Pondy: A Sure Destination for Peace, Pleasure & Bliss! For Rest & Relaxation & Some mild non-taxing but fascinating activities to make the most of ourselves. They rightly say, ’Pondy is like nowhere in India’! How True! It is sssooo cool & unique !
I. INTRODUCTION:
a)Pondy does greatly appeal to & please one & all like ’sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, ease after war’. It is a welcome getaway from the hustle-bustle, fast-paced life with its routine ’nose-grind’ with our feet tied to the wheel, & the hollow ’rat race’ of chasing the mirage of material success.
b) Cool Ride: With a light bag of clothes, camera, toiletries, I reached the Central Metro Bus Terminal at Koyambedu, Chennai around 5.30 in the morning after a light breakfast & a hot cup of Coffee. Caught the Point-to-point Bus to Pondy via East Coast Road, Tamilnadu’s Pride. The Bus started at 6 a.m. sharp. I enjoyed the cool ride down the ECR. We had some appetisers like sweet cool coconut water, ultra-cool cucumber, mouth-watering palm tree fruits (nungu, as it is called) & Jack Fruit. It was 9 a.m. when I reached Pondicherry.
c) Immediately, I checked into The Park Guest House on Goubert Avenue & occupied the room facing the sea reserved for me. After some rest & face-wash & change of clothes & the mandatory Coffee, I set out to explore the town.
II. Why do they say, ’Pondy is like nowhere in India’ ? What’s so special & unique about it?
a) First the Place: It is a well planned & laidout compact Grid Patterned Town. A new visitor can’t help noticing the straight & even streets turning at right angles & the Bilingual (French & Tamil) Street-name Signs, the cops with RED flat-top French hats.. Pondy Consists of The White City occupied by the French in the past & The Black City, occupied by the majority Indian Population living there & (the Canal dividing) . Most of the Tourist hotspots are spread in & around the French Quarter. Temples & Churches coexist. There are parallel Streets & Boulevards running round the main parts of the town.
b) What’s the Town famous for? ’The Ashram, the Beach, the Alcohol & the Food’ It is a Tourist Destination & so, there are several hotels, motels, guest houses, Executive Suits, lodges & resorts to stay in to suit every budget, cheap, mid-range or Luxurious. It is a place for exotic cuisins of the best quality & continental food, Wide range of cuisins, liquors & cigars. It is regarded as a shopping paradise. You can rest assured that all your needs will be best taken care of!
c) People & Life: People are outgoing, warm, casual, informal and loving. They are tourist-friendly & know how to help & please the visitors. They are slow, unhurrying & slack and take life easy & a fun. We can see deserted streets & no-vehicle zones for certain hours for pedestrians’ convenience & traffic-jam is totally alien to this place of broad roads.The town is noted for absence of pollution & architectural Charm. It has an efficient bus transport system & one can cover the whole town on a bicyle or by bus. In the French way, nothing stirs during the lunch-break between 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. when all shops are closed. That is the time for sumptuous exotic cuisine, rest & Siesta! Here in Pondy Liquor flows free & cheap!
d) Where to go & What To See /do? Fast-track Tourist Hotspots:. Miss not
Poet Patriot Bharathiars Home @ Easwaran Dharmaraja Street,
His Disciple Bharathi Dasan’s Museum @ Perumal Koil St.,
The Pondicherry Museum: Archaelogical section, the Sculpture Gallery, The French Gallery & other sections showcasing the Art, culture & History of the people.
The Botanical Gardens dating back to 1826 with great many rare species of plants (about 1500)
The Famous Manakkula Vinayagar Temple @ MV Street (in existence since 1873)
The Churches: Mainly The Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus with stained colorful glass panels depicting the life-scenes of Jesus Christ.
Ankanmedu:(6k.m from Pondy) Geological Excavations: confirm trade with Rome & Greece. Chunnambar (7k.m. from Pondy) Boat house for Boating & Watersports
Tiruvakkarai : The National Fossil Wood Park where we can see trees turned into stones in the expanse of 200+ acres in 9 separate enclaves.
36 feet high Panchamukha Anjaneya at Papanchavadi ( near Pondy)
Pichavaram: 10 km beyond Pondy on the ECR. One can go on a speedboat, kayaky or a canoe.
III. Some Places To Look Inward:
a) Aurobindo Ashram: What Eiffel Tower is to Paris, Aurobindo Asram is to Pondy. Visitors are attracted to this place of spiritual charm to pay homage to the Samadhi’s (Cenetophs) of Aurobindo & the Mother (Mirra Alfassa)situated in the midst of a garden of colorful flowers of every hue & scent.This place is spiritually uplifting with all silence, reverence, floral inner-quietude & charm. Here, Yoga & meditation is a way of life.You can look with in & listen to your heart & the chirping birds..
b) Next in order comes the Aeroville (10 k.m. from Pondy), meaning ’The City of Dawn’. It is the place for International Community to live together without any difference of color, creed, language, culture, religion & nationality. There are around 40 settlements for 1000 & odd residents of different nationalities. It is the International Township for harmony. The Architectural Marvel, Spherical dome-shaped Matri Mandir is surrounded by the settlements & great many varieties of flowers , shrubs & trees. .There is a Meditation Hall in the Mandir with the Largest Single Glass Crystal spreading the sunlight all over the hall- A Soul-Stirring Experience. The restless mind gets the oxygen / ozone of silence & peace of mind. Peace & Tranquility reigns supreme there.
IV. A Leisurely Evening Stroll in the Promenade along The Beach:
Without this, the trip would remain incomplete.The beach has a Rocky Wall Front as the town is protected by a 1.5 mile long sea-wall , 27 feet high. You’ll find a large crowd of people strolling here & there enjoying the sea-breeze, having fun, making merry & enjoying themselves there in the evening when the area becomes no-vehicle zone.Almost the major monuments & buildings & Parks are lined there. There is the famous Aayi Mandapam in the Park built in honor of a 16th Century Courtesan, Aayi, There are imposing statues of Dupleix, Joan of Arc & Mahatma Gandhi (4m. tall). In the Government Park, we can see the grand Buildings of Govt. Offices, Assembly, The Lt.Governor’s Palace noted for French Architectural excellance, old-world charm & aesthetic appeal..It is a stretch people love to spend hours and hours there & be reluctant to leave. That is why it is called, ’A Walker’s Paradise. After drinks & supper, I took a late night Deluxe bus to reach Chennai at 6 a.m.