Thriving together: A unique interplay of cultures

Pondicherry, they say, is the little French town of India. Indeed, the French were the longest standing and last colonisers of the city before it became a part of Republic of India in 1954.

Situated along the coastline, Pondicherry evolved from a small fishermen's village to a thriving port town. It was primarily in the 16th century when Western traders began to set up textile factories in the city. The Portuguese made the first plunge, but later the Dutch, Danes, French, and British all desired to conduct trade here; all except for the Danes also struggled to gain control over this strategic hotspot.

Present day Pondicherry, Puducherry, represents her variegated past in the most colourful fashion.

Vibrantly painted old buildings add a spirit of enthusiasm to the streets of the town. It’s a common sight to spot a street with a name in French , and locals on their brilliant bicycles.

A local woman, wearing a traditional Indian attire, riding her bike on rue Saint-Gilles, names after Giles the Hermit

While the modern colonial history is evident in Pondicherry, the medieval history also shines through. The Manakula Vinayagar Temple is an embodiment of the deep embedded spirituality in Indian. After all, before it was a country, India was a civilisation; one of the oldest ones in the world!

Puducherry piqued my curiosity for two reasons. First - many Western nations, enchanted by the wealth in India, arrived and made colonies here. However, none stayed back, perhaps because of the understandably huge cultural distinction. Pondicherry is the only exception to this phenomenon because some French population did stay back and continues to live in India till date. Second, not only did some French stay back, they also adopted Indian philosophies such as that of meditation. Auroville, a township near Pondicherry, depicts both the aforementioend two points. Its story goes like this...

Blanche Rachel Mirra Alfassa, born in a Jewish family in Paris, arrived in India and began taking lessons from Sri Aurobindo, a local yoga guru and philosopher. In order to build a legacy of the lessons which Mirra Alfassa had learnt, she founded Auroville (Auro from Sri Aurobindo and ville means city in French).

So, would I say that Puducherry is the little French town of India? While French elements are sprinkled across the town, the French diaspora is rather limited and so is its influence in the day-to-day life of the city. I would say it is an integration of the two cultures - French and Tamil, due to its proximity to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Both the French and Tamil cultures not only co-exist in peace, but also are seen to be thriving together.

Wall art of a Tamil granny eating sushi