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THE MISTRESSES IN MY LIFE!

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, tagged , , , , , , , on November 24, 2012| 1 Comment »

Going by the caption, I guess you imagine me to be a Casanova of sorts, with a bevy of beauties chasing me, eager to swamp me with their irresistible charms. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am a simpleton, in looks as well as in physique. If ever there was an Oscar awarded to people who excel in projecting a permanently-worried-and-constipated look on their not-so-handsome faces, I would have won it long time ago. God has not endowed me with the kind of exceptional grey matter that appeals to the fairer of our species. Even those with the most fertile imagination may not call me either bold or dashing. I am your average middle-class guy, leading an average life – a conformist to the core. Well, that about sums me up!

If so, which mistresses am I talking about? Well, my wife is of the firm belief that even if we both are tied in holy matrimony by virtue of having taken the seven sacred wows while rounding a ceremonial fire as per traditional Hindu rites, I do not pay her the kind of attention she deserves. She claims that I am always engaged in pursuing courtship with the other interests in my life, namely, my career, my profound love for books and my infatuation with such technical gizmos as laptops, smart-phones, internet-savvy television sets, et al. She claims that all these extra-marital affairs of mine deprive her of an exclusive access to my love and affection, increasing her sense of abandonment and isolation.

Career obviously takes the first priority for me, much to the exclusion of family and other interests. Having come up in life due to an excellent education provided for by my parents long time back, I am mortally afraid of jeopardizing my career growth prospects just because a Parent Teacher Meeting is scheduled for the very day on which an all important client meeting is due to take place. Or, taking leave for a day to show a movie to a bunch of giggly kids from my in-laws’ side who have suddenly decided to swoop down on us, taking our hospitality for granted.

If an assignment needs me to lead my team for up to 15 hours on most days, I feel I have to be physically present in office there to buck them up. But my better half could not disagree with me more. Invariably, I am held responsible for having “married” my job, as also the company I work for.

Another “marriage” I get blamed for is that of my fondness for reading and writing. Savoring my early morning cup of tea, accompanied by the latest edition of The Hindu, I often get lost in its thought-provoking editorials. This is a sight that makes her register a strong protest in no uncertain terms. I am supposed to help her instead in deciding the sari she is supposed to wear when some guests arrive for dinner that day, followed of course by a long list of provisions I have to shop for on my return from office.Bertie image

Late at night, if I curl up in bed with my Kindle e-book reader, enjoying the escapades of Bertie Wooster trying to wriggle out of an impending walk down the aisle with a goofy female like Madeline Bassett, subtly assisted by the inimitable Jeeves, her priority would be to update me either with the misdemeanors of the maid servant during the day, or some gossip about the neighbor’s daughter.

On a lazy Sunday forenoon, if I am found composing a new article while sitting in front of my laptop, all hell would break loose. I shall either receive a sermon on the sacrosanct duties and responsibilities of a householder, or simply get asked if I can help her in locating her spectacles. My tenuous thought process having got disrupted thus, the creative juices would stop flowing, leading me to sigh in exasperation and grudgingly get back to the mundane affairs of life.

For a nationally acclaimed couch potato like me, it is easy for me to empathize with my wife when she thinks that the television set in the house is yet another mistress whose charms I find more alluring. When it comes to attracting my attention, it is definitely her arch-rival, especially if Amitabh Bacchhan’s baritone voice is wafting in the air, posing the next question to a participant in the quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”.

Anyhow, let me confess that I enjoy such affairs with these mistresses only when my better-half is around, pottering about in the kitchen and running the household affairs as efficiently as only she can. The male of the species can surely pursue their “other interests”, but let them not take their wives for granted. Take a wife  out of the scenario, and the charm of all the extra-marital affairs would simply evaporate!

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MA’s AWAKENING

Posted in A Vibrant Life! on May 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The night was yet to come to an end

It was the hour before even the Gods awake.

 

As people of myriad races across the world

Obeyed the unforeseeing instant’s urge,

Ma also gradually awoke among these tribes

To lift up the burden of her fate.

 

Her spirit opened to the spirit in all

Her nature felt all Nature as its own,

A solitary mind, a world-wide heart

The lone Divine’s unshared work she rose.

 

At first life grieved not in her burdened breast

Inert, released into forgetfulness,

Prone it reposed, unconscious on mind’s verge

She lay remote from grief, unsawn by care.

 

Then a slow faint remembrance shadow like moved

The Power that kindles mind was still withdrawn;

Sullen, the torch of sense refused to burn

The unassisted brain found not its past.

 

But now she stirred, her life shared the cosmic load,

Her strong spirit traveled back;

Back to the yoke of ignorance and fate

Back to the labour and stress of mortal days.

 

Her house of Nature felt an unseen sway,

Illumined swiftly were life’s darkened rooms;

Memory’s casements opened on the hours

And the tired feet of thought approached her doors.

 

She finally awoke to struggle and the pang divine

Saw the soft sunbeams playing on leaves swaying gently in the wind,

Heard the chirping of the birds outside her window

Mixed with the harsh clang of utensils vying for her attention.

 

Her senses quivered at the faint aroma of fresh tea wafting in

Her soul prodded her out of her slumber,

She arose confronting Time and Fate,

Immobile in herself, she gathered force.

 

This was the day when the new kitchen amma was supposed to report to work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE POWER OF BEING POWER-LESS!

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, Living Sustainably on April 4, 2012| 4 Comments »

Right across India, power cuts are an essential part of living. Getting regular power supply remains a utopia. Every time the government of the day announces an ambitious scheme to assure the hapless citizens that the 24 by 7 power days are just around the corner, there is a sense of severe skepticism and déjà vu.

I propose that we look at the positive side to the present power crisis that we face. I am not only referring to all the entrepreneurs who have shifted to manufacturing inverters of all sizes and shapes and are raking in handsome profits these days! Even ordinary laymen like you and I would also ruefully look back at this period. Let me put across some highlights of the unique experience of the “dark ages” we live in at present!

Just like the advent of the Internal Combustion engine ruined our lifestyles, making us forget to walk, electricity has also played havoc with our lives. We have lost touch with the primordial cycle of the Sun. We tend to live a life which is unhealthy. Within a family, various members live in greater isolation, sometimes depriving the younger generation of our rich cultural heritage and value systems.

In the presence of power, we sleep when we get tired watching the idiot box. We get up when we feel like. If the birds chirp too noisily in the mornings, or early sunlight starts disturbing our slumber, we merely draw the curtains tighter and doze off to catch a few winks more. Most of us have come to believe in the adage that “it is the early worm which gets caught!”

Thanks to electricity, we have lost close touch with our near and dear ones. Like elsewhere, life in a semi-urban environment is heavily dependent on the availability of power. Enter my house on any lucky evening these days – when power is available – and you will find that while the lady of the house is busy watching a cultural program on the telly, I would be fooling around with my desktop in another room. Son would pop up late from work, and get busy with his laptop in his bedroom. Daughter-in-law would be operating either a microwave or a grinder in the kitchen, whereas the granddaughter would be busy watching some inane channel on another TV in the bedroom.

Poof… goes the power. Another unscheduled power cut! Since repeated cuts have drained out the battery, our inverter is not in an obliging mood. With a sense of resignation, the whole family assembles in the outer courtyard of the house. A soothing silence pervades the house. We enjoy a gentle breeze under a clear star-lit sky. A soft moonlight is lovingly caressing all of us. My granddaughter is enjoying the cosmic scenery and starts chasing a bemused firefly in the lawn.

Slowly, as we get accustomed to the natural surroundings, conversation gets around to some key problems being faced by the family. My son’s impending transfer comes up for discussion; so does the need to minimize granddaughter’s exposure to the multitude of TV channels which profess to be meant for kids but are brazenly violent in their content.

The quality of family bonding we get by virtue of being power-less for a few hours is priceless. We end up eating an early dinner. After some more chit-chat, the family gets to sleep rather early. The result is a good night’s rest. Next morning, we wake up early, fully refreshed. I go for my constitutional, whereas son and daughter-in-law go off to a gym nearby. Since there is a feeling that power may go off any time, wife gets busy with her breakfast preparations rather early. Overall, the day starts on a positive note.

Imagine having uninterrupted supply of power – 24 by 7. Shall we not end up losing the power of being power-less? Would we be able to enjoy the same feeling of togetherness within the family then?! Surely, all the family members would need to exercise much greater self-control on their daily habits to be able to live a healthy, harmonious and well-knit life together!

 


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THE MIRACLE OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, tagged on March 31, 2012| 3 Comments »

Allopathic vs. Other Treatments – The Choices Today

In the hurried and harried times that we live in, allopathic treatment rules the roost. Popping a pill appears to be a panacea for all ills. My experience has taught me that the diagnostic tools available in the allopathic realm are invaluable; so is its support in case a surgery becomes necessary. However, in most other cases, alternative systems of medicine offer not only a better cure, but also a better probability of prevention of a disease. As a layman, I feel that an ideal treatment is one which uses allopathic diagnosis, but follows an alternative route for treatment!

Amongst the alternative streams, I find that each one has its own unique advantages. Ayurvedic stream offers a treatment based on herbs and minerals, linked to a diagnosis of the patient’s vaata-pitta-kapha mix. Homeopathic system is primarily based on the type of personality a patient has, and the basic premise that like kills like. Homeopathic treatment could either be constitution based or symptom based.

A unique feature of both these systems is that they tend to treat the patient holistically. This is in sharp contrast to the allopathic system which has by now become so super-specialized and fragmented that a hapless patient has to run from one expert to the next to get a health issue addressed.

I have no knowledge of other systems like Siddha or Unani, but I am sure they have their own unique way of looking at a patient or disease.

Of all the alternate systems, Naturopathy stands apart. The human body is made up of five elements, and this stream offers a treatment which is based on the same. Controlled exposure to all the elements by rotation, as prescribed by an experienced naturopath, put the physical body on a path of regeneration and restoration. Coupled with yoga, which relaxes the mind and also the muscles, one gets a truly refreshing experience.

 

Health Challenges Faced by Me

As a senior manager in the Indian private sector, till the age of 55 years, keeping fit and healthy had never been the uppermost concern in my mind. Career concerns were centre stage, and so were the needs to see children getting settled in their respective lives. The body was taken for granted, as a lowly instrument of fulfilling one’s materialistic ambitions. Mind was supreme – controlling all the body’s actions and coaxing it into living a life which was mentally challenging but sedentary.

However, Mother Nature has a way of tapping one on the shoulders and reminding that one’s physical body was not designed to last forever! Some reminders are gentle, and some are abrupt. The abrupt signals come up because more often than not, one is not in the habit of reading the body’s early signals when it starts creaking up in protest. This is more so in cases where one leads a sedentary life style, spending at least 12 working hours on one’s desk, followed by being a couch potato in front of the idiot box at home.

Possibly around five thousand years back, Yudhishtira told the Yaksha that the most surprising thing in life was people seeing death all around them but still chugging along with their lives as if they were immortal! True to form, I was under a delusion that my body will continue to take commands from my mind!! Until one day, when I was advised complete rest by my doctor. Some tests later, a cardiac bye pass surgery was declared to be the only route to survival. Within a few weeks, my life was in disarray and I was facing the surgeon’s scalpel!

I picked up the threads of my life, moved onto a less stressful working environment and got back to an office routine, enjoying the comfort of the familiar hassles which come to one as perks of being a senior manager.

Four years later, my body came up with another surprise. Within three months, I lost my appetite – even the sight of food became revolting. My weight was down from 70 kgs to 57 kgs, and hemoglobin from 12 to 7.7. I had no strength left in me and even simple tasks like shaving became arduous.

Several doctors and tests later, it was found that there was a patch of cysts in my pancreas. It could have been responsible for my health problem, though nothing could be said conclusively. Doctors advised me to go for a surgery, so the growth could be examined to check if it was malignant. I was told that pancreatic surgery is pretty complicated, as the organ to be operated upon is not easily accessible. The result could be loss of some vital tissues in the abdominal region, reduction in the size of the stomach, and possibly a worsening of my diabetes.

 

The Miracle of Alternative Streams of Treatment

This was the time when I had to take recourse to the alternative streams of medicine. Much against the advice of prominent surgeons, my family decided to take the  homeopathic route. We were lucky to come in touch with an experienced Homeopath, who literally reversed the decline in my vital parameters and put me back on the path of recovery. Prodded by my wife, I also went in for naturopathic treatment.

When I started looking out for hospitals which offer a naturopathic treatment, I discovered Arogyadham. It is located at Sewagram, near Wardha in Maharshtra. It is managed by the Kasturaba Gandhi Trust, with a professionally qualified doctor heading the outfit. Along with family, I enjoyed two sessions of (ten days each) residential treatment at Arogyadham, and found it to be a useful experience. The campus is designed well, with independent cottages which are functionally furnished. Staff is well behaved, courteous and efficient, taking personal care of residents.

Arogyadham is located in the vicinity of Mahatma Gandhi’s abode during the penultimate phase of India’s independence struggle. Vinoba Bhave’s ashram at Pavanar is also nearby, and so is an imposing Bouddha Vihar at Wardha. Overall, the vibrations are pretty positive and invigorating.

Over a period of nine months, my health was restored to normality. Thanks to a combination of homeopathy and naturopathy, I am back to enjoying life, living it to the hilt.

Sir William Osler once said: “One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicines.” Surely, if one has time and some patience, alternative therapies can do wonders!

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A Potato Protests

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, tagged on February 29, 2012| 8 Comments »

I am a very humble potato. I write this to protest the treatment meted out to me by the homo-sapiens. Despite making sacrifices and doing good for humanity in general, I get derided for no valid reason. Mine is a kind and obliging soul, but I am not treated well by human beings.

Derogatory references are made to me while referring to lazy bums watching TV endlessly as being “couch potatoes”. I am not capable of commenting upon the value of what is shown on TVs these days (only humans can suffer the content, though, for some strange reason, they refer to it as entertainment). But I would like to point out that referring to an avid watcher of TV as someone being a potato of any kind is an outright insult to my species.

I have very noble and humble origins. I have been serving mankind for around 10,000 years. I originated from Peru and Bolivia. Thanks to ancient mariners, I have made my presence felt on all the continents of our planet Earth. I can justifiably boast of as many as 1,000 varieties the world over. I myself have lost track of the number of dishes of which I am an active ingredient. The dishes which can get made using me range from fish and chips in Minnesota and Copenhagen to aloo sabji  in Mathura and Varanasi.

Other than being eaten directly, very many industries use me as a raw material. They process me further (and how!), ending with products which are quite different in nature.  Vodka gets made only because I happen to be around. Potato wafers and quite a few snacks would not be there if I had not been there. Life would have been pretty dull in my absence, no?

Let me say with confidence that it is no fun to be a tuber crop and to grow underground; think of all the worms and insects which surround me when I grow as a baby. It is like living in hell. Once I ripen and get picked up, my suffering only increases. So as to be able to make myself presentable and delicious, I often undergo a harsh treatment. I get boiled, baked, chopped, fried, roasted, mashed or cut up, so all humans would be able to enjoy what they eat.

If you ever visit a wafer manufacturing factory and imagine yourself to be a potato like I am, you would realize the kind of suffering which is in store – you get graded, bounded about on metallic conveyers, washed in steam, mashed, made into a paste, get extruded in the form of thin wafers and eventually get sprinkled with all kinds of spices, before being bundled off in a pouch packed with a dash of Nitrogen; yuck – I just hate it!

I provide good carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to mankind, but still get blamed for obesity. This is patently unfair. If people consume me with relish and then lead sedentary life styles leading to health problems, how can I be blamed? I provide a good diet which makes one feel full at the least possible cost. People who eat me can do some physical work and benefit from the fiber content I provide to their digestive systems.

Before you call a friend of yours a “couch potato” next time, please consider this plea of mine. Think of using me more wisely. Mix me up with other vegetables – like spinach, beans or cauliflower – and relish the tasty dishes that your Mom comes up with. If you have me as your staple diet, I am happy. But then think of jogging, brisk walking or join a gym, so I may help you to become more active and develop six-pack-abs in a shorter duration. This way, your friends would wonder what magic potion you have found in me. And yes, girls may just drool over you also when you offer them an aaloo tikki burger next time round.

Related Posts:

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/a-new-year-resolution-for-couch-potatoes/
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/an-ass-ass-erts-itself/

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Living on Another Planet: A 2112 Fantasy

Posted in Living Sustainably on December 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The way we have been mistreating Mother Earth, plundering its precious resources, the day is not far off when we shall be making wide-eyed touristy visits to Earth II, one of the new discoveries by astronomers of planets which imitate the climatic comfort zone of our Earth. Such planets offer our species a second chance to learn to rein in its greed, behave more responsibly and live in a more sustainable fashion! Some of us may even decide to settle down there, in relative calm and repose, devoid of slogan mongering crowds, chaotic traffic conditions and garbage laden habitations.

Even if Earth II is said to be 600 light years away, a small distance by galactic standards, at our current space travel capabilities it might take us 22 million years to cover the 9.4 trillion km to Kepler-22b, the current hot favorite amongst strong contenders for the title of Earth II. Sure enough, our scientists would soon find ways and means of not only making us travel closer to the speed of light but also of extending our life spans, so a successful trip could be made. Even if this were not to come about, our future generations, born and brought up on space shuttles, could surely end up colonizing Earth II.

Since the trip would be frightfully expensive, only a collaborative effort by all the major economies of Earth would be able to pull it off. So, there will be a single planet administered by an UN-like body, and no countries at all! To put it simply, no passports, no visas and no currency exchange blues. Possibly, only an Aadhar no. to identify its habitants!

Kepler-22b is said to have a year of around 290 days. This would imply that the number of government holidays would need to be rigorously pruned down, so the official machinery may deliver some results. The number of sessions of our legislative bodies would get curtailed, providing much relief to our elected representatives who could possibly utilize the extra time for developing their constituencies in right earnest. This would imply their becoming more pro-active, bringing in policy measures designed to address such mundane issues as farmers’ suicides, etc.

The private sector, already a stickler to 24x7x365 working, would have to re-engineer its processes to ensure that the same amount of work would get done in 290 days. In other words, higher productivity norms would follow, thereby giving the original earthlings a run for their money. Management institutes advocating the mantras of higher efficiency and productivity would sprout all over. Since the executive compensation packages will be more lucrative, employees would be queuing up for promotions to a branch on Earth II. As a result, HR honchos would be breathing easy.

The weather on Kepler-22b is said to be moderate all over, so burnt out executives would no longer feel like venturing out to fancy locales on exotic vacations. With little diversity in climatic conditions at the poles and at the equator of Earth II, tour operators would shut shop and instead take up more serious vocations which would boost the economy of the entire planet. There will be no reason to take off from work, leaving managements laughing all the way to the bank.

As to hapless employees, having no avenues for leisure related expenditure, savings would multiply, resulting into funds getting ploughed back to Mother Earth, thereby resolving the crunch being experienced by most of our developed economies. Bankers and financial consultants handling inter-stellar transfer of funds would have a field day.

Another advantage of having moderate climate all over the planet would be to do away with such carbon generating gadgets as air-conditioners. Power requirements would be a fraction of what they are on Mother Earth. Earth II is said to be mostly water bound. So hydro-energy would be the mainstay of civilization. There would be no need to grapple with the cost benefit analysis of power from other sources like thermal or nuclear.

With valuable lessons learnt from over-drawing on the resources of Earth I, our future generations may adopt a more eco-friendly and sustainable style of living on Earth II. Come New Year 2112, and this could well be a real prospect. Amen!

 

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The Little Angels in Our Lives!

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, tagged on October 23, 2011| 5 Comments »

“Daadoo…….!”, comes an excited yell from across the house. It is early morning yet. I have just picked up my newspaper and am savoring my first cup of tea – a tissue restorative with which I prefer to start my day. With nimble feet, my 18 month old grand-daughter runs up to me. She catches hold of both my hands and, demonstrating athletic skills which could put a professional to shame, climbs up my not too sturdy a frame and promptly maneuvers herself on my lap. The English daily attracts her attention, and she joins me in an impatient browsing of its contents. “Vroom… vroom!”, she says, putting her dainty finger on one of the car advertisements. This is the start of a typical day in the life of our household.

The love and affection one feels for one’s grand-children is not easily captured in words. One never realized when and how one’s own kids grew up! Tied up then with responsibilities, chasing career ambitions, juggling the diverse roles one has to play in the society when in that age group, seldom did one have the luxury of spending quality time with one’s kids. But with grand-children, the scenario is quite different. Responsibilities have taken a back seat, and there is ample quality time available to be spent with the little angels.

Their simplicity and innocence is remarkable. Their million dollar smiles are priceless. The pranks that they play keep one amused. The clarity in their sharp eyes is such that one can peep into their souls. No prejudices and no biases – theirs is a pure soul. The soul is blemish free, yet to gather fresh impressions of a new life time.

They live in a world of their own. To them, life is possibly a garden, of which the lawns are covered with the soft morning dew. The sky is a brighter blue and the grass of a greener hue. Dawns and dusks are more fragrant. The days are carefree. See them doing a pantomime when playing a nursery rhyme like “Twinkle, twinkle, little star……” and you would see what I mean! Put them in a bath tub with a couple of toy ducks, and see how much they enjoy themselves!

The speed at which they learn from us and from the environment around them is simply amazing. Quite often, one realizes that their acts are merely a mirror image of what one does in their presence. Wordsworth, while expressing his love for nature, said that “The Child is father of the Man”. He was surely not off the mark. Grandchildren teach us how to experience unalloyed joy and love! They keep the family united and spread love amongst all the members.

The way we handle situations, our little angels quickly learn the same. When we feed the poor, they get a message. When our children show empathy and concern towards our welfare, their kids end up imbibing the same spirit towards their parents! When compared to a unit family system, the joint family system provides a healthier environment for the next generation to grow. The joint family system ends up creating an ecosystem which enables continuity in our cultural values and social beliefs. The same get passed on to subsequent generations.

On the flip side, children surely know how to wrap you around their tiny little fingers and get the result that they want – be it nourishment, entertainment or a simple toy which would lit up their face with an inner joy. If “management” is about getting things done, children are effective managers. Ask any marketing wizard, and he/she would vouch for the efficacy with which kids today determine the contours of a company’s advertising budget.

Their tiny egos surface the moment they feel neglected. They need undivided attention. Their demands brook no delay in execution. Tantrums come easy to them. Tears are one of the several weapons in their arsenal which they use with deadly precision to get what they want.

When one lives with one’s grand-children, one gets a unique opportunity to rewind one’s life back to the days of childhood. Each moment reminds one of one’s own childhood. Life itself is nothing short of a miracle; to see it reinventing itself, making a fresh start, and getting prepared for a new future is a blessing indeed.

“Allo, allo, allo…….ayye jutoo malo…”, she says. I find that my grand-daughter has started prattling on my cell phone. She has a very serious and intent look on her face. In her universe, a more serious telephonic conversation perhaps never took place! Soon, she hands over the phone to me, expecting me to continue talking to an imaginary person at the other end. I do her bidding, since I know she would expect me to chat endlessly for a few minutes. Meanwhile, her attention would waver and shift to some other object or activity. I can then possibly get back to the steaming cup of my morning restorative!

 

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PUDUCHERRY 2025 – A TRAVELLER’S MEMOIRS

Posted in A Vibrant Life!, tagged , , , on July 26, 2011| 1 Comment »

As the jetliner from Paris made its way to Puducherry, I turned nostalgic. When I had left it for greener pastures abroad, little had I June 2010 99imagined that it would take me close to twenty years to return to the town! I had left it as a semi-retired private sector honcho, and was now returning to my home base along with my wife Usha and grand-daughters Suman and Shalini. Looking out of the small window, I pointed out Matrimandir in the distance to Suman, who seemed pretty excited. The bluish-green waters of the Bay of Bengal below were shimmering in the setting sun, and a flock of pristine white seagulls was flapping along below us.

Once we landed, immigration and customs formalities got over pretty soon. The swank new international terminal looked like a smaller version of the Charles De Gaulle terminal in Paris. There were sign boards directing us to the metro station two levels below. We instead decided to take a cab into the town, so the family could get a better feel of the place.

As we settled down in the cab, the driver turned and asked if we wanted to take the toll road to town. “That would cost Rs. 750, sir”, he told us sheepishly. The normal route was also fine by him, he explained, but could take about 90 minutes to get to our place in town. We decided to take the toll road, and were delighted to be whisked off on an elevated road corridor. I could recognize JIPMER in the distance and realized that a host of elevated roads had come up in the town while I had been away.

One was a major ring road which, the cab driver explained, started off from the ECR near PIMS and ended up near Kanniakoil on the southern end of ECR. On the way, it was joined by radial elevated passages, connecting the town to the University, the new IIM, Auroville, Ousteri Lake, Chunnambar and to Arokiamedu. There were clear signboards on all the grade separators, and it was a sheer delight to cruise along the elevated motorways.

We reached our place in about 20 minutes, and were pleasantly surprised to see abundant greenery around even on smaller streets in the town. There were dedicated cycle paths all around the town. Only e-bikes and electric cars were visible on the roads. CNG buses were ferrying passengers. With a complete ban on pressure horns in force, the decibel levels were pretty low for a township of about 2.5 million people.  

In the evening, we went to the promenade. We were surprised to see a sandy stretch of about 50 meters beyond the Goubert Salai, with people and families of all kinds taking a leisurely stroll and enjoying the yellow moon which was just rising out of the sea. We could notice many safety kiosks spread all along the coast. Some skyscrapers had come up in the town, but the beach front had retained its original old world charm. It was very clean and dotted with French style wayside cafes.

In place of the old distillery, we found a multiplex, a science museum and a wine and champagne museum, the latter being the first of its kind in South Asia. Near the Kargil memorial, we found the entrance to an underwater aquarium which had been set up about five years back. A cultural performance was going on at the Gandhi Thidal. All along the beach road, near cafes, individual artists were playing musical instruments of various kinds, and the sound of music wafting through the air had an unwinding effect on all of us. From the jetty near the Park Guest House, we had the option of boarding a cruise ship, for a quiet moonlit dinner and a ride into the sea.  

Next day, I decided to take Suman and Shalini for a shopping spree. To my pleasant surprise, I found that only battery run vehicles were allowed to operate within the Boulevard area. Massive multi-level parking complexes had come up at all nodal points. Beneath each complex, there were shopping areas and food courts on the ground floor. From the basement, one could easily board a battery operated vehicle, either an exclusive one or a common one. A single voucher bought for the day allowed one to have as many hip-hop trips a day anywhere in the Boulevard area. The drivers were all well groomed and multi-lingual.

While crossing major junctions of J N Street and other roads like Anna Salai, M. G. Road, Mission Street and Ambour Salai, we noticed elevated train platforms, serviced by all-glass passenger cubicles. These were monorails, zipping across in both directions, carrying up to 20 passengers at a time. We were told that this novel mode of transportation was implemented recently with the help of foreign aid.

That night, our hosts told us about the severe smog problem faced by the town around 2015. Thereafter, the Government had taken vigorous steps to mitigate the problem of traffic congestion. Road tax on all motorized vehicles had been tripled. Parking meters had been installed and heavy charges were levied on all owners of private vehicles. The system of road usage fees had been computerized, thereby avoiding the possibility of any dilution in collections.

We were also told that to promote industries, a novel scheme had been worked out in tandem with the Tamil Nadu Government. Based on incentives granted by the latter, a 25 km wide belt around Puducherry had attracted massive investments, thereby tapping its commercial potential. Per capita income was three times the national average, and there was prosperity all around. All residents had smart cards, through which several benefits flowed to the beneficiaries. Government collected all its revenues through these cards, making the territory the first in India to do so. Crime detection and conviction rates had shot up and crime rate was the lowest in India.

The next day, we undertook a trip to Chunnambar Beach Resort where a permanent water sports facility had been created. We followed it up with trips to Arokiamedu, which had been spruced up to reflect the town’s historic links with the Roman empire. A replica of the age-old Ashram of Sage Agastya had been created, indicating the likely spot where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana would have come visiting long time back. A sound and light show at the site not only connected us back to Puducherry’s glorious past but also made our trip truly memorable.

Today is the 14th of July, 2025. We have visited Shri Aurobindo’s Samadhi in the forenoon and then made a trip to Auroville, which Jan 2010 01now boasts of being a green city, dependent only on solar and wind power. In the evening, we have boarded one of the Shatabdi trains connecting Puducherry to Chennai. Our journey takes us only 150 minutes. On the way, we look forward to enjoying fresh croissants and filter coffee from the pantry car.

As the train starts rolling out of Puducherry Railway Station, we bid adieu to the City Spiritual. The cherished memories of the trip shall forever be fresh in our minds. Surely, we shall motivate our friends abroad to visit Puducherry to enjoy its unique ambience.

(Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/reinventing-pondicherry)

 

 

 

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