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Cherry on the waterfront
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If you are looking for beaches which are unpretentious, try Puducherry
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French touch The old Lighthouse and the façade of Le Dupleix
Solitude is the biggest rarity these days. Solace comes a close second. Here bothcome for free. Puducherry or Pondicherry as it was once called, is not any other sea shore destination where some young things put a song like “Aa Khushi Se Khudk
ushi Kar Lein” and take the song almost literally. Having once been the capital of the erstwhile French India, the heritage of this town has a special flavour not found anywhere else in the country. For instance where will you find roads names likes rue St. Louis or rue de la marine. Or policemen dressed like French police in traditional kepi. Here you can enjoy the waves in an outfit you deem fit, with nobody begging for your attention or possession. Here you can read your favourite novel on the seafront languidly on comfy benches for free. Or simply jog down the promenade rubbing shoulders with people of different skin colours. The beauty of the place is that it is enriched with all the luxuries that a tourist craves for. Yet Puducherry doesn’t scream that it is a tourist destination.
The French, Tamil, cosmopolitan, local and global…the mysterious blend of culture of Puducherry cannot be expressed in words. It can only be experienced in body and soul. The French sense of town planning on a grid system with neatly laid intersecting roads, a wide and vibrant beach promenade, French colonial history, the eventful life of the great French General and Governor Joseph Francois Dupleix, whose majestic statue overlooks the Goubert Avenue, architecturally admirable churches and public structures of a bygone era, all of these coalesce to give Puducherry its unique character. The clean roads, all of which lead to a beach, make you feel the place hasn’t been exploited. Thank God!
The attractions
Sri Aurobindo Ashram is one place that defines Puducherry. It is based on a unique spiritual concept revolving around work as a divine offering. There are no rituals, no compulsory meditation and practices. Here lies the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo, the revolutionary turned saint and the Mother, his most famous disciple.
Then seamlessly gelling with the quaint white and yellow French quarter is the Tamil section which bustles with activity and colour. The road from the quiet Ashram leads you to a huge temple where an elephant is always ready to bless you with its trunk.
Besides Ashram, if you want to explore the world and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and Mother, the township of Auroville is a must visit. It is a unique experiment in celebrating unity in diversity. Our guide Pascale Kerambrun told us it was founded in 1968 when youth from 128 nations and Indian states met together and placed the earth from their places of origin in an urn, symbolic of international understanding. At the centre of the township stands Matri Mandir, which is uniquely constructed in the form of a globe. It is a place for quiet concentration.
Where to stay
The Ashram guest houses in Puducherry are a great value if you can live without smoking, drinking and are in bed by 10.30 p.m. With the opening of Le Dupleix and The Promenade, the place has got two design-oriented hotels for the top end. Once the official residence of the famous Mayor of Pondicherry, this 18th Century villa had been restored and modernised. It showcases the life of Marquis Joseph Francois Dupleix. The hotel is also known for bringing Puducherry on the culinary map of India. The cosmopolitan culture of Puducherry is reflected in the menu particularly the feeling that the food is truly European in this small corner of India.
Situated next to the light house, in The Promenade most of the rooms overlook the sparkling waters of the Bay of Bengal. Here one can see the changing mood of the sea all day long. Its roof terrace provides an ideal setting for a quiet dinner. Never mind if the wind is strong…just let yourself go.
ANUJ KUMAR
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