By CHANDRAN IYER
When you look at the palm-fringed beaches of Goa and Puducherry (Pondicherry), you might initially find some similarities. The expansive beaches, crystal blue sea, the swaying coconut, and palm trees, and the humid weather are some of the common denominators between these two cities.
but this similarity ends here. Goa is a heady cocktail of ostentatious parties, loud music, and extravagant living while Puducherry is the epitome of a calm, serene, and meditative environment. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of India and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal to the east and the state of Tamil Nadu with which it shares most of its culture,
I happened to visit Puducherry last year along with my family as we had gone to Chennai to attend a wedding of a relative. Though I am a Tam Bram ( Tamil Brahmin , I have spent a large part of my life in Maharashtra and to some extent in Madhya Pradesh. I did my schooling in Madhya Pradesh in the city of Ratlam and then rest of my life in Maharashtra.
Since we had planned to go to Chennai to attend the wedding we decided to make a short visit to Puducherry. I had fascinated to visit Puducherry for two reasons. One was its French connection. I learned to speak French when I was in my college. Since Puducherry was the largest French colony in India until 1954, when French rule ended, this city has a considerable influence on the French. There are around 6000 French people registered in South India, and of these, about 5,500 are in Pondicherry. Hence I wanted to feel this culture. The second reason I wanted to visit this place was my inner call to visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram located in this city and Auroville village located around 15 km away from the city.
We reached Chennai from Pune which is my hometown by flight and then we booked a prepaid taxi to go to Puducherry. The driver of the cab Satish was very helpful. But he had a strange accent which we found it difficult to understand, I speak Tamil but he was from Karnataka and could only understand a little bit. He however understood basic English so we managed to communicate.
Since we reached Chennai at noon, we were hungry. We wanted to eat typical South Indian meals comprising sambar, rasam, buttermilk, and papads which were served in a plantain leaf. When I asked him what we wanted, he took us to a good restaurant on the way to Puducherry.
The restaurant was Manoj Bhavan located on Chennai- Puducherry Highway. One good thing about the hotel is there is ample parking space and the toilets are clean. The quality of food was not bad though service has considerable scope for improvement.
After a hearty meal, we started for Puducherry. Since it was a coastal area, the weather was oppressive. We had gone to this place in summer. South India is certainly not a great place to visit in the summer. The best time to visit is winter when the weather is pleasant.
Chennai to Puducherry is around 150 km and it took us nearly 3 hours to reach our destination. We had booked a reasonably good hotel The advantage of the hotel was it was around 500 meters away from the beach.
The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French establishments of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam, which lie scattered in South India. Puducherry, the capital of the Territory was once the original headquarters of the French in India, is situated on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal and is about 135 km. from Chennai Airport. It is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the three sides by Tamil Nadu. About 130 km south of Puducherry on the East Coast lies Karaikal. Mahe is situated on the Malabar coast on the Western Ghats surrounded by Kerala and is about 70 km. from Calicut Airport. Yanam is situated adjoining the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is about 200 km. from Visakhapatnam Airport. The main languages spoken here are Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English, and French.
All the regions of Puducherry were under French rule for 138 years. On November 1, 1954, the French possessions in India were de facto transferred to the Indian Union and became a Union Territory. But only in 1963, Puducherry became officially an integral part of India.
Pondicherry is a peaceful city. It is referred to by names such as ‘Quintessence of French Culture’, ‘India’s Little France’, and ‘The French Riviera of the East’. Still, it has the French flavor in it as one can see by the grand colonial mansions, beautiful boulevards, and placid promenades, spellings on sign boards and buildings, and names of roads and public places.
Puducherry still has a large number of Tamil residents with French passports, whose ancestors were in French Governmental service and who chose to remain French at the time of Independence. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French period, there is the French Consulate in Puducherry, several cultural organizations, and the Foyer du Soldat for war veterans of the French Army. Of the cultural organizations, the French Institute, the Alliance Francais, and the Ecole Francais d’Extrème Orient are noteworthy.
The uniqueness of Pondicherry town invariably lies in skillful town planning and Franco-Tamil architecture. The town is built on the model of “bastide”, a fortified French coastal town of the late 18th Century.
The Union Territory with legislature extends over an area of 479 sq. Km. Total population of the Union Territory is 12,44,464, with a literacy rate of 86.55, as per the 2011 Census (Provisional).
In the evening we went to Promenade Beach which is a popular place to enjoy the sunset and walk in the shimmering sand and blue sea waters. Situated in the heart of the city, this beach is a good stress buster. It is the popular stretch of beachfront in the city of Puducherry, along the Bay of Bengal It is a 1.2-kilometer-long stretch in Pondicherry, starting from War Memorial and ending at Dupleix Park on Goubert Avenue.
In the evening we visited Aurbindo Ashram a serene place where one can calmly sit and meditate. Entry to this place is free but one needs to switch off the phone. The place is so peaceful that one can sit and meditate for hours together. There is also a bookshop where you can buy books and photos of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Later we went to a French restaurant for dinner and ordered some French vegetarian food. It did not have a great taste but we wanted to experience something different.
The next day at the crack of dawn we went towards Auroville about 15 km from Puducherry. It is an experimental township in the Viluppuram district, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa and designed by architect Roger Anger.
Today Auroville is recognized as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness. Auroville has its origins in the French language, “Aurore” meaning dawn, and “Ville” meaning village/city. Additionally, it is named after Sri Aurobindo.
In the center of the city is the peace area or Matrimandir. It is a center for meditation. The structure is globe-shaped with a golden metallic plate-like design on the outside. The insides are white as a sign of peace and silence is maintained for tranquillity and serenity. A colossal crystal ball is placed at the center of the meditation chamber that channels and reflects the sunlight. The area is also equipped with a solar power plant, which works after sunset or when there is no sunlight. A spiraling ramp leads to a white marble-covered chamber upstairs that is used as a “place to find one’s consciousness”.
Later we had lunch at Tanto, a popular restaurant in Auroville with Italian & Mediterranean food. It is famous for wood-fired pizzas and pasta.
On the whole, it was a very memorable journey.
How to reach Puducherry
The closest airport is in Chennai, which is around 135 km. from Puducherry (approx 2½ hours journey). Chennai has excellent connections with almost all cities in India and direct connections to Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and South East Asia. Trichy airport (220 km. away) and Bangalore airport (320 km. away) are the other nearby airports.
Villupuram is the nearest railway junction, which is fairly well-connected to places like Chennai, Madurai and Trichy.
Puducherry is well connected to all districts and major towns of various states like Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andra Pradesh. Puducherry is best accessible by road. There are frequent buses, almost every 15 minutes in the day from Chennai (approx. 3½ hours journey). There are frequent buses to Puducherry from places like Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Trichy, Coimbatore and Bangalore.
