Soul Cleansing at PONDICHERRY

“A Dream ~ There should be somewhere on earth, a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony.”

This perfectly summarises my experience called ‘Pondicherry’ in a nutshell.

Fiddling with Google Maps on the location of Hotel South Avenue, I walked straight out of the Pondicherry railway station, amused at how it was showing a total transit time of just 1 minute to reach my destination hotel. And there it was – right in front of the station exit. We just had to cross the road to enter the hotel premises (I’ve never had such a convenient hotel booking before though!). Since the check-in was at 12 noon, we dropped our baggage at the reception and headed out to explore the beautiful city and look for some appetising breakfast. So, here we go, about the eateries to look out for in Pondicherry (my personal favourites)!

A FOODIE’S DELIGHT

Le Cafe, White Town

Situated on the Rock Beach of Pondicherry, this is the only waterfront cafe in that stretch, facing the dreamy waters of the Bay of Bengal. Since it was known for good continental breakfasts, we chose to opt for one with bread toasts, sandwiches, sunny side up fried eggs, fresh fruit juices and what not! The ambience of this cafe is perfect for a nice and peaceful breakfast or brunch, alongside the waves of the sea.

Daily Bread

We came across this unique eatery, which runs exclusively on solar energy – This somehow attracted us to explore its options. Serves sumptuous food, at a reasonable price. We tried French Baguette Chicken Sandwich and Baked Fish Portuguese. Loved the sandwich – crispy outside and deliciously soft inside! The first bite of Baked Fish will taste queer, but then the taste grows over you and you will end up lapping all of it! Finally, I signed off with a decent banana pancake. Overall, they serve a nice variety of food, pleasant ambience, neat place, very polite staff and great service! Should be a must-visit in Pondicherry for a foodie.

Sea Gulls SeaView Restaurant, White Town

It has a very simple setup, but serves great food with perfect sea-side ambience, Chicken 65 is a must try here! This place is flanked by a dream boardwalk view – a must visit to experience serenity, by blissfully gazing into the waves lapping the shores. 

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Though I missed out on this one during my trip, it is a must-visit for people seeking for a blissful food experience. Breakfast includes brown bread slices with butter, vegetable dalia (broken wheat with veggies), chocolate milk and ripe bananas. Lunch includes rice, lentils cooked with vegetables, curd and ripe bananas. Dinner includes chapatis, rice, lentils cooked with vegetables, milk and chocolate powder (optional). The simplicity of this menu and the fact that each individual ingredient is cultivated in the Ashram itself, sets it apart from other cuisine options.

EXPLORING THE CITY AND BEYOND

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

My love for the peace and sanctity of the church took me to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was hardly 300 meters from the hotel I was put up with. Coincidentally, it was in the midst of its midweek service and at its best. The gleam in my husband’s eyes at the sight of the grandeur of the church and it’s environment  already made my day – It was his first visit to any church!

Auroville

We hired a bike to explore the nitty-gritty of Pondicherry, on our own terms. Bikes are easily available on rent – You just need to keep a valid photo-ID handy. After a nice and healthy breakfast, we headed out to visit Auroville (usually called ‘City of Dawn’) – a self-created universal township, dedicated to the ideologies of human unity in diversity. On the way, the first sight that grabbed my attention was a non-Indian, clad in traditional Indian attire and riding a Kinetic Luna. This visual actually managed to set the mood. We even got refreshing coconut water on the way throughout, to beat the heat.

The residents of this township are from 50 odd nations, from different age-groups, from all social classes/backgrounds and represent humanity as a whole. The fulcrum of this township lies in the Peace area, comprising the Matrimandir and its gardens, the amphitheatre with the Urn of Human Unity that contains the soil of 121 nations and 23 Indian states, and the project of a lake to help create an atmosphere of calm and serenity and to serve as a groundwater recharge area. Food served in Auroville comprises of cereals, pulses and vegetables cultivated in its own farms. Above all, there is a strange sense of bliss, content and fulfilment in the territory of Auroville. Auroville Foundation Day (28th February) is the best time to visit this township.

Promenade (Rock) Beach

This can be clearly described as the “Marine Drive of Pondicherry”. During evening hours, traffic is not allowed beyond a certain point, making this perfect for a peaceful evening stroll. We witnessed a heavenly sunset, while walking across the Promenade with the beautiful sea by the side. Just climb down few steps on the rocks and find your own personal space, facing the splendid horizon along with waves of the ocean. Time just flies here! 

Serenity Beach

We located this beach on our way back to Pondicherry from Auroville. Though there’s nothing very fancy about this beach, it is quite calm, clean and peaceful. We didn’t observe much crowd there though. This place is known for its fresh catch in the mornings, so quite an attraction for sea-food lovers.

Paradise Beach 

Unlike the usual route via a ferry from the boathouse, we decided to take up a bike and figure out our destination using Google Maps. It took us to a very narrow strip of land, joining the beach with the mainland. We parked our bike right there, and set afoot on that strip. Soon, we were walking past the fresh and green Chunnambar river backwaters, flanked by magnificent mangrove forests. Calling it a heavenly visual, would be an understatement. As soon as we reached the beach, a whiff of cool breeze blew past us and we witnessed a beautiful sight of golden sea sands surrounded by water from all sides (it was the august Bay of Bengal ahead and the pristine backwaters behind). The sunset that day could not have been any better. It’s not without a reason that it is called “Paradise” – it actually is. The sand of this beach is whitish, extraordinarily soft with fine grains – a walk along this entire beach was my kind of a perfect way to end a trip in Pondicherry.

There are still many more beaches and churches to be explored, both big and small. 

Key Takeaways from Pondicherry

Apart from the picturesque locales of Pondicherry, a distinct aspect which caught my attention was the rampant practice of gender equality in every field. Every place that we visited had women who were equally competent and working as men. I met women aged 60 and above, running independent shops with elan. They’ve set the correct example and standards of living really high, I believe. Additionally, a small tidbit about Pondicherry – it is a paradise for alcohol lovers (alcohol is available at really cheaper rates!)

This travelogue summarises my first visit to this beautiful place in India – Pondicherry. I would recommend a must-visit to Pondicherry (now called ‘Puducherry’) – this place surely has a healing touch!