Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Culture and legacy makes Pondicherry

A uniquely fused culture and legacy makes Pondicherry a place where time seems to come to a standstill, or better yet, rendered irrelevant

William Strunk had once said that ‘The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.’ And Puducherry is definitely a place where you shouldn’t go if you are pressed for time. A good start then would be a stroll down the Promenade running along the beach. Lined with relics of an era gone by (the old light house, the old jetty) and statues of Joan of Arc and Mahatma Gandhi, it engulfs you in a time warp – a throwback to a splendid time past. The next stop should be the Ashram walk inside Auroville. This is a place that attracts people from all over the world as much because of its mystique and aura as due to its philosophy. While you soak in the amalgamation of cultures past, you can spare time to pick-up handmade paper (rather aesthetically designed), candles, incense sticks or even the clothes they wear at the Ashram. But that’s about all the shopping Puducherry allows, simply because it is not a place meant for indulgence in material pleasures like shopping or having a night out on town – it is sleepy and spiritual almost to a fault.

One pleasure you can indulge in though, is food. A delectable mix of French and South Indian cuisine will have your platter full as far as your gastronomic trip is concerned at Puducherry. Whether it is sea-food, especially prawns, or French cuisine at the heritage hotel – Hotel De L’ Orient – or south Indian ‘meals’, the food completes the laid-back experience in Puducherry.

There is just one thing that makes sense experiencing here – sitting back and watching the world go by. Some feel relaxed by it, some feel emboldened to reevaluate the meaning of their lives, still others look for deeper spiritual quests, but one thing that’s common to everyone who come to Puducherry is this – it’s a holiday experience like no other.


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