Winged Words: Promenading in Pondicherry

I have recently started to pen a series of posts dedicated to writing that inspires me to travel. My second post in 'Winged Words' takes us to a one-of-a-kind Indian city, charmingly called the 'French Riviera of the East', where the past of two different nations is locked forever in a deep embrace. The beautiful Pondicherry located along the Bay of Bengal.

I first read about Pondicherry in an article in Marie-Claire; the pretty streets, vibrantly colored doors, and walls etched with artistic graffiti hinted at a place that revelled in the sheer joy of living. A few years ago I watched Life of Pi, Ang Lee’s film based on Yann Martel’s novel which I had read earlier, and saw more of this delightful city with lush gardens, colonial mansions, and roads that seemed to swoop straight into the sea.

Before long, I was flight-bound for Chennai excitedly anticipating my first view of ‘Pondy’.

About to land in Chennai. View from the plane.

Why should you go there?

Surrounded by the sea, this home of spiritual seekers from across the world has an air of acceptance that makes it easy for anyone to belong, if they so wish. A captivating confluence of different cultures, Pondicherry thrives under a unique identity of its own. The breeze on the beach caresses gently, the many-hued flowers smile with an exuberant bloom, and the vastness of the sea reminds humans of how not one of us is more than a tiny speck in the universe. Here, unlike the rest of the world, the sun seems to rise from the womb of the sea and to see it emerge slowly and spread its golden light across is a sight to be savoured. Protected by a seawall, built by the French in the 1700s, the city gives the impression of being fortified against nature’s whimsy as well as the noisy madness of today's lives.

How will you get there?

Take a flight to Chennai. From Chennai rent a cab to Pondicherry (takes about 3.5 hours).

What can you do there?

Top Ten Must-do's in Pondicherry:

1. Wake up early to watch the sunrise of a lifetime. The golden light that spreads across, slowly and sinuously, reinforces how nature can create the most beautiful sights and then share them so generously, without a fuss or any desire to be acknowledged.

2. Go for a walk in the French Quarters or the White Town where the picturesque resides with the peaceful. On quiet cobbled streets, canopied by large trees, you can follow paths that will lead you to  the sea where dressed in white foam, the waves gently sway to the rhythm of the universe.

3. Drink in the sight of picture-perfect houses with mustard-yellow walls, fuschia pink doors, and white-shuttered long windows. Curtained with bougainvillea, these private homes are amazingly pretty and architecturally distinct.

4. Enjoy reading the quaint and interesting French names of the streets as you meander away to destinations unknown.

Rue Romain Rolland where we stayed and its nearby neighbour.

5. Take pleasure in the artistic graffiti that adorns the walls and lends a quirky flavor to the elegant surroundings.

6. Stroll about on the promenade (officially named as Goubert Avenue) and peek into the past. You will come across the old port, the Gandhi statue, the old lighthouse, and the French war memorial.

The French War Memorial has 4 pillars erected in memory of French soldiers slain in World War I.

The Gandhi statue is surrounded by 8 monolithic granite pillars from the 17th century.

The Old Lighthouse, not functional now, was constructed in 1836.

7. Laze about on the clean beaches (take your pick from Promenade beach, Paradise beach, Serenity beach, and Auroville beach) and watch the men out on the sea try to fish in a rich catch (or maybe even spot mermaids?). Come back, happy and hungry, to have your fill of delicious meals that present traditional Creole cuisine at its best, and provide your taste-buds an unfamiliar yet pleasing experience.

8. Explore ambitious visions of world harmony at the Aurobindo Ashram, founded in 1926, and also Auroville or the City of Dawn, an experimental township founded some time later in 1968 that envisions everyone living in collective peace.

9. Visit the Eglise De Notre Dame Des Anges Church (Church of Our Lady of Angels), originally constructed in 1855, and modelled on the lines of the Basilica in Lourdes.

10. On your way back to Chennai, drive down the scenic East Coast road and stop awhile in the historical town of Mahabalipuram to see the Shore temple built in 700–728 AD. Exposed only recently by the Tsunami of 2004, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Legend talks of this temple as being one of the famed Seven Pagodas temple complex of which six still lie submerged. You can also explore the Pancha Rathas complex where each of the five monuments resembles a chariot. The chariots are named after the five Pandava brothers from Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic that describes a cataclysmic battle fought eons ago but alive in the memory of people, even today.

Books set in/about Pondicherry

1. Life of Pi- Yann Martel

2. A House in Pondicherry- Lee Langley

“My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.” 
                                                                                                  - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Winged Words: Leisure Trails at Landour

I have already publicly confessed to being wild about the written word. Reading opens up new experiences and emotions, helps me understand the world and my fellow humans better, and also inspires me to travel!

Books that tempt, coax, and induce me to visit the place they describe are what I like to think of as 'winged words'. For these words fly me to diverse destinations by building a desire so strong that only my physical presence in the place of choice will satisfy my yearning to explore it. Getting to know these places via the internet or books will not suffice, not any more! Every once in a while I hope to share my experience of new places in a travel-themed series of posts titled Winged Words which will be listed on Traveling Tales and dedicated to books that made me take steps into the world beyond my city.

My first post in Winged Words takes us to my favorite home in the hills, Landour.

I first came to know of Landour through Ruskin Bond’s writing. Among his many books that share his love of mountains, is a slim volume ‘Landour Days’ which talks very fondly of this yet unspoilt sanctuary for souls seeking solitude. A friend who had already been to Landour was in such raptures over the trip that the decision to explore this immune-to-time destination was sealed with purpose the very day we talked. It was time to see Landour!

Why should you go there?

Landour retains an old-world charm quite unlike Mussoorie which is just a stone’s throw away in distance but eons away in offering solitary splendour. Shielded from the madness of this crowded world, inspite of being a part of it, Landour lies sleeping under a spell that protects it from the assault of time. The long winding paths here are veiled in mist, protected by their seclusion, and if you truly wish they can take you to yesterday.

Named after a Welsh village ‘Llanddowror’ in southwest Wales, it is a charming cantonment town in Uttarakhand, India, at an altitude of 7000 ft. While many refrain from visiting Landour because there is nothing to ‘do’ there as they say, for those who just want to ‘be’,  the peace and tranquility that embraces you while inhaling the crisp, cool, pine-scented air can gift you the memory of a lifetime.

Home to majestic deodars, many pine groves, and more famously the writing wizard Ruskin Bond, Landour has a quaint presence which leaves you longing for the past. Colonial-era churches, a 19th-century cemetery, and pretty brick and stone cottages peeping at you from under ivy enchant you with their shy magic such that once you spend time here, no other place will quite do.

In the days of the Raj, Landour was a convalescent depot for the British troops.

How will you get there?

• Take a train or flight to Dehradun. From Dehradun, hire a cab to Mussoorie (takes about 2 hours) or Landour depending on where you are staying for the trip. Buses also leave from Dehradun for Mussoorie every hour.
• Drive to Mussoorie from Delhi (takes about 7 hours). Landour is barely 5 kms away from Mussoorie.

What can you do there?

Must-do Things in Landour:

1. Eat your breakfast at Char Dukaan, a tiny cluster of shops, choosing between waffles, pancakes or even plain Maggi noodles if that is what tempts you most.

Anil’s café has been around for more than 60 years and is known for its ginger-lemon-honey tea.

2. Step inside the St. Paul’s church, consecrated in 1840. This is where wild life conservationist Jim Corbett’s parents got married! It is just adjacent to Char Dukaan.

St. Paul’s Church was originally the Landour Cantonment Post Office.

3. Visit the 100 year old Landour Language School where Hindi and Sanskrit are taught to people from across the world. 

The Kellog’s Church premises accommodate the Landour Language School.

4. Walk the Chakkar- a path that goes around the entire mountain ridge in a loop. Starting from Char Dukan, it runs for about 2 km and there are plenty of interesting sights on the way such as the Christian cemetery, Lal Tibba, Kellog’s church, beautiful old estates, Sisters' bazaar and more. Pristine paths pair with trees on one end and a sheer drop on the other.

About 350 species of birds can be seen over the course of the year in Landour at various elevations.

5. Ponder on the lives of those who once walked the same paths and are now resting in the cemetery. 

The graves go back to as early as 1830s.

6. Buy delicious home-made jams and preserves from Prakash Stores which has been tempting people with apple-mint, blueberry, apricot, and other distinctly flavoured relishes since 1910.

To Sisters' Bazaar. India's first prime minister enjoyed jam and cheese sold by Prakash Stores.

7. Eat your lunch at Doma’s inn, seated under vibrantly colored Tibetan craft that hangs overhead and also finds a place on the walls.

Ruskin Bond’s residence Ivy Cottage is a part of the same building where Doma’s Inn is located.

Books set in/about Landour

1. Landour Days by Ruskin Bond
2. Mussoorie and Landour- Footprints of the Past by Virgil Miedema and Stephanie Spaid Miedema
3. Mussorie and Landour- Days of Wine and Roses by Ruskin Bond
4. The Landour Cookbook: Over Hundred Years of Hillside Cooking- Ruskin Bond

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” ~Edward Abbey

Do you hear the mountains calling?