Life nudged me into another adventure last month - a trip to the south of this host-to-all-experiences-wonderful country. And without knowing I picked two places which offered very varied tastes into this country and... into myself
Thiruvanamalai has been sacred land for many years. And just the air there feels different. Its a quiet little hamlet with a strong rural influence, enjoyable for its simplicity. The first morning I woke up, I looked out the window to see a little cloud circling the tip of the Arunachala hill. Do I REALLY have to mention that instead of waking up to this marvellous sight and diving into some yoga or meditation, I happily dozed off, to wake up two hourse later?!!
Then there was Ramana Maharishi's ashram there and his samadhi was a special place to sit and enjoy our depths. The veda chantings and pranaya conducted everyday still ring into my insides as I type...
We were lucky to find out about a living master there by the name of Sivashakthi. She would give darshan for 15 minutes twice a day in the morning and evening. I'm in no position to say who is enlightened and who is not, but it was surely easy to sit with this beautiful woman and share her silence. The birds would sing in the background and other than that, there was nothing else. Just silence. I have really no words to describe this experience... (and still I write a lot huh? :))
There was also a lake there which had the smoothest, silkiest water... and its many inhabitants too! So the fish nibbled on us to check if we were food/threat and concluded we were neither and let us be! The sun would set into this lake and the only way to enjoy it was to play and splash around like children....which we did very sincerely.
Pondicherry was another experience altogether. Thiru was nourishing for the inside, and Pondy was a complete delight for all the senses! So much to see, taste and smell. Most of it is laced along the sea, a boulevard stretches along it and one can enjoy the many moods of the sea walking along with her.
And the place is really very French in many ways. The houses are so beautifully made in such lavish French style that we'd spend hours just roaming the little lanes admiring the buildings. The food is also very sumptuous and after the authentic south Indian treats in Thiru, we indulged into completely French cuisines in Pondy.
Auroville, a village/township/community situated 15 kms from Pondicherry and spread over 10 kms is an interesting concept to explore. The people living there (called Aurovillians) have created many mini-communities where they build homes, carry out organic farming, develop sustainable solutions for holistic living using technology and ancient techniques. Its the kind of place which needs many weeks to be experienced and completely understood, not a touristy place to visit and thus my ambiguity at describing it (for the true curious beavers, you might get some answers
here)
There was also a beautiful untouched beach near Pondicherry which could be accessed only through a boat-ride through the lush backwaters... just white sands stretching for miles...
When I left, I felt nourished - both inside and out! And promised these lands that I would return, soon :)
