Pondicherry

Pondi, the nickname of the city of Pondicherry, is the state capital of the Pondicherry region, south India. It used to be a French colony, which consisted of 4 cities on the coast, somewhat in the style of Ceuta in Morocco. These cities served as ports of call for ship traders going to the French colonies in South East Asia, and returned products like silk and tea to France. Puducherry means new town in Tamil language. It's also called the cote d'azure (blue coast) of the East. It has around 220 000 inhabitants, which for India is small. The literacy rate is higher than the national average, there are universities, and some people speak French, because they are too old, or because they have an alliance to France.

This is a very interesting city to rest or have meditation courses. I like to go sometimes on the weekends but there are many distractions because it has a lot of trade in its streets, and the parks are nice, you can walk along the beach, but what I find most special is a temple of the god called ganhesa which at certain times has an ornate elephant that is trained to deposit coins in his trunk and then blesses his head.

It was a nice experience in Pondicherry. I had gone with my husband who had studied MBBS at JIPMER and gone there for a class reunion. I enjoyed the Le Pondy Resort where we had the function. The city is also worth exploring. Auroville is a must go.