Pondicherry: January 3rd to the 6th

PONDICHERRY (AKA, PUDUCHERRY):  Like so many of the cities of India now, this one has two names. The reason why is so many of the cities have both the original name that existed BEFORE British colonization, AND the subsequent name given by the British because they were apparently too inept to pronouce the names of origin. Why the Indians tolerated this is anyone's guess...but perhaps they simply didn't have a choice? Thus it is that Bombay has reverted back to its original name of Mumbai, though Indians still use both; Bangalore is also known as Bangaluru; and Pondicherry is also now known as Puducherry. I guess both names are kept because, no matter what people know them as, either way they will be correct. But...it IS odd, to be sure! 

In any event, Pondicherry is in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a (presumably!) 3 hour train ride south of Chennai. I say "presumably", because my train was SO late getting to Chennai, that the whole ordeal of waiting--then taking--the train this short distance wound up being a grueling 8 hours or so! MOST infuriating, to be sure!!! Trains are virtually ALWAYS late in India, but this one--6 HOURS late, just getting to the Chennai station--surely had to be a new record!!! 

And WHY was Pondicherry my destination after Chennai? Two reasons: it was supposed to be charming--an Indian New Orleans of sorts--having been colonized by the French a couple hundred years ago. Secondly, on its outskirts, there exists the famous village of Auroville, a one-of-its-kind in the world. More about it in the next blog. 

Unfortunately, I was EXCEEDINGLY disappointed with Pondicherry itself, and very thankful I had only booked a 2 night stay at a (pretty awful!) guest house in the town. It was yet another city of too much traffic and subsequent noise; trash and rubble everywhere in the streets; and the so-called "French Quarter" was a MAJOR letdown! Nothing "French" about it, truly, except the street names and a couple buildings that hinted at a French style of archtecture...oh, and some very expensive "French" cafes and posh hotels! And finally, the beach was a huge disappointment: No swimming was allowed, and even if it HAD been, the water was way too choppy and rough, and, like in Chennai, most likely quite polluted. So... I was glad to head to Auroville for the much longer part of my stay in the region. 

Before I left, however, I did actually have a few noteworthy experiences; the stories and photos about these are as follows:

The International Yoga Festival: NOT hardly!!! Not hardly "international", that is! The only people in attendance--participants and spectators, alike, as far as I could discern--were Indians, and thousands of them! Busloads of school children and adults came to this noisy, chaotic event, which I happened upon purely by accident. In fact, the only "yogic" aspect of it was the asanas-- or postures--being performed by the competitors. 

Basically, this was a sports competition, NOT a true "yoga" event at all. As such, it was a huge disappointment, and I only attended one day--for only about an hour--to watch the "performance", for that is exactly what it was. The one truly good thing about this event was meeting the African Swami and Manakshi Giri there. In fact, Manakshi Giri was the ONLY non-Indian yogi there!!! AND she took 3 prizes for her steller asanas.... good for her! But still... it was so very noisy, crowded and unpleasant...I couldn't bear to stick around once I knew I would see the two new friends again at a later date and in much more pleasant circumstances. 

I thought it exceedingly ironic and strange that the huge iconic poster for the festival was a photo of a white woman doing a yogic asana... looking quite peaceful and meditative. This couldn't have been further from a true representation of what this "festival" was all about! I wonder if the marketing people for the event enjoyed the irony of this poster? Was it intentional or not?! The photo is of one young competitor and the serious judge off to the side. 

No doubt this young man was quite skilled...but a "yogi"?! I seriously doubt it...more aptly, simply a good--and quite flexible-- athlete.  

No question, many of the competitors were very skilled... but still, I would have expected more of a true yogic ambiance--including chanting, meditation and the like-- at a true yoga festival. 

                                             

The so-called "French Quarter": As stated, quite a farce! Three buildings I saw looked somewhat "French". The street names were French. I ate at one very expensive "French" restaurant--Le Petit Four--that DID in fact serve me a delicious croissant and pea soup... but otherwise, not truly French at all... yet, oddly enough, the city of Pondicherry is touted  as being a key tourist destination in India! Quite unbelievable. 

A weird mixture of British colonial and French...strange, but I rather liked it.  

The first of three buildings with genuinely French architecture I came across in my vast wanderings through this area of the city! But it admittedly IS lovely, to be sure... 

Here is number two... 

Number three, and the last one, above....so,  three French-style buildings in all of Pondicherry... so much for the "French Quarter"!!!! 

A group of Indians enjoyed playing in the waves. This is typical, as so few of them know how to--or have any interest in--actually swimming in the ocean. It clearly didn't bother THEM that real swimming was NOT a possibility here!

A pretty little temple I came across in a nice park.

Le Petit Four restaurant--charming, tasteful, insanely expensive: 810 rupees for my very simple meal... the most I have spent to eat anywhere, to date! Tasty, indeed...but not worth that much money... even though it amounts to only about $10 U.S., this is still a fortune for a meal in India!

The one truly beautiful--quite large--temple I came across, near the Aurobindo ashram (a famous landmark in Pondicherry). 

Quite the ornate interior! Had to take the photo through the open doors as, per usual, no photography was allowed inside. 

An amazing painting on the ceiling, in the covered area of the entrance to the temple. 

Sadly, a most typical scene I came across everywhere in the "old/heritage" part of the town near the "French Quarter". Yet more trash and rubble...so ubiquitous in India!

Very basic accomodations in my guest house...actually rather claustrophobic! I was SO glad to only have booked two nights here! There were two windows that opened into corridors. This is actually a flattering view... it was, in fact, very worn and dirty-- note, the floors... the bed? Typically hard as rock...no chair to sit on, so all activities--eating, teaching lessons, etc.--had to be done on the bed.  Really unpleasant!!! 

Bed and bath...as basic as it gets! 

One very bright spot in this otherwise dismal guest house: Susu, the host. A fabulously kind, attentive and hospitable host... he really went out of his way to help me with myriad challenges. I was SO grateful to him for everything... 

Admittedly out of order... but this is the train that took me from Chennai to Pondicherry. When I finally DID get on it, I was SO relieved... but I have to say, this was an appalling mess of a train. It had originated in Delhi, evidently explaining the horrific delay. But, in my western mind, NOT an excuse for the amazing amount of trash strewn everywhere on the floor, little tables, bunks... not to mention, mounds of discarded bedding everywhere. Thank God that it was a relatively short ride to my destination!!! 

Next up-- a MUCH better time-- in Auroville, on the outskirts of Pondicherry...