A Walk Along Serenity Beach

The first Sunday we were there, still homesick and kinda lost, S and I thought we’d spend the day exploring Pondicherry. We took one of those shared auto rickshaws (lovingly referred to as Cockroaches in JIPMER) to Nehru Salai, which is one of the busiest streets in Pondicherry. There. We bought ourselves a map (which later turned out to be BS… we got nowhere as long as we relied on that map), rented a two-wheeler for the day and set off towards the beach.



Pondicherry Beach, or Serenity Beach, is a 1.5km long, rocky shoreline. Some of the bloodiest Anglo-French battles were fought on these sands. Today, however, this beach is ideal for a calm (or romantic) stroll. Or one can just sit on the parapet by the sea (or on one of the rocks) and gaze out at the rolling waves for hours and hours, or watch fishermen at work, or just enjoy the sea-spray.

Goubert Avenue, which runs along the beach, is sprinkled with a number of monuments and memorials. The most imposing among them would be the huge, impressive statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which stands on the seafront, surrounded by eight beautifully carved pillars. I remember reading somewhere that this statue is 'life-size'. Believe me, it most certainly is not. It's big, the way MG never was.

Right opposite the statue is the French War Memorial, built in honour of the soldiers who were killed in the First World War. I heard that every year, on Bastille Day, this memorial is beautifully lit up. I would've loved to see that, but sadly, I won't be there at that time of the year. Nevertheless, this white memorial is elegant and charming, illuminated or otherwise.

Next to the French War Memorial, in the Place du Gouvernement, is the 29m-tall Old Lighthouse.It was first lighted on 1st July, 1836. In 1931, a revolving lantern replaced the old fixed lamp that had been used till then. It is said that the beacon could be seen from a distance of up to 29km away. This lighthouse was later abandoned, after the commissioning of the new one in 1979.

Further south, at the end of Goubert Avenue, lies the Children's Park. Here stands the statue of Dupleix, one of the most able French Governors. Though Dupleix's tenure ended in 1754, this statue was erected in only in 1870. Originally, this 2.88m tall structure stood on six intricately carved granite pillars at the Place du Republique. However, it was later shifted to this Park, overlooking the sea. As you can see in the picture of the Children's Park (the one immediately below), there's a pier (284m long, I think), located just beyond.

At the northern end of Goubert Avenue lies the Indian War Memorial, a helmet perched on a rifle, flanked by tall pillars on four sides, This memorial was erected by the Government of Pondicherry in memory of the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives for the country.


Riding further north, we entered a small fishing village. We spent a few minutes there, watching the men fish and the women weave nets, or sort out the freshly caught fish.

After that, we were nicely baked brown, and quite tired. We found a Pizza Corner, where we had our lunch. We then went to the Botanical Garden, but that shall be described in a later part of this series of Pondi-blogs.

The Pondicherry beach surely is a lovely place to visit in the evenings too. Goubert Avenue is quite well-lit, and the whole place is a lot more serene than it usually is in the day (a lot more crowded too). On Saturday evenings, Goubert Avenue is closed to vehicular traffic. The police hold some kind of a parade... They all march along the beach road, playing 'police band music'. They then assemble at the Square near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, and the band plays for an hour or so.

Well, that's about the Pondicherry beach. One may not be able to enjoy a good swim in the sea, but it still is a wonderful place.. a 'pleasant promenade', as they call it. Peaceful Pondicherry at its very best, indeed!