Bertrand de Hartingh, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs, French Institute in India, addresses the media at French Consulate in Puducherry on Friday. Consul General of France in Puducherry. Also seen is Catherine Suard. | Photo Credit: S_S_KUMAR more-in The French Government has proposed a second edition of Regatta from Odisha to Puducherry along the entire eastern coast. It is banking on the expertise of the Pondicherry Sailing Association for the regatta. “We have planned to hold a larger event than the one held last year as part of the Bonjour India festival and submitted a proposal to the Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy,” said Bertrand de Hartingh, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs and Country Director of French Institute in India. Talking to reporters at the French Consulate here on Friday, Mr. Bertrand said the number of students from India visiting France for education will cross 10,000 by 2019. “We had earlier set a target of 10,000 students by 2020. But going by the trend, the number of students will reach 10,000 by 2019 itself. As many as 11,300 Indian students visited France in the current year,” he said. Mr. Bertrand said that the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) had been doing excellently in various sectors including ecosystem, geomatics, social sciences and preservation of manuscripts as an important research centre. There is an incredible collection preserved in the institute and France will further strengthen the ties with Puducherry, he added. Referring to the Smart City project, he said that Puducherry had the best smart city team in the country. French Consul General Catherine Suard said that IFP had collaborated in holding various events like Regatta, Bonjour India and several other events in Puducherry. She pointed out that there were no major French film or theatre festival in Asia and Puducherry will be an ideal place to hold such events. Puducherry-based Indianostrum theatre group has been touring France staging plays. “We can invite theatre groups from France and hold the festival here,” she added.

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