Happy National Day, France

It is National Day in France today as the country celebrates 220^th anniversary of Fall of Bastille. The event marked the start of the French revolution. I was in ninth standard when I first learned of French revolution. It was exactly 20 years ago and the lesson was incorporated in our textbook. That was the time when I first learned about Robespierre, Honoré Mirabeau and also Marie Antoinette. It was a coincidence that the same year marked 20^th anniversary of the French revolution.

This year, India is getting honour at the fête nationale as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the parade organised at the national day celebration. 310 Indian soldiers will march along in the parade on the beats of military band. I am happy to find that the work of Maratha infantry in the first world war, fighting on the side of British against Germany is still revered in France, as I found in some media reports.

I am always attracted to the land of Eiffel Tower. I hope I can some day go there. Meanwhile, happy fête nationale, France.

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First French Movie

Thanks to NFAI, I Could Watch It

First time in my life, I watched a French movie a day before yesterday. It was a beautiful movie telling a story of two young girls with dreams in their eyes. Though I understand French a little, it was easy to understand the movie because of subtitles.

French films are screened in Pune time and again but I do not get a chance see them. For one reason or another, I have always missed the bus. This time round also, I could not go to the all movies because of office timings. It was a chance holiday on May 1 that enabled me to attend the screening. There was a motley group of about 100 people to see the film. Although, I doubt how many of them came out of the love of French language because as far as I could see, the majority of them were from Film and Television Institute of India.

The movie was a part of the French film festivals organized in Pune by National Film Archives of India with the co-operation of Embassy of France in India. La vie rêvée des anges, that was the title of the movie. The film festival started on May 1 and will go on till tomorrow.

Before the start of the festival, India and France signed an agreement to donate 234 films to India. The films are donated from the library of embassy of France to NFAI.

All these films are produced in France. An agreement to this effect was signed on April 30 at NFAI by Philippe Martinet, Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of France and Vijay Jadhav, Director, NFAI will sign the agreement.

This is one more time that NFAI will get a treasure of French movies. In 2003 also 88 films were handed over to NFAI by Embassy of France. Before that, Earlier, in 1998, the Embassy of France donated 29 films to the National Film Archives of India.

Under the agreement, these films will be preserved at NFAI. They will have non-commercial screenings, research and studies. An embassy press release said that the Embassy of France in India is committed to strengthening the relations between cultural institutions of our two countries towards achieving this goal.

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Deutsche Welle Rocks

Deutsche Welle is the national broadcaster of the Federal Republic of Germany. The reason why I wrote Germany this way is that the organization originally belonged to erstwhile Western Germany until East Germany was accommodated in the former. Accordingly, the broadcaster company of East Germany was merged in the DW. I first listened to the station sometime in 1992-93, three years after the merger. In that respect, I can never compare the two stations. DW immediately caught my fancy because of its reporting and presentation. There were two more reasons for me to like the broadcast: it offered service in Hindi also and its broadcast quality was far more superior than the other ones.

As time moved fast forward, I lost the touch with DW. But not before I  learned some German through its programs. I could gather some sentences and basic phrases in German thanks to DW. It is myinability that I could not keep the tempo and garner some proficiencyin the language. In the meantime, I had become a journalist myself
and I rediscovered my favorite radio station. Though the medium ofthe contact had changed: it was on the internet mostly that I visitedDW nowadays. This allowed me the comfort of listening at my leisure and in as many languages as I could. Since I was a old fan of Hindi service, it was obvious that I refer to it on the net. Englishservice was irreplaceable to get a flavor of the international
developments. DW had also shifted its focus extensively from being a Germany centric station to a Europe centric one. In addition, I was also able to refer German and French service pages of the broadcaster to brush up my knowledge of the languages.

Aprominent feature of DW's Hindi service was program in Sanskrit language. It used to last for 15 minutes and appeared each alternate Mondays. The program is not in service today. It was discontinued two years ago. But I used to listen the program enthusiastically. DW was the only radio station besides All India Radio to broadcast Sanskrit programs regularly.

It was not that I was listening to DW alone. I used to listen many overseas radio stations at that time. But I was hooked to this station mostly because I always thought it like catering personally to me.

It was long ago that DW ceased to be a radio broadcaster only. It started TV programs in late 90s. Though the reach of the programs was limited in my country or at least in the area where I live. For this reason, I could only imagine the kind of programs offered. However, that difficulty also is now overcome with DW available on most DTH platforms. It is available on DD Direct Plus, Dish TV and other leading service providers. This has really increased the visibility of the channel in India though I really doubt as to how many viewers are 'attached' to it.

There are reasons why I am posing this doubt. First off all, it is not an entertaining channel. It is to its credit that DW never comes forward as a government broadcaster. But that has not helped it from being a mere informative channel. In India, where even the news channels are fast turning into entertainment machines, it would be hardly appreciated by the common public. Presumably, intellectuals and people with liking for serious content will fast take to this
channel. But the documentaries and news with a European perspective will hardly appeal to the viewer trapped in the TRP games.

I for myself liked the programs offered by the channel. Especially the kind of travel based programs are always to my liking. Previously, the programs came alternatively in English and German having one hour slot for each language. Now, I notice that it has considerably altered the programming with Asia Plus. German language programs, even though mostly comprising of news and documentaries, are less now. For last two days, I could watch only two to three hours of German programs on the channel. I wish it could have been more. But in any case, I am with DW. DW rocks!

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Tracing the French-Maratha Steps

· Chhatrapati Shivaji gave the territory of Pondhicherry to the French traders on annual lease of 10,000 Chachars (a South Indian currency prevalent in 17th century) on the condition of neutrality.

· The careers of the two nations in India i.e. the Marathas and the French ran concurrently. Chhatrapati Shivaji was crowned as King in the June 1674 while the French under the able leadership of Francois Martin founded Pondicherry in April 1674 as the capital of French India. The period 1690-1699 was the darkest period for both the nations as the Mughals overran the Maratha territory while the Dutch, capitulated Pondicherry. The period 1750-1754 brought the two to the zenith of there glory in India while both were crushed in 1761.

·  Shivaji’s son, Chhatrapati Rajaram offered to sale Pondicherry to French but the French representatives in India could not pay the required amount. That is why is was forced to pay the province to Dutch.

These are some of the interesting facts unearthed from an extensive research work done by a city based researcher. Umesh Kadam, senior lecturer in the history department of University of Pune has studied the relations between Marathas and French spanning over 150 years. Kadam, who is originally from Kolhapur had originally done the study for his thesis submitted over four years ago. After a stint in Shivaji University of Kolhapur and University of Pune, he made further research work in this direction. Now it is being published in book form very soon.

This is only the second attempt to study relations between Maratha empire and French and it has noted some very striking facts hitherto unheeded. Just take a look:

According to Kadam, the relations between the two were purely commercial on the side of the French and politically and commercially motivated on behalf of the Marathas. The commercial policy of the Marathas related to the Europeans clearly states that political issues of the state should be given importance and due recognition when ever there is a clash between the two policies. The French first came into contact with the Marathas in 1668. 

The Shivaji Connection

The French were granted permission by Shivaji to establish a factory at Rajapur. Shivaji was in constant conflict with the Siddi of Janjira and he needed arms and ammunition. He wanted help from the European nations and he was ready to give any place on the Konkan Coast to the nation which would supply him with arms and ammunitions. The English and the Portuguese preferred to remain neutral due to their relations with the Mughals and Bijapur, while the Dutch asked for Maratha help against the English in return for their co-operation. Shivaji at this point was not interested to arouse the English hence he turned down the Dutch offer. The French were the only nation which supplied Shivaji with guns and lead without and pre-condition. Shivaji in return gave them permission to settle at Rajapur. Shivaji with French arms was able to arm a notable fleet against the Siddi of Janjira and keep a check on the activities of the English and the Portuguese. 

Shivaji second son Rajaram had to flee to the south due to the Mughal invasion. As Marathas controlled both Jinji and Pondicherry the French came in direct day-to-day contact with the Maratha Court at Jinji. The relations between the two further worsened due to the prejudice of the French officers against the Marathas. The Marathas had demanded money, arms and ammunition, and French help against the Mughals, but the French preferred to remain neutral. The financial constraints of Rajaram forced him to sell Pondicherry. At first he gave priority to the French but they followed delaying tactics to have a better bargain. Finally Rajaram sold Pondicherry to the Dutch arch rivals of the French only because they were ready to pay a better price.

The policy of Dupleix to build a French Empire in the south of India with the help of puppet Princes brought the French in direct conflict with the Marathas. This conflict with the Marathas in real sense brought the downfall of the French in India. The French trade in Bengal was ruined due to the Maratha invasions in Bengal carried out by Raghuji Bhosale from 1741-1748. This paved way for British to establish their control in Bengal as the French evacuated their trade from Bengal and shifted their interest towards the trade on the Coromandel Coast.

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I Learned French for this work

Dr. Umesh Kadam has come from Kolhapur. After completing Master of Arts from Shivaji University, Kolhapur in 1998, he did his Ph.D. from Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

To complete my study in the relations between French and Marathas, he completed certificate course in French. He visited Biblitheque Nationale, Archives Nationale in Paris and British Library and India Office Library in London under Research Scholarships provided by Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, Masion de Sciences de l’Homme, Paris and Charles Wallace India Trust, London. 

After this work, he is working on a project titled “Relations between the French and the Marathas with special reference to the French diplomatic projects in India proposed during 1761 to 1818”.  

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Booked to Literature

"This is the third time that Culture House of Iran is participating in the Pune Book fair. There is huge community of Iranian students in Pune and I am one of them," said Ebrahim Aghajari.

"I always wanted to write whatever it may be. So I have become a writer. I am first time in Pune and I met three people here who spoke with me in French," said Frederic Mari. Frederic was sitting at the stall of Libre Edition publications from Pondicherry and was signing every book bought by the visitors.

Ebrahim and Frederic were among those who added international look to the seventh edition of Pune Book Fair which is currently on at Ganesh Kala Krida Mandir. Frederic is living in Pondicherry since 1990. He writes in French but Shine, his first translated novel in English is available at the fair. Told through the medium of an Eagle Owl, this novel speaks about the eternal quest of the humanity.

"This is mostly a fictional work but to certain extent, there is personal element in it," he said. About India, he said that he felt he was destined to live here. "I had visited Mumbai earlier but am in Pune first time. I have written plays, film scripts earlier and is currently writing a bulky novel," he said.

Ebrahim has completed his B. E. and is pursuing M. Sc. in Instrumentation in University of Pune. He was managing the stall of Culture House of Iran. "There are 100 to 200 visitors here daily. I think there should be more people. The city is considered as the culture capital of India. It is my opinion that the venue of the fair should be changed. If it was near University, then probably there could be larger crowd," he said.

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A Meeting With French IT Journalist

He is here on a mission : to find out the work culture and secrets of success of Information Technology companies in India. He is also here to find out why European companies are not a part of them as also how much chance they stand to enter the market. Besides the oft repeated reason of linguistic barrier, he also sights one reason why European IT companies are not present in large number in India : the lack of data security.

Valéry Marchive, Editor At Large of LeMagIT, a French trade magazine dedicated to European IT sector is on a study tour of Indian IT companies. he started his sojourn from Pune on Monday when he visited KPIT Cummins at Hinjwadi. After that he also visited CapGemini and Tata Consultancy Services. Valéry also has a meeting scheduled with French Economic Mission in New Delhi. He is currently visiting and studying various companies based on which a full series will appear in his magazine from around September.

When asked what he has found about the companies, Valéry said though he was impressed with the working of the companies and especially its staff, he has yet to form any substantive opinion on the same. He told what he thought was the reason for very less number of French IT companies in India. "People in France are very poor in English. That is one reason why they fail to reach out to Indian companies. As an IT pro, I know many US and British companies have set up their offices in India. Compared to it, French companies have minimal presence. Another reason is that of data security issue. India is still perceived as a potential unsafe country in terms of data security. In France or any other European country, personal data is still perceived as critical and its safety is considered a priority issue."

Express Transaction
Elaborating on this issue, Valéry gave an example of how transaction can be risky in India. The incident took place just a week ago. "When I was scheduling my travel in India, I was booking flights to and from various cities from Jet Airways and Indian Airlines company's official websites. After six of my flights were booked, seventh flight could not be booked because I was told my American Express card has been blocked. When I enquired with the card company, I got a shock when I was told that large transactions of money are being done from my card in a single day. Since the transactions originated in India, American Express thought it safe to block the card, as India is seen as unsafe by the company," he said.

Mixed Bag Pune
Asked about the impressions of Pune, Valéry said, "This city reminds me of a south Italian town two decades ago. It is slow but also it has many companies and lot of young people. Girls here seem pretty, too. But I am amazed at the contrast of the life here. In Mumbai, I visited Goregaon East where I was surprised to find computers even in small huts. Here I asked some people how can they talk of high speed Internet when they do not have electricity itself. The people answered me that for Internet, they are not dependent on computers. They get it on their mobile handsets."

Meanwhile, Valery is blogging his way in India at http://blogs.lemagit.fr/ . He is writing about the India and Indian people as also IT companies.

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Hollywood faded out

Where would the English movie viewers go to watch their favorite and anticipated films? That is the question looming large in the minds of those who watch Hollywood stuff frequently. The regular theatres for the English movies are fast turning into endangered species. They are shrinking to exhibit the stuff in the fear of loosing the profit in the favor of dubbed movies. Dubbed movies also are fast encroaching on the space for the original Hollywood stuff.

It was in the year 1994. First ‘Jurassic Park’ had made waves in the pre-publicity era and its release was widely expected. When the movie actually hit the theatres, it came in two separate versions i.e. English as well as Hindi. That heralded a trend whereby more and more foreign films were dubbed in Hindi and few other regional languages. That business strategy paid off very well paving the way for major and minor Hollywood studios to set up their offices here itself.

What happened to English films later took place with films in other languages too. Chinese, Japanese, French and so many other films started making rounds. Not only through theatres, but through pirated CDs and DVDs too. Increasingly people started to see English films in their language instead of the original ones. The things have come to such a pass that ‘Spiderman 3’ last year was dubbed in Bhojpuri, a first for any Hollywood or for that matter, any non-Bhojpuri. The trend continued unabated and ‘A Night in Museum’ was released in India in only Hindi. However, the film was available in English on DVD circuit.

Rising localization and increasing competition has made original Hollywood films now as rare as old Hindi flicks. Either you see Hindi dubbed versions or else you see nothing. Even some multiplexes are going for the dubbed versions. In short, the day is not far away, when one will have to ask : English films, where are they?

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Billa makes a French Bang

It seems that Rajnikant’s magic is only spreading by each passing day. His 'Muthu' captivated the imaginations of Japanese audience. A certain French film, which is yet to be released, ‘Pret moi toi main’ features Rajnikant’s fight scene in Muthu. The scene is featured for 150 seconds where the main heoine of the film watches this clip. Then she tells her friend, “This is Muthu, a must watch Indian movie.”
Now it is the turn of 'Billa' to floor Western audiences. France’s deputy director of Film France Commission Nationale, Frank Priot, who was in Chennai recently, said the comedy sequences in Billa are particularly ‘‘very interesting and pretty good.’’ He has picked up a few DVDs of the same to watch it all over again with friends in France.
'Billa', which was a remake of the original Amitabh bachchan starrer Don, was released in 1980. It is hailed as Rajnikant’s second film coming and was a huge box office hit. Songs from this film are considered a hit even today particularly `My name is Billa’, is most famous. There are plans to remake the film, and Ajith may play Rajni’s role.Priot was also impressed with 'Dhool' and 'Ghajini'. He watched the Suriya starrer 'Ghajini' in a theatre and liked it so much that he has bought the DVD. Who knows, there may be remakes of those as well. Already, Anniyan, last year’s blockbuster was dubbed into French and it is the first Indian film to be dubbed in French.

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An UNI story

Panaji : Watching Indian films is not at all a problem for the French as they do not want these films to be dubbed in their own language, according Serge Sobczynski, in charge of the 'Cinema du Monde'(Cinema of the World) section of the Cannes Film Festival. ''The French want to enjoy the original sound of Indian languages, so as to get a real feel of the work,'' he said. Mr Sobczynski is here at the of India International Film Festival to select Indian films for Cannes 2007 which would celebrate India's 60th independence day during its own 60th anniversary next year. He told UNI that in France, films are screened with only French subtitles as people feel that watching a dubed film destroys the original effect. ''Can you get a real Ingmar Bergman except in the Swedish language?'' said Mr Sobczynski.He said during the Cannes 2007 there will be two days entirely devoted to Indian cinema-- one day for art films and the second day for the mainstream cinema. ''I will try to see as many films as possible in the India Panorama section of the Goa film festival to make selections for the Cannes,'' he said.Replying to a querry, Mr Sobczynski said Indian films were beginning to be appreciated in France and of late the market was also opening up for them.

My take: I fully agree with Mr. Sobczynski. The dubbed film really destroys the delight of the original ones. I have seen it in Roja and Muthu Maharaja (original Muthu). Subtitles are the best way for a foreign film to be appreciated. Hasving said thzat, one must note, ironically though, Tamil Anniyan is the first Indian film to be dubbed in French. Rajinikant’s Muthu will be featured in one French film, Pret Moi Toi Main for 120 seconds.

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