Exploring the mysteries of the Louvre
IF YOU WERE to walk through each of the Louvre's 400 galleries, you would cover about 14.5km (enough to burn off even the most calorific of Parisian indulgences). Stop to look at each artwork for 15 seconds, and you would be there for about 145 hours. As a result, few of the nearly 9m people who visit the Louvre each year leave feeling as if they have truly mastered it.
Elaine Sciolino, formerly the Paris bureau chief for the New York Times, has volunteered herself as a chatty, amiable tour guide. In 'Adventures in the Louvre' she does not try to take readers through every room or compile the museum's definitive history. Instead she focuses on themes and small details that will interest them.
The author has a journalist's knack for posing a good question. Of all the faces in the Louvre, 'Who is the fairest one of all?' she asks Sébastien Allard, director of paintings, who offers five suggestions (by Jacques-Louis David, Rembrandt, Pisanello, Titian and Johannes Vermeer). Many Louvre employees find Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', the most famous work of art in the world, overrated. Yet around four-fifths of visitors come mainly to see it, bypassing other treasures.
Even those who are attuned to the collection's subtleties have something to learn. For example, 'MNR' (for Musées Nationaux Récupération, or National Museums Recovery) is marked on the placards of around 1,700 works. The acronym denotes 'orphan' works, probably seized from Jews in the second world war, which are in the Louvre's care but not part of its collection.
For the Louvre, history ended in 1848—later masterpieces are in France's other national museums—but its transformation continues. Recently Emmanuel Macron, the country's president, announced a renovation costing €700m-800m ($800m-900m), which would, among other things, give the 'Mona Lisa' her own gallery. Visitors will have even more need of a discerning guide.
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Every trick in the book was employed to land a 'nationality marriage". CEFP board members (from left) Audrey Pelerin, Gunasekar, Anita De Canaga, Segiyane-Sylvain Paquiry, Francisque Lebrunie, Sandhya Bonnet and Gopady Pajaniradja. The Franco-Pondicherrian is one with roots in Puducherry but a French citizenship. They are a disparate community because among those who chose France were people from all classes and strata of the society, a microcosm of the town. And within the community, expectedly so, there are those who have held tighter to traditions while others have preferred to assimilate. And like migration everywhere, it comes with the questions of identity and belonging. 'I come from a family of farmers," says Segiyane-Sylvain Paquiry, 54, an entrepreneur who splits time between Paris and Puducherry. 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Also read: The rise of matcha bars in India Moving from the south of France to a hot coastal Indian town wasn't easy, Paquiry recalls, but by the time he completed school, in 1991, he didn't want to leave. At 18, he went for higher studies to Paris. 'I promised to come back as much as possible," he says. He admits to having an identity crisis. 'I tried to be more Indian," he says. 'This crisis is common until you find your balance. After 10 years of frequent travel to India, I realised I couldn't say I am neither Indian nor fully French, for sure. When I started travelling across India, it was so different. How can we pretend there is a single Indian culture?" asks Paquiry. It's easy to forget about the rest of India in Puducherry when the goal has for long been France. Where once the migration was entirely one-way, there's a shift that has begun in the last decade as Pondicherrians in France are turning India-wards. For some, like Pelerin, it is a desire to reconnect with one's roots, but for others it is about being part of the big changes that India is seeing, the growth and economic opportunities which were not available to their parents' generation. Lycée Français International de Pondichéry. Francisque Lebrunie, 48, tech entrepreneur and investor, chose to come here for a year with his wife, Emilie, and their newborn son in 2021. His father, a Pondicherrian with Cambodian heritage, had been a French diplomat stationed around the globe. After the unexpected loss of his wife, the senior Lebrunie chose to retire in Puducherry in 2015. Francisque Lebrunie had little familiarity with India, he says, having visited only a couple of times. He was born in Burgundy but travelled where his father's postings took him. 'What motivated us was the desire to offer our child the chance to grow up here rather than in Paris. We felt that the environment, the rhythm of life, and the values here would be a meaningful experience for him." As an entrepreneur, Lebrunie had the flexibility of remote work. He calls it one of the 'best decisions we've ever made". After the year was over, they stayed on and their son now attends the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education or 'Ashram school" as locals call it. 'I've begun developing ventures in India," he says. His is not a retired life; he advises French investors looking at India. 'Professionally, Europe's economy has stagnated and is in decline. There's greater dynamism and momentum here." After living in Paris, he's not complaining about the slower, more balanced life Puducherry offers. It's still summer and I ask Lebrunie about how he's battling the weather. 'I'll take this over the winter there," he says, laughing. Lebrunie's Cambodian connection is another thread in the Puducherry narrative, of another migration that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nearly every Franco Pondicherrian I spoke with had ancestral links with the former Indochina—Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos—or to Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean or to Guadeloupe and Martinique, which were part of the French Caribbean. Travel between Puducherry and these countries seems to have been fairly commonplace. If the renoncants chose the military, there were also those (often from upper castes) who went to work as teachers, administrators and accountants in the French colonies. Many integrated with the local communities. Those in Indochina left in the post-world war years, with the Vietnamese independence from France followed by the Vietnam war, and either returned home to Puducherry or moved onward to France or other former colonies. 'My grandfather came back in the 1950s," says Anita de Canaga, a French Pondicherrian entrepreneur in her 50s. Her grandfather had worked with the French administration in Vietnam and Cambodia. Her father and his siblings were born in Vietnam with extended family members who were Vietnamese. Their lives too followed the same arc, of people from Puducherry going to Indochina, coming back and later going to France. When de Canaga's parents returned to retire here, her young son suggested they too come here. With her mother Pushpa being an excellent cook, they started Chez Pushpa, a private Franco-Pondicherrian lunch experience hosted at their home. The Franco-Pondicherrian thali they serve may resemble the Tamilian one but is not identical, having Tamil, French, Vietnamese and other influences. It includes dishes like the salade créole, mutton sambar (both unique to Puducherry) along with Tamil dishes like the flat beans poriyal, rasam and vermicelli payasam. Its signature spice is vaduvam, a blend of French herbs and Indian spices famously represented in the Duck Vadouvam. Then, there are dishes like boti rice (lamb intestines cooked with coconut) and the cha gio (spring roll) that points to the Vietnamese detour in the town's history. Porc vindali (cooked differently than the Goan vindaloo) and vivikam (like Goa's bibinka) add further layers of cultural influence. The links to Goa and the Portuguese, explains author Ari Gautier, come from a time when the first French settlers in Puducherry found wives in Goa's mixed community because they were not allowed to marry Tamil women. Born in Madagascar, raised in Puducherry, Gautier left for France after finishing school. Now residing in Norway, his writing takes on several layers, especially caste. Puducherry is clearly a muse, seeing how his three books, Nocturne Pondicherry (a collection of stories; 2024), Le Thinnai (2018) and Carnet Secret de Lakshmi (2018; also available in English) are all set here. 'Pondicherry can be difficult to grasp. It's neither French nor Tamil, it's creole." He refers to two kinds of creole—the haute creole, who were direct descendants of the French and also more affluent, as well as the bas creole, who were the rest, a mixed race with many of them belonging to lower castes. His work has drawn him into greater explorations of the idea and identity of creole and he also calls it a cultural and political statement. Gautier's Le Thinnai is set in Kuruchikuppam, a neighbourhood just outside the French quarter, home to the bas creole, where a Frenchman named Gilbert Thata narrates a story of how he lost his fortunes as he spends his life on the thinnai, that loosely translates as veranda, a characteristic of old Tamil homes. It draws you into a world where the brusque but lovable creole cook Lourdes whips up dishes like the baffade, chicken marinated with coconut milk gravy, where smells and sounds are vivid, and where language takes on an earthy cadence. On choosing the bas creole as his central subject for his novel, he says, 'I grew up with that community. Since I am also mixed, it was normal for us to relate to them. I realised that in the French novels written on Pondicherry, this community is hardly mentioned." A very different Franco-Pondicherrian novel is the young adult fantasy Ellora by Valerie Gaudart. Unlike the others, Gaudart, 52, was born in Guadeloupe and now lives in France. Tracing her roots, she landed on a French ancestor who married an Indian woman, back in the 1760s. A closer history to her lifetime was the story of her grandfather, who left Puducherry for France where he met his French West Indian wife in Cannes, and they settled in Guadeloupe. Gaudart was born and raised there—and despite the distance, often dreamt of India. As an adult, she travelled widely to Asia, but India remained elusive. In 2007, she began work on a book, featuring Ellora, a young Franco-Pondicherrian girl with special powers. It took her 15 years to finish and in that time she had still not seen Puducherry. Villa Shanti, which has been restored as a restaurant and boutique hotel. In 2022, she launched Ellora at the Paris Book Fair, and also made the much-awaited journey to Puducherry. Expectedly, it was an emotional one. Paquiry (who is her partner now) helped her trace her ancestors' graves. She located their names on the plaque at the Notre Dame des Anges, the main Catholic church in Puducherry that dates back to 1855. She has since visited often, and is awaiting her OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card. While she thinks of Guadeloupe as home, India comes a close second. The French have a word for it, this variety: mélange. And that could have well been a defining feature of Puducherry, but it is a town of many divides. The nationality vs non-nationality divide still runs strong. In this context, the return of the Pondicherrian bodes well. 'This 'return' doesn't have to be physical or permanent," says Coumar Ananda, French Pondicherrian, Paris resident and president of the Indo French Chamber of Commerce in France. 'It can be intellectual, professional, artistic. It helps create a shared narrative of identity that includes both diaspora and locals—essential to avoid an 'us' and 'them' divide. Pondicherry thrives when it is porous, open and layered, and the diaspora helps keep it that way." Ananda, 53, grew up here, and studied at the Lycée before leaving for France. 'Leaving physically didn't mean leaving emotionally or intellectually," he says. 'In fact, distance sharpened my sense of identity and deepened my curiosity about our shared history." For him, choosing to do something in Puducherry came from a desire to contribute to its future. 'What sustains that interest is the belief that Pondicherry can be a living bridge not just a nostalgic symbol between India and France, a place where ideas, cultures and generations meet meaningfully." In 2023, Ananda set up the Pondicherry City & Museum Lab Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to rejuvenating historical and heritage sites. Their flagship project is the Textile Museum Lab. Puducherry has a long legacy of textile weaving and indigo dyeing that predates the French. Back in 2 BC, there was a thriving cotton cloth and indigo dyeing production industry in Puducherry with active trade with the Roman empire. The tradition of weaving grew and as part of the Chola kingdom (10-13 CE), cotton cloth was one of the main goods for trade. When the French arrived, they established Pondicherry Swadeshi Cotton Mills (now owned by the ministry of textiles) and Anglo French Textiles (owned by the Puducherry government)—employing over 10,000 people at their peak. Ananda traces his family's connection to these mills through his grandfather. Since the 1990s, the mills have ceased operation. Ananda's team is working to revitalise this textile tradition. As part of this plan, the old textile factory will become home to the new museum, its architecture preserved. It's being designed as a space to offer an immersive experience of the town's textile heritage, while supporting local artisans, designers and innovators. Like Ananda, Paquiry too found himself desiring to strengthen the links between his two homes. In Puducherry, he saw that many old buildings being sold as owners in France couldn't manage them remotely. The town's architectural heritage was at risk. Franco-Tamil architecture or tropical architecture in Puducherry is unique in the way it incorporated vernacular architecture before the arrival of European and colonial architectural styles. Paquiry urged owners not to sell or demolish but to find new economic uses. In 2006, he started Villa Shanti, restoring a home with mid-20th century architecture in the French quarter as a restaurant and boutique hotel. Villa Shanti offered a model of restoration and heritage conservation that was a blend of modern and heritage, French and Tamil. Paris-based architect and designer Tina Trigala and Yves Lesprit, who worked on it sought to use local material, local contractors in a considered approach to restoration. He followed it with La Villa. Once the house of the Lycée's principal or proviseur, dating to the 19th century, it was renovated to offer six suites. The most recent addition is The Spot, at what was once the Maison Colambani. These spaces are neither fully French nor Tamil but modern Pondicherrian, faithful to its roots but not burdened by it, which is attractive in such a tourism-dependent economy. On the day Puducherry became part of the Indian republic, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru hoped it would continue to be a 'window to France". But the French population here is shrinking. 'The number of French citizens registered with the consulate (which is voluntary) is now 3,740. In 2014, it was about 6,740. The decline has been rapid, especially after covid," says Etienne Rolland-Piegue, the consul general of France in Puducherry. Up until the early 2000s, he says, many retirees, especially soldiers, returned. The shrinking numbers can be attributed to career shifts. Paquiry points out that more Franco-Pondicherrians now work in the private sector, which extends their working years in France and also makes them less dependent on a pension for retirement. But today's Puducherry offers France something in return—a gateway to India. For Pelerin, coming to India was also about getting to know the country, to 'de-condition my idea of India." For de Canaga, travelling around India introduced her to a larger culture and craft, leading her to set up a travel company and a platform called Helping Arts to promote Indian handmade products. Pelerin, Paquiry, de Canaga and Lebrunie are all members of the Club des Entrepreneurs Français de Pondichéry (CEFP). Established in November 2017 with approximately 50 members, it initially served as a network for French entrepreneurs. In 2023, Pelerin, representing a new generation, assumed the role of club president. 'For me, Pondicherry is the bridge between France and India, the ideal place to initiate projects that connect the two cultures. It's an under-utilised asset with immense potential. This can be a hub where India draws inspiration from France, and vice versa. All these experiments could unfold here." The CEFP convenes monthly, maintains a website, and provides assistance to new entrepreneurs arriving here. It has also opened membership to Indian entrepreneurs. That's the bridge they have begun to build, reaching out to Pondy's disparate worlds through these several ideas and initiatives. I moved here three years ago with my family, when my son joined the Lycée. With no prior connection to the town or its people, we set out to orient ourselves to Puducherry. While this story is about those who straddle two worlds and multiple identities, Puducherry is equally shaped by those who never left. And perhaps too, by those, like us, who continue to arrive at this shore, choosing it for what it offers: a small coastal town that defies easy definition, where multiple worlds exist. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Lounge columnist. She posts @AravindaAnanth1. 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