Various aspects of the cultural and linguistic dialogues between India and France, with focus on the period between 19th century to the early years of independent India were discussed by Samuel Berthet, director of Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad.
He was speaking at a webinar, ‘French Language in India: challenging the ruler on its own ground’, organised by Department of French and Francophone Studies, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). Some questions that he raised pertained to the history of French language and culture in India. An interactive session was moderated by Uma Damodar Sridhar, from the Department of French and Francophone Studies that saw participants clear their doubts.
EFLU Vice-Chancellor E. Suresh Kumar, who is also a UGC member, initiated the lecture series.
Berthet did his Ph.D in history on ‘Indo-French cultural relations 1870-1962’. He did his postdoctoral research on the new states in India, and has several publications to his credit, a press release said.