The Grid and the CanalArticle
Pondicherry
Displaying 1 - 10 of 16
Pondicherry, somewhat like Russian nesting dolls, is a city within a district within a Union Territory (UT), all sharing the same name. The UT of Pondicherry comprises four geographically distinct districts that were former French colonies: Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yenam and Mahe. Of these, the…
in Article
Pondicherry, established in the seventeenth-century as a trading outpost of the French East India Company, evolved into France’s most enduring colonial settlement on the Coromandel Coast. Though controlled at various intervals by the Dutch and the British, it remained under French administration…
in Article
One of the stories Pondicherry most likes to tell about itself is of its Frenchness. It does this in many ways, culling the sparse remnants of 138 years of French presence in this town from the much longer, denser history of the area. There are street names like Dumas, Lally Tollendal, Romain…
in Article
Pondicherry, the centre and headquarters of French India, shares deep connections with other cities and places worldwide that, like it, were once part of the French Empire. One such city is Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, known as Saigon when it was capital of the Southeast Asian French colony of…
in Article
Pondicherry was under French rule from 1674 and subsequently developed into a trading hub for the French East India Company. They dealt with textiles–and in particular, guinée cloth. Also known as blue cloth (indigo-dyed), this textile was renowned for its colour and quality — attributed to the…
in Article
Finding locally crafted products should not have been too difficult in Puducherry, or so I believed, and began my search at the Sunday market on Nehru Street, expecting it to be lined with artisans selling handmade wares. Instead, the stalls were heaped with synthetic garments and plastic toys.…
in Article
Along the leafy Rue du Bazaar Saint Laurent in the French Quarter of Pondicherry, a modest showroom named ‘The Metal Crafts’ displays bronze images of a plethora of Hindu deities. Idols of Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Hanuman, Garuda, Narasimha stand along the white walls, varying in their…
in Article
Puducherry is often famously spotlighted for its town-wide celebration of Bastille Day, yet its festive landscape extends far beyond this well-known commemoration. Across the year, the city’s calendar marks a range of popular celebrations by local communities. Many of these draw on larger…
in Article
The Tamil language has a prolific literary tradition, represented in Puducherry by its substantial history of theatre. Theatre, like other art forms, evolves in response to changing social contexts, cultural practices, and performance spaces. Through contributions of numerous artists, institutions…
in Article
Pondicherry, a coastal enclave, is part of the Cauvery delta with typical deltaic ecosystems such as mangroves, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and lagoons. Small rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal, and feed estuaries such as Ariankuppam that lie at the interface between salt and fresh water. The…
in Article