I have visited Auroville and Pondicherry more than once. But at different times, it was with a different purpose. Growing up in Chennai, Pondicherry was the quick get away for some fresh air and inexpensive booze. Except that I never really did any of that at that time. But Pondicherry never seemed too far. And Auroville always had a certain mystery to it.

Moving to Bangalore, I heard first hand accounts about life in Auroville from Kien.  He was a German, touring India, and by the end of his stay in India he had seen more of the country in one year than I had in my lifetime. And of all the places, he loved Auroville. He had gotten into the system there, and was sustaining his stay at Auroville by teaching and helping. His girlfriend was already teaching there. So on his invitation, a childhood friend Abhishek and I visited Auroville from Chennai in the December of 2007. We had just attended a school reunion, so there was a wave of nostalgia that was over us. I was only meeting Abhishek on and off over the years ever since I left Chennai in 2000. He was my travel companion to Bhutan in early 2006, so we had a lot of catching up to do. So the drive to Auroville was spent reminiscing about old times. At Auroville, Kien was our all-access card to the life that outsiders (Indians) don’t get to see. It was a lot of fun, but we had only two days there. Our trip also coincided with Christmas, and that added a special touch because we got to attend the celebrations. You should stay in the tree houses they have there sometime. It is fun

The second time I visited Auroville was my friend Sandeep and his girlfriend. I had just purchased my first car, and we drove all the way. It was a short visit again, but this time I knew my way around Auroville. We attended a few concerts the impressive auditorium they have there, breathed in the beautiful and mystical coastal air, and felt like we were in a parallel society for the two days there.  Having a car really helped us get around easily, and we also briefly visited Pondicherry. Honestly, there is nothing much to do in Pondicherry. Auroville is a much better way to quickly escape the drabness of city life.  There is a lot to do, and yet you can do nothing. You can just be.

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