Pondicherry, c'est tres bon!

We arrived in Pondicherry (new name Puducherry), a former French Colony on the coast in Tamil Nadu state. It was January 26, Republic Day in India (also I hear, National Day in Australia, Happy one to Andrea!), and we started the day with a special ceremony at a school our guide Issac, helped set up and teach in (yes, he is beginning to sound like a saint).

The headmistress was a lovely lady from Durban, and she and all the parents made us feel so comfortable and welcome. There was a little flag raising ceremony, complete with flowers fluttering out of the opening flag, then the National Anthem, Pledge to India and a prayer. It was lovely and sweet.

Later that day, we toured the French Quarter of the town, walking down the "rues". Down near the beach we ran into a massive celebration of Republic Day - fantastic. Everyone in town was there, all dressed up in their finest, and it was a carnival atmosphere exceeding a typical Canada Day.


















As is typical in these things, the politicians babbled on for too long, so dancers that came from all corners of the country did not get to perform on stage.

We heard about this, and luckily we had Amanda with us - a very outgoing Australian teacher. She walked up to each group of dancers huddling around on the sidewalk and asked to take a group picture. After taking each picture she asked "Why don't you dance for us?". Well, typically, the teacher with the group would quickly appear with a ghetto blaster, everyone would scurry into place, and soon there was dancing in the streets.

I think she singlehandedly turned around the festival that afternoon. Where is was once quiet, was now a riot of music and dancing. You cannot plan this kind of travel experience - it just happens!