Puducherry Kacheri

On Saturday evening it just occurred to me that I have been in Chennai for the past few months and never tried out the ECR. So we just decided to drive down to Puducherry the next morning. It might sound as an ad-hoc decision I did do my bit of homework on Sat night to explore Pondi online first.

So we hit the road in my car on sunday morning 6:30 am. We stopped at Thiruvadanthai to visit Nithyakalyana Perumal, but the Darshan was only from 8 am (so much for my homework!). Our net stop was at Mahabalipuram outskirts for breakfast. I wouldn't recommend the noisy A2B, but as a vegetarian you don't have much choice. I had always wondered why they collect a 48 Rs toll for the ECR which does not even have a median or what you call a divider. But the ride was smooth and easy, but be very careful about incoming traffic from the side roads from villages and the speeding vehicles in the opposite direction. You do see the wonderful seashore to your left here and there, but the road does not actually run near or along the coastline.

We took a detour at about 7 km before Puducherry town to check out Auroville, the city for universal human being. You gotto take the muddy, bumpy road for about 8kms to reach the Visitor Information center. This is not a tourist attraction as they declare in their website, you need to understand and appreciate the purpose of universal harmony and peace and the divine humanity. You have to call up and book ahead if you would like to visit the Matrimandir, otherwise you just get a glimpse of it from a distance as we did.

Once we reached Pondy, we checked in at Executive Inn - a pretty decent hotel I must add, and had lunch. We started out on foot to visit Aravindhar ashram. We had to wait in the long queue till 2:15 pm when the gates were opened. I had no idea what to expect. But was not happy by the way one of the volunteers was yelling "switch off the mobile, don't speak, follow the line". You are allowed to pay respects to the Aravindhar and Annai Samaadhi. We did some shopping at Pondi bazaar (the real one), bought some stuff at FabIndia in sufferon street and picked some souvenirs.

Then we walked along the beach. For the first time in India I found concrete blocked streets here and enjoyed the mix of French, Indian and contemporary styles of architecture. But contrary to whatever I had read online, the beach is no different from the Chennai's Marina. It was crowded and dirty. At 8pm we visited the famous Manakkula Vinayagar temple. It was nice to see the Vinayakar carvings from various places around the world including Java, Indonesia !!

I always explore different cuisines when I visit places, I mean whats the point of traveling if you still want to have Idlies and Dosas? If you are not familiar with the cuisine, ask the Chef for recommendations based on your appetite. You can always give pointers like you don't want too spicy too oily stuff etc. We dined at this wonderful place called Hotel Du Parc.We had Pastas, Connelini, Lasanga and French cakes. It was awesome. They had a friendly staff and great ambiance. Great way to end our one-day tour ! 

We woke up early the next day drove back in 2 hours.

Why Tier II Indian cities struggle to become IT hubs ?

Yesterday, my friend with 3+ years of IT experience went for a job interview in an IT company in Coimbatore. The company whose parent group is into many industries from hospitality to entertainment has ventured into IT also almost a decade ago and has managed to get hold of a bunch of clients all over the world. Yet, the HR first wanted to know if my friend would be willing to "come down to local standards" in her salary expectation. Also, if she would be ready to get into an agreement with the company that she would stick on for 2 years at least. The work culture once you are inside an IT company in tier II cities is also not up to standards. You face a huge hierarchy, not the usual flat IT office.

The attitude of new entrants and biggies from traditional industries who want to venture into IT MUST change. The HR policies need to be overhauled in these organisations. This recent article could be a starting point for learning. Improving infrastructure and building IT parks do not solve the puzzle completely for any city that tries to become the next Bangalore.

My friend asked the HR if the company is willing to "come down to local standards" in her deliverables at work?

It rained here !

Had been to DakshinChitra recently, our first official weekend getaway in Chennai. While I enjoyed the various exhibits and had a great time catching them through my lens, I was not sure if they capture the culture of the southern states completely. As a south Indian I felt the place was slowly becoming more of historical museum more than a center for arts. Perhaps a 2 hour stroll is not enough to get the  vibe of the place or I must have taken a guided tour. For an outside this place does serve as a great window to South Indian traditions.

I've always wondered why many tourist destinations in India have different entry fees for locals and foreigners? I have not seen this anywhere abroad.

I did not get a chance to witness any performing arts in DakshinChitra. But what came as a pleasant surprise was Rohini Thotta Tharani's art exhibition. I did get to see the man himself, but did not want to gate crash the party as he was with his friends. As for his daughter's paintings, well "புலிக்கு பிறந்தது பூனையாகுமா?"

Oh yeah, it rained here in Chennai !