Pondicherry

One reason you possibly feel that way is that you are bound to be over pampered with attention everywhere else in India - You don't realize it but almost everyone that approaches you expects to make a quick extra buck from you. Aurovillians have their own agenda which a global experiment in green living. It is not meant to be a commercial tourist paradise. The people you meet give up earnings and income in regular society and only receive something equivalent to"pocket money" in return from Auroville (not talking about shops) and they typically commit their life savings to live and work in Auroville. Hence they are not going to try and win you over as in other tourist hotspots as they have their own deeply personal agenda. And "YOU" are not going figure in their priorities.

The idea I got after a 10 days stay there was that one is typically expected to visit Auroville with a different agenda - to understand their vision and experiments with the challenges and progress they have made towards sustainable living.

HTH

I know very good about Auroville's history and the agenda of the Aurovillians, but thanks for the short lecture, maybe it is helpful for someone else. Actually the whole concept appeals to me very much.

But I still don't see how any "agenda" has the power to stop people from being normal friendly and smiling, especially when you are dealing with customers.

well, to each his own. It was just an observance and will not give me grey hair worrying about it.