Pondicherry Rendezvous

Just got back from a nice and relaxing trip to Pondicherry , what used to be known as the French Riviera of the east.

Some Facts:

Pondy has been recently rechristened into Puducherry , the original Tamil name which means "new village". Puducherry town is the headquarters of the Union Territory of Puducherry which comprises Puducherry, Karaikal, Yaman and Mahe - four widely separated towns.

I was surprised to find that this small little coastal town tucked away in South East corner of India has had traders from across the world starting from the Romans who came here in the 1st century A.D. as the Excavations near Arikamedu reveal. It also had other Europeans (Portuguese, Danes and Dutch) come in for trade and to setup establishments.

The French first came to Pondy in 1673, and started to transform the sleeping little fisherman's village into a profitable port-town. Around 1761, the town was totally destroyed by the English and French in their power struggle .The reign of the town swung between the two nations for the next half a century till The French regained complete control of the town in 1816 and which stayed with them till 1954, when it merged with the Indian Union. Pondy also turned out to be retreat for Indian freedom fighters escaping the English, including Sri Aurobindo.

The Town:

Pondy is ideal for a short/weekend getaway near the South East Coast of India. One can either drive down to Pondy , which takes approx 6-8hrs (320kms) from Bangalore or take one of the numerous bus services that connect it. I booked myself the reasonably priced and convenient KSRTC bus ticket (300Rs AC Volvo). The bus leaves Bangalore around 11pm and you reaches Pondy just in time to witness the brilliance of the morning sunrise over the coast of Bay of Bengal.

I had booked my self into the Park Guest House, run by Aurobindo Ashram but it was too early for check in and so I dumped my rucksack in the locker provided at the entrance and headed straight to the sea front Promenade that starts right at the Guest House entrance. As I walked down the Promenade and caught the spectacular first glimpse of the sunrays shimmering over the Waterfront and heard the sound of the waves crashing into the boulders, I knew my vacation had just begun!!

The Promenade, stretches about 1.5kms across the length of the Sea is well maintained (spotlessly clean) and has the sea on one side and several old colonial buildings (lighthouse, custom house, war memorial etc.) on the other. Early in the mornings and evenings, traffic to the beach road is restricted making it a walker’s paradise.

There are tons of options for sacking out in Pondy with places starting as low as Rs100 and going all the way unto Rs7000 a night. I had got a last minute booking into the Park Guest House run by the Ashram .

The easiest way to get around Pondy is to hire a cycle/bike(20/100 Rs a day) either from the Guest House/City shops. One can also explore quite a bit of the town on foot walking around. Grab a map of the town from the tourism office right there on the beach road and you are all set.

As one explores Pondy one finds 2 distinct parts, the French and the Tamil quarters, the distinct layout was created during the 18^th century. You might just bump into some strange sounding street signs (Rue Romain Rolland) by Indian standards. The signs here are both in French and Tamil . The French Quarter street names are after the Saints mentioned in the Catholic Calendar or French Provinces while the Indian Quarter has names after craftsmen, traders, occupants and prominent Indian persons.

As one enters the French Quarters you are immediately transported into a charming town in France with its well laid out streets at right angle, clean and pollution free streets, the residences characterized by its European Classical style structure with elaborate gateways, wooden balconies and parapets. It’s an Architect/Photographers dream destination to be able to walk around at leisure and notice the period architecture. There are some interesting heritage buildings like the Hotel Lag Renée De Mezieries (1772) that now runs an embroidery center or couple of such old houses turned heritage hotels like Hotel Del Orient or Hotel Le Duplex. Both these hotels have been thoughtfully persevered from the 18^th century and captures the grandeur of the bygone era.

For the inquisitive minded, a visit to the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), a reservoir of knowledge on the cultures, societies and environments of India is a must. It has gathered and preserved valuable ancient manuscripts like the Shaiva, a part of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” Collection .

Pondy is also renowned across the world for Aurobindo Ashram , which currently has the samadhi of Aurobindo and Mother, his spiritual collaborator . Aurobindo evolved a new method of spiritual practice called “Internal Yoga” and one attend several meditation sessions conducted by the Ashram or pickup some books/material.

For the shoppers there are boutiques that sell handmade articles/clothes (I found them a little on the costlier side) and antique shops. For the booklovers, one can walk into the small but well stocked Book Café(they don’t sell caffeine though!!). For the foodie there are several eating joints, which serve French, Italian, Indian stuff and also the local ‘Creole’ cuisine. I had some really yummy firewood Pizzas at “Au Feu De Bois “ at Bussy Street and hearty friendly chat with Mathy( person at the oven).

As you cross over to the Tamil Quarter you are transported back to the real India, far away from your laid back and beautiful french experience. You come across the familiar chaos, traffic, litter on the streets. This is the newer part of Pondy and few old structures mingle with the newer structures. I was surprised to see far too many shops around these streets; its probably meant for tourists and one can possibly get some good bargains here. I also found a few temples and churches around this place, however since I am not the religiously inclined I didn’t venture into any. I had a nice Tamil meal at “Surguru “ on Mission St. and also ventured into “Focus”, a bookshop that has a very good collection of books.

One can spend a day or two, exploring this part of India and walking across the seafront Promenade.

Auroville

Some Facts:

Auroville is a self sufficient community experimenting with an entirely new concept in education and urban living, 10kms away from the main township of Pondy with 75% of it being foreign nationals from 35 different countries.

The small township of Auroville or the City of Dawn was started in 1968.The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother envisioned a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.

At the center of the town lies the peace area compromising the Matrimandir, a huge meditation hall in the center of Auroville. The town has been planned into 3 different areas – Peace area, City zone (Industrial, Residential, International, Cultural) and Green Belt. Its recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness, it is also concerned with and practically researching into various aspects of - sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind

Community:

The best way to reach Auroville is to hire a bike from Pondy and drive down the short distance, or else hire a taxi. Once inside you are transported into a different world of community living, away from the urban chaos. Commuting within Auroville would require a cycle/bike that can either be hired from Pondy, if you driving down from there or get one from one of the community guest houses. There are also some really nice places within the community for sacking out starting from Rs 100 – Rs 1000. The folks at the community, who own small settlements, let out small huts/permanent houses for visitors. I found a couple of really nice places for a traveler looking out for something basic and close to nature.

One can just laze around Auroville for a few days or even attend some workshops, spiritual sessions.

Pics from Pondy:
Sun n Sand
Streets of Pondy

Useful Links:

Driving down to Pondy