However, my father took me by surprise when he once mentioned casually that I should indeed go to my honeymoon alone, like Queen did. That was enough to give wings to my fantasies. I knew that Amsterdam was out of my budget. But I could pamper myself thoroughly somewhere in India. But more than pampering, I needed some place to get rid of my demons. It was then that the idea of dumping them into the sea crossed my mind.
I had invariably felt the allure of water calling out to me. Sitting near any water body soothes me like only my mom’s lap does. However, I had to find my own ways to deal with situations where mom would not always be there. Thus, the decision to go to Pondicherry shaped up.
I loved the breeze in my hair and the sand in my feet, and the luxury of being served whatever I wanted, at whichever hour I wanted, without being questioned or commented upon. It was a lovely break from the hum drum realities of life, from the monotonous grind of a grueling day, and last but not the least, therapeutic. After all, alone is not a bad word when one embarks on a journey of self discovery, at whichever juncture of life one may find oneself.
I returned home, with the newly-found confidence that I could manage such a trip alone in future, too. I had already earned the confidence of my parents that I was capable of that even in the midst of a depression. Together with the approval came the permission to undertake as many solo trips in future as I wanted. I am, indeed, lucky enough to have such open-minded parents.
There were other reasons, too. It is a quaint town which was once colonized by the French. I thought it would be a good idea to visit a place not touched by the British for a change. Being a small town, I knew that I could walk to any tourist attraction that I wanted on foot. And it was quite easy to reach. After days of research on which hotel to stay in and how to get there, I finally booked my air tickets to Bangalore, and bus tickets to Pondicherry. It had to be Bangalore because my cousin stayed there, and I could go to his place for a stopover. At the same time, there would be no awkward questions about who I was going with, just the concern that I should give my address to him so that he would know my whereabouts, and respond in case of an emergency.
And so I was soon at my own honeymoon destination, ready to pamper myself in every which way possible – from the royal stay in a hotel, 50 meters from the beach, to the meditation in Aurobindo Ashram, from the ferry ride to Chunnambar Beach to the sunset at the Rocky beach, and from quiet dinners at the rooftop, to the adventure of buying vodka from a wine and beer shop all by myself.
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