Mission completed in Chennai. Way
down on any list of beauty spots ---but visiting points of touristic glamour is not the objective of this rail
odyssey around India. To view, to observe, and to chat with some locals makes
it worthwhile to visit.
A 3
hour train sector today, south to coastal Pondicherry (also known as
Puducherry)
population 294,000. By this journey’s standards, a short leg and
one that Indian Railways must have been expecting to have included a shipment
of ice cream! The air conditioning was set at frigid, requiring frequent visits
down to ‘cattle’ class, that does not have the ‘benefits’ of AC, so as to thaw
out. Arrived on time at Villupuram Junction and ready for that steaming hot
coffee (although the temperature out side in Villupuram was pushing a balmy 35C
and super humid). Transferred from rail station to bus station terminal and
ready to pay my $1 for the 50 km bus ride to Pondicherry. Wow, I thought, a
steal of a deal—just half a dozen on passengers on board and piped-in Tamil pop
music at high decibel thrown in, at no additional cost. Not gone more than 1 km
and we were joined by half of India. Luckily, I had a seat, but without
exaggeration, arms & legs were hanging out of windows. I swear that Indian buses
have flexible walls and seem to expand as the load increases. The philosophy
seems to be ‘no passenger refused a ride’---just pack ‘em in tighter. Despite
the discomfort, everyone was most pleasant and accommodative to others.
 |
| Note the blue street name reminiscent of France... |
The former enclave of Pondicherry is a remnant of the former French Empire, founded in 1653 and returned peacefully to India in 1954. Evidence
of French influence is fast disappearing, as the old French colonial style
structures collapse in the tropical heat & moisture. A small central part
of the city has streets that are lined with over arching trees reminiscent of
the French concession in Shanghai. Conveniently, much of Pondicherry is still
laid out on the old French street grid system, making it easier for this
direction challenged tourist to better orientate himself. In comparison, most
cities in India are a chaotic maze of street directions where navigation for a
visitor is a challenge.
In
the last few years, an administrative remnant of the colonial period has risen
as it relates to the period of French control in Pondicherry. Apparently, many
of the Indian civil servants employed by the French opted to take French
nationality for themselves and family with the expectation that at the end of
the period of the colonial administration that they would be rewarded with the
right to reside in France. This was not to be the case and these former
bureaucrats have found it difficult to transfer to Indian citizenship with its
benefits. Thus, there is a diminishing strata of the population in Pondicherry
that are considered as colonial outcasts and hold-overs. November is the wettest month of the year in Pondicherry, with 11 inches of precipitation, from the "northwest" monsoon---must buy an umbrella tomorrow!
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