FRENCH CONNECTION - PONDICHERRY

The man getting roasted in scorching Indian sun is Joseph François Dupleix,
He is in the history books.
The French left him in Pondicherry with no umbrella, passport or money.
They could have given him a cap atleast.





Pigeons love him. Don't worry, he gets an
occasional wash. i think the tsunami washed him too, not sure.
He was still standing there when i left.









Pondicherry is no Paris, looks more like a French caribbean town, 150 kilometers south of Chennai on the eastern coast of India, used to be a French colony.
They left in 1954, but the delightful influence, attitude and style still lingers on.












This is some memorial, don't know what. Looks French alright, there are some cannons on display.





i don't miss many movies shot in France, love the countryside, Meg Ryan's French
Kiss, oh what a delight, both the French countryside and Meg Ryan..

Two that i saw recently are Steve Martin's Pink Panther and Jackie Chan Chris Tucker's Rush hour 3, shot in Paris.
Rush hour 3 takes you through the streets of Paris, its a movie for
brainless people like me.
Don't have to know what is going on, don't have to follow the story if there was any.
just watch the delightful locations and
HEEEEE HAAAAA karate' fights. every two minutes.
A girl is kidnapped and taken to the Eiffel tower
what girl ?
don't ask questions, just munch your pop corn
its enough if you know that they are bad guys and good guys will come beat up the bad guys and rescue her. And you keep munching your pop corn.
Then there is all kinds of Karate' stunts on the Eiffel tower. you get to see the aerial view of Paris, ignore the fights.
End of movie.






Good that the present politicians have retained the original street names.
This is just a part of Old Pondicherry, very clean, well maintained and the rest of the town is not so.








Not much traffic and no crowd, less activity. It is not a happening place like Banaras.
Attracts a lot of European tourists. If you can walk on a frying pan, you'd love the place.
Best time is October to March, when the frying pan is less hot.






Doesn't look French, looks Spanish Portugese or Mexican ?? Don't know







Ah ! Wonderful beach ???, well, not any more, it used to be good but now the sea is coming in.









Very Stylish still. Peace and quite. You'll find some quiet corners and enjoy the French cusine.













Distinctly French, I have seen Charles DeGaulle wearing it, This is the local Police uniform. They still retain the French Army and Police Cap, i have seen Pink Panther, Peter Sellers wearing it.










The locals used to speak French. Now its Tamil and English, you can still find old timers speaking French. The original is always pleasant






What annoys me most are the foreigners who are staying there permanantly.
They pity the locals and tell them how to live.
Very 'Kind' people.
Specially the Aurovilleans.
They are a big pain.
Briefly, Auroville, little away, an international community, started with good intentions, with the soil of all over the world in an amphi theatre and an all religions or non religious temple. But soon it got into trouble with the government.
They want to do us Indians a favour by their interference and guidance we don't need.
They were soon put in their place.





And then there is an Ashram.
Ah ! There are so many of them in India.......thousands
this one is no special.
Quiet people really
i know some of them.
they are nice
they are very nice
they are very very nice

and they are always smiling.
If you are very very nice and always smiling, believe me i'd avoid you.
Fruit cakes.

You smile when a bull comes charging at you ??
You smile and offer your other cheek ?
Not a very good idea, You'll get one there too, free, on the house.

The question is, why did he slap you ?

Because you told him something good to him ?

You told him something what YOU THOUGHT was good for him
He didn't think so.
Big mistake.
Imposing what YOU THINK is good on others.
i know what is good for me and you know what is good for yourself.

Best is avoidance. Avoid confrontation.
Don't create a situation of some one slapping you and you offering the other cheek

If he slaps, you slap him harder, make a police complaint, sue him.
but don't be a saint, they are all fakes

In Pondicherry, many are convinced that they are Jesus Christ.

Please don't be surprised to see people lined up offering you the other cheek,
just slap them on both.

STREETS OF BANARAS

Never a dull moment, you'd love it. Its the people who make the place beautiful. Very respecful and courteous.
What do I mean by respectful people ?
Everybody treats you with respect, educated or illeterates.
It means a lot to me as I come from a city (Chennai) where people are very rude and arrogant with strangers. This includes educated people, greatly influnced by the crude Tamil movies they watch day in and day out. Nowhere you would find film actors winning elections and becoming head of the states.
Cheap and crude movie culture rules my city and the state.












People people people everywhere, please don't be scared by the crowd. Just accept the chaos, you'll be fine.
It requires a slight shift in attitude and you'll enjoy your holiday.
I did not have any kind of bad experience. Filth garbage and the stray animals on the streets is not a bad experience for me.

You'll find all modes of transport, all kinds of contraptions on wheels, two three four.










Let me explain, this contraption is called share auto. The box has two seats facing each other, that can accomodate eight people. You normally find 15 people stuffed inside the box and four with the driver. So this vehicle carries nearly 20 people. I took a ride in one such contraption in Lucknow, I'll write about my ride in Lucknow post. This cheap mode of transport is spreading fast all over India.












This is the art of survival. You would learn to adjust without complaining.
These are rickshaws. I avoided riding in those in Jairpur Rajasthan last year. Preferred an auto. Then I realised that I could contribute to their survival. Slight shift in attitude. Now I take regular rickshaw rides. I don't mind rattling of my bones, good for me, free exercise.










These rides are ridiculously cheap, I always pay them double of what they demand. I am never alone, I have my lunch breakfast or tea with them. They keep talking to you, they talk practical philosophy. Show them little kindness and they die for you. At the end they offer to wait for me
No Thank you Sir, I tell them, I am going to walk and take pictures it may take a couple of hours.
and he says with utmost and sincere respect that he'll wait for 2 hours, Please wear a cap sir it is getting too hot. I see them sweating. This is hard labour. This kind of care and respectful attitude always touches me. This man could steal, commit crime to survive but he chooses such hard labour in sweltering heat. This is culture, they are civilised people, uneducated or illeterates.









They are part of our lives. Watch your step. You would step on cow dung. They are behind you in front of you. They are everywhere. They mind their business. They have to survive eating garbage.









This is how I eat. Road side stuff. Fresh and hot, straight from the frying pan. You would never get any stale food because food moves fast. Always fresh. My attitude is, fill your stomach don't complain and be thankful. Taste is a bonus. And it is always tasty. Carry your mineral water bottle and eat hot food anywhere and you are safe.








Lots of sweets, The aroma is over powering. I fight the temptation to eat every thing I see. I lost and temptation won most of the time. Told you I am pretty reckless. I love experiments, but so far away from home ?? not a good idea. Avoid eating things which are cold and not covered. Sweets are served hot as well. Like gulaab jamoons and jilebees. I had a cold ras malaai which was better than any ice cream.








Paani poori and Dahi vadaa. I had dahi vada here, risky but couldn't resist. Its the white stuff, incredible taste. They add brownish sweet chutney and masala as toppings served on a hard leaf plate. Lot tastier than what we get in the south. I sit on the pavement and eat nodding my coconut counting the passing rickshaws. Having one more plate would be pushing things too far, have to know my limits.









Two days in the train, and I'll be home, my train was leaving in an hour, the aroma was too tempting.
What would you have ? There were so many things
Shamelessly, shamelessly I pointed towards a gentleman eating in a mud pot. I said I want to eat that,
this.... this .... I nearly dipped my finger in his bowl. I should have dipped and tasted it. No cold stares no complaint. Some name of the dish which I forgot. Had to wait. It was so tempting that I found it hard to wait. It was served very hot in a mud pot.
I was not disappointed.




He gave me a leaf plate to keep the mud pot so that I don't burn my palm. It was just wonderful.
Too tasty for words. It was sweet and sour, tilting a little towards sweet.
He took time preparing it and I took time eating it, very slowly, glancing at my watch, looking around to see if any one is watching my greed, I was looking down at the bowl, looking up,
looking down, looking up, looking around and back to the bowl
no one is watching me. Wonderful, just wonderful. Unique taste.
Just ten rupees, 25 cents, you are in heaven for ten rupees. I loved it.
Had to rush to the station. It was quite filling. After eating you have to throw the mud pot, its for one time use only. I smashed it on the pavement. Tea also is served in mud pots which you have to break so that they are not used again.






You would be in tears if you see child labour. No, legislation helped. I'll have a post on this subject soon.




Banaras is famous for Paan, I normally don't take it but I thought let me have the pleasure. There are many different ingredients added. I chose a simple sweet one. The mouth turns red when you chew it. I kept sticking my tongue out to see if it has turned red. This is chewed after a sumptuous meal, it helps digestion they say.








I was tired, had to rush back to the hotel room and pack. Bought just one silk piece for my niece, that would come in Banaras silk weaving post. No other shopping, though there were lots of things to buy. You can pick up stone jewelry from the pavements. Very cheap. I did not buy because my next trip was to Hyderabad, better place for cheap jewelry.







This is a funeral procession going towards the holy river ganga for cremation. Saw many such processions, The final journey.











I don't have pictures of any singers or musicians. Banaras is famous for particular style of Hindustani music.
Most well known is Ustaad Bismillah Khan who recently passed away. Mala took me to his concert in my city. He was too old to play the wind instrument called Shehnaai. But what ever little he played was breathtaking. He was very witty. Perhaps the most respected musician in India. I can tell you the names of many musicians who can play sitar, sarod, flute, but I do not know of any other name who plays shehnaai other than Ustaad Bismillah Khan. He dominated the music scene for decades.





Behind these closed doors are the artistes of exceptional talent, mostly women and children, No one will see them, no one will know them, working on silk. All of them are muslims living hand to mouth, struggling to survive, living in utter poverty under the threat of communal riots which can break out any moment. They have suffered a lot and still suffering.
But I saw a great deal of communal harmony during my last three visits. India is a very complex country. We survive.
Silk weavers of Banaras would come next in the first part of handloom weavers series. I know you are tired of washing of sins, one more place to go SANGAM, We'll go there and wash our sins after the 4 part Weavers series
All my love

BLUNT KNIFE
WILDPIC

STREETS OF BANANAS




FOUR DINNERS misread the title of this posts as streets of Bananas and was looking for pictures of street full of bananas. Neil, you will not be disappointed, here they are for you.











But these are not the streets of Banaras. These are the streets of my own city Chennai going bananas.
Lot more pictures there, but this post is already too heavy with pictures.






Early morning went out to shoot these pictures for you Neil, found this sweet girl in school uniform praying in a temple. This is examination time. Wish she comes out with flying colours, please pray for her too.