Weekend trip to Pondicherry -1

Days: 27-28 March, 2009.

Our uncle (dad’s friend) decide to go to Pondicheery with my dad, as he mostly don’t get out alone and dad got the idea to have a family trip with him on a holiday that came along weekend last month. But he can’t come that day for some reason; and we likely continued the trip with grandparents, aunt and cousins. It was something inappropriate time we began our journey during a sunny day on the breezy ECR. It wasn’t the kind of travel I probably expect and experience in late, just moving within enclosed vehicle where the air condition was on to disturb the cause of my traveling, when lies the outer space with cool breeze. But I was shut to raise my voice as if the control was to content someone. For me traveling means sense the atmosphere and not alone just viewing through glass panel. For me traveling is one favorable thing in the world, where my world almost exists at home, except the virtual reality here. Traveling gets me a feel of boundless, for a person who believes world exists outside home and life begins outside windows.

Auroville

Google maps helped me to know the easier way to find places I interest and there wasn’t much difference all along this travel, compare to my last one less than 9-years before. Our first destination was Auroville near Pondicherry, a 9km from ECR at right turn from Kuilapalayam village, one either easy way to reach without entering Pondicherry, while coming from Chennai on ECR. So many shops and building turn the way in add to brief space to tar roads replacing mud, except the road lead to auroville. I wish to arrive by evening, but eventually it happed to be afternoon, after over to lunch inside cashew grove. I make sure advice everyone not to make the place unclean, as usual I do care the environment is constant and in my view auroville is one simplest heaven on earth surrounded by nature.

Somehow I wonder at the two wheelers, the aurovilleans use to transport. Those are few out of fashion and sale, like TVS 50, champ, Yamaha explorer, Max100… and they cross like sudden flash and for our ladies to look after women rides bike! Vehicles are parked about a km before the heart of auroville- Matrimandir, peace globe. The organization let people to cover this distance by walking or by battery autos to help who can’t walk more, but I deny the offer, as I have my power wheels and the auto seems inconvenient. Is there anything more than exploring ourselves and to spare time besides walking with dear ones? They exhibit things and pictures of how the city develops and significance of the peace globe, and one shouldn’t or couldn’t miss is the slide show before u put further steps. There are much restrictions and distinguish from then visiting this place, were we allowed to get inside Matrimandir by maintain silent to see the crystal-glass sphere, glow with sun rays that directed to fall on the sphere and after sunset, solar energy to give light to the crystal glass globe. It’s a curve ramp that’s takes one to the top.

Matrimandir is parted with12 petals, divided by 12 gardens and 12 meditation rooms inside and beneath the golden globe, which signifies to each colors dedicated to our part of life to concentrate on silence and soul. The visitors are allowed up to a stretch to see the Peace globe that glow to sunshine at late afternoon. The garden was well maintained with greensward, and those want to visit the inner chamber of the globe needs permission in advance to enjoy the silence. I felt the distance let to covers is to make realize how significant the place was, but many couldn’t understand the necessary to keep silence.

Cuddalore

At time we visited, there were lots of school children visiting the place on a day trip. Its pity to see few little ones caring barrels of lunch and water cans from there buses to where they settle to have lunch, and no more elders to help them. I think so it’s a happening thing to government school students always. There was a very old banyan tree stretched up to 50 meters and sitting under the tree was such welfare to blown wind. The distance between globe and entrance was around bushes, and it gets me a feel of wandering at my grandpa village. We would have spent some more time if my dad’s friend in cuddalore doesn’t call to make us arrive soon, as he would leave to Chidambaram. Actually we loved to spend the evening at Pondicherry beach, but we dropped and head to cuddalore, where dad lodged a room. It was spacious for our whole family; and was well convenient with television, ac and comfortable cots, restaurant within complex and helping friends of dad in Cuddalore. Continue...