27 February 2008 Temp: 86 deg. F
Dear Friends and Family
From Trichy I boarded a train to a small city close to Pondirrechy. There I boarded a very crowded bus for the 1 ½ hour ride to Pondy. Eventually I was able to get a seat right behind the driver. I had met the bare-footed horn player. Let me explain, the first thing I noticed is that this very skillfull (attested by the fact we made it in one piece) driver was barefooted. To his right sat three levers, two green, one yellow. The green levers controlled two bus horns of different pitches. He played 
those two lever like a musician to carry his message to anything that stood in the way of his progress. The hi-pitched horn to tell any vehicule in front of him that he wanted to pass them. After several blows not yelding the desired results, the low-pitched horn would be brought into action. The next step was a combined action by both horns until the target obstacle complied to giving room to the bus. The driver never used the yellow lever. Maybe this lever brings into action a sound that pulverizes the intended target, or is it a lever that one uses five seconds before an accident? I am glad I never found out.
Ashrams are communities where people work, live, and study together, drawn by a common spiritual goal. Real committed people adopt a certain guru who is the ashram leader. The ashrams in Pondy were founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo, a Bengali philosopher-guru and a Frenchwoman called The Mother.. Some of the ashram also offer rooms to non-participants, and I had visions of being able to get an accommodation into one of the ashrams in
of the canal is a pretty typical Indian town. The streets on the French side are generally wider, paved, and lined with trees and flowering bushes. The buildings are large, light colored, and are now used by the government and city’s agencies. Most of the western-type restaurants are also located here. Street and several restaurants have French names, rue Dumas, La Terrace, Le Café, etc..Policemen around wear a white uniform and a red kepi. Food-wise, I must admit that it was nice to get away from the generally very spicy Indian food. Café au lait and croissants make for a satisfying breakfast!
It is amazing how often you meet the same people in different places. I met this young Taiwanese woman in Hampi, then I met her 
a café, a gift shop and a somewhat bizarre structure that looks like an almost spherical golf ball, the Matrimandir, which contains a meditation chamber lined with white marble and houses a solid crystal 70 cm in diameter (the largest solid crystal in the world.). The outside of this large structure is covered with gold-plated (24ct) disks. (see picture). We could come a certain distance away from the Matrimandir. There are uniformed people directing the visitors, and making sure that no one steps of the approved path. The feeling is that it is run with military precision. It is interesting to know that the ashrams and Auroville are run by the Sri Aurobindo Society, who also owns most of the valuable property and real estate in
Next Chennai.
Love and peace - henri
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