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Incredible India

“Drive slowly!” the housekeeper instructs my taxi-driver in Tamil. Indian taxi-drivers have a well-earned reputation for driving fast. “Now he’s been told to drive carefully,” I think. Five minutes later we overtake a Ferrari. In March I visited Culture Studies’ study centre in Pondicherry, India, and it turned out to be a fantastic trip with lots of traffic chaos, unbelievable good food and tiny bit of culture shock.

I arrived in Chennai late in the evening and it was 2 am before I got out of the airport. I had little cash and was worried the taxi driver wanted to be paid up front, and would refuse to take me if I did not pay him in advance. But he just laughed at my lack of planning-skills and promised to stop at an ATM on the way to Pondicherry. As I stood there in the damp, sticky heat, trying to remember my pin, thousands of thoughts went through my head. Doesn’t it smell funny? Will the cars stop when I cross the road? Is the food nice? Will I become ill? Are people nice? During the two weeks I spent in India I found lots of answers and was very pleased with my stay

houses are cosy building in the French, Indian and Muslim part of town, with plenty of space, roof top terraces with fabulous views and yoga-lessons in the mornings. There are plenty of nice cafés and restaurants around the city, and it is so, so cheap.

Despite Pondicherry being a lovely place, there were a lot of things to get used to and I woke up tired Monday morning. A whole week till the weekend, a whole week till I can relax again, I thought, but I could not have been more wrong. As the bus drove through the little village of Chinna Veerampatinam, I could glimpse the ocean and the study centre on a peninsula by the lake, and the only word on my mind was – bliss. With lots of open space, hammocks and tiny huts out in the lake, it looked like a mix of a honeymoon destination and my wildest dream. The sun was shining, but the palm trees gave a nice shadow for the strong rays and the air was fresh compared to the pollution in the city.

The students had formed a breakfast-line before I managed to get my shoes off. Students eat breakfast and lunch at the study centre each weekday, and even if you don’t have classes one day the food is good enough reason to take the trip out there anyway. There are lots of fresh fruit, exotic vegetarian dishes, eggs in all shapes and sizes, Indian dishes, grilled chicken and lots of other delicious things, and a wonderful introduction to Indian cuisine.

In addition to time at the study centre a semester in Pondicherry can be used to a wide range of activities. The beach lays just a short stroll away from the study centre, and the Indian Ocean offers lukewarm water and good bathing conditions. The international village of Auroville is situated ten kilometres from Pondicherry, and people from 40 nations are gathered in a community. Pondicherry also has a diverse market where you can buy anything you wish for, and some of the students introduced me to the market’s most popular tailor where I could get lost in silk fabrics, patterns and colours.

It was on the way back to the airport in Chennai, after two wonderful weeks my taxi-driver confused the track we were driving on with the Formel-1-arena in Monaco. When I told him Ferrari is one of the fastest cars driving around he jumped on the speeder in sheer joy. Later on the three hour-long journey he was pointing fanatically out of the window to show me the beautiful rainbow over the horizon. I looked out the window to get a closer look, but already knew the treasure at the end: India.

- Maria Ross