Puducherry. The name conjures up some beautiful memories of the charming seaside town in Tamil Nadu. Strolling on the beach, eating in the old world bistros with menus written in French, discovering rues and boulevards with unpronounceable French names, meditation at the Mother’s ashram and the stunning, sprawling Auroville.
Like Goa, Puducherry (earlier called Pondic-herry), too lives on many levels: The Mother’s Ashram, the Auroville, the so-called French Quarter and the rest of Puducherry. And interestingly, all of them thrive and are alive at the same time. This week, Tasveer, presents a selection of fine-art photographic images exclusively selected from the book Pondicherry by Sebastian Cortes.
The exhibition “Pondi-cherry”, is an extended photo essay, which has as its main focus, the photographer’s perception and visual interpretation of the town. The images were shortlisted at the IPA International Photography Awards 2010 in the Architecture Interiors Professional section and also got an Honorable mention.
The New York born photographer journeys into the metaphorical and anthropological folds of the city, searching for a sense of “place”. The photographer goes beyond the walls and penetrates into the private sphere, into homes, spaces and routines, which represent a certain culture or cultures, always searching for visual messages that create the tapestry of insight, both of the past and of the present. The perception of “place” is also offered in words. The photographer, who now lives in India, having moved in 2004, has sought out the participation of several noted French and Indian writers. They, through the magic of words, offered very personal and insightful views of Puducherry — words and images working in a complimentary way for an artistic perception of the place.
I would like to share mine: The huge presence of the Mother’s Ashram boasts of some very well-known personalities who are regulars there and while there, live the frugal life prescribed without complaining. It is worth experiencing the calm, evening meditation at the Mother’s samadhi with its twinkling diyas and flowers.
Then there is the Auroville with it majestic architecture of the Matri Mandir and the almost European feel to the rest of the buildings.
Both these places have given birth to their own brand of art and crafts: The marbling unit at the Mother’s ranks first with its amazing sarees, handmade paper, pottery and the finely finished leather products, delicate glass jewellery, wooden hand crafted toys, wooden massage implements, cord woven hammocks and chairs, and many a bric-a-brac that has become synonymous with the place. Designed to international perfection, these crafts help sustain the place; also, it is a way of doing something meaningful while one attempts to reach higher spiritual goals.
Then the so-called French Quarter. The architecture here is different and if one is lucky to get into the homes, there is an amazing twine of Tamil and French in both language and lifestyle. Replete with tiny shrines dedicated to Jesus, there are many more dedicated to local deities as well.
It is not easy to understand these levels, and capturing them is even more difficult, but Sebastian captures these various planes with dexterity and retains the lyrical feel of the place. Each of his images recount a story that are independent and stand alone and yet together create a bouquet that lingers in one mind’s eye to create your own understanding of the place and its peculiarities.

The exhibition, which opens on April 28, will be on view till May 20 at Alliance Francaise in New Delhi from 11 am to 7 pm

Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist