The independence of India in 1947 gave impetus to the union of France’s Indian possessions with former British India. An agreement between France and India in 1948 agreed to an election in France’s Indian possessions to choose their political future. The de jure union of French India with the Indian Union did not take place until 1962, although de facto, the bureaucracy had been united with India’s on 01 November, 1954. It was organized as a Union Territory in 1963.

Pondicherry still has a large number of Tamil residents with French passports, whose ancestors were in French Governmental service and who chose to remain French at the time of Independence. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French Period, there is the French Consulate in Pondicherry and several cultural organisations, and even the Foyer du Soldat for war veterans of the French Army.

Of the cultural organisations the French Institute of Pondicherry, the Pondicherry Centre of the Ecole Française d’Extreme-Orient and a branch of the Alliance Française are noteworthy. A French-medium school system, the Lycee Français de Pondichery, continues to operate under the aegis of the French Ministry of Education.

Independence from France

Right from the time India gained its independence from British rule in 1947, the issue of the French settlements was raised with the Government of France. It took seven years for Pondicherry to achieve freedom. However, even earlier there were agitations now and then against the French rulers.

In 1787 and 1791, farmers of Karaikal agitated against the heavy land tax imposed by the French. The first war of Indian Independence had its impact in the French settlements but it did not attract the attention of the rulers, as the incidents were few and considered as local. People employed legal means to fight against the French. In 1873, an advocate, Ponnuthammbi Pillai, moved the Paris court and won the case in which he was awarded a penalty by a French Magistrate in Pondicherry for walking into the court with footwear.

There were student agitations in 1927 and 1930 which exhibited their sentiments. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Bal Gangadhar Tilak visited Pondicherry and its other enclaves and addressed the meetings. In 1934, “Swatantram”, a monthly, was started by veteran freedom fighter and trade union leader V.Subbiah for the cause of workers and the country.

Police control, which warranted trade union unrest, further increased the anger of the people against their rulers. In the late thirties, Mahajana sabhas were opened in Pondicherry and Karaikal. This organisation, along with trade unions organised the Non-Cooperation Movement. During the Second World War, Pondicherry supported France with men and materials. However, the youth became indignant when a large number of French-Indian soldiers died fighting in Europe.