Thoughts I Had While Reading The God of Small Things.

Hi Readers! I have been reading 'The God of Small Things' for a while now. When I started reading it, I got mixed opinions from people. Some said that it's the most beautiful book they have read. Some said that they never could finish it. And some who finished it, had hated it. So, I was intrigued to read it because there aren't usually such varied opinions for a book.

This post is based on the premise that I turned out to be in the third category of people. I finished the book & hated it. It is impossible to do a review on it because there's nothing in it, so instead this post talks about all the random thoughts I had while reading this random book.

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'The God of Small Things' written by Arundhati Roy is quite an acclaimed novel. It also won the Man Booker Prize in 1997, which really made me think that anyone can write blether & win a prestigious book prize. So, this post contains a lot of rants, so before hand, I will say, 'No Offence'. These are my independent truthful views & I don't intend on hurting anyone. But, this book has made me do it.

You can check out the basic storyline (if it even exists) on Goodreads & then come back here to see if my opinions make sense. So, here we go!

~~CHARACTERS~~

Why are the kids not acting like kids?

Estha & Rahel are the twins in the story. To a certain extent, I can understand how they understand when the other is around. But, the way their brain works, how their bodies act & just everything about them is so unnatural! So, this thought came up to me often, why can't they just behave like kids? Play in the garden, fight over who watches television or how to come up with ways to bunk school. Everything about those twins is abnormal & bizarre. I thought they will turn out to be like Cercei & Jaime Lannister & how right I was. 

Actually, the entire family is dysfunctional!

I have said my piece about Estha & Rahel. But, truth be told, the whole family & all the characters are weird. Firstly, all the adults in that family are divorced; Mammachi, Ammu, Chacko & Rahel. I mean, how does that even happen? How flawed can their generations really be? And, don't get me talking on Baby Kochamma. I mean, why does that character even exist? All of it is weird. Mother telling her own child that she loves her less because the child said something stupid. And on & on.

A Syrian-Christian Sexist Forward-Thinking Family.

I haven't got anything to say about it. In some parts, the family members are shown to be such forward thinkers, with getting an education abroad, working there, behaving mannerly & what not. And on the other hand, they ridicule divorced women in their own family, taunt them about it & have Untouchables serving them! I mean, what even?

Why do I need to know about the minor characters?

Just when the story becomes MINUTELY interesting, the next you know is some story in the past about some remotely minor character. Why is there any need at all to write about Comrade Pillai's history? Or their Untouchable help Velutha's paralyzed brother's history? Or Chacko's & Margaret's love story? I mean it's not like it's even a little bit interesting or important to the main plot! Comrade Pillai is just a nosy neighbor with some power. Velutha's brother is just no one. And Chacko & Margaret end up divorced! Makes no sense at all. But, I suppose these stories are 10 % better than pages & pages worth of description of a house!

~~STORY~~

Enough with all the flawed, bizarre & absurd characters, lets move on to the flawed, bizarre & absurd story.

What's with the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man?

I have never read anything as disgusting as this orangedrink man's incident with Estha. I mean, hello, what the hell? Does this even happen to upper-middle class properly mannered family’s children? So gross. I might see a significance of this incident. If this would not have happened, Estha would not have gone to History House to escape & Sophie Mol would not have died. Yes, there is a point. But, like Joey says, this is so far past the point that you can't even see the point! There could have been so many better, less gross ways to connect it with her death, but no, it had to be this horrible incident. I didn't like the book, but I started hating the book from this point onward.

What's with the Fixation with Words?

There are many many instances in the book in which a few words are repeated all the time. It isn't annoying. It isn't absurd like everything else in the novel. But, it is bizarre, like everything else in the novel. Calling Estha & Rahel two-egg twins. Repeating that Ammu loved her a Little Less. Something-Shaped Hole in the Universe. I suppose, the attempt is to make it sound appealing, but it's just bizarre.

Why am I reading this big book of NOTHINGNESS?

The story is made up of nothing. The characters are made up of nothing. The whole book is just a big gibberish of nothingness. No love story. No dramatic story. No horror story. Nothing!

And, lastly, after I finished it, I had one question. What the hell was that?

So, yes, I strongly advise that you not read this book. If you already have, I’m sorry you had to go through that. If, by chance, you read it & liked it, please let me know in the comments below how did that happen. I can try to keep an open mind & it could be very intriguing.

 Well, I'm usually a very nice person. So to make up for this post dripping with negativity, I'm going to write another post that showcases some of the brilliant quotes from the book. 

Until next time,

Gem of a Person. (Diary Logs #19)

Hi Readers! I thought of writing a diary log kind of a post. The story just came to me one day influenced from a lot of stuff that's been going on around me. So, this is inspired from a lot of women & I hope I did justice to all these beautiful ladies in my life!

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Fridays were always brimming with work for her. Attending weekly calls, sending dashboards, maximizing her targets & setting new targets for the next week and what not. Your usual legal-corporate life. She loved the work & was always happy when she was challenged. After a tough day at work, when she was about to leave for home, around 8 PM, she realized that she had a date that night. She had completely forgotten about it because she was swamped at work. She texted the guy just to check if it was still on & yes, of course, it was.

She went to freshen up. She was wearing a casual t-shirt which said 'Nope' surrounded by some flowers & blue denim jeans. She had her chic Friday look which was definitely not a first date look. She put on some makeup, looked in the mirror, let out a sigh of relief accepting defeat & finally left for the date.

It was 4 days since that day. She had a lot of fun on that evening. She rarely enjoyed so much with someone right on the first date. She knew she was funny, witty & she took an interest in him. He seemed to have had a nice time too. And yet, stone cold silence. She hated that. That feeling reminded her of all her insecurities, closure issues & low self esteem. She discussed with her colleagues & they told her she was too good for him. They said that she should forget the whole thing especially since it was just one date. Just like that, she felt better. But still, at the back of the mind, the thought was alive & waiting for answers.

A week went by & it was Friday again. She was already over him but she still needed her answers. Why would a guy not call her especially when the date went so amazingly well? Her curiosity got the better of her & she texted him. Not a hi. But a very clear cut message, very lawyerly. She texted him, “I know this isn't going anywhere but the least you could do is give me an explanation. I only want to know why didn’t you text or call? Feel free to be honest or even rude.” After sending that message, she felt a weight lift off of her. She imagined of 2 responses, either he will reply or he won’t. And, now that she had said her piece, she was fine with either of those options.

After her usual Friday weekend closures, she was about to leave when she checked her phone. She realized he had messaged 3-4 long paragraphs. The gist of which was basically, 'It's not you. It's me.' He said how she was too good for him (which she already knew, but whatever.) He said how he couldn't hurt her in case they kept dating & something went wrong. He said how she should stay the way she is & how she was such a gem of a person. She got her answer & she simply texted a 'Thanks for letting me know' & that was it.

This Friday was leaps and bounds different than the last Friday. Today, she was dressed up. Not for a date, but for herself. She wore a black dress with red heels that matched her red lips. Her eyes were a bit sad but that was about to change.

She sat on her activa & was on her way to her usual bar. She had her headphones tucked inside the helmet & there was a nice loud song playing. She decided to enjoy it. She was on the highway riding with speed, while doing head tilts, stomping her feet lightly & her fingers playfully dancing. She let the air fly her dress a little bit up which made her flaunt her legs.

Somehow those couple of inches tasted like freedom just like those couple of extra shots tasted like freedom & all of a sudden she was in a good mood. She was happy, even. She was the woman who half-danced on her active & sung lyrics to songs loud enough while not caring what anyone thought.

She looked such a lady and yet she drove like a badass. She took tequilla shots without ever throwing up or losing conscience. She over-performed at her work & yet was kind & supportive to her subordinates. She was the kind of woman who did catch feelings for a guy on their first date, because that's how she was wired. She wore her heart on her sleeve. She did suffer a lot of pain because of it, but oh, the joy she gained because of it! There wasn't anyone like her, she knew. She didn't need anyone else to tell her how much gem of a person she already knew she was.

Until next time,

March Reads!

March is undoubtedly my favourite month of the year and why shouldn’t it be? It’s my BIRTHDAY MONTH!! I absolutely love celebrating it. I don’t even get morose about aging. But, now that I turned 25, who knows, I might! Another reason why March was fantastic is because I read a lot of books! I have a list of doing 19 things in 2019 & among those, one thing is reading 19 books! Three months in, I have read 5 books & 4 of those in the month of March. Here we go!

~~THE DRY by JANE HARPER~~

The Dry is a mystery thriller by Jane Harper. After I read her book ‘Force of Nature’, I was obviously going to read all of her books! Her writing is wonderful & always leaves you wanting for more. I finished reading The Dry in about a week & I have already started reading her book ‘Lost Man’. I really wanted to do a full-fledged review on this novel, but it’s impossible to do so without giving away spoilers. And, this book NEEDS TO BE READ without spoilers.

With Aaron Falk as the main detective, the novel is about solving a homicide. In a family of four, the father (Luke Hadler) kills his wife, his young son & then himself. Or does he?

Aaron happens to be a childhood friend of Luke’s. So, the story has a link from 20 years ago when they were friends & then 20 years later where Luke is dead & Aaron is trying to find out what really has happened!

Getting to my thoughts to ‘The Dry’, well, what can I say? It’s a mind blowing story with many mysterious shocks along the way. And, the best part is that the ending is unpredictable. The writing & the thought-process of the author is intricate & will leave you astonished. It is unraveling as all the loose ends & half-way story lines of various characters tend to meet at the end giving such a satisfying feeling. The plot is so well-written that you won’t be able to stop reading until the story is finally finished!
Go and read this novel right away. I cannot stop talking about it. It is truly one of the best mystery thrillers I have read in a long time! I have rated it at 4.5/5 on Goodreads.

~~THE SUN AND HER FLOWERS by RUPI KAUR~~

The Sun and her Flowers is a collection of poems by Rupi Kaur. I had read her poetry in ‘Milk and Honey’ which I didn’t like much. But, this one, was beyond excellence. It is divided in 5 parts which mirrors the life of a flower; Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, and Blooming. Every part is equally beautiful. The most wondrous thing is that it is so very relatable. Be it about the fall through or getting up or blossoming! Each and every word in that book has significance. Not only does the poetess try to be our friend with the magic of words, she also shares her own inspiring journey. It is going to be the kind of book I will always carry around with me.

I’m sure most of you have already read it. But, if you haven’t read it right away. You won’t be disappointed. I have rated it at 4.5/5 on Goodreads.

~~FIVE FEET APART by MIKKI DAUGHTRY~~

I read 'Five Feet Apart' written by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry & Tobias Iaconis earlier in March. The only reason I was keen on reading this one is because it has got its movie adaptation which was released on 15th March starring Cole Sprouse!

I have rated it at 3/5 stars on Goodreads. You can find the full review here.

~~FORCE OF NATURE by JANE HARPER~~

I read a mystery thriller named ‘Force of Nature’ by Jane Harper. I decided to read it because it was in the list of ‘unputdownable books’ & yet it took me a long time to finish it. But, that’s my fault, because the book stands true to be on that list!

I have rated it at 4/5 on Goodreads! You can check the full review here.

For April, I am planning to read /complete at least 3 novels, which are, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Lost Man by Jane Harper & Hippie by Paulo Coelho. I have also started reading Becoming by Michelle Obama, but I think it will take some time for it to complete.

I’m already loving all these books & I hope I get to finish reading all these incredible stories by next month! Have you read any of the books from my ‘March Reads’? I’d love some more book recommendations too, so keep ‘em coming!!

Until next time!

Pondicherry - Stay & Restaurants. (Part 3)

Hello Everyone!

I have written 2 posts on Pondicherry so far. They turned out to be quite long just like my stay there. That’s why, I decided to write an altogether new post about my stay & most importantly for restaurant recommendations! Here we go!

~~AIRBNB STAY IN PONDICHERRY~~

I had tried AirBnb for my trip in Darjeeling & Udaipur. Both were quite okay, so I decided to choose AirBnB this time around as well.

It was based at a 10-minutes walking distance from the Rock Beach, named Aurodaya. It was a small studio apartment. Given the history of Pondicherry, it truly defined the concept of simple living & high thinking.
It was very clean & had all the amenities. There was access to AC, refrigerator & a stove for cooking. The AC saved my life as it was quite hot when I visited.
It was on the ground floor & in an extremely safe neighborhood. There was a small space outside for short walks.

Most importantly, the host was simply wonderful. She helped me throughout the process & was very proactive in helping me out.

~~RESTAURANTS IN HERITAGE TOWN~~

Last but not the least, time for restaurant recommendations!! I was in Pondicherry for 4 days & 3 nights & given the kind of amazing cafes they have, I was fully prepared to eat all types of food from all the amazing places. Unfortunately though, I got sick right on the 2^nd day. And which is why I was only & only on energy juice for the remnants of 2 days!
Till the time I was well, I visited 4 places, which were quite good except for the last one which gave me food poisoning. Here is my list!

Surguru:

During my stay in Pondicherry, Surguru was my survival restaurant. They have the most delicious South Indian food. It’s low-key, inexpensive but provides best quality of food. In my 4 days, I went to Surguru 3 times. The must try is their Roast Dosa, which is 2 feet wide! I also tried their plain dosa which tasted so purely amazing. Also, their idlis are delicious. They provide 3 kinds of chutneys plus sambar, all of which is incredibly tasty! I have also heard that their lunch thali is quite great! 5/5 must visit!!

The Smoothie Bar:

I went to The Smoothie Bar, just to quench my thirst in the unbearable heat. I took the most extra Kitkat-Chocolate milkshake. Obviously, it tasted like heaven. For the quantity, I think the price was justifiable. You can check this out. It’s a 4/5 from me!

Zuka:

Zuka is a famous food outlet in Pondicherry. It is famous for all of its chocolate products & especially their hot chocolate. After a lot of cycling, I took a break & went here to have a hot chocolate. It comes in a small cup with a chocolate spoon which dissolves in the hot cup after stirring. The taste was quite nice. But, given the quantity, it was quite expensive.

There were many chocolates there, which were also expensive. But, you can check out this place just for fun. It’s a 3.5/5, if you ask me.






Café Xtasy:

This café is popular for its wood-fired pizzas, which is why I went there. There are a lot of options in veg as well as non-veg. There are also a lot of options as to the size of the pizza. I had pizza & lemon iced tea. Unfortunately, none of these were good. This was the place which gave me food poisoning & sea full of regrets. It will be a 1/5 definitely.

~~OTHER RESTAURANTS IN HERITAGE TOWN~~

These restaurants were on my list, but I didn’t get a chance to go there. You can check them out. All these are known for French food – Baker Street, Café des Arts, Farm Fresh. Some of the high-end restaurants are Coromandel Café, Storyteller’s Bar, Villa Helena.

~~RESTAURANTS IN AUROVILLE~~

There are some amazing choices of restaurants in Auroville as well. All these are must-tries - Marc’s Café, Bread & Chocolate & Tanto Pizzeria.

Well, it feels incredibly amazing to pour out months’ worth of research into these blogs & I sincerely hope it was helpful. I hope you choose wisely so as to avoid getting sick, missing out on places & so on!!

Have you been to Pondicherry? Let me know of the places if I have missed any!!

Until next time,

19 Things to do in 2019!

Last year, my colleague made a list – ’18 Things to do in 2018’. At the time, I thought it would end up similar as to the New Year resolutions, that is, long forgotten in February itself. But, she followed through on those things & actually completed the list! I was quite inspired by that which is why I decided to make a ’19 Things to do in 2019’ list!

I started writing down things I wanted to do since November itself. I could easily write about 15 things, which were related to travel, blogging, reading & writing. Some focus on personal development while some on professional development. Some focus on health and wealth. Some are just for fun. So, after listing about 15 things, I decided to ask my best friend & my mom, so they suggested a few things as well. So, here is the final list!
Just because I'm posting this in mid-March doesn't mean I'm just starting. I started in January & it's going well so far!

~~PRIMARY GOALS~~

1.       Read 19 books:

I know that 19 is a very small target. I used to read 15 books in 30 days and even 3 books in 3 days. So, comparatively, very less. But, I couldn’t think of any other way to keep me at it. So, I think this will be something I can achieve & also have fun while at it! I have already read 3 books & written 3 reviews on it. Check those out!

The Sun is Also a Star

Five Feet Apart

Force of Nature

2.      Plan 3 trips:

I went to Pondicherry in February. You can check out the first & second post about Pondicherry travel. The next trip is in April, to Kochi & the third trip is to Jaipur in August. I cannot state how excited I am for both these trips. So, one goal is almost done! A five-star to me! I might actually over-achieve on this one!

3.      Write 50 blog posts:

This will be the 10^th post of the year. I sincerely hope I achieve this goal. So, you will get to read my travel stories, book reviews and also some random posts!

4.     Wealth:

I saved the amount of money I had planned only in January. It has been downhill since then! You know how it is, flight tickets & stays are not expensive. So, at least I spent it to complete one of the other goals! But, after cutting down a bit of online shopping, I may be able to save some money in the coming months.

5.      Health:

I decided to walk five days a week, plus workout. Well, it hasn’t been going so well. I walk 2/3 days a week. And, recently, I have started doing yoga every day. It feels good to do it, but I’m not so sure if it will help with weight loss. I suppose I will find out soon.

~~PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT~~

6.      Listen to one TED Talk every week:

I attended two TEDx Talks in the last year. They were very inspirational! So, I thought of doing it a weekly thing, especially since it is so easily accessible from the TED app. I came to the realization that if I can spend hours and hours binge-watching Netflix, then I can surely take out 12 to 15 minutes for something educational & more important. So, I have been religiously doing this. I share the links to the Talks on Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp & Facebook.

7.      Doodle once every week:

Now, this is something I never thought I would do. It all started when I randomly ordered a notebook. It was spiral-bound, A3 size notebook with blank pages. I must sound like a stationery junky, but boy, it was so beautiful! So, I decided to get back into drawing & doodling only because of that gorgeous notebook. None of the images are original. I take images from Pinterest & then recreate them. It really helps me stay calm, helps my concentration & it's fun. It’s very personal & I don’t share it with anyone, but, here are a few!

8.     Improve photography skills:

I love photography as much as I love to travel. So, given that I have a DSLR, I don’t know all its functionalities. So, I am finally going to take some time out to learn all of it & get better at it. Of course, photography isn’t something that can be taught. But, if you have a vision, it can surely be improved. I already learnt the DSLR functions before my Pondicherry trip Here’s my favorite snap!

9.      Learn one recipe every month:

This goal has become quite interesting. It surely made my mom happy! And, it’s going incredibly well. I have learnt 4 recipes so far, which include, Upma, Rava Dosa, Khichdi & Onion-Cheese Grilled sandwich. The last one is unofficial, but still something to add on to the list.

10.  Donate clothes & books:

I have a lot of clothes & books. A lot. There are some clothes which I don’t like, some don’t fit me, some are out of fashion. So, I decided to donate some of them.

As for books, I have a pretty wonderful bookshelf. So, it’s difficult to let go of books more than letting go of clothes. But, I do have a few books which I hated & disliked. So, I will probably donate those. Another simple thing to check off. Here's a sneak peak of my bookshelf!

11.    Focus on relationships:

I have cut down the people in my life to only those who matter. Mom, Dad, my younger brother & the extended family. As for friends, there are 5-6 people I care for.

So, I am going to focus on being a better daughter, sister & friend.

~~COURSES~~

12.  Take an HRBP course:

I did an HR Data Analytics course this year. So, now I wish to do an ‘HR Business Partner’ course to align the both in a better sense. It is also something I am interested in pursuing in the future!

13.   Take a literature course:

Taking a literature course is not exactly under professional development. But, who knows, if I get a chance to become a Creative Writer, this will come in handy. There are many courses in Mumbai. So, I am definitely going to do this.

14.  Learn Adobe Photoshop:

Learning Photoshop again aligns with my travel goals & improving photography goals. I know Photoshop is quite difficult & I haven’t started it yet, but I hope I get to be good at it.

~~FOR FUN~~

15.   Go to a concert or music festival:

I went to Ed Sheeran’s concert many years back & it was one of the best days of my life. I’m not sure if any of my favorite artists are visiting Mumbai, but if they are, you will definitely see me there!

16.  Go out more:

Even though I like travelling, I don’t always enjoy it. Like I say,

“I’m not a mountain-person. I’m not a beach-person. I’m a home person.”

Because of this attitude, my best friend advised me to add this to the list. Not going so well. I’m still at home.

17.   Do things alone:

I always love solitude. Better me alone than a bunch of people. So, doing things alone involves shopping alone, eating in a restaurant alone, watching a movie in a theater alone & travelling alone. So far, I have eaten alone in a restaurant. The other two are pending with a lot of time to go! I have no doubts on this one. I will 110% complete this.

18.  Go for camping:

This is another thing my friend told me because she knows very well that I am not a camping-person. It is definitely not something fun, but I suppose normal people view it as ‘fun’. So, it’s not on priority. If I do it, fine. If I don’t do it, still fine.

~~AND LASTLY~~

19.  Do something you are scared of:

I am yet to figure out what I can do here, so suggestions are welcome!

Do you have such a list or any Resolutions? Let me know in the comments below!!

Until next time,

Auroville - Pondicherry. (Part 2)

Hello Readers & Travellers!!

I’m sure you must have enjoyed the earlier post about my exploration in Heritage Town in Pondicherry! Roaming around on a bicycle in the city was quite tough for me. Only later did I realise that I cycled a total of 6 to 7 kilometers with no practice. So, obviously, it was going to take a toll & it did. But, also it was a bit fun too.

Thankfully, I had booked a 2-wheeler for the remaining 2 days. Back home, if I’m out, you won’t see me without my activa. I have been riding it since years now. So, naturally, when I got a 2-wheeler, I got this feeling like I had wings & could go anywhere, so that’s exactly what I did! I drove to a temple which was way far from the city on Day 2. And while on Day 3, I rode till Auroville & back. Such fun it was!

So, in this post, I am going to write about Auroville, which is the most talked about place in Pondicherry & some nearby places around it. Hope you have fun on the tour!

~~AUROVILLE~~

Auroville is kind of like a world community where people from all over the world are united & living in harmony. They are on the same path of spirituality & peace. I mentioned about the history of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother in my earlier post & Auroville is basically their concept becoming a reality. If you watch its videos on YouTube, you will come across very interesting things. The locals as well as Foreigners both can speak Tamil as well as French languages. Also, they don’t use cash. They have a whole different setup which is quite impressive.

Auroville is about 40 minutes from the city. And, if you have the time, you should spend one entire day here. There is a lot to explore. Since, I was a bit unwell, I only went to view the Matrimandir.

~~MATRIMANDIR~~

I think Matrimandir is the highlight of Auroville. Once you enter, there is a Visitor’s Centre where there are entire wall size frames hung with a lot of history, purpose & other information of Auroville. Next to it is a video show room. You can watch a video on Matrimandir before actually taking the tour there.

So, Matrimandir is 1 kilometer from the main point. There is a point where you need to park your vehicles. And post that point, everything is on foot. So, you need to walk 1 km to & back for Matrimandir. The entire walk is quite nice. There are boards hung up after few periods with info about trees or flowers which are grown there. The best part is that almost the entire walk is shaded & also there are trees surrounding the narrow walkway. So, even if you are visiting at noon, you won’t feel much heat.

On the way to Matrimandir

After a lot of walking, I finally reached the Matrimandir viewing point. It was this huge ball of gold sitting at a distance. It is in the centre of Auroville & also called soul of the city. It is of spiritual significance. Inside Matrimandir, there is literally pin-drop silence & therefore is the main place for meditation.

Pass: There are 2 types of passes. If you simply want to view Matrimandir from a distance, you can get a ticket on the spot. But, if you want to go inside the structure, you need to make that pass one day prior.

Timings: 9 AM to 1 PM & 2 PM to 4.30 PM

~~OTHER PLACES IN AUROVILLE~~

The thing is Auroville is amazing & there are a lot of places to explore within it, which is great. But, the only problem is that you have to do all of it on foot. It is a non-vehicular area & so there are no options, but to walk. Obviously, I didn’t have the energy after a mere 2-km walk to Matrimandir, which is why I didn’t explore any of the other places. But, if you have the energy & stamina, these places are a must-visit.

Auroville Botanical Garden:

Auroville Botanical Garden is about a 50 minutes’ walk from Matrimandir View Point. It provides a variety of exotic plants & flowers. It is also the base where they conduct educational programmes. It is open from 10 AM to 5 PM every day & it takes about 20-30 minutes to explore it.

Svaram – Musical Instruments:

Svaram is another community within the Auroville community dedicated to healing by music. It promotes harmonization & well-being by the way of music. I really wanted to visit this too because I hadn’t seen or heard anything quite like this, but it was about a 30 minutes’ walk from Matrimandir View Point, so I decided to skip that too. It is open from 8.30 AM to 12.30 PM & 1.30 PM to 5 PM.

Auroville Beach:

Pondicherry is so well known for its beaches, but I just stuck to Rock Beach. Well, Auroville Beach is out of Auroville & next to ECR. It can be a good relaxing way after spending the day at Auroville.

Serenity Beach:

This beach is pretty famous & literally serene. If you are in Pondicherry, you must visit this beach.

~~SRI KARANESWAR NATARAJ TEMPLE~~

One of my friends had suggested to visit this temple & so I did. It is about 30 minutes ride from Auroville & definitely not one of the easiest places to locate. If you are travelling alone, do not go here by yourself. Once you take the turn from ECR, it doesn’t stop there. It’s in the interiors of interiors. After a lot of lost turns, misguided routes, insurmountable fear & strangers creeping in the background, I finally reached the temple. And, my luck is so amazing, that it was closed! So, all the efforts for nothing!

I wouldn’t have taken so much pain for just a simple temple. The specialty of this one was that it was a Pyramid temple of Lord Nataraj. And, you don’t get to see a lot of pyramid temples, which is why I was so keen. Even though it was closed, I had a look at it from the outside. It was a small-sized pyramid temple hidden away in the forest & in proximity to the beach. It had its own different grandeur. Another reason, I was interested in visiting this temple was because of the beach right behind it. But, of course, I didn’t stay for long as it didn’t seem safe. 

This was my experience, if you really want to visit, it’s your choice. But keep the above in mind.

Timings: 9 AM to 12 PM & 4 PM to 7 PM.

On the way to the temple

Stay tuned for the next post where I will write about my AirBnb stay experience & come up with some restaurant recommendations!!

Until next time,