a dubious progress.

I made the decision to move back to my village in India. My return to my family farm was an attempt to return to a lifestyle more in tune with nature, away from the fast-paced consumerist lifestyle of the city. I soon felt the need to fill the gaps in my knowledge and went to the Netherlands to do a masters degree in Ecological Agriculture. This experience changed my life. It was not the knowledge I gained, rather the Man I married.

David and I shared a dream we both had independently - to share the simple pleasures of life in the company of friends. We spent 5 years in various counties all over the globe looking for the right spot to do this. In 2002 we made Auroville our home and realised a dream, we share with our children, Zea and Jasmine and many wonderful friends. I look forward to expanding this circle in sharing with you.


Dave
I come from somewhat confused origins, with a background in England, Australia, Taiwan, Nepal, India, Europe, North America, Laos, East Timor, and East Africa. Formative experiences include a missionary upbringing with schools
ranging from a hippy haven to traditional English public school followed by 12 years in international relief and development, sprinkled with stints in universities.

Unsurprisingly this eclectic background evolved into a thirst for knowledge in “what's it all about? “How do these things hang together?” Alternatively, “how can I make sense of it all, and join the dots?” In time, this led to a Eureka moment with a personal discovery of systems thinking and deep ecology.

For the last few years my dream has been to have the opportunity to interact with likeminded people, share experiences and provide mutual support and opportunities for learning. I feel deeply fulfilled to finally have that opportunity.


Tamar
I was born and spent my childhood in South Africa. A search for change took me to Israel after high school where I completed my undergrad. studies in linguistics, and eventually found myself immersed in the corporate world of advertising. It was around that time when I met Amir, and found that we shared a common yearning for something more fulfilling, deeper, inspirational.

We spent 3 years in India on a journey, focussing on Yogasana (practice, training and teaching children) and Vipassana meditation. When we reached Auroville in 2002, we found a place that enabled us personal growth, freedom and a deep connection to nature, as well as a wonderful place to bring up our two children, both born here. Motherhood has for me been a discovery, a practice of yoga and a journey of growth. I hope our convergence experience will hold such experiences for us all.

I look forward to our journey together!


Amir
For me, Convergence is a stepping stone in a journey that began in Israel about 10 years ago; when I started to realize that the aspiration for social status, financial stability and physical comforts would not change the sense of emptiness and shallowness that life can hold. Around that time, I met my future wife, Tamar, who helped to strengthen my desire to continue the search. I decided to sell the business I had developed and all my belongings and left for India. There I found myself experimenting with different disciplines to stimulate the experience of awakening the individual spirit, acknowledging more and more the limitations of our personal conditioned mind.

This journey, which began in northern India, has brought me to Auroville where I practice and teach awareness through the body in Auroville's schools and watch my children grow up in our unique Evergreen environment. This Evergreen experience enables me more and more to feel the present – the experience of connecting the outer with the inner. Looking forward to sharing the experience in Convergence…

Iain
Hi Folks,

I'm grateful that you are taking the time to learn more about Convergence. It has been a dream of ours for many years to create a community that is living and working together towards affecting positive change. Convergence is our living expression of that change.

I am originally from Canada where I studied International Development at the University of Guelph. I've worked many jobs since from managing an eco-lodge in the Andes to facilitating social advocacy workshops and leading international volunteer trips.Throughout all those years I have been working towards the dream of Convergence. I want to be part of a large family of change makers who are constantly making our world a cleaner, safer, healthier and more harmonious place. Sending you all an Earth Hug…

In peas,
Iain


CO - HOSTS

In addition to the core team at Evergreen, we will be assisted by Marc and Matilde as our food coordinators and Theresa as the international liaison and “coordinator of funk”.

Theresa
Hi, my name is Tea. Ok, its Theresa but people call me Tea. I am a twenty three year old student seeking to build a funky, diverse, and nurturing community. I would rather give a hug then shake a hand, have a secret passion for the socially conscious hip hop scene, and enjoying interviewing mountains and trees.

I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be a volunteer of the Convergence team in Auroville, India. Last fall my heart became alive when I experienced my own inner revolution while in the presents of the Convergence community. I found myself hugged by Mother Nature, embraced by a new family, and pushed to find what my own heart was saying I need to do for the world. Above all I learnt the benefit from a willingness to face struggle and a continual commitment to give love when working to bring positive change. So much hard work and commitment needs to happen from each of us to make this world a better place. We must nurture each others gifts, ask difficult questions, and continue to embark to find the unity that connects us all. In the words of Dr. Seuss, " Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better. Its not.”


Matilde and Marc
We are both born in Spain and met at high school and felt that our friendship would lead us to live an adventurous life. After finishing our studies we both went in search of the “promised land” where people from all over the world could live in harmony among themselves and with Nature. Matilde went to South America and Marc went to India and discovered Auroville.

After these life changing experiences we decided to move to Auroville in 1997 with the idea of starting a new life and expose our children Aloe and Eden to a different environment and an integral education.

We love good food and enjoy cooking and during our Convergence weeks we will cook and eat together, organic and wholesome foods with a good dose of creativity and fun!