If you are tired of the rat race and are in search of inner peace, harmony and spirituality, then Pondicherry is the place to go to. We students of 'Sri Sri Centre for Media Service, Bangalore' went there and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
This restored and very attractive, former French colony, exudes a Mediterranean charm with its quaint, chic streets, elegant houses, ornamental gardens and the residents' tittle tattle in chaste French. It is located 162 km south of Chennai and is skirted by the Bay of Bengal to the east.
Pondicherry has still maintained its rich French cultural heritage and this is visible in the well-planned town, neatly laid roads, wide beahes, and beautiful promenades, not to forget the imposing churches and buildings. It is truly an architectural delight.
Apart from the captivating atmosphere, exclusive designer boutiques, excellent restaurants serving European cuisine and cheap beer,what attract most travellers to Pondicherry is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville-the International City of Unity, 10 km outside town. The ashram and the spiritusl tenets of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother that combine yoga and modern science, is quite popular within India and abroad. The Ashram has been a seat of learning and Indian spiritualilty.
Pondicherry is an ideal weekend for Bangaloreeans as it is only a five hour drive from Bangalore. French is still widely spoken, and the seaside villas and the paved streets are more evocative of the south of France than the south of India.
