Pondicherry is a favourite stomping ground of the passionate shopper. It`s an octroi-free destination for everything from cars to consumer goods. In addition, there is an enticingly low incidence of sales tax. That the shops casually down their shutters for a siesta, only makes the entire shopping experience more enjoyable. Besides the incentive of cheaper goods, the boutiques cater to a wide range of tastes offering stylish garment, perfumes, handmade incense sticks and candles, marbled silks and leather products. Refinished French and British colonial furniture also makes for a good buy. Definitely, the most famous and an essential item on your shopping list should be pottery items. Created with the right kind of clay and glazes, the wide range of pottery designs and products have a signature elegance, simplicity and distinct decorative flourish that make them unique. Most shops in Pondicherry and Auroville have a good collection of these.
While in Pondicherry, you must check out La Boutique D’Auroville, the shop on Nehru Street, in the heart of the French Quarter. Once you get to Nehru Street, ask for the Auroville Boutique, and just about anybody will be able to guide you there - it’s a medium sized shop a hundred metres or so from Goubert Market, just off the main road.
Inside, there is a dizzying range of stuff to choose from. The clothing is what takes up a large portion of the boutique: there are T-shirts with the Auroville motif (and other themes); shirts, sarongs, traditional Indian salwar-kurtas, scarves and the like. Most of it is cotton, but there’s a good bit of silk around too. And if you’re looking for accessories to go with the clothing, check out the leather section - there are shoes and sandals, wallets, and handbags. The handbags, in particular, are worth buying: lovely handcrafted bags with traditional Indian designs, for only a few hundred rupees each.
The ceramic and terracotta section of the boutique is also very tempting, with beautifully Oriental teapots and cups – a minimalist’s dream come true, in shades of pale green and grey. Among the boutique’s bestsellers are its handmade paper items. You’ll find notebooks, stationery, calendars - and what we bought - exquisite lampshades decorated with dried and pressed flowers. They’re completely collapsible and fold into a flat rectangle that we could easily stow in the bottom of a gym bag. |
