The Promenade, the mile long stretch of ocean-front in Pondicherry (now Puduchery) is impressive, but what it tries to highlight itself is a timid experience. I was captivated seeing the expanse of the ocean, and even went down the rocks to have wave after wave crash on me to leave me in a state of increased salinity, but the excitement soon veered away. That there is no coastline here might be the primary contributing factor to this lukewarm connect. Was told that the construction of the new pier - now a dilapidated and a disturbing non-feature itself - had accidentally submerged the beach that once was the icing on the cake of this nostalgic French colony; kudos to the planners for submerging history and and an inclusion of this place into the annals of eternity.
We revisited the Promenade at night, when out for dinner, and walked the entire length of it. The bland ocean looks worse at this time. Gentle tidal waves crash noiselessly into the scarred rocky shore. No air of celebration, or worth celebrating (the PP was soaked in sweat by the end our walk).
No fun to derive from, here, if you look to the nature for it. Nature just coldly, hazily states back at you. Families all around trying to make it fun whatever way they could - fathers chasing daughters in figure of eight, children rubbing their bottoms sore sliding down the cement archways radiating out from Gandhi statue, playing dumb charades, eating make believe French cuisine at eateries, and other nonsense that had no relation to the ocean that lay just next.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment