We’ll confess that this is one of the least happening weeks in the city. Which is why if you want to ‘do nothing’ for a while, the time has never been better. No scorching sun; no heavy downpour either. The weather gods have conjured up a truly uplifting mix of puffy clouds, slight drizzle and warm sunshine in equal measure — just the weather to wander about with your thoughts.
Step outdoors
Find a seat in the sun: Start at the Promenade, where grey seas with overhanging grey clouds are brightened up by the sight of gaily striped umbrellas sprouting here and there. Sit out in the sun at Le Café with a book in hand and watch the waves. Slow down; savour that newly laundered feeling that hovers in the air in this part of town.
Give Instagram a rest, make your bougainvillea moment: How many ‘Rues’ or lanes in the French quarter have you actually explored? The weather makes it perfect to discover their quaintness by foot or bike. Did we tell you that the bougainvillea are in bloom, spilling over those colonial villas with their brightly painted doors? Or that the tree-lined avenues in Tamil town, like Vysial or Aurobindo Street, are strewn with rain-washed flowers dotting the kolams in front of thinnais. For once, you may actually forego that Instagram filter — the colours on every street are bright enough.
Take a selfie with the smartened up Dupleix: You might have almost felt sorry for Dupleix, whose statue relegated to the corner of the beach road, looked about to crumble any time. But this summer, Dupleix’s Park has become a popular spot for families to hang out. All spruced up, the statue no longer cuts a sorry figure, and Dupleix looks over a small, miniature park that skirts the sea. Illuminated with retro looking round lamps and landscaped with patches of grass and benches, this is a good place to rest your legs after your long walk down the Promenade.
Tuck in
On a break: Some popular cafes in the heritage quarter will close their doors till the first week of June. Shut for the summer are Umami, LB2 (from May 17), Café des Arts, Café de flore, La Pasta and Well Café among others.
A Hepburn brownie?: Pondy’s Hollywood-themed restaurant La Marina has a new dessert named after a leading silver screen idol of yesteryear — Katherine Hepburn. If the name is anything to go by, the homemade brownies with vanilla ice cream promise a mix of the strong and the sweet.
Splurge
Bargain-hunting in the summer? Looking for export surplus or international brands for a song? Here are three all-year discount stores that have bargains to cheer any shopaholic’s heart.
1. Titanic on Madam Ambalathadayar Street (Mission Street cutting): for toddlers, kids, dresses and tops.
2. Outfits on Nehru Street for trousers and western wear
3. Best Deal on Bussy Street for Indian ethnic wear
In Auroville
Sojourn to Benares: Leave behind the tranquillity that is Auroville and, for an hour, experience the sights and sounds of Benares in a guided tour by Banglaore-based poet Maitreyee B. Chowdury .She will read excerpts from Where Even The Present Is Ancient: Benaras and narrate the sensations and stories that the Ganga’s banks abound in. Through poetry, the author tries to unveil a lesser-known India. Meet the author on Saturday at 5.30 p.m. at Kala Kendra in Bharat Nivas.
Make your harvest into star dishes: Solitude Kitchen in Auroville will be holding mini workshops on teaching food enthusiasts to turn locally harvested vegetables into healthy and exciting recipes. This week’s focus has been on the green papaya which can be made into soup, noodles, sanji and chutney. Workshops are timed between 11 a.m. to 12 noon and helmed by Sarah Kundig, head chef at Solitude. Call 9843319260 for details.
Handmade paper: If the rustle of paper and the squeaky clean feel of new stationery set your heart aflutter, the workshop on making your own handmade paper by Auroville Papers may be your cup of tea. On May 15 and 16.
