Puducherry

Planning a trip to Auroville? Here's a list of the best homestays in Puducherry for that budget-friendly vacation.

Anumuthu's childhood was marred with poverty and struggle as a child labourer after he lost his father at only 7. Learning from his own experiences, today he provides dignity and care in the form jobs, medical attention, food and clothes to the homeless through his NGO Snehan.

In the water-stressed district of Puducherry, IAS officer Dr T Arun developed Neer Padhivu, a mobile app through which he launched a water conservation project to revive lakes, ponds and canals.

From growing a mini forest of over 3000 trees to building a rainwater harvesting pit that can store 1.2 million litres of water, Puducherry's Sasikanta Dash has set a stunning example of civic action.

From bunds and channels to rainwater harvesting and desilting, IAS Vikranth Raja used ancient practices to solve modern problems!

When we think of good ceramics, the image that comes to mind is of simple earth or ash-coloured handmade elite tableware. They all come from the Union Territory of Puducherry and its neighbouring town, Auroville. It’s their simplicity which has got them a worldwide market. In fact, outside of this region, they are sold only in boutiques or high-end shops.

Within two years, Major Ved Prakash Sharma has formed a network of 1600 customers in Chennai & Puducherry. His USP? Ex-soldiers harvest the veggies by 9 am and deliver to your doorstep by 5 pm the same day!

“People laughed at me for installing a solar power system in my house, because back in 2001, electricity was comparatively cheaper. They called it an unnecessary expense. But, I looked at the bigger picture—not the money I spent at the time but the energy I would save in the long run. And I was right!"

Named Bennington’s Reefs (to honour Chester Bennington, the late Linkin Park vocalist), 200 of these modular blocks have been dropped off the Puducherry coast and are already showing results!

While this is certainly a step in the right direction for a sustainable future, learning about alternatives to plastic before the ban will be helpful in making the shift!