Reminiscences: The French in India

The genesis of this book was an exhibition of vignettes of the French influence in India, proposed to be held in the metro cities of India, beginning in Hyderabad. As our research progressed, we were fascinated by the range of French influence on Indian culture. The better known aspects, such as Dupleix's palaces in Chandernagore and Pondicherry, led us to other less-known facets. French cartographers mapped India with a specificity that is valid even today. Military activities extended across the country not just as French conquests but working with the armies of the former princely states. The French introduced European techniques that changed the course of military warfare in India. Although French influence in the erstwhile royal palaces of Kapurthala and personalities such as Claude Martin are well-known, our research into former French settlements like Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe found not only French urban designs still extant, but also highlighted the fact that French decorative elements found expression in vernacular housing and Indian architectural features became an intrinsic part of French colonial architecture. We felt it was important to publish vignettes of the more interesting and less-known aspects of this influence, all of which have become a part of India's rich cultural heritage and which we celebrate in the 50th year of India's independence.