Auroville Musical Instruments and Research Center
Svaram
Svaram is located inside the Auroville Community, 12 km from Pondicherry city. Svaram is an Auroville enterprise founded in 2003, and it was initiated as a rural developmental project. It was recognized by the UN initiative: “Music as a Global Resource” as one of the first 50 projects worldwide. It is a must-visit place if you visit “Auroville.”
Local Artisans
Svaram in Auroville has more than 50 artisans, trainees, and volunteers who have hands-on work with different kinds of materials, from wood, metals, bamboo, and even seeds and shells for building musical instruments. They have immense sound knowledge, which will be evident by playing their unique musical instruments in Svaram. You will be astonished by the sounds you hear from these special handmade musical instruments. They integrate traditional crafts talents, Tamil culture, and indigenous skills that will make Svaram musical instruments unique in their own way.
Book your hotels in Auroville near Svaram
Booking.comGuided Tour
Svaram provides a guided tour for the visitors. It happens in their showroom and the sound garden. An entry fee for the guided tour is Rs.150. Svaram artisan will demo the instruments by explaining their name and how to play them. It will be a 15-minute session in the showroom. They play instruments like Wing chimes in different sizes during this session, Plate gong, Pungi, Natural Stone, Metallophone, etc. After this session at the showroom hall, they will direct you to the Sound garden.
“Sound Garden” in Auroville
The sound garden is where they have made installations for you to experience the artwork. An artisan from Svaram will explain the musical instruments in the sound garden. The artisan plays the devices individually and will ask the visitors to play and listen to the sounds.
The sound garden has instruments like a “Plate Bow Harp” (A string resonate), which gives the sound of the veena; “Plate Gond” produces a powerful single tone in a specific frequency; “Spinner” which is a huge drum hanging on a tree, where you need to rotate the spring in the middle of the drum and allow the spring freely to hear the spreading resonance.
Other activities of the sound garden-like “Sound balance”, where you must stand on the instrument to balance the ball through the labyrinth and simultaneously listen to their sound. “The Listening Ear” is where you can discover a healthy rhythm of listening and speaking on the other end of your partner.
They allow the visitors to play all the instruments after explanations by the artisans for ten minutes. You can enjoy playing the musical instruments and listening to the sounds coming from these musical instruments. Until last year, the public could play those musical instruments, but now the artisans will play them from Svaram since they were not gentle while playing them and damaged many of them.
I can assure you that you might not have seen these kinds of musical instruments anywhere else. Sounds from these musical instruments are soothing to our souls; you have to experience yourself to understand them. Musical instruments are also for sale in Svaram; the qualities of those instruments are top-notch, and the price will be slightly higher since all are handmade and unique.
Sound Healing:
Svaram conducts “Sound Healing,” a one-hour session with the master. You will experience the sound of selected instruments, vibrations, and resonance. A sound immersion session costs Rs.2000, and a sonorium sound therapy costs Rs.2500 per person per session, and you must book one day before.
Sound Bath:
They provide a sound bath at Unity Pavilion at Auroville every Wednesday at 5.30 pm and charge Rs.600.
How To Reach Svaram:
Svaram is 12 km from the Pondicherry white town less than 2 km from Auroville Matri Mandir. You may have to call Svaram (+91-413-262220) to confirm your visit.
Best Season: July to March, April to June will be hot.
Time: 8.30 Am to 12.30 Pm and 1.30 Pm to 5.30 Pm
Entrance: Rs.150 (Open on all days except on SUNDAY)
