Mech
BANNED
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2011
- Messages
- 3,161
- Reaction score
- -5
- Country
- Location
Getting closer through culture
Interview with Francois Richier,
India and France have forged mutually beneficial collaborative ties in the realm of education, scientific research and culture over the past several decades. The Institut Francais en Inde has been at the forefront of strengthening cultural ties through various events in association with the Alliance Francaise network across the country. The upcoming Bonjour India 2013 is a further step in this direction. This three-month-long festival, to be held across 15 cities, includes 150 events focussing on dance, music, literature, science and opera. This feature brings out highlights of the festival and the various areas of cooperation between France and India.
His Excellency Francois Richier, Frances Ambassador to India, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to India on October 17, 2011. He has earlier served at the Embassy of France in Berlin as Second Counsellor and as Sous-Directeur (Director) of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Division, Department for Political and Security Affairs (2002-05) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris.
In an interview to Frontline, the Ambassador speaks about Indo-French cultural ties; the upcoming Bonjour festival; mutual cooperation in the realms of science, defence and security; and the increasing popularity of France as a destination for higher education.
Excerpts:
Why does France consider it significant to forge cultural ties with India at this juncture and what are the various areas of mutual cooperation and exchange that France is looking at?
The upcoming festival, Bonjour India 2013, will showcase Indian and French artists working together to promote creativity and culture. For many years, India and France have also had excellent collaboration in education, scientific research and, increasingly, in the economic sphere.
This relation between France and India stems from deep-rooted cultural attraction and a sheer interest in each others culture that dates back to centuries
. Our countries thus share the same democratic and secular values, enshrined in our respective constitutions. On the basis of these centuries-old cultural ties, our two countries continually renew and strengthen these relations.
What role is the Bonjour India festival expected to play in this regard?
Bonjour India is a hugely visible platform that helps catalyse these cultural exchanges and takes them to new levels. The festival in 2013 is replete with examples of spectacular events that are a consequence of interactions and collaborative efforts of Indian and French artists. From the original composition of a sarod concerto played by a French symphony orchestra, to theatre in which an adaptation of a French novel set in India comes alive with an all-Indian cast under the direction of a French director, or then again the lighting up of Jantar Mantar by projection artists or an avant garde fashion show with designers from both countries, or innovations in digital art by French choreographers with Indian dancers, sets to ballets designed by eminent Indian installation artists and so forth, the list is long. All these projects underline the quality of what India and France can achieve together, reinforcing our existing relations.
What has the response from the Indian institutions been like so far?
I am very grateful for the help extended to us by our Indian partners in organising this festival. The ICCR [Indian Council for Cultural Relations] is a co-organiser and has helped us a great deal with timely advice, facilitation for authorisations from several agencies to implement the logistics relating to the festival and in publicising and promoting the festival. I am very grateful for this support and assure you that the French institutions will reciprocate this support when India follows suit with the Festival of India in France, Namaste France. A number of Chief Ministers [and officials of] Municipal Corporations have also helped us a lot.
How has the Bonjour India festival shaped up in recent years? What kind of ties has it helped in forging and strengthening with India and at what levels?
The first Festival of India in France was inaugurated in 1985 by late PM [Prime Minister] Rajiv Gandhi in Paris and left a lasting impression in the minds of the French people. Then came the French festival, Bonjour India, in 2009-10 and the Indian festival, Namaste France, which brought the Indian and the French public closer to each other. Bonjour India 2013 will open new perspectives, with joint productions by Indian and French artists working together on landmark events of the festival.
The preparation for the festival has created lasting ties between the two countries at all levels, be it greater student interactions in universities, academic exchanges and partnerships between institutions, scientific and roundtable debates, French and Indian companies coming together to support the festival. Central and State governmental agencies of the two countries have been working together towards facilitating the whole event across 15 major cities in India through the dense network of the Alliance Francaises in India. The scale and grandeur of the events planned in 15 cities through some 150-odd shows and over 300 artists and experts is impressive. We hope such a cultural exchange will help a whole new generation, in India and in France, discover more about each other. Our endeavour is to constantly reach out to a new public and renew the contact with those who already know France.
What are some of the major highlights of the festival in 2013?
Two grand shows of the festival will take place in the inspirational setting of Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The first, Luminocity, will be an Indo-French creation with projection art, light sculpting, fashion show and electronic music. The second will be the closing ceremony, with a spectacular show, Flying Angels, taking over the urban cityscape. It is an event that was recently performed at the London Olympics. France will also be the guest country at the World Book Fair in Delhi.
The Ballet Preljocaj will perform on a set designed by Subodh Gupta, starting in Mumbai. There will also be the sarod concerto with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and a French symphony orchestra. Nandita Das will perform a theatrical adaptation of Marguerite Duras India Song, cast by the French director Eric Vigner. We have also lined up a conference in Chennai for several hundreds of French language teachers from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
As you can see, Bonjour India will travel all over the country with some amazing visual arts events; [it will] also [showcase] heritage conservation and French cuisine.
Apart from cultural ties, what are some of the other areas in which France is looking at strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with India?
France and India enjoy an exceptionally warm relationship, which is the fruit of deep affinities and the unwavering trust between the two countries since the independence of India. An intense cooperation was established in areas as sensitive as defence, security and energy under the strategic partnership initiated in 1998. These exceptional relations have been expanding fast in all fields, including cooperation in science, exchange of students and economic cooperation.
France has been by Indias side at all times. She has extended her unstinting support to Indias demands on several strategic issues, even in times of difficulties: a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, participation in the decision-making process of international bodies, access to civil nuclear cooperation.
What are the different ways in which scientific and technological collaborations are being forged? Could you mention some recent initiatives in this regard?
In our two countries, the same tribute is paid to the work of scientists and engineers. France has invested in all high-technology sectors and promotes a similar European approach. Space, defence, transport, energy and urban services are some of the areas in which France has promising cooperation, especially with India as part of the strategic partnership between our two countries.
The Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, IFCPAR, is a benchmark in successful scientific and technological cooperation. Many countries have tried to emulate the model. It involves equal partnership between the two countries for financing path-breaking research and has resulted in an array of successful joint research initiatives, including the setting up of several joint research laboratories in diverse fields such as water sciences, sustainable environmental chemistry, mathematics and applied computer science, genetics and infectious diseases, and nuclear science, to name a few. A very promising year lies ahead of us, with France being the guest of honour for the next technology summit in October in Delhi.
Has the popularity of France as a destination for higher education among Indian students increased in recent years? What measures are being taken by the government to encourage Indian students to study in France?
Yes indeed. Many Indian students now look to France and Europe for higher education options and France heartily welcomes them. There has been a spurt of 30 per cent in the number of students going to study in France from India in the last two to three years. Today, almost 3,000-odd Indian students opt to study in France every year in courses that range from engineering, management, law, economics, hospitality, international affairs, language, and fine arts to architecture.
The French Embassy in India offers about 300 scholarships to meritorious Indian students. Regions in France and French companies in India also offer many incentives to attract Indian students to France. The French government has set up nine CampusFrance offices in various cities in India for dedicated counselling through trained counsellors with a view to orienting and guiding prospective students keen on pursuing higher education in France. There are also more and more French students coming to India on exchange programmes to several institutes, including several IITs [Indian Institutes of Technology]; Universities of Delhi, Pune, Madras, Hyderabad; Jamia Millia; JNU [Jawaharlal Nehru University]; and so forth. Today in France, over 700 courses in different domains at the Masters level are offered in English and with the opportunity to learn French at your doorstep through the dense network of Alliances Francaises in India, higher education in France is an attractive prospect for its quality and affordability, and undeniably it will be a safe and rich cultural experience for a prospective Indian student.
What specific initiatives have been taken to boost the teaching of the French language in India and what has been the response to the same?
Our cultural service has worked with Indian partners to create several tools that help train French teachers in India and to maintain the quality of the French being taught in schools and universities. This is implemented through teacher-training sessions, mobility grants, assistantship programmes and organisation of the examinations for high proficiency in the French languagethe DELF and DALF diplomas.
The Language and Education service of the Institut Francais en Inde is actively engaging with teachers of French in CBSE [Central Board of Secondary Education] schools and various French departments in universities within India, answering their training needs and providing access to online learning resources.
In the realm of literature, have Indian authors and academics shown a lot of interest in engaging with French literature in recent years? What are some of the important initiatives taken by the Institute to engage with them?
Yes indeed. We are one of the few countries that have a dedicated Book Office and a Book Attache in India. This service helps publishers, writers and literary experts meet on regular platforms. France is the guest country at the [New] Delhi World Book Fair, which is organised by the National Book Trust and is Asias largest literary festival. The Institut Francais en Inde puts in place mobility programmes, such as the Tagore Publication Assistance Programme in India, for Indian publishers who wish to publish a French book translated into English or into any Indian language. The book office organises a literary platform every month that invites writers, publishers and opinion makers to participate in discussions on the world of books. I invite you to these forums to discover the depth and richness of our interaction with our Indian partners on a regular basis.
- Sagnik Dutta
Source : Getting closer through culture
Interview with Francois Richier,
India and France have forged mutually beneficial collaborative ties in the realm of education, scientific research and culture over the past several decades. The Institut Francais en Inde has been at the forefront of strengthening cultural ties through various events in association with the Alliance Francaise network across the country. The upcoming Bonjour India 2013 is a further step in this direction. This three-month-long festival, to be held across 15 cities, includes 150 events focussing on dance, music, literature, science and opera. This feature brings out highlights of the festival and the various areas of cooperation between France and India.
His Excellency Francois Richier, Frances Ambassador to India, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to India on October 17, 2011. He has earlier served at the Embassy of France in Berlin as Second Counsellor and as Sous-Directeur (Director) of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Division, Department for Political and Security Affairs (2002-05) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris.
In an interview to Frontline, the Ambassador speaks about Indo-French cultural ties; the upcoming Bonjour festival; mutual cooperation in the realms of science, defence and security; and the increasing popularity of France as a destination for higher education.
Excerpts:
Why does France consider it significant to forge cultural ties with India at this juncture and what are the various areas of mutual cooperation and exchange that France is looking at?
The upcoming festival, Bonjour India 2013, will showcase Indian and French artists working together to promote creativity and culture. For many years, India and France have also had excellent collaboration in education, scientific research and, increasingly, in the economic sphere.
This relation between France and India stems from deep-rooted cultural attraction and a sheer interest in each others culture that dates back to centuries
. Our countries thus share the same democratic and secular values, enshrined in our respective constitutions. On the basis of these centuries-old cultural ties, our two countries continually renew and strengthen these relations.What role is the Bonjour India festival expected to play in this regard?
Bonjour India is a hugely visible platform that helps catalyse these cultural exchanges and takes them to new levels. The festival in 2013 is replete with examples of spectacular events that are a consequence of interactions and collaborative efforts of Indian and French artists. From the original composition of a sarod concerto played by a French symphony orchestra, to theatre in which an adaptation of a French novel set in India comes alive with an all-Indian cast under the direction of a French director, or then again the lighting up of Jantar Mantar by projection artists or an avant garde fashion show with designers from both countries, or innovations in digital art by French choreographers with Indian dancers, sets to ballets designed by eminent Indian installation artists and so forth, the list is long. All these projects underline the quality of what India and France can achieve together, reinforcing our existing relations.
What has the response from the Indian institutions been like so far?
I am very grateful for the help extended to us by our Indian partners in organising this festival. The ICCR [Indian Council for Cultural Relations] is a co-organiser and has helped us a great deal with timely advice, facilitation for authorisations from several agencies to implement the logistics relating to the festival and in publicising and promoting the festival. I am very grateful for this support and assure you that the French institutions will reciprocate this support when India follows suit with the Festival of India in France, Namaste France. A number of Chief Ministers [and officials of] Municipal Corporations have also helped us a lot.
How has the Bonjour India festival shaped up in recent years? What kind of ties has it helped in forging and strengthening with India and at what levels?
The first Festival of India in France was inaugurated in 1985 by late PM [Prime Minister] Rajiv Gandhi in Paris and left a lasting impression in the minds of the French people. Then came the French festival, Bonjour India, in 2009-10 and the Indian festival, Namaste France, which brought the Indian and the French public closer to each other. Bonjour India 2013 will open new perspectives, with joint productions by Indian and French artists working together on landmark events of the festival.
The preparation for the festival has created lasting ties between the two countries at all levels, be it greater student interactions in universities, academic exchanges and partnerships between institutions, scientific and roundtable debates, French and Indian companies coming together to support the festival. Central and State governmental agencies of the two countries have been working together towards facilitating the whole event across 15 major cities in India through the dense network of the Alliance Francaises in India. The scale and grandeur of the events planned in 15 cities through some 150-odd shows and over 300 artists and experts is impressive. We hope such a cultural exchange will help a whole new generation, in India and in France, discover more about each other. Our endeavour is to constantly reach out to a new public and renew the contact with those who already know France.
What are some of the major highlights of the festival in 2013?
Two grand shows of the festival will take place in the inspirational setting of Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The first, Luminocity, will be an Indo-French creation with projection art, light sculpting, fashion show and electronic music. The second will be the closing ceremony, with a spectacular show, Flying Angels, taking over the urban cityscape. It is an event that was recently performed at the London Olympics. France will also be the guest country at the World Book Fair in Delhi.
The Ballet Preljocaj will perform on a set designed by Subodh Gupta, starting in Mumbai. There will also be the sarod concerto with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and a French symphony orchestra. Nandita Das will perform a theatrical adaptation of Marguerite Duras India Song, cast by the French director Eric Vigner. We have also lined up a conference in Chennai for several hundreds of French language teachers from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
As you can see, Bonjour India will travel all over the country with some amazing visual arts events; [it will] also [showcase] heritage conservation and French cuisine.
Apart from cultural ties, what are some of the other areas in which France is looking at strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with India?
France and India enjoy an exceptionally warm relationship, which is the fruit of deep affinities and the unwavering trust between the two countries since the independence of India. An intense cooperation was established in areas as sensitive as defence, security and energy under the strategic partnership initiated in 1998. These exceptional relations have been expanding fast in all fields, including cooperation in science, exchange of students and economic cooperation.
France has been by Indias side at all times. She has extended her unstinting support to Indias demands on several strategic issues, even in times of difficulties: a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, participation in the decision-making process of international bodies, access to civil nuclear cooperation.
What are the different ways in which scientific and technological collaborations are being forged? Could you mention some recent initiatives in this regard?
In our two countries, the same tribute is paid to the work of scientists and engineers. France has invested in all high-technology sectors and promotes a similar European approach. Space, defence, transport, energy and urban services are some of the areas in which France has promising cooperation, especially with India as part of the strategic partnership between our two countries.
The Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, IFCPAR, is a benchmark in successful scientific and technological cooperation. Many countries have tried to emulate the model. It involves equal partnership between the two countries for financing path-breaking research and has resulted in an array of successful joint research initiatives, including the setting up of several joint research laboratories in diverse fields such as water sciences, sustainable environmental chemistry, mathematics and applied computer science, genetics and infectious diseases, and nuclear science, to name a few. A very promising year lies ahead of us, with France being the guest of honour for the next technology summit in October in Delhi.
Has the popularity of France as a destination for higher education among Indian students increased in recent years? What measures are being taken by the government to encourage Indian students to study in France?
Yes indeed. Many Indian students now look to France and Europe for higher education options and France heartily welcomes them. There has been a spurt of 30 per cent in the number of students going to study in France from India in the last two to three years. Today, almost 3,000-odd Indian students opt to study in France every year in courses that range from engineering, management, law, economics, hospitality, international affairs, language, and fine arts to architecture.
The French Embassy in India offers about 300 scholarships to meritorious Indian students. Regions in France and French companies in India also offer many incentives to attract Indian students to France. The French government has set up nine CampusFrance offices in various cities in India for dedicated counselling through trained counsellors with a view to orienting and guiding prospective students keen on pursuing higher education in France. There are also more and more French students coming to India on exchange programmes to several institutes, including several IITs [Indian Institutes of Technology]; Universities of Delhi, Pune, Madras, Hyderabad; Jamia Millia; JNU [Jawaharlal Nehru University]; and so forth. Today in France, over 700 courses in different domains at the Masters level are offered in English and with the opportunity to learn French at your doorstep through the dense network of Alliances Francaises in India, higher education in France is an attractive prospect for its quality and affordability, and undeniably it will be a safe and rich cultural experience for a prospective Indian student.
What specific initiatives have been taken to boost the teaching of the French language in India and what has been the response to the same?
Our cultural service has worked with Indian partners to create several tools that help train French teachers in India and to maintain the quality of the French being taught in schools and universities. This is implemented through teacher-training sessions, mobility grants, assistantship programmes and organisation of the examinations for high proficiency in the French languagethe DELF and DALF diplomas.
The Language and Education service of the Institut Francais en Inde is actively engaging with teachers of French in CBSE [Central Board of Secondary Education] schools and various French departments in universities within India, answering their training needs and providing access to online learning resources.
In the realm of literature, have Indian authors and academics shown a lot of interest in engaging with French literature in recent years? What are some of the important initiatives taken by the Institute to engage with them?
Yes indeed. We are one of the few countries that have a dedicated Book Office and a Book Attache in India. This service helps publishers, writers and literary experts meet on regular platforms. France is the guest country at the [New] Delhi World Book Fair, which is organised by the National Book Trust and is Asias largest literary festival. The Institut Francais en Inde puts in place mobility programmes, such as the Tagore Publication Assistance Programme in India, for Indian publishers who wish to publish a French book translated into English or into any Indian language. The book office organises a literary platform every month that invites writers, publishers and opinion makers to participate in discussions on the world of books. I invite you to these forums to discover the depth and richness of our interaction with our Indian partners on a regular basis.
- Sagnik Dutta
Source : Getting closer through culture
![[Z]eEshAn](/data/avatars/m/144/144802.jpg?1366392042){kind=avatar}
