The newly-elected executive committee of the Alliance Francaise in Puducherry has plans for an event-filled cultural calendar even as it looks to reinforce its role as a hub for the advancement of French language and popularising Gallic art and culture.
The new team of office-bearers, featuring a mix of familiar hands and new faces, and a diversity of domains ranging from doctors and educationists to French Army veterans and hoteliers, was chosen in elections held on Friday.
Satish Nallam was unanimously re-elected as president of the 11-member executive committee of Alliance Francaise.
Of the 153 members, 108 had cast their votes.
The other key members are Venguattaramane Ramadurai (vice president), Sundaravelu Pannirselvame (general secretary) and Muthukumaran Swethakumar (treasurer).
“Apart from hosting cultural shows, we plan to launch tie-ups with government schools and colleges for offering French language courses,” said Dr. Nallam. , who is a consultant surgeon at Nallam Clinic.
Alliance Francaise will shortly host an international film festival. A Satyajit Ray retrospective , coinciding with the celebration of the auteur’s birth centenary year, has been scheduled from December 17 to 19.
The Alliance Francaise, which has also been a collaborator for the French Consulate’s flagship Francophonie festival, is also keen to strengthen cultural exchange programmes. Partnering with the government and offering a platform for local artists are also planned.
“Though we had to sit out the pandemic period, we were able to streamline accounts and maintain a clean slate by clearing all tax dues,” said Dr. Satish.
Meanwhile, it is no coincidence that the executive committee, which got an additional member this year, is packed with Indian representatives. “It was recommended to keep it this way to avoid complexities associated with the Foreign Exchange Management Act,” a member said.
The library modernisation project is also apace at the Alliance Francaise in Puducherry, which having been established in 1889, is the oldest in Asia and among the earliest chapters in the world.
