OF WATER SPORTS AND BEACH PARTIES…

Hyderabad is where the Nizam built a charming little (not any more) regal city centuries ago, archived by the now-famous sound and light show at Golcunda Fort. But that’s of an era that is now far bygone. Hyderabd today is bustling and bursting with people, vehicles and activity. Contrary to the Nizam being spoilt for choice for weekend entertainment, options today are limited. Until you are the Subodh-type who wants to book movie tickets a week in advance, you have a fat chance of making it to any half-decent show. The malls complete a cute number of two, a far cry from the needs of seeming (and seething by Sunday evening) millions who wish to throng them.

So what do four young people with three hours of weekly work between them do on a weekend? Well…two people decide to make a weekend trip to Pondicherry and latch on to the demanding task of convincing the other two to join the party. The first two shall be referred to VK and yours truly, while the latter are SV and NK.

What we all know about Pondicherry is that it was the capital of the French empire in India. It’s famous for the notion of a ‘quaint little French town’. My top-of-the-mind recall included the fact that the Hidesign factory is located here. There is Auroville…the Aurobindo ashram’s global settlement experiment. Booze is cheaper than our cities. Enough reason for four work-less bored people to hike right down to Chennai and then further on. Except that sometimes some work-less people derive great pleasure from being difficult. So it was only after much factual marketing, imaginative marketing, pleading and coercing that SV and NK finally obliged to accompany.

Travel to Pondicherry is great from Chennai (165 km by the East Coast Road, a beautiful drive, I am told) but not so convenient from Hyderabad if you are stretching the weekend. Because you want to make a budget trip (public apology VK) and because some people are tall, bus travel can escalate into near civil-war type of situations. Was it the impact of proximity to Telangana or was it SV being himself that he famously came up with, “If I am not comfortable, you will not be comfortable”…???

So we entered Pondicherry just after noon on Saturday. Tropical sun on the skin and the unmistakable sea stench didn’t do much to shake off the bus fatigue. Not to mention the burly driver who spoke (correction: barked) only when asked to at least twice. Hotel check-in was not too hard, though the sea facing properties were surprisingly unavailable or sadly pricey. There are several accommodation options, starting with Hidesign’s two boutique hotels at the top, to mid-priced functional properties on the sea front and the city, to the ashram properties that lie right at the bottom of the price pyramid but stack up well for amenities and location, albeit with an 11 p.m. deadline.

The binge began with Saturday lunch…decent portions and taste at Le Café. How I love seaside restaurants. The sea was really a peek away. The food was standard, if not delicious, but the location and fellow patrons made up. You know how we dismiss the brown man’s complex? How we insist that we Indians don’t need the videsis? The logic turns on it’s head when you see the real action. Perfectly well educated and non-deprived friends will turn into professional oglers at the sight of white. Our choice of cuisine, restaurant, table and even seating on the table would be a function of the ‘whites’. That apart, food was fresh and equal portions of fries and salads kept the guilt-o-meter in check. Le Café was rivaled in ambience and location only by the roof top restaurant at The Promenade (situated on a street by the same name). The reason…roof top on the seaside makes for great times, given that the hotel caters to the richest visiting Pondicherry. We obliged with dinner visits on Saturday and Sunday night. The chef takes pride in the variety of fusion cuisine, a lot of which didn’t do enough for us and was polished off with sufficient help from tabasco. The tabasco bottle was polished off too J. The liquor is cheap by any standards. Large JD @ Rs. 75? Even I know that’s a good deal. The wine collection is surprisingly limited for a place that caters to French travelers. Service is excellent. On the whole, prices are reasonable here, unlike Le Café, which seems to be milking an extra twenty percent on location. The caveat with food in this coastal town is that you are either at the top end or the bottom. And the low cost options are usually typical idli-sambhar fare, something that office lunch keeps us from missing. The food expense will inflate your budget a wee bit. My favorite food though was the delicious fresh pineapple, served peeled and chopped with a yum hot masala. Five rupees for a small pack. Five rupees for the juice of pineapple tickling your tongue on a hot coastal afternoon? Any day. SR…you know you were missed.

To people visiting Pondicherry for the beaches…please don’t burden it with comparisons to Goa. This place is small. Beaches are few but almost spotlessly clean. Much to our disappointment, the water sports scene is not up for now. At best one can manage a shared boat ride to another beach through backwater-like waters. Sun-kissed beaches are perfect for a sunbath…one can spend hours away from intrusive crowds, just with a book and sea sounds for company. Or if you are determined to pack your trip with action, you can rent a ball for some beach volley or water polo. The sea is fairly rough even during the day, intensified by the quickness of the sand. The main street of the city is Le Promenade (French for a walk or a street), also host to a large Gandhi statue. This seaside street is the most popular hangout for locals and tourists. The family atmosphere is complete with street food (sadly, nothing impressive), kids playing ball and blowing soap bubbles. Cute, but avoidable on a Sunday evening.

The famous Auroville is situated eight kilometers from the city. The idea of this global city being a self-sufficient ecosystem viz. economic, cultural and administrative needs is unique. The place is on most must-see lists. But if you don’t get to spend a few hours seeing the whole settlement, there isn’t much to miss.

Shopping! Authentic Pondicherry products are either leather based or related to aromas. The agarbatti collection at Auroville is very popular, and rightly so. Yes, Hidesign does sell at a factory outlet but variety is very limited. We were lucky to spot some decent pieces, including a men’s leather jacket @ Rs. 900, which became unexpectedly useful at the over-chilled Chennai airport. The boys picked up a fair bit, after many consultations and verifications with sisters and better halves. Sweet.

In general, people are great. Both locals and the now-local foreigners. They will go much out of their way to lead you to your destination. The party scene is not hot, unless you know people who are part of the Auroville party scene, including Saturday nights ones that go on till the wee hours. Language is a surmountable issue.

So here’s the verdict…it’s not the place for water sports or beach parties...but it's a perfect weekend destination if you are in this part of the country and want to see a real beach, not Marina! Go prepared with sunscreen and swimsuits, Ray Ban’s and your driving license. Rent a bike or a car and enjoy the warmth of this laidback beach town. And yeah, Jaya Amma aint French but her larger-than-life cutouts keep you from forgetting that you are in TN. Make your peace.