March 9, 1998
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The
French Connection A well-documented tribute to the French and their influence in India. By Sachidananda Mohanty REMINISCENCES: THE FRENCH IN INDIA
Napoleon's professed idealism may not entirely explain the lasting interest the French have had in India. Perhaps the earliest French presence in the land came through Hiriart, jeweller and military engineer at Jahangir's court. The fabulous Sancy diamond portrayed India as a land of riches. Tavernier published a description of Aurangzeb's precious jewels in 1676. The interest in commerce was chiefly aided by military compulsions. Back home, French soldiers were poorly paid. For all their exploits, the French were relative late-comers to India. The French advance, however, was swift. Francois Martin founded Pondicherry in 1674, Tellicherry in 1690 and Calicut in 1703. The French military influence did not extend to trading posts alone. More fundamentally, it imparted European military techniques to Indian independent states that radically altered the nature of warfare in India. The French trained the infantry as the principal arm of the battle, pushing cavalry to a subordinate role. Several generals such as Raymond in Hyderabad won colourful accolades from the Nizam such as "Azdhar-e-Jang" (dragon of war) and "Azdhar-e-Daula" (dragon among nobles). More than anything else, the Indo-French encounters led to fusion in art, architecture and culture. Waterfront settlements naturally gave rise to the concept of the promenade, as in France. As scholars Lefont, Pichard and Ravindran document in the book, colonial urbanism brought wholesale changes to the trading posts, making way for more structured urban developments. Traditional Indian houses added French-style drawing rooms. The French, on the other hand, added flat roofs common to India. Much of this aesthetic confluence is still visible in Pondicherry. The book has a few blind spots, though. For instance page 93 mentions that "Pondicherry was acquired from the King of Bijapur in 1672", and on page 134 it is stated that it was bought by Martin in 1683 from Sher Khan, the Sultan of Ginjee". The French had big ambitions in India but, thanks to their bad luck, had to settle finally for a handful of modest enclaves. They suffered a political defeat but scored a cultural victory. Their legacy in India remains deep and lasting. |
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Flush with a
sense of victory after his Egyptian campaign, Napoleon turned to an unexpected Indian ally
as a would-be comrade-in-arms: "You have already been informed," he wrote with
passion to Tipu Sultan of Mysore, "that I have arrived on the shores of the Red Sea
at the head of a large group of invincible army full of desire for freeing you from the
iron yoke of England. May the Almighty increase your power and destroy your enemies!"
Tipu, on his part, could not agree more. Only his desire remained a dream. He wanted a
full-fledged military alliance but what he got was a commercial treaty. If you think such
anecdotes are flights of fancy, then you should read Reminiscences: The French in India.
Well-researched and documented, the volume is a fitting tribute to the long history of the
French presence in India. 
