Pondicherry - A Unique Experience

India is such a diverse country with such huge variety of culture, people, society, landscapes and more. Every time I travel around India to a new place.. I always return with a new experience, new kind of refreshment and completely re-energized.

The feeling of the entire trip from my recent visit to Pondicherry, was so unique. I had heard of Pondicherry as a tourist spot but my expectation from the place wasn’t very high. I was expecting it to be very close to the Tamil culture but I came back feeling like I had visited a completely different culture by itself.

My regular break was long due and so the plan was made for May 01, 02 and 03. I was thinking Pondi was one hyped up place with nothing more than the sea shore with the beach, which was good enough for me for a break but I was completely wrong. In my 2 days of stay in that place, I did not go to any exotic resorts, I did not even visit the ashram, but I came back with a new exclusive experience which that place gave me.

For people who can understand, Pondicherry is such a beautiful amalgamation of French culture with the Indian culture. The place is a beautiful mixture of spirituality and sensuality, of simplicity and sophistication, of untouched nature to the sense of development… all in a stretch of 3-4kms of the union territory.

You can see both men and women of all ages in those huge Bermuda kind of shorts riding around the place in bicycles. You will see boards which read ‘no honking here please’ and this obviously is a little French touch to the place among the lot more.. otherwise to read such a board in India would sure get any Indian to raise their brows!! :)

All in all a very nice get away place... and you need to go there to understand what I mean!! I sure need to visit Pondi again for the things I still have pending from there!! :)

Oh!! I forget to mention the drive details.. It’s the Chennai route and around 320Kms from Bangalore. The huge pot holes on the road which always is a night mare on long drives especially during night driving, was in the process of repair this time and most of them were filled in that route. So, I would say a good drive too… Its NH7 from here to Krishnagiri and a left and an immediate right on to Chennai route with a deviation at Tindivanam towards Pondicherry should get you there.

Bangalore – Hosur - Krishnagiri – Chengam – Tiruvannamalai – Gingee - Tindivanam - Pondicherry is the route!!

Try it!!