An aura of its own
Hugging the coastline 150km south of Chennai (formerly Madras) is the charming town of Pondicherry. Our early-morning drive from the capital city of Tamil Nadu took us about two-and-a-half hours.

Before reaching Pondicherry itself, we went first to the visitor’s centre of the famous ashram-style settlement known as Auroville, 8km to the north. The restrooms were not in the best condition, but the centre itself is clean and modern, and constructed of golden stone.

There is a charming open-air amphitheatre right in the middle of the building, flanked by a café to one side and a couple of boutiques to the other. The café serves south Indian dishes such as idlis and dosas alongside French croissants and pastries. The food is safe to eat and inexpensive.

After a quick breakfast, my friend left me to attend to some business of her own; she had run out of room for all the stray animals she rescues and was scouting around for a property to house 25 cats and dogs. 

Auroville is a kind of experimental township where the intention is for people from all countries and backgrounds to live together in harmony. I stopped by two pleasant boutiques showcasing and selling the arts and crafts produced by the artisans of the community. The pieces were sophisticated and stylish, not cheaply made souvenirs. There were aromatic soaps and candles, all sorts of boho-chic garments, leather goods and jewellery, soft furnishings, and comestibles such as jams and honey. I bought some interesting fabric jewellery for my teenage daughter and also a lovely hand-knit hat and matching scarf.


Shopping and lunch in Pondy
In the busy commercial centre of Pondicherry itself, I visited the highly recommended department store, Casablanca. The exterior is nothing much, but inside you’ll find a three-storey atrium topped with a frosted-glass roof with stained glass accents. The merchandise is beautifully displayed, and the array of costume jewellery is stunning and inexpensive. Take a look at the tableware and tabletop décor, too. I also noticed that a provincial town like Pondy isn’t safe from the global invasion of Crocs – there was a whole wall of them! Casablanca also has a little café and snack bar if you need a break from shopping.

Around the corner is another shop with an unfortunate name: Titanic. The shop-front and interior are appropriately decorated in a nautical style. Titanic is a factory outlet selling overruns of clothing manufactured for Gap, Banana Republic, Polo and Diesel, to name a few. It’s one of those hit or miss places, but I did score a nice pair of men’s cargo shorts from Old Navy for my son.

Afterwards, I rejoined my friend for lunch at the French Quarter. Pondicherry was a French colony until 40 years ago, and this is where the foreign rulers and administrators were housed. The area is highlighted by large, grand properties in French style, with a few Indian elements thrown in. Many buildings that had fallen into disrepair over the years are now being restored. Some of the larger ones have even been converted into boutique hotels.

We stopped at the charming Hotel De L’Orient for lunch. The restaurant had indoor seating with air-conditioning and also an outdoor courtyard. It was already very hot in early February, so we chose the cool indoors. The food (French, of course!) was reasonable; better than the service, at any rate. After lunch, we asked to see one of the rooms. It was very romantic. The puce-painted walls had been rag-rolled to give the look of old crumbling plaster. There was a dark-wood, four-poster bed with crisp, white muslin linen. The bathroom was imaginatively located behind a pair of antique wooden screens with glass inserts.

Before you leave, don’t miss the Neemrana shop in the hotel, which sells beautiful home furnishings and coffee-table books.

From the French to the Tamil Quarter
Pondicherry’s streets are broad, leafy and quiet, most of them ending at the sea wall. The street signs are reminiscent of France – both in style (royal-blue tiles with white lettering embedded in buildings) and in the names themselves. The houses are lovely, many of them with a very French porte cochere (gate).

After a further ramble around the French Quarter, including coffee at the beautiful Dupleix Hotel, we stopped by the Tamil Quarter. 

There are two noteworthy properties that have been restored to their former charm. These are the Heritage Centre and the Casa Perumal, a boutique hotel.

The Heritage Centre is both a museum and a workplace for the architects and restorers engaged in breathing new life into old wrecks. It was wonderful to meet one little dynamo of a man, Ajit, who along with his architect wife has been rescuing these old gems. He showed us “before” and “after” photos of many of the properties. It gave us a full appreciation of the work being done. Some of the houses were literally falling apart – missing staircases, walls and even roofs.

Overall, though, the Tamil Quarter will probably never have the charm of the French because much of the indigenous architecture is being replaced with cement blocks. Having said that, the time to invest in real estate in the French Quarter is sadly past. There aren’t any bargains any more. A house here goes for around a quarter to half a million US dollars – before any restoration work.

While in Pondy, be sure to visit such landmarks as the old Customs House and the lighthouse on the promenade. There are ambitious plans to transform the promenade into a pedestrian-only zone. The Bay of Bengal is lovely here with its narrow strip of beach. You could stay at the new Hotel Promenade: it has as much charm as a gas station, but the views are great, and it’s a favourite place for a night out for the young and trendy of Chennai. There’s also a very nice café – simply called The Café – on the promenade, run by German expats and featuring exotic juices and snacks. It’s a pleasant place to chill, and we did just that before we headed back to the city.

Pondicherry, with its sophisticated food and shopping and charming boutique hotels is great for a day-trip, but one day is simply not enough.