Pondicherry : Beyond French Quarters!

When I think about Pondicherry, it evokes a sense of tranquility and reminds me of those symmetrically aligned roads all inspired by and made similar to the French Quarters. This is the one place in India which completely transported me to Europe and it was hard not to get entranced by its beauty.

We all met in Chennai and a 4 hours night journey in a cab brought us to the Union Territory of Pondicherry. And as habit goes I posted a story on my Instagram! And this triggered a chain of events which was quite unexpected.

As morning dawned and we woke up from our slumber all we could think of was food. And so we gave ourselves what we wanted-a wholesome breakfast at La Mission Cafe. It was right around the corner of our hotel. And their pesto sauce was so good that we sampled it with almost all of our food.

Pro tip no 1: You can make your stay cheap if you opt to stay at the many guesthouses that Aurobindo ashram offers- but beware they have strict rules so it is better to check them out first.

We visited Basilica of the sacred heart of Jesus and spent a few calming moments there being grateful for what we had, of which I don’t have any photographed records.This happened in the evening when my new mobile had an unexplained factory reset erasing all my not-so backed up data. Sad I know!

We had a lunch consisting of wood-fired oven pizzas and garlic bread at Cafe Xtasi. For me, a place is all about its attractions and food. And I didn’t want to miss out on either. And therefore we went about the whole city, experimenting with all the well-known food joints.

Our plan was to rent bikes and head towards Paradise beach. And the way to reach it was via a boat which allows you a time period of 2 hours on the beach and then you have to head out with the same boat that you came with. But naturally the beach got to us and we spent more than mere 2 hours.

So like all the beaches this beach had sand, salt water with the waves hitting on the shore and people in bikinis and shorts! But what set this beach apart was that it was secluded and far away from the city and the 2-hour system even ensured that the crowd was limited. Well, I can’t complain about a place which allows me to have my own breathing space.

We heightened our senses with music blaring out of our speakers and played beach volleyball while Suyash took our videos. We were playing like amateurs when two professional volleyball players joined us and we were stumped by their skills. These girls gave us a hard time running for the volleyball from one end to another. As tired as we got it was worth every single second- burning calories as we went!

Till the time we came back to our hotel the sun had already set! Around this time my Mumbai friend Vishwas (who is currently studying in Chennai) had seen my story and was like, ” I am just 2 hrs away!” So I replied saying, “Then you should come here.” Who knew that this flippant remark would actually get him to Pondy! But it did and for better!

The next day we had a huge breakfast! Huge here indicates that we had everything that a person could possibly have for a breakfast, you name it- cereals, milk, coffee/tea, omelet, toast, fruits blah blah and blah. Due to the breakfast, we got energized like a wind-up toy and rode our bikes for half an hour straight to Auroville- The City of Dawn.

Auroville is an experimental township built on a 20 square km of barren wasteland. Talk about the productive use of land! Not just that it was built with an agenda that every being can live in harmony in this township.

At Auroville, if you don’t have a scooter or car you either go in rickshaws or walk the entire stretch of land. We did the latter part. Our luck was testing us as we chose a day when everything was closed in Auroville. We had gone on Diwali. So all we could do was see the Matri Mandir from its viewing point and have lunch at one of the places that were open for business. In all, it had this aura of peace and opulence which made me wish that I could come here once more to watch Auroville in its entirety.

Pro tip no 2: If you plan on coming to Pondicherry then try coming to Auroville and staying there for few months. This will allow you to participate in their various volunteering programs where you can help on their farm, take yoga sessions in the Matri Mandir etc. If you get lucky then the inner circle can invite you to their parties which are quite exclusive.

This is where Vishwas met us.He came with a plan on spending the day with us and then going back in the evening.But until the end of the day, he had gelled up with everyone so beautifully that we didn’t let him go until it was absolutely necessary.

Later we visited the Auroville beach which was like any other beach in India, full of rustic boats, broken thatched roofs and an elevated shoreline with small kiosks selling local food.

We wanted to do so much more but weren’t able to due to the festival. So we left Auroville with heavy hearts but were still ready to explore Pondicherry with the same gusto. Then we went tripsy (local word for three people on one bike-violating so many laws) all the way to the Promenade/ Rock beach. This place closes down past 6 pm for vehicles and only pedestrians are allowed to walk on the Promenade. In the middle of this Promenade, there is a looming statue of Gandhiji which is quite a sight for the eye with pillars all around it.

As it neared dusk there were more and more people thronging into this area and that’s when we knew it was time to leave. After a proper 30 mins worth of photoshoot, we all left to get changed and leave for dinner. Photoshoot- because we couldn’t deny the aesthetic walls of Pondy a chance of getting photographed!

Then at night, we tried to get a table at Villa Shanti and Domus (one of the finest restaurants for authentic food) but to no vain. And after a thorough search for restaurants, we got a table at an open to the sky restaurant Satsanga. It even had a bohemian touch to it. Super simple food but much to our liking it felt good!

And later in our hotel, we converted our room into a dance club. As we danced our hearts out we let out our exhaustion and disappointments of the day. We even convinced Vishwas to stay for one more day with much convincing done on our part.

Our last day we had few special things lined up. We had waffles and fries for breakfast at Kaffee Express. Every morsel melted in our mouth with finesse. It became our favorite spot then and there.

Next, we went to Aurobindo ashram where we weren’t allowed to click any photos and were expected to maintain pin drop silence. When we entered the ashram it was like stepping from a very noisy college campus into a well-kept library, but even better. We sat near the samadhis of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother which were covered with fresh flowers. The ashram’s purpose is to promote spirituality and meditation.

My defining moment of the trip was when we sat there and I saw a very magical event take place right in front of my eyes. There were few squirrels which lept up on the guard’s lap. They were playing with his fingers and eating food right out of his hands. The guard told us that the squirrels knew him and that’s why they were comfortable with him. It was so unexpected to see their tiny little faces up close. This act was so shocking and yet pure in its nature that it brought tears to my eyes.

 

It reminded me of a lecture where my professor was telling us that if he traveled he could sit at one place for hours and not rush to other attraction sites, unlike today’s generation who are always on the run. It made me realize that I could look at this sight of the squirrel forever.

There was a quote written in the ashram ‘Feel the peace, Know the peace, Be the peace, the peace, the peace, the peace’. And this was where I felt utmost at par with my soul.

After coming out we went to Aurobindo paper factory. It was a heaven for me and Sush. We experienced how they dyed different papers with different colors and different techniques like marble effect and much more. I shopped to my heart’s content at their store buying sheets of various papers with different textures. It was every crafter’s dream.

Our last stop was the pristine shores of Serenity beach. It was a beach with a short shoreline but its beauty was amplified thousand times over when we watched it from the balcony view of a restaurant. As we sat there watching the people playing in the sea we reminisced about our time in Pondy and were feeling wistful.

All the stupidity and jokes that always prevailed while we all were together, it was exactly what made the trip memorable and now that we had to leave for another destination we started feeling sad. We said our goodbyes to Vishwas and left for our further destination feeling blue.

My Pondicherry vlog: