Puducherry: A slice of France on India’s coasts • FRANCE 24 English

You’re probably thinking this is the south of France, right? Well, you’re slightly off by around 7,600 km. Welcome to Budacherry, dubbed the French Riviera of the East, which was officially a French colony until 1954. Known as Pundish Shahi in French, the town on the southern coast of India has a long history of trade with Europe going back to the 1st century CE. But its relationship with France began much later with the Kani Desandal. The French East India Company setting up its first outpost in the town in 1673. The French lost control over Pondicherryi multiple times. First to the Dutch, then twice to the British within 30 years before winning it back in 1814. Over 70 years after Pudacher’s accession to India, remnants of its colonial past remain embedded in everyday life. More than twothirds of French people living in India are based in Pudder. French remains one of its five official languages with street signs marked in French and in Tamil. The local cuisine reflects the influence of French gastronomy showcasing a unique take on classics like Booya best and duck feet. The classic French game of Pang, hailing from Ma in the south of France was first introduced to Purerryi in the late 1950s and remains popular even today. Fun fact, French high schoolers on the verge of graduating were eternally grateful to Pundi Shahi. Why? Because until 2019 to prep for their final exams for their diploma, the back in June, they would refer to the test papers from the French school in Pucheri where the tests were held in April. Though the town is a long way from the streets of Paris, many of its citizens still hold on to their French connections.

France’s Côte d’Azur… or the coasts of the Indian peninsula? Puducherry, one of India’s eight Union Territories (and a former French colony) has a bit of both! 

FRANCE 24’s Tanishk Saha recounts the history of the “French Riviera of the East”. 
#France ##Puducherry ##India

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4 comments

  1. Dude looks so happy talking about a former colony. Makes it sound like the french colonization of Puducherry was a gift to its native people 😂

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