Down in South India, close to the state of Tamil Nadu, is
the union territory of Puducherry (that is now the official name) but it is a
place everyone is endeared to by the name of Pondicherry, the remnant of a
French colonial settlement until 1954. It is the French Riviera, a Tamil suburb
and a quaint little beach town – all at once.
Roughly a two-hour ride from the Chennai airport, even as
you enter the official dominion of this town, it is hard to tell at first what
it harbors. Winding, crowded lanes littered with sweet shops, budget hotels and
travel agents slowly make way for an unassuming turn into neater lanes dotted
with buildings, clearly from another era. You see lanes marked by street
numbers and intersections, like in a planned European city. You are now in the
French quarters. Low rise buildings glean like cakes in colors of candy and
soda. Everything looks so preserved and tidy, you wonder if you’re in a theme
park fashioned after early 20th century France.
You can pick from a range of eating places that are more
than just that. Nearly each one of them offers a courtyard, a selection of
French cuisine with palatable, standard Italian fare. But being predominantly
Tamil, you will still find restaurants that serve Indian stuff. Puducherry is
where you go when you are ponderous, when you need to slow down without being
overwhelmed by natural sights.
You stroll past its curio shops, its officious
Franco-Tamoulle buildings that are now heritage hotels. There is something for
every taste. Even though it isn’t all cheap, you can find reasonably magical
deals off-season. Yes, it does get hot post March, but not hot enough to breeze
through those charming lanes on a bicycle or walk down at your own pace to the
promenade – the sea face with a statue of Gandhi, a host of cafes, and of
course – the calm waters.
Top places to visit in Puducherry:
Travelling during COVID-19 pandemic?
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has issued an order and said that individuals entering Puducherry from different states need to enlist themselves with the closest Primary Health Centres (PHCs) of the region where they will be staying. Individuals who neglect to enroll penal action will be taken against them.
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