Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. The Club des entrepreneurs Français de Pondichéry (CEFP), founded in November 2017, is a place for entrepreneurs to network and seek help. (Considering CEPF) Summary Puducherry’s Indian-French citizens are back to setting up businesses and foundations that preserve and promote their unique culture “I had FOMO,” says Audrey Pelerin, 39, a sustainability consultant and explains why she moved to Puducherry from France. The French citizen was born in Le Blanc Mesnil, a Parisian suburb, to French-Pondicheherric parents. Her father left for France to study in the 1970s and her mother joined him after their marriage in 1984. On both sides, over the years, family members made their way to France, with the exception of her grandmother of the mother, who remained in Puducherry. As a teenager in France, Pelerin Indian clothes began to wear. She feels more at home during holidays in Puducherry. “At 15, I wondered if I should return. I was wondering if I belonged here or there. ‘ Despite a comfortable life in Paris, she couldn’t shake “a void” and a deep “internal push” to go to Puducherry. She also missed her grandmother. On her 29th birthday, she told friends that her 30th celebration would be in Puducherry. Fifteen of her friends showed up. Also read: Can Auroville become a model for cities of the future? It was more than FOMO, it was where she wanted to be, ‘Un Choix Éclairé’, an informed choice, as she calls it. With her plans in place, she brought the news to her parents in a cafe. “My dad got up and left,” she says. No one who knew them did it. The retirement plan returned to Puducherry. And Pelerin was 32. Even her grandmother was surprised and asked, “Why are you coming to dry with me in the sun?” Friends and family were sure she would be in Paris again. Seven years later, Pelerin says she didn’t regret a day. ***** “Neenga Nationalality-VA?” is a question you will experience if your time in Puducherry, the city and the Union area still known by the French name Pondicherry, or Pondy, short, despite the official name change in 2006. The nationality is French, an identity, but also a heritage. Puducherry’s history as a French colony made it different from the rest of India. The fallout of the events that unfolded long after French ships only landed on these banks in the late 1600s, and after leaving in 1954, is still visible in his clear French quarter, the presence of the French consulate, along with various institutions such as the Alliance Française, the French Institute and Lycée Français. It appears in the culture of the city – the croissants are excellent, just like the cheese. It is also clear that people are proud of the uniqueness of the town, which separates it from their neighbors in Tamil Nadu – his ‘French touch’. One of the more fascinating aspects of the history of the town is the many migrations they have seen. Especially because in this case the migration was not forced by war or occupation or even a social tendency. Instead, it was offered as a choice for an entire population when the French India left. I wonder if families spent hours in discussion or that someone made an ad-hoc decision to take the French on their offer. No matter how and no matter the choice, decades later, it still forms the landscape of Puducherry, social, culturally and even economic. There were two important moments in history when people were called to choose their faithfulness. The first came in 1881, when they were invited to volunteer from their personal laws and adopt the French civil code. It brought voting and jobs and management through French law. Those who chose it became known as the “renoncants”. Many of them were some of the suppressed classes and saw it as a way out of the caste system. They mostly served in the military and took posts to other French colonies around the world. The second call came when Puducherry was handed over to India. In 1962, the Indian government passed the order of citizenship (Pondicherry) through which French citizens (residence or outside) would automatically become citizens of India unless they chose to retain their French nationality. They were given six months to decide – French or Indian? According to reports, by February 15, 1963, the date of the closure of registrations, 4,944 “optant” made a statement for a total of 7,106 people. Just like that, destinations are made. And many families find themselves divided. This has led to a deep pursuit of those who later captured that a French passport could be a ticket for a better life. And if one does not have the fortune of a ‘nationality’, marriage (with French citizens) offered a second chance. In from Pondi to Paris: Pondicherry’s wedding market (Open Democracy, 2016), Nicola Desouza writes that France’s attraction created its own industry, with brokers promising suitable marriages for French citizens for large amounts. Every trick in the book was used to land a “marriage marriage”. Take a look at the full image of CEFP management members (from left) Audrey Pelerin, Gunasekar, Anita de Canaga, Segiyane Sylvain Paquiry, Francisque Lebrunie, Sandhya Bonnet and Gopady Pajaniradja. (Courtesy of CEFP) The Franco-Pondicherrian is one with roots in Puducherry, but a French citizenship. They are a diverse community, because among those who chose France, people from all classes and strata of society were a microcosm of the city. And within the community, expected, there are those who kept traditions tighter, while others chose to assimilate. And like migration everywhere, it comes with the questions about identity and belongs. ***** “I’m coming from a family of farmers,” says Segiyane-Sylvain Paquiry, 54, an entrepreneur who divides the time between Paris and Puducherry. ‘I wouldn’t do what I am without the French idea, the social lift, strongly rooted in La République, which is different from communitarianism indivisible, secular, democratic and social. My grandfather lived in a village of 60 km from Pondicherry. I would have stayed there. The French public school allowed me to exceed my destination. I am very honest to realize that. ‘ Paquiry was born in France for Pondichryhrian parents. At 12, they returned to Puducherry as his military officer retires. He enrolled at the French school, the Lycée Français International De Pondichéry. It was opened in 1826 and is one of the oldest schools in the country and the oldest French school in Asia. Where it originally catered for the French and the metis (mixed people), it is now part of a larger network of 600 schools in 138 countries, which is controlled by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, open to all. Also read: The rise of Matcha bars in India who was from southern France to a hot Indian city of the coast was not easy, remembering Paquiry, but by the time he completed the school, he did not want to leave in 1991. At 18 he went to higher studies to Paris. “I promised to come back as much as possible,” he says. He admits he had an identity crisis. “I tried to be more Indian,” he says. ‘This crisis is common until you find balance. After ten years of regular trip to India, I realized that I couldn’t say that I was not Indian or fully French. When I started traveling over India, it was so different. How can we pretend that there is a single Indian culture? ‘ asks paquiry. It is easy to forget about the rest of India in Puducherry when the goal has long been France. Where the migration was once one-way, there is a shift that has begun in the last decade, as PondichERrians in France turn India-to-turn. For some, such as Pelerin, it is a desire to link to one’s roots again, but for others it is about the major changes that India sees, the growth and economic opportunities that were not available to their parents’ generation. Look at the full Beeld Lycée Français International De Pondichéry. Francisque Lebrunie, 48, technical entrepreneur and investor, chose to come here with his wife, Emilie, and their newborn son in 2021 for a year. His father, a Pondicherrian with Cambodian heritage, was a French diplomat stationed around the world. After the unexpected loss of his wife, the senior lebr. chose to retire in Puducherry in 2015. Francisque Lebrunie had little familiar with India, he says, after visiting only a few times. He was born in Burgundy, but traveled where his father’s posts took him. “What motivated us was the desire to give our child a chance to rise here as in Paris. We felt that the environment, the rhythm of life and the values here would be a meaningful experience for him. ” As an entrepreneur, Lebro had the flexibility of remote work. He calls it one of the “best decisions we have ever made”. After the year was over, they continued and their son now attends the Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education of ‘Ashram School’, as residents call it. “I started developing businesses in India,” he says. He is not a retired life; He advises French investors looking at India. ‘Professionally, the economy of Europe has stagnated and is declining. There is a bigger dynamic and momentum here. ” After living in Paris, he does not complain about the slower, more balanced life that Puducherry offers. It is still summer and I ask Lebro about how he struggles the weather. “I’ll take it there winter,” he says, laughing. Lebrunion’s Cambodian connection is another thread in the Puducherry narrative, of another migration that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Almost every Franco Pondicherrian I spoke to had ancestral ties with the former Indochina Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos – or after reunion islands in the Indian Ocean or to Guadeloupe and Martinique, which is part of the French Caribbean. The journey between Puducherry and these countries seems to be quite commonplace. If the Renoncants chose the military, there were also those (often from Upper Castes) who went to work as teachers, administrators and accountants in the French colonies. Many are integrated with the local communities. Those in Indochina departed in the aftermath, with the Vietnamese independence of France, followed by the Vietnam War, and either returned to Puducherry or moved further to France or other former colonies. “My grandfather returned in the fifties,” says Anita de Canaga, a French Pondichryer entrepreneur in her 50s. Her grandfather worked with the French administration in Vietnam and Cambodia. Her father and siblings were born in Vietnam with extensive family members who were Vietnamese. Their lives also followed the same bow, from Puducherry people who go to Indochina, return and later go to France. When the parents of De Canaga returned to step out here, her young son suggested that they also come here. With her mother Pushpa as an excellent cook, they start Chez Pushpa, a private Franco-Pondicheherric lunch experience offered at their home. The Franco-Pondicherric Thali they serve may look like the Tamilian one, but is not identical, with Tamil, French, Vietnamese and other influences. It contains dishes such as the Salade Créole, Mutton Sambar (both unique to Puducherry), along with Tamil dishes such as the Platbone Poriyal, Rasam and Vermicelli Payasam. The signature spice is Vaduvam, a mixture of French herbs and Indian spices known in the Duck Vadouvam. Then there are dishes such as Boti priced (lambs cooked with coconut) and the Cha Gio (Spring Rol) that point to the Vietnamese detour in the history of the city. Porc Findali (otherwise cooked as the Goan Vindaloo) and Vivikam (such as Goa’s Bibinka) add further layers of cultural influence. The links to Goa and the Portuguese, explain the author Ari Gautier, come out ‘ A time when the first French settlers in Puducherry found women in Go A’s mixed community because they were not allowed to marry Tamil women. Gautier, born in Madagascar, raised in Puducherry, left for France after completing the school. He now lives in Norway and assumes different layers, especially cabinets. Puducherry is clearly a muse, see how his three books, Nocturne Pondicherry (a collection of stories; 2024), Le Thinnai (2018) and Carnet Secret de Lakshmi (2018; also available in English). ‘Pondicherry can be difficult to understand. It’s not French or Tamil, it’s Creole. ‘ He refers to two types of Creools – the Haute Creole, which was direct descendants of the French and also more affluent, as well as the bass creole, which was the rest, a mixed race with many of them belonging to lower roles. His work brought him to greater investigations into the idea and identity of Creole, and he also calls it a cultural and political statement. Gautier’s Le Thinnai is located in Kuruchikuppam, a neighborhood just outside the French quarter, home to the bass creole, where a Frenchman named Gilbert thata tells a story of how he lost his fate while spending his life to the Thinnai, which is loosely translated as a feature of old Tamil home. It draws you into a world where the vibrant but loving Creole cooking panel dishes like the baffade, chicken marinated with coconut milk sauce, where smells and sounds are vivid, and where language tackles an earthly cadence. When he chose the bass Creole as his central topic for his novel, he says: ‘I grew up with the community. Since I was also mixed, it was normal for us to be related to them. I realized that this community in the French novels written on Pondicherry is hardly mentioned. ‘ A very other Franco-Pondicherric novel is the young adult fantasy Ellora by Valerie Gaudart. Unlike the others, Gaudart, 52, was born in Guadeloupe and now lives in France. She spotted her roots and landed on a French ancestor who married an Indian woman in the 1760s. A closer history to her lifetime was the story of her grandfather, who left Puducherry to France, where he met his French West Indian wife in Cannes, and settled in Guadeloupe. Gaudart was born and raised there – and despite the distance, he often dreamed of India. As an adult, she traveled wide to Asia, but India remained elusive. In 2007, she began a book, with Ellora, a young Franco-Pondicheherric girl with special powers. It took her 15 years to finish and at that time she hadn’t seen Puducherry yet. Look at the full Beeld Villa Shanti, which has been restored as a restaurant and boutique hotel. In 2022 she started Ellora at the Paris book Fair, and also undertook the long-awaited trip to Puducherry. It was expected to be emotional. Paquiry (who is now her partner) helped her to locate her ancestors’ graves. She found their names on the plaque at the Notre Dame des anges, the most important Catholic church in Puducherry dating back to 1855. She has been visiting regularly since then waiting for her OCI (overseas citizen of India). While thinking of Guadeloupe as at home, India comes a close second. The French have a word for it, this variety: Mélange. And it could have been a defining feature of Puducherry, but it is a city of very division. The nationality towards non-Nationality separation is still running strong. In this context, the return of the Pondicherrian is good. “This ‘return’ does not have to be physical or permanent,” said Coumar Ananda, French Pondicherrian, resident of Paris and president of the Indo French Chamber of Commerce in France. ‘It can be intellectually, professional, artistic. It helps to create a shared narrative of identity that includes both diaspora and residents – essential to avoid an ‘us’ and ‘them’. Pondicherry thrives when it’s porous, open and layered, and the diaspora helps keep it that way. ‘ Ananda, 53, grew up here and studied at the Lycée before leaving for France. “To physically depart does not mean leaving emotionally or intellectually,” he says. “In fact, Distance sharpened my sense of identity and deepened my curiosity about our shared history.” For him, he chose to do something in Puducherry from the desire to contribute to the future. “What the interest maintains is the belief that Pondicherry can be a living bridge, not just a nostalgic symbol between India and France, a place where ideas, cultures and genders come together meaningfully.” In 2023, Ananda founded the Pondicherry City & Museum Lab Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the rejuvenating historical and heritage sites. Their flagship project is the Textile Museum Lab. Puducherry has a long legacy of textile weaving and indigo color that predicts the French. In 2 BC there was a thriving cotton cloth and indigo -color production industry in Puducherry with active trade with the Roman Empire. The tradition of weaving has grown and as part of the Chola Kingdom (10-13 AD), cotton cloth was one of the most important goods for trade. When the French arrived, they founded Pondicherry Swadeshi Cotton Mills (now owned by the Ministry of Textiles) and Anglo French textiles (owned by the Puducherry government) – who work more than 10,000 people at their peak. Ananda tracks his family’s connection to this mill by his grandfather. Since the 1990s, the Mills have stopped working. Ananda’s team is reviving this textile tradition. As part of this plan, the old textile factory will become home to the new museum, which is preserved the architecture. It is designed as a space to provide an exciting experience of the town’s textile heritage, while supporting local artisans, designers and innovators. Like Ananda, Paquiry also finds that he wants to strengthen the ties between his two homes. In Puducherry, he sees that many old buildings are sold as owners in France, they could not drive remotely. The city’s architectural heritage was at risk. Franco-Tamil architecture or tropical architecture in Puducherry is unique in the way it recorded rural architecture before the arrival of European and colonial architectural styles. Paquiry has requested owners not to sell or demolish, but to find new economic uses. In 2006, he started Villa Shanti and restored a home with the middle of the 20th century architecture in the French quarter as a restaurant and boutique hotel. Villa Shanti offered a model of recovery and heritage conservation which was a mixture of modern and heritage, French and Tamil. Paris-based architect and designer Tina Trigala and Yves Lesprit, who worked on it, tried to use local material, local contractors in a considered approach to recovery. He followed it with La Villa. Once the home of the Lycée principal or provision, dating back to the 19th century, it was renovated to offer six suites. The most recent addition is the place that was once the Maison Colambani. These spaces are not fully French or Tamil, but modern Pondicherrian, true to its roots, but not taxed, which are attractive in such a tourism-dependent economy. ***** On the day Puducherry became part of the Indian Republic, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru hoped it would be a ‘window to France’. But the French population is shrinking here. “The number of French citizens registered with the consulate (which is voluntary) is now 3.740. In 2014 it was about 6,740. The decline was fast, especially after Covid,” said Etienne Rolland-Piegue, the Consul-General of France in Puducherry. Until the early 2000s, he says, many retirees, especially soldiers, returned. The shrinking numbers can be attributed to career shifts. Paquiry points out that more Franco-Pondichrians are now working in the private sector, which extends their working years in France and also makes them less dependent on a retirement pension. But today’s Puducherry offers France something back – a gateway to India. For Pelerin, it also went to know the country, to know ‘my idea of India’. ‘For De Canaga, traveling in India introduced her to a larger culture and craft, which led her to establish a travel business and a platform called Helping Arts to promote Indian handmade products. Pelerin, Paquiry, De Canaga and Lebrunie are all members of the Club des entrepreneurs Français de Pondichéry (CEFP). It was founded in November 2017 with about 50 members, and initially served a network for French entrepreneurs. In 2023, Pelerin, who represents a new generation, accepted the role of the president of the club. ‘For me, Pondicherry is the bridge between France and India, the ideal place to initiate projects connecting the two cultures. It is an underutilized asset with a tremendous potential. It can be a pivot where India draws inspiration from France, and vice versa. All of these experiments can unfold here. ‘ The CEFP meets monthly, maintains a website and provides assistance to new entrepreneurs coming here. It also opened membership for Indian entrepreneurs. It is the bridge they started building and reaching out to Pondy’s diverse worlds through these different ideas and initiatives. I moved here with my family three years ago when my son joined the Lycée. With no pre -connection with the city or its people, we want to orient ourselves to Puducherry. Although this story is about those who extend two worlds and multiple identities, Puducherry is equally formed by those who have never left. And perhaps also by those, like us, who continue to get to this bank and choose it for what it offers: a small coastal town that contradicts an easy definition, where there are several worlds. Aravinda Anantharaman is a columnist. She farms @aravindaanth1. Also read: Myths from facts in the experiment called Auroville capture all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Read Next Story
Why Puducherry’s French citizens return to the coastal village
