Friday, November 10, 2006

The small place could be covered on foot

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 Pondicherry-Giving time a break !
The red circles formed a gleaming halo around the calendar dates. The routine weekend with the added bonus of a Monday and Tuesday was a divine interruption to the maddening pace of official activity. Kudos to the diverse and ebullient festive spirits of the Indian citizen! Plans were made in advance to rise up to the occasion. I was sure of many other Sanjays marking their calendars. Scuttled on the narrow roads and in front of 15 inch monitors, inhaling lungs-full of carbon monoxide laden air – almost everyone will be looking forward to the weekend. True to my certification in project planning, I reserved spaces at a midrange hotel in Pondicherry. We were set to take a break in Pondicherry for the Diwali, Ramdan holidays.
The Maruti Alto Lxi the part of our extended family was made ready with a general check-up for the 7 hr journey.We started early on Saturday morning to make sure we are in at the hotel for lunch. Also wanted to hit the road early to avoid any heavy traffic. In addition to the routine carry-on items, made sure I have kept few shorts for the beaches, Outlook Traveller Getaways and printouts from various sites telling me what to do in Pondicherry.I took a different route than the one mentioned in the book. After hitting Hosur Road from Bangalore, the road was empty as expected. However there were some trucks that will make you shift the gears down.
At Krishnagiri, we took the road to Chennai. Around one km from the junction that divides the road to Chennai and that of Salem, you need to take a right. If you are NOT looking out you will miss the board pointing towards Pondicherry. We got into the state road, much better than many of the state roads I have gotten into. The initial stretch had freshly laid bitumen. The road takes you all the way to Pondicherry. Krishnagiri–Uthangiri–Chengam–Thruvanmalai–Didivanam – Pondicherry. The road turns somewhat dangerous during the uthangiri–chengam stretch and a bit beyond. A smooth road is ominously interrupted with potholes, which could prove dangerous if you do not hit the brake pedals at the right time. The journey will take you a travel time of around 7 hrs excluding the stoppages.
Entry into Pondicherry was marked by the famous JIPMER campus. The town was dotted conspicuously with liquor shops–one of the top reasons why people flock into Pondicherry. We checked into hotel Surguru–a hotel with decent enough car parking. Many refer to Pondicherry as a place having a French hangover!(owing to earlier French occupation). Having studied French, I was thinking of trying out my French too! I was to expect ‘Merci’ and ‘Bon jour’. However I was in for a surprise. The small place could be covered on foot, if you really want to do so and merge with the local population. Owing to the Diwali weekend, the beach was crowded. The monuments along the beach – Gandhiji’s statue, the lighthouse, the War memorial were not different from the umpteen ones you might have seen at many place. The beach itself was not exciting, except for some big waves breaking against the huge boulders which seemed to have smoothened over the years. The beaches are a thumbs-down especially if you have been to the sun bathed sandy beaches of Goa or Kerala.
Pondicherry is divided into two quarters (someone needs to educate me on why they are quarters and not halves). The French Quarter and the Tamil Quarter. You are familiar with the latter. You have come across them in Tamil Nadu or even in Singapore or Malaysia–wherever you find the population. The French quarter is more sedate and calm. The streets or Rues cut each other at right angles. Aurobindo Ashram, Vinayagar Kovil, Notre Dame des Anges(The Church of Our Lady of the Angels) are some places to see or visit during your stay. 8 kms from Pondicherry on the way to Cudalloore falls Chunnabar. Access to backwaters there offers facilities like pedal boats, speed boats etc in a small creek. The backwaters didn’t seem to have much depth.
Auroville–the utopian paradise conceived by Mother ( Aurobindo’s spiritual collaborator) lies around 12 kms Northwest of Pondicherry. The idea was to build a city with a culture of goodwill and harmony among human beings. The Matri Mandir-a finely-crafted structure-forms the focal point of Auroville. It is said that during its inauguration ceremony representatives from 124 countries placed a handul of earth from their homelands in a lotus-shaped urn in a symbolic gesture of human unity.The shopping areas fall in MG Road, Mission Road, Nehru Street etc. however I did not find anything unique to Pondicherry to carry back as a memento or as a lingering taste in my mouth.
So here is my take of things you should do in Pondicherryo Visit the Pondicherry Tourism Office (PTTDC) as soon as you reach. Pick up the Travel Guide & Magazine. This has enough information from eateries, places to visit, packages available with a mapo Leave your car at the hotel. Take a bicycle on rent and explore the streets.o Things to buy include – Petrol (costs Rs 10/litre less vis-à-vis Bangalore), BeerSome of the resources on web that provide useful information are Pondicherry Tourism , AurovilleLeave your baggage of unfinished program codes, unmet sales targets, unsuccessful speed dates and be one among the many on the Pondicherry streets. The people are really friendly, helping us with directions etc. However the laziness in the air seemed to have got on to the motorists. It is a common sight to find people in two-wheelers moving side-by-side merrily immersed in their conversations!The official tag line or punch line of Pondicherry Tourism board reads
Pondicherry–Give Time a Breakand probably that sums up what it can offer. Carry back memories of a break where time just stopped. Sanjay Gopinath Labels: , , , posted by Vagabond Mind @ 4:22 PM Kochi, Kerala, IN

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