FRENCH CONNECTION

Ties between India and France may be one of a few such bilateral relationships which is largely devoid of any bitter chapters from the past.

- DR SRIPATHI NARAYANAN

It lies largely on the convergence of interests and the limited points of divergence on a whole range of issues of mutual concern. The foundation for the bilateral at one level can be traced to the early decades of the Indian Republic, when the transfer of the French colonial possession Pondicherry, now Puducherry, to the Indian Union was a peaceful process. The de facto transfer happened in 1954 and by mutual consent. This was followed by de jure transfer two years later in 1956. Though it took the French Parliament time till 1962, owing to internal differences, nothing was done to alter the status on the ground during the period. It was devoid of the kind of strains and bitterness attaching, for instance, to India taking over the Portuguese colony of Goa, Daman and Diu, in 1961, after New Delhi’s requests did not evoke a favourable response from Lisbon. Portugal recognised the transfer only in 1974.

Notwithstanding the Anglo-French animosities in Europe, which they took to their colonies, product of the famous political Revolution nearer home, the French were sympathetic to the cause of ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, across the world. Thus, a lesser-recognised fact of the pre-Independence era was that Pondicherry had provided shelter to freedom activists like Sri Aurobindo and Tamil poet, Subramania Bharati when the British-Indian police was after them. The foundations of post-Independence bilateral ties were thus laid on this solid foundation, and the resultant bonhomie is reflected in the broad areas of cooperation that range from outer space to nuclear science and from military sales and maritime cooperation.

Defence Cooperation