Pondicherry...need help !

I'm planing a trip to pondicherry next week. Does anyone have some good suggessions for me. I have already been there 2 more times and have seen all that an outsider usually looks out for. So, this time i need to go and look around for some stuff like places of historical importance or places/people that have been lately forgotten.

I read some special things about pondicherry in a book by Yann Martel, The Life Of Pie, can i do some research over that? Just tell me anything that i can do over there. I'll have ample time and resources.