Avid preservationist Kakoli Banerjee traces her ongoing journey in restoring the French town’s rich heritage
I am in love, hopelessly and madly, with my city.
It is not always that your place of birth or where you grow up is your home. My first visit to Puducherry, in 2001 at the age of 36, was only for a couple of hours. I wasn’t sure if it had anything to offer.
By the year 2007, circumstances prevailed and having bought a dilapidated Franco-Tamil house in the French precinct of the town, more by default than design, I was here to stay. My friend Jyoti Saikia and I spent three years restoring the house, which we call GRATITUDE, along with our dear departed friend and guide, Ajit Koujalgi, then convenor of the INTACH chapter of Puducherry.
By 2010, the city had become home. I can truly say that when you make a choice as an adult to adopt a city as your own, a place where you do not have roots, you try to reach out and embrace all that it has to offer. In a (short) span of eight years, the unique mix of Franco-Tamil culture, the distinct yogic philosophy theorised by Sri Aurobindo and put into practice by the Mother, the city’s proximity to Auroville with its rich global diaspora, and its ability to have retained a small-town flavour gave me a deep sense of belonging. Here I must specifically mention the Mother, Mirra Alfassa, whom I consider my spiritual guide and mentor. Originally from France, she chose to make Puducherry her home in 1920 and collaborated with Sri Aurobindo in a fantastic, spiritual journey. She gave us a vision that became Auroville—a community close to Puducherry that brings together people from all over the world to create a city of the future. She came to be called the Mother because Sri Aurobindo recognised in her an embodiment of ‘Shakti’, the dynamic, creative force of Hindu philosophy.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Harper's Bazaar India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Harper's Bazaar India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Filler Fatigue
With worries about facial distortion and a shift towards the natural, is it time to sav goodbye to these corrective tweaks?
Mind-Skin Connection
Is il possible for your skincare to communicate with your brain:
Tailored for the Game
Fashion meets sports as U.S. Polo Assn. names Sawai Padmanabh Singh of ol Jaipur’ s royal family its global ambassador.
Reimagined Classic
Louis Vuitton launches the Neverfull Inside Out bag, transforming the icon into a fully reversible tote.
Italian Muse
Guecr's new high jew ellery collection isa stroll through the country’s picturesque gardens.
Co Gs Art Post, Gas Art Pas New CELSIOR Net Lay the show Neking ble e dh PATRON An TH Fotal 24 ANAR Romantics
Romcoms might not have prepared me for modern dating, but they offered a timeless sartorial guide to falling in love.
Making a Case for India's Ingenuity
William Dalrymple says The Golden Road is an extraordinary story but also the most challenging book he has written in the last two decades.
On My Playlist
Playback singer turned indie-pop artiste Dhee talks about music, identity, and empowering a new generation.
Explicitly Bold
The latest lipstick range by Nars is designed to empower wearers with colour and confidence.
Art in a Bottle
The Perfume Library founder Jahnvi Lakhota Nandan believes fragrances are meant to be liberated.