Puducherry, a city nestled by the sea edge, was once colonized by the French, the British, the Dutch, and the Portuguese. Before being used as a port town by various colonials, Pondicherry was home to Vedic scholars and was known as Vedapuri.
In the modern day known as ” The French Riviera of the East.” it is a famous getaway destination for anyone seeking clean beaches, peaceful shores, beautiful French and Dutch architectural heritages, a blend of mouth-watering cuisines, colorful cafes, streets, and a place for spiritual practice above all creed, politics, and nationalities, i.e., Auroville.
After a good night’s sleep, I woke up to some guys (roommates) conversing in the room. To start the day with a cup of chai, I came out of the hostel to look for a tea stall. Even though it was around 9:00 in the morning, the street was bustling with people. After walking a distance, I found a chai shop and had my drink there while thinking about places to visit on my first day, considering it was Monday and a workday too. Finished with my morning routine, I packed my bag with my laptop, essentials, and a water bottle and took the first step towards the nearby seashore. I decided to take it easy for the first day and planned to wander and explore places I could cover by foot (Actually couldn’t plan a thing). While following google maps with Sunglasses on, I was checking out all I could on my way, such as shops, Vendors, buildings, and students coming out of school. After some time, I crossed the French Canal that separates the Indian Quarters and French Quarters(which lies towards the side of the sea).
The other side of the French Canal
On the other side of the canal, not only did the names of streets change to French(Romain Rolland St., Rue de leveche, etc. ), But the color and designs of buildings also switched to bright villas with beautifully designed balconies and windows, and with lamps beside majestic doors as we usually see in English movies.
The walls were Peach, orange, yellow, pink, and other multiple combinations of colors, with windows made of ornate wooden grills. Though, there was much more to see in this French Quarter known as White Town. I wanted to experience some freshness of the sea first. With each step I took, I was getting near the shore and could feel the breeze coming with the susurration of waves.
The Promenade Beach
The weather was slightly hot, so while taking a sip out of a cold bottle of flavored milk, when I glanced over the unbounded blue sea, it felt so soothing that I decided to sit there on one of the rocks of Rock Beach.
I felt like eating something after a while. So I visited a nearby cafe and had a fruit dish. The area was not much crowded because it was afternoon(You won’t believe how different things are in the evening). The complete scenery of the promenade beach looks like something out of a painting where one side of the road has buildings and cafes with French design while the side has a beautiful big ocean.
While walking on the beach road, I passed through the famous 13 feet high Mahatma Gandhi statue surrounded by eight pillars installed on 26th January 1965 built by renowned artist Roy Choudhary. And opposite to that was the French war memorial. Then few meters away, I came across one of the famous cafes of Pondicherry, i.e., Le Cafe, which I planned to visit later. The other things I saw while walking on Goubert Road(Beach Road) were some graffiti, an old Lighthouse from 1836, government offices, handicraft shops, a memorial of BR Ambedkar, and the Marquis Dupleix statue, who was a French Governor of Pondicherry(on right side of the road).
While on the left was Pondicherry shore beach and the new sand beach in continuous to Rock beach.
The Beaches, once very broad and sandy, now face coastal erosion due to a 2 km long sea wall constructed to protect the city from waves first built by the French in 1735, then restructured in 1989.
On the other side of the Beach
With Rock Beach covered, I went towards the inner streets and saw a craft bazaar with shops on both sides with pavement in between connecting two streets. Once used as a venue for the Liberation Day celebration, now this used to sell varieties of handicrafts, coconut shell crafts, vases, toys, handmade fragrances, stone, wood carved products, etc.
Going from street to street, watching buildings and villas, I noticed it was time to log in to the system for work, So I went to Bharati Park on Rue Saint Gilles Street nearby.
At the center, the park has a monument called Aayi Mandapam, designed in a Greco-Roman structure dedicated to Aayi, a famous lady courtesan who demolished her house to build the water reservoir for the city.
A fort built by the French after capturing Puducherry from Dutch and later razed by the British in the 18th century has become a Park with lush green grass and various stone carvings Now.
I sat under a tree on a stone chair while looking at people having fun in the park. I opened my laptop and logged in.
Getting free from work, I walked towards the Raj Niwas opposite Bharathi Park, once used as a governers house by the French, and said to have multiple artifacts, a magnificent collection of crockeries, silver wares, statues, coins, and piano, etc. But due to the Covid situation, I was not allowed the visit inside.
On the right side of the Raj Niwas lies the Pondicherry Museum which also I couldn’t visit because it stays closed on Mondays. So I planned to come afterward.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Call it a day. I decided to move toward the hostel now. Walking through Marine Street, I saw a beautiful greyish building with white columns. Getting close, I discovered that it is one of the finest heritage properties in Puducherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It was founded over 100 years ago by Sri Aurobindo, a poet, philosopher, and yoga guru after he retired from politics.
Aurobindo and his followers(with the same ideals) started living there and practiced reading, writing, and meditation. In 1920, an ardent follower of Sri Aurobindo, Mira Alfassa, known as ‘The Mother,’ came to Puducherry to seek his guidance.
As time flew, the community kept getting bigger and, today is over 2000 members and has several departments like a nursing home, library, sports playground, etc.
While entering the Ashram, I was instructed to keep my mobile phone switched off as photography is not allowed and to maintain silence so that people inside living and meditating would not be disturbed. The first room I visited was a library with over 80k books and recordings in over 25 languages. Some of which were written by Sri Aurobindo and Mira themselves. Next, I saw a bookstore and visitor center where we could watch a short movie about how the Ashram formed.
After that, I visited the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and ‘The Mother’ with people meditating near. Paid my obeisance, I came out of Ashram and walked toward the hostel.
Getting lost on the very first day
While having my evening chai around the corner in front of the canal while returning, I had a call with my colleague. As this was a different lane from what I came through earlier, I wasn’t sure where to take turns and wasn’t checking maps either, being on call. In addition to that, my mobile got switched off, so I started wandering through unfamiliar paths by assuming the direction of the hostel street. And after some time, I realized I was circling the same area when I came across the same building.
After getting directions from some people, I finally reached MG Road and walked towards the hostel. On reaching the hostel, I took some rest while charging my phone, and after went to the terrace carrying my laptop.
Taking my seat while looking at the sunset and feeling the freshness of the air, I opened my laptop and started working…
