Visit of the French Ambassador to West Bengal
H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India celebrates Indo-French collaborative programmes of Bonjour India in Bengal.
Kolkata – Chinsurah – Chandannagar
11th - 12th January 2018
The Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, was in West Bengal on 11th - 12th January 2018 for Bonjour India programmes taking place in the State, travelling to Kolkata, Chinsurah and Chandannagar.
Ambassador Ziegler reached Kolkata on 11th January afternoon for the release of Chandernagore and its Dependencies, a richly illustrated book on the former French township by Ms Kanchana Mukhopadhyay, Director of Bingsha Shatabdi publications. The function took place in the presence of H.E. Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, in the historic library of Raj Bhawan.
In the evening, the French envoy attended the inaugural of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) 2018, which was unveiled by Shirin Paul, Chairperson Emeritus - Apeejay Surrendra Group, along with Ms Priti Paul, group Director, and Ms Maina Bhagat, festival co-director. Mr Ziegler highlighted the successful tie-up of France’s Bonjour India festival with the vibrant AKLF. Later in the evening, he conferred the French honour of Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) on urban conservation architect Aishwarya Tipnis for her commendable dedication to protecting and enhancing the rich Indo-French heritage of Chandannagar.
On the second day of his sojourn, Ambassador Ziegler cruised down the Hooghly to the historic town of Chinsurah, where he met District Magistrate Hooghly, Mr Sanjay Bansal, to outline the “Know Your Indo-French Heritage” programme. Accompanied by Ms Aishwarya Tipnis, who is also involved in conservation projects in Chinsurah, he undertook a guided tour of the town.
The Hooghly trail then continued to the former French township of Chandannagar, where Ambassador Ziegler viewed an open-air exhibition presenting the findings of a weeklong workshop conducted as part of Bonjour India, “Know Your Indo-French Heritage”, which brought together the students of Chandernagore College, Jadavpur University, Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur, and Confluence architecture school of Lyon, France. The workshop concluded on a musical note with “Metajingle”, another Bonjour India Indo-French collaborative programme, combining music poetry, dance and juggling, held in the lively atmosphere of the Strand. The evening was wrapped up with a celebratory dinner graced by Mr Indranil Sen, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism of West Bengal, in the courtyard of the heritage premises of Kanilal Vidyamandir.