Pondicherry: Great place to spend for a weekend ...

Just 2 1/2 hours away from Madras along the scenic and well-maintained East Coast Road (ECR) is Pondicherry. It is at best a great weekend destination. Especially if you're based in Madras, or even Bangalore, plan a drive down to Pondy during one of the long weekends. It would be worth the visit.
Pondy is a great place for bargain shopping. It's a typical laid back south Indian town. Don't go shopping for brands here. You won't find many any ways! 

Shop for some great products from the Aurobindo shops and boutiques. They are worth the price, albeit, slightly on the higher side. At least you are assured of good quality stuff. Secondly, Pondy is a decent destination for leather goods. This is Hidesign's home turf. Their products are by and large good. But be wary of what you buy and compare prices. Sometimes they fleece you. Actually, mostly they fleece you!

Pondy has a 2 km long beach, which is very hot during day time! Go for early morning and late evening walks, to enjoy the peace and quiet. Chunnambar backwater resort is another nice picnic spot. Be prepared to meet milling crowds of downmarket tourists from neighbouring villages! The backwater boat ride is nothing to write home about. Boozing is a major attraction in Pondy. Indulge, if you like!

Avoid Pondy during the summer months. It usually gets too hot for comfort. Stick to the French quarter of the town. It is certainly better than the other side, which is nothing but a typical dirty small Indian town. There are lots of excellent eateries, serving mostly Continental fares (to cater to the palates of the foreigners who can be seen swarming are all over the place!!). Check out the many non-descript and hidden beaches along the coastline of Pondy. They will be refreshingly good. Be warned about the locals and foreigners who will be peddling drugs/women etc.

Pondicherry: Things to Do

Paradise beach is the best beach near Pondicherry. It is reached by boat (100Rs per head at the time of writing) from Chunnambar resort which is just by the side of NH45A south of Pondicherry, just before the road crosses a bridge over a backwater. Chunnambar is around 8KMs from Pondicherry. You can take a normal boat or a speed boat to Paradise beach.

 There is a very basic and small bar which serves suprisingly cold soft drinks, beer and snacks. There are a couple of shelters for protection from the sun or rain and plenty of palm trees for shade too. The sand is nice and fine, unlike Auro Beach, and the sea doesn't get too steep too soon. Also, Auro Beach is very dirty and access path to the beach is very dirty.

 Though consumption of alcohol is prohibited as per PTDCs rules, as mentioned above beer is sold in shacks on the beach.

 Paradise beach is a must see tourist attraction but lot of of people miss this important location. This is the only beach around Pondicherry which remotely resembles a public beach that you would go to

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A recommended side trip is a boat 'cruise' at Chunnambar, a "backwater" according to the Pondicherry tourist office.  Although the rickshaw ride seems rather long, and is correspondingly uncomfortable, the birdife that you can see during this short boat ride is worth it. You pay three rupees to get in (and the same amount for parking for your rickshaw if you want it to wait), but the kiosk is unlikey to have any small change, so if you don't bring any, expect to pay at least ten rupees for entrance. The boat trip itself is 30 rupees, and it seems to be a regular family outing for middle-class Indians on holiday in the area. The boat landing is attached to a children's playground, which is pleasantly shaded, so if you brought a picnic it could make an enjoyable family event for a morning or an afternoon. The boat trips get shorter as the day advances

Holiday Inn Pondicherry

Picture an early morning walk on a pavement along the sea just after sunrise. The summer sun wears a cloudy veil. The breeze is mild and the weather balmy. The delightful setting fires up your limbs and you enjoy a glorious brisk walk. Where could this be? Step into Pondicherry – the erstwhile French colony, now a union territory that lies two and a half-hours away from Chennai along the East Coast Road (ECR).

The morning walk described above is along the beach promenade, called the Goubert Avenue. This is a fabulous path, separated from the sea by a rocky barrier. The promenade is peppered with benches and one finds contemplative people, friends chatting, strolling tourists and plenty of walkers.

We stayed at my sister-in-law’s bungalow, which, with its mango and jasmine trees, was a feast for our Mumbai-bred children. The staircases, terrace and umpteen nooks and crannies kept them well occupied through the vacation. That left me relatively free to explore the charming town with the apt Pondicherry Tourism tagline – Give time a break!

Pondicherry is a curious mix of its French history and contemporary Tamil setting. It is split into the White Town, which once housed the French rulers, and the Black Town which is the present day marketplace cum residential area. The French Town is laid in the form of a compact grid. The streets have retained their French names - Rue Dupuy, Rue St.Louis or Rue St.Gilles and I could manage the pronunciation solely because they were also spelled in Tamil!

The French Town transports one into an earlier magical era with its leafy streets, colonial bungalows and courtyards spilling over with pink, yellow and white bougainvilleas. The colonial buildings are painted in a distinct pale ochre shade. I was given an extensive tour of the French Institute, which is a painstakingly restored French mansion. The façade of the Institute was obscured by high walls, a distinctive feature of French colonial architecture, but the interiors took my breath away. The open flow of the house within was a sudden contrast to the forbidding exterior. It had modest green spaces in the front and the back – for a courtyard and garden. The library, with massive teak bookcases, was not confined to one room, but spread throughout the mansion with casual seating arrangements. The mansion’s architecture, with its French windows and high-ceilinged rooms, was designed to ensure a constant flow of sea breeze that kept it cool even in the hot summer months.

The Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry is a big draw for spiritually-inclined people. It is a restful place with the samadhis of Aurobindo Ghosh and the Mother under the canopy of a single tree. The samadhis are tastefully decorated with flowers and the Ashramites ensure that the wilted flowers are replaced periodically. The entire atmosphere within the ashram is peaceful and subtly enhanced by the fragrant flowers. Auroville, a 30 minute ride from Pondicherry, was set up by the Mother in 1968 as a commune for world citizens living in harmony with nature. A half-day trip to view the densely wooded commune and its treehouses, the Matri Mandir and the solar kitchen is highly recommended.

Pondicherry beckons one to buy her unique wares. The numerous boutiques along Nehru Street and M.G.Road stock incense, candles, lamps, leather goods and jewellery. The heady incense wafting through the boutiques subliminally seduces one to shop!

Pondicherry offers a dash of non-Indian flavour with its French-Tamil mix and this manifests itself in delightful surprises sprinkled through the town. As I bade goodbye, it seemed to lure me into visiting her again - to relive the old memories and create new ones.

My craze for sarees...

Saree is the tradition Indian dress for women. They love to put on stylish and trendy sarees to represent Indian Ethnicity of Indian culture and tradition .My mom is a traditional women and she always use to wear saree for the full day. Because of her I got inspired on sarees .I rarely use to wear saree but when i wear saree I feel like I was little matured so use to wear on occasions and functions. As am doing college i don't have much sarees with me. My mom had such a beautiful collections, she had many sarees in paper material, Mysore silk, Kanchepuram silks, and also some sarees. I don't know what material is. And of course i like all her designs. Whenever am planning to buy saree I will ask my mom to select, because her selection will suit much better than mine.

ABOUT DESIGNER SAREES

Designer saree are the experiments done by various designers on Indian traditional attire saree. The designer sarees specify current fashion trends.  Designer saree is the most used term in the fashion and Bollywood apparel industry. Designer sarees are also custom made now a days. Most popular ones are hand embroidered and net sarees.

Designer Sarees can be worn on any occasion. Be it a wedding function or a cocktail party designer sarees have become a most prefferd attire. Designer sarees are of various fabric like net, georgette, chiffons, silk, lace etc.  Designer sarees are must haves in Indian woman’s wardrobe.

These beautiful sarees are embellished with various works like zari, zardosi, sequins or Swarovski elements. They are paired with stylish blouses with fancy necklines. Doori, boat neck, tube or halter are in the fashion. Dimaonds, gold, silver, costume jelwery can be add on to you look while wearing these sarees for an evening wear. Black, reds, silver and shimmery colors are must haves for any women. 

Different types of designer sarees are available in the market. One should choose the colors, patterns according to your choice and style. Like for summers choose light pastels colors and for winters choose dark suttle colors like blues, blacks and shades of green.

Butterfly pallu saree is a type of designer saree where the pallu narrows downs to the shoulder with cut work. The style is being inspired from the Bollywood film industry. The work on the shoulder can be of pearl and kundan which adds a fusion look to the designer saree.

Sharara saree – It is a style of saree which looks like a sharara. It has two flares and the second flare makes it looks like sharara. The sharara saree is very heavily emblazed with work of zari, zardosi or thread work on the bottom or second half of the flare. It is worn on special occasions like weddings and bridal functions.

A thin fabric saree with a belt highlights your curves.  Belt can be of a fabric or leather emblazes with embroidery or stone work. Adding a glam belt to the attire gives a fusion look to the attire. It can be worn on any party wear occasion or festivals.

Lehenga saree – This is another experiment of designers. This kind of designer saree has a flare in the end but less than sharara flare. This style is getting popular among Modern Indian brides. This gives a fusion look to traditional lehnega choli.

Neo- saree is another experiment with saree. This designer saree is a saree with a reduced height and is above the ankle. You can team this saree with a strapee sandal or juttis.

Designer Saree is one of the most fashionable attire available in Indian fashion industry.