India’s French connection

The French revere their National Day on July 14, which marks the storming of the notorious Bastille prison in 1789, to free political prisoners. This led to the common man gaining human rights and ultimately to the French Revolution and the establishment of the French Republic. Symbolisms attached to that day are significant. This year India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the Guest of Honour. While it might be considered as a reciprocative action because French President Mr Nicholas Sarkozy was the Guest of Honour at India’s Republic Day celebrations this year, there has never been a foreign Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day.

France has been at the forefront in nuclear energy co-operation with India, and has promised to help to establish new nuclear power plants.

India’s French connection extends back into colonial times when several European powers jostled for control of Indian territory. France had made alliances with Indian potentates in the 18th century like Tippu Sultan and the Mahratta Peshwas, but the British ultimately prevailed and France was left with small and scattered

NOEL G DE SOUZA comments on a historic gesture that highlights the long-standing interaction between two great countries possessions, of which Pondicherry was the largest.

The colourful display by contingents of the Indian army, navy and air force as they marched past at the head of the military parade along the Champs Elysee Avenue in Paris was highlighted on French TV (as broadcast here by SBS).

India and France have been cooperating in many fields including the scientific and cultural since Indian independence. France is an important supplier of military hardware to India and is currently bidding to supply 126 jet fighters. France has been at the forefront in nuclear energy cooperation with India, and has promised to help to establish new nuclear power plants. Nuclear power, besides being efficient, helps to reduce carbon emissions.

In the “International City” in Paris are hostels for students from several countries including a well-furnished India House, built by the Indian Government. It mostly houses post-graduate students from India who study under French government fellowships. This writer was amazed to see Indian students in France speaking fluent French and actively participating in its cultural life, despite not having studied French in their school years.

Paris is the cultural capital of Europe. Several generations of Indian students have studied there. When one lives in Paris, one cannot help but be touched by its operas, museums and its vibrant, living culture. Many French scholarships for Indian students were for the study of fine arts.

In 1910, several revolutionaries including Sri Aurobindo Ghosh were given the essence of Indian mythology and philosophy. He dwelt on the twin themes of Nothingness (Sunyata) and Illusion (maya) which later dominated a whole generation of French poets. Leconte de Lisle’s poem on Brahma made the swan (kalahamsa) theme popular amongst French poets of the time. Interestingly, French India stamps depict Brahma with a swan.

The best known disciple of de Lisle was Charles Baudelaire. He visited Mauritius and claimed to have visited India too, but this is disputed. His poetry dwells subtly refuge in Pondicherry. Aurobindo built his Ashram there. He knew French and even selected Mirra Richard, a French lady, to be the Mother of his Ashram. In 1968 she established the township of Auroville, noted for its golden sphere-shaped structure known as the Matrimandir, close to Pondicherry.

India and France culturally meet in Mauritius. When Mauritius was handed over to the English by the French, the island preserved the French language and culture. It is also very much Indian with a majority of Indians and over half its population being Hindus.

One of the most influential French poets of the 19th century, Leconte de Lisle, was born in Mauritius. He had a deep interest in Indian philosophy and mythology; besides growing up in the Indianised environment of Mauritius, he had also toured India. A prolific poet, his first volume of poetry was headed by several lengthy poems on Hindu themes such as The Vision of Brahma, Surya, Bhagavat and Kunashepa which distil on Indian themes and, at the time of his untimely death, he was writing several Indian-based works. Some of his poems can be interpreted as odes to Kali!

Of the three colonial powers which occupied India, Britain had colonial links with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Britain always seems to try to balance its foreign policy between Indian and Pakistan. France and Portugal, on the other hand, had colonial links with India alone, which perhaps helps to foster India’s ties with them. Within the last decade, links between India and France and with Portugal, have been growing rapidly. The French language is taught at both school and university level in India. The University of Goa is developing as a centre for both Portuguese and French studies.

(The author spent two years in France where he did his doctoral studies under a French Government Fellowship)