Pondicherry

Pondicherry is the closest weekend getaway from Chennai. Chennaites go to Pondi for a Friday night drink, or Saturday night drink, or just lunch, or for a long drive and get back home in the evening. It is 167 kms away on the East Coast Road, and takes just 1 hr and 30 mins. Isn’t it cool.

Let me start with something about Pondy itself. Pondicherry consists of Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam, and Pondicherry itself. The best things about being a Union Territory is that the taxes are less, and hence you get any kind of alcohol at dirt cheap rates.

Pondicherry was known to Roman and Greek cartographers as Poduke. It was an important point on the trade route between Rome and the East. Some elements of culture also were interchanged - the remains of a Roman amphitheatre were unearthed at Arikamedu.

The Pallavas and Cholas were among the first dynasties to take control of it, followed by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British. Finally it came down to a struggle between the French and the British. However the French managed to get control (in this one instance) and when John Francis Dupleix arrived as Governor General, he began rebuilding the city that the British had ravaged.

He built the city in two parts, Ville Noire (black city or the Indian side) on the west of the canal and Ville Blanche (white city or the European side) on the east, using the canal as the line of apartheid. In 1954, the French relinquished control to India and the city became the headquarters of the Union Territory of Pondicherry.

Pondicherry has remnants of that colonial memory although these are beginning to fade a little around the edges. French is spoken on the streets, the streets themselves are rues and the policemen wear kepis in the style of M'sieu De Gaulle.

Now, with the famous Aurobindo Ashram and the experimental commune of Auroville, Pondy is still hopping. Life here is laid back, and hence you need to spend about 2 days or may be more, to let the pace sink into you. Do you know, the restaurants close here during summer for vacations. The town in so small, you don’t need any local transport. You just need to hire a bicycle, you can see all the places, or if you have got time, you can walk it.

A planned city, Pondicherry is laid out in a grid pattern. All roads turn at right angles. A north-south canal that is now covered, divides the city into two parts - the smaller eastern side (the Ville Blanche or White city) and the much larger western side (Ville Noir or the Black city), reserved for natives. The French left and Pondy shed its apartheid demarcations, but the difference in the two sections is marked. You will probably be looking for the canal (it is non-descript and easily missed) so ask someone to point it out. On the east side runs Goubert Salai with a kilometer-long stretch of beach which has the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Ashram offices, French institutions, government buildings and restaurants.

Most of the houses are painted in pastel shades. The area surrounding the ashram is painted in Grey. All the buildings or houses that are painted grey, means that they are associated with the ashram in some way.

Pondy is famous for the Ashram, the beaches, the alcohol and the food. There is always a steady inflow of tourists from foreign countries, mainly France, coz the Mother was a French woman. People come here, stay at Auroville commune, spend a year or two, and go back to where they came from. Therefore, there are loads of restaurants that provide continental food of the best quality and a wide range of wines, liquers and cigars. This is in addition to this, the weekend partying crowd that comes from Chennai. Pondicherry is used as a test market to test all the alcohol and beverage products that are launched in India. The other place is Goa.

There are a lot of places to stay in Pondicherry as it is a large town. There are several lodges and hotels, you could check into. I have stayed once in Suruguru and once in Ram Prasad. These are budget hotels and have restaurants attached. The Ashram and the beach are walkable from here. If you wish to try a luxury hotel, there is Ananda Inn and Hotel Annamalai. They are expensive though.

There are several restaurants in Pondy that give great food. Rendevous, Le Bistro, Sat Sanga are some of them. They make the most exotic sea food, and serve the finest cocktails. Though they are a bit expensive, you will never really regret the sumptuous meal.

There are lots of places to see in Pondicherry. The Ashram, Auroville, Matri Mandir ( Mothers home ), Auroville Handicrafts unit, Recycled paper making unit, about 350 temples, several churches, Pondicherry museum, Jawahar Toy Museum, the botanical garden and the beach of course.

Aurobindo Ashram was set up by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, freedom fighter, poet (of the longest epic poem in English, the uneven Savitri) and visionary. He and his chief disciple, the charismatic Parisian painter Mirra Alfassa better known as The Mother, are buried under a frangipani tree. Devotees cover their samadhi with fresh flowers every day. You don't have to be a believer to feel the calm and sanctity.

Auroville is a commune that is set up. Designed by the French architect Roger Anger, Auroville (or the City of Dawn) was the brainchild of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and The Mother. They wanted it to be a place where people could live freely as citizens of the world and in harmony obeying one single authority, that of the Supreme Truth. People can buy houses / accommodation and stay here, and serve the commune or tourists can also stay here. There is a huge meditation hall, that is build in the shape of a sphere. There is a opening in the ceiling, in the center, through which sun light enters the spherical room. There is a large crystal right under this beam of sunlight. The crystal spreads the sunlight and illuminates the room. You need to get there to see it and meditate.

Three kilometres from Pondy, this is believed to be the site of the port of Poduke named by Ptolemy, occupied between the 1st century BC and 200 AD. It was also an important Roman settlement and stamped pottery from the Arrezzo region of Italy, amphorae and faceted dishes have been found. This is also Virai, the place mentioned in early Tamil literature. The place itself is picturesque, on the banks of the river Ariyankuppam, which forms a tiny lagoon with a sandbar.

There is also a secret place that I would like to share with you all. About 10 kms on East Coast Road, beyond Pondy, on the way to Cuddalore, there are backwaters - Pichavaram. This place is awesome. One can go on a speed boat, kayaking or canoeing. The Tourist office here, provides boats for a nominal fee.

Pondicherry also boasts of its own Education Institutions that are very reputed and are counted among the best in the country. They include JIPMER for Medical Sciences, Pondicherry University for general faculties, SOM – School of Management, Pondi etc.

We usually leave Chennai on Saturday mornings, reach Pondy in about 2 hrs, stay there for 2 days, enjoy, play in the water, eat good food, then leave on Sunday afternoons, so that we get back to city by Sunday evening.

Getting there :

By Road : 162 kms from Chennai. Maximum 2 hrs of driving. East Coast Road is a pleasure to drive. There are buses from Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore and Cuddalore. Pondy is well connected.

Airport : Nil

Rail : Pondi is connected by rail from Villipuram.

Best time : As Pondy is on the coast, the climate is usually hot, hotter or hottest. You can choose to go any time you can.

Trip Duration : 1 or 2 days.

Where to stay :

Ananda Inn : Tel: 0413-330711, Fax: 0413-331241
Ashok : Tel: 0413-655161, Fax: 0413-655140
Surguru and Ram Prakash are also good. I am not giving address. Ask anyone, they will show you the place. Pondy is a small town.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Too far and too expensive. But, sometimes i get lucky. The company I worked for, decided to take us to Andamans for a conference.

I took off from Chennai Airport, at 6 am, and the journey time was 2 hrs. I was flying over the Bay of Bengal, which was reflecting sun light like a huge mirror. As we approached the islands, the colour of the water changed from light blue to aquamarine to turquoise to topaz, then, it became a copper sulphate blue. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are mountaineous and they just protrude out of the sea. In some places, they look like they are floating on the water surface. It is possible to see the coral reefs under the water surface, from the sky, the view is breath taking.

I will leave the official bit, and talk about the sun and fun part of the trip.

Bunch of islands, coral reefs and pristine beaches – is Andaman Islands in short. But, as Port Blair is a important naval base, tourism is not promoted here. These islands are India's best- kept secret. These islands are so far away from the mainland that they tend to be ignored by most visitors to the country. But if you took the effort to get to the islands, you are rewarded with spectacular beaches, pristine coral reefs, and best of all, a degree of isolation that most visitors think doesn't exist in India.

We were accommodated at the Bay Island in Port Blair. It is a ITC Welcome group property and one of the best there. The entire hotel is made of wood and is right on the beach. Not a surprising thing on a island, isn’t it. Their restaurant is on a huge balcony that juts into the sea. Their bar is called Nico Bar. The food is great, they serve a wide range of sea food.

What is there to see in Andamans ? Cellular Jail, some National Parks and all the beautiful beaches. Did you know that the Andaman islands have tropical rain forests. Hard to believe na ? Most of the islands are Marine National parks that come under the Forest Department of India. You need to get perm from them to visit any island. So, please be prepared. But, its not all that difficult, it’s a part of the game on the islands.

Port Blair - Capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, it sprawls around a harbour on the east coast of South Andaman, which is now the most heavily populated of all the islands. Parts of the island, like the tribal reserve are off-limits to foreigners.

Cellular Jail - Known as Kala Pani, it was worst punishment that any Indian could get during the days of the British Raj. It was a place from where there was no return. It is the most popular attraction and a grim reminder of the islands' past. It overlooks the sea at the north-east end of the town. It was built between 1896 and 1910 and included solitary cells for prisoners.

The jail complex is in the shape of star with 5 fingers coming out of its center. After a earth quake in 1941, 3 wings out of 5 got destroyed. 2 are intact. The two ground floor galleries of the Jail chart the history and the inhumane conditions of the prison. One room upstairs is dedicated to the memory of Subash Chandra Bose, who was imprisoned here. A small museum by the entrance gate exhibits lists of prisoners, photographs and torture devices. Take your handkerchief, just in case you break down, you might need it.

Vir Sarvarkar was also imprisoned here. After Independence, Kala Pani was no longer used as a jail. The prisoners returned back to Indian Mainland. Many decided to stay back and are now the people of Andamans.

The sound and light show in the evening, is about the history of the jail, and the sufferings that the prisoners endured.

Acquarium - This is south of the jail, near the water sports complex and offers a glimpse of the 350 species that are found in the Andaman sea.

Samudrika Marine Museum - Run by the Indian navy, this has a shell collection and informative displays on various aspects of local marine biology.

Anthropological Museum - Situated on MG Road, this is devoted to the indigenous tribes of the islands. Displays include weapons, tools and photographs of the indigenous people taken in the 1960s. There is a comprehensive research library upstairs, where visitors can browse, but not borrow books.

Chatham Sawmill - The sawmill is on Chatham island at the north of the island. It is the oldest and largest wood processing plant in Asia. Established in 1836 by the British, the mill employs 1,000 people around the clock in three shifts.

Zoo & Forest Museum - This has some of the 200 animal species that are unique to the islands. The zoo's saltwater crocodile breeding programme has been successful in returning them to the wild.

Apart from these places, there are a whole lot of islands. As I told you, you need permission to visit these islands, and you have to take a ferry. I can’t say that all islands look they same, they are different. I had visited the Cinque island along with my colleagues, and we stayed there for about 3 hrs. It took about 4 hrs to reach the place by Ferry from Port Blair.

In Andamans, one needs to hop islands, to see the beautiful places. You can choose to visit one or two of them, coz each of these will take you a day, and the ferry charges are fairly steep. For the benefit of the tourists, I have read up about the rest of the islands, and here are a list of islands that you can choose from.

Viper Island - Viper island was named after a 19th century ship that ran aground on its shore. It was first used by the Birtish as a prison before the Cellular Jail was built. Later, it was used as an isolation zone for the main prison, where escapees and striking prisoners were sent to be punished. Relics of that age include whipping posts, and the gallows which occupy a prominent position on the island. Indians can apply to see Dugong creek, where members of the Onge tribe have been rehabilitated in wooden huts.

Ross Island - At the entrance to Port Blair harbour is Ross island, which was the administrative headquarters of the British stationed in the Andamans. The comforts at Ross included a theatre hall, tennis courts, swimming pool, hospitals and grand bungalows, and was dubbed The Paris of the East.

An earthquake in 1941 destroyed some of the buildings and the Japanese invasion during the Second World War forced the British to abandon Ross island. The Japanese occupied the islands and built a complex of ugly concrete bunkers that are still intact. There is a small museum near the cafeteria that has interesting old photos. The island is officially under the jurisdiction of the Indian Navy and swimming is not allowed.

Mount Harriet - This 365 metre hill is just north of Port Blair. A bus from the jetty is the easy option to reach there. You need to walk 4 km walk to the hill, or you can also ride a scooter up the hill, but then you will pass the Forest Check Post where entry fees for the national park will be charged. If you take the forest path on foot, you can avoid the checkpost and the fees.

The ruins of the Chief Commissioner's bungalow, abandoned in 1942, are near the top of the road. There is an octagonal viewing platform at the top and a small garden for picnics.

Black Rocks & Madhuban Beach - The Black rocks or Kala Pathar are two km from Mount Harriet and Madhuban beach via Mount Carpenter. A signpost marks the start of the nature trail from Mount Harriet which leads to the Black Rocks, where prisoners were pushed to their deaths. Madhuban beach is further to the northeast; this is where young elephants are trained for the forestry industry.

Corbyns Cove - This pleasant beach is 10 km to the southeast of Port Blair and draws a crowd on weekends.

Chirya Tapu - 30 km south of Port Blair, this is a fishing village with excellent beaches, offering opportunities for snorkelling. There are also opportunities for bird-watching.

Havelock Island - This is the largest island in Ritchie's archipelago, which includes the islands of Outram, E Oringlis, H Lawrence, Wilson, Peel, Havelock, Neil and Long islands. The island has great beaches, one of which is a nesting site for turtles.

People can choose to walk along the beach, rent a motorbike or a cycle, and explore the island. There is also a regular bus service from the jetty to Radhanagar beach.

The Radhanagar beach at the south end of the island is a nesting site for a colony of Olive Ridley turtles. There are two places to stay at Radhanagar, the ANIIDCO's Tent Camp and the more luxurious Jungle Camp.

Long Island - Just off the south-east coast of Middle Andaman, it is dominated by a plywood factory. The beaches of Marg Bay and Lalaji Bay can be reached by chartering a fisherman's dinghy from the jetty.

Neil Island – It is 40 km from Port Blair and is the smallest island in the Andamans that you can stay on. The island is inhabited, and is popular with campers. The beaches are numbered, and snorkelling is very good on beach number 1, although some of the coral has been damaged by dynamiting for fish. The village on the island has a market, some shops that sell provisions and basic camping gear (no tents or hammocks though).

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park - Formerly the Wandoor Marine National Park, this is about 30 km southwest of Port Blair. The park covers an area of 280 sq km and consists of 15 islands with deep blue waters separating them. The diverse ecosystem includes mangoves that stretch down to the waters edge, tropical rainforest, flowers, birds, marine life and reefs supporting at least 50 kinds of coral. There are great opportunities for water sports, including snorkelling and scuba diving. Collecting coral and shells is strictly forbidden.

Only Jolly Buoy, Red Skin and Cinque islands in the park are open to tourists. Cinque is really two hilly islands joined by a permanent sand bar. It is forbidden to land on any other island or stop overnight within the park. Tours to islands are arranged in glass-bottomed boats depending on demand. A minimum of 10 people is generally necessary.

Middle & North Andaman - The Andaman Trunk road is the only road to the north from Port Blair. Since it passes through the Jarawa reserves, it may not be possible to drive along it yourself. Instead use the daily buses to Rangat and Mayabunder to explore the islands.

Rangat - Situated on Middle Andaman, Rangat is the only place with a choice of accommodation for visitors. Amakunj beach, which is 8 km away. If you want to visit the beach at Hawksbill Nest, then get permission from the forest department at Rangat. The area is a wildlife sanctuary where turtles nest from November to April.

Mayabunder - Mayabunder is the administrative centre for the Middle and North Andaman islands. It is 71 km north of Rangat. Karmateng beach is 25 minutes away by bus from Mayabunder. A short distance from here is Gujinala, but to visit this beach, you will need permission from the Beat Officer at Karmateng.

There are also several islands in the bay opposite the jetty that can be reached by boat. Ask local fishermen to negotiate a price. To visit Avis island, which is a private coconut plantation, you will need permission from the Forestry department.

Interview Island - 20 km from Mayabunder, the island now has a protected forest and also has wild elephants.

Barren Island - This has India's only active volcano which erupted in 1991 causing widespread damage to the island's ecosystem. It can be visited but no landings are permitted.

Kalighat - This is a good place for a stopover when journeying from Port Blair and North Andaman. The forest here is good for bird-watching and the beach at Ramnagar which is 11 km away, can be reached by bus.

Diglipur - There is a good market and shops, while a special mela held in January- February also attracts visitors. The fishing village at Aerial Bay is also worth a visit.

Ross & smith Island - You can visit these islands from Aerial Bay and camp on forested beaches after getting a permit from the Range Officer at Aerial Bay.

Narcondam Island - East of North Andaman, this is the most remote island in the entire group. An extinct craterless volcano, it is covered with dense forests and is the home of the Narcondam Hornbill. It was declared a sanctuary in 1977 and is a bird-watchers paradise.

Nicobar Islands - These islands include Katchal, which has a large rubber plantation, Nancowry harbour, Indira Point, which is India's southern-most tip, and Campbell Bay. They are closed to visitors, but Car Nicobar can be visited by Indians with a permit.

It is not possible to go to all of them. You need to choose 2 or 3 islands that are near each other, so that you can complete them in 1 or 2 days. On some islands, staying overnight is permitted with prior permission. But, tents and food have to be carried along.

As you walk along the beaches, chances are that you will find a variety of corals which you will be tempted to pick up. But, you are not permitted to get them home. The bags are checked at airport and all the corals are removed. There are government owned shops, where handicrafts made of sea shells are sold. You could buy a couple of them as keep sake.

After having got tanned completely, and playing to the fullest in the beaches – volley ball in the waist deep water….it was the best time of life. We took the flight back to Chennai.

How to get there :

Air : There are flights to Port Blair from Chennai and Kolkatta. Air India and Jet Airways operate on these routes.

Sea : Ships from the mainland dock at Port Blair at Haddo jetty. There are regular passenger ship services from Port Blair to Chennai (1,190 km), Kolkata (1,255 km) and Vishakapatnam (Vizag) (1,200 km). This is via the Shipping Corporation of India. There are 2 sailings every month from these three cities. The journey takes three nights and two days. There are double berth, 4 berth and six berth cabins, AC and non AC. So the cost depends on what you choose.

Getting Around :

From Lamba Line Airport or Haddo jetty, you can hire a taxi to get to Aberdeen village, which is where most of the budget hotels are located. Aberdeen is also where the bus station, shops and offices are situated.

Taxis do not have meters and typically charge Rs 50 per trip. You can hire a motorbike or scooter to get around. Cycles are also an option, but they can be hard work on the hilly stretches, as I already told you earlier – Andaman islands are mountaineous.

Most inter-island ferries operate from Phoenix Bay jetty, so check for ferry timings. The Andaman Trunk road runs north from Port Blair to Bharatrang island and Middle Andaman. However, since the road passes through the restricted tribal reserve, it is not possible to drive along this yourself, bus service is available.

Must : Permission from Forest Department to visit most of the islands. Carry lunch and water, coz the islands are un-inhabited. Island hop in groups, coz your group may be the only group. Listen to the ferry operator, coz he knows when its high or low tide. If you do not know to swim, do not attempt to walk too deep into the sea, you never know, when high tide can begin. Don’t attempt Scuba diving or snorkeling without the safety equipments.

Where to stay :

Peerless Resort – Corbyn Cove, Tel: 03192-33463, 03192-40201, Fax: 03192-33463

Welcome Group Bay Island – Marine Hill, Tel: 03192-34101, 03192-32123, Fax: 03192-31555

Hornbill Nest – Corbyn Cove, Tel: 03192-32018, 03192-34304

Shompen – Middlepoint, Tel: 03192-32360, 03192-32679, Fax: 03192-32425

Sinclair Bay View – South Point, Tel: 03192-32937, 03192-33159. Fax: 03192-31824

Andaman Teal House - Delanipur, Tel: 03192-32642, 03192-34060