Friday, Feb 7th, Puducherry, India

Greetings!

Today, we drove down to the Puducherry District, an enclave of Tamil Nadu, and one of four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry (which was once French India).   In 1674, France declared four coastal areas of India as "French India", under a single Governor in Puducherry.  We're sleeping in the hotel named after the last Governor, in the front bedroom of a house owned by a colonial fish merchant.

Puducherry is a union territory of India, rather than a state, which means that governance and administration falls under federal authority.  A special constitutional amendment granted it an elected assembly and a cabinet of ministers.  Goods bought here are taxed less, roads are longer here, there are fewer cars, and far fewer laws.  It's a great place to be a tourist.

The district has a strong preservation movement, and so french architecture is revered.  It had its own mint, and its own defense forces.  The English tried unsuccessfully to conquer and hold the territory, and so its history looks like the rest of India (with constant local indigenous rebellion with a french flavor).

It's dependent on tourists, ashram activists, and a large colony of fisherman.  Let's hope that bureaucracy and global economic pressures don't make it harder for these unique pockets of cultural identity to continue to thrive.


To see all of the photos taken today, click on Friday, Feb 7th, Puducherry, India.