THE TICKET: A French Kiss in India- PONDICHERRY

How I Went:- Jumped into a bus at Chennai's Mofussil Bus Depot for a three-hour ride with blaring Tamil music accompanying me down the magnificent beach-lined East Coast Road. Taxis and luxury buses are available, but this is the best way to savour the local flavour.

What I Did:- Checked into an extremely basic and incredibly sanitary room labelled 'Freedom' at the Park Guest House, which is affiliated to the Aurobindo Asharam. Peace, Cheer, Friendship, Serenity.....and many other delightful names offer a balcony with an untrammelled view of a tranquil garden and the Bay of Bengal. I spent a glorious week exploring the symmetrical French quarter of this exquisite town that was under the control of the French government till 1954. There's a whole other side to this city(regular Indian messopolis), but i preferred to keep to the tree-lined boulevards with ornate names.

What I Saw:- All the Pondyessentials.... I strolled down Avenue Goubert(Beach Road) every evening. Lingered over the French War Memorial and Mahatma Gandhi's statue. Watched the gendarmes in their red French caps patrol. Whispered in awe by the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the mother at the Aurobindo Ashram. Saw the memorials to poets Subramanita Bharathi and Bharathidasan and all the museums, popped in at the Alliance Francaise and scouted for rare French books at the Romain Rolland Library. Checked out the firangs baking themselves red on Auro Beach. Gasped at the Technicolour beauty of the temples (some date back to the Chola era). Dined on superb continental fare at Le Club and rather iffish Chinese along the beachfront. Found peace as well as the world's largest crystal in the white-on-white environs of the Matri Mandir meditation dome at Auroville(14kms away).

What I Learnt- That Pondicherry plays host to an annual International Yoga Festival in early January-an other reason to go back!

What I Liked:- The stately colonial buildings and vast white and yellow villas with scarlet bougainvillae spilling over artistic gates looked like they belonged in another era of another country. The people were friendly, talkative and very contemporary.

What I Recommend:- With its air of sparkling purity, Pondicherry's great for a holiday that eases jangled nerves. Don't go if you're looking for water sports, discotheques or lavish spas. But if you seek a relaxed sojourn that doesn't cost the earth, yet gives you a taste of the good life with a bit of culture and spirituality thrown in, this is the right place for you.