Many are unaware that although Indian independence from Britain took place in 1947, small colonial exclaves belonging to the Portuguese (Goa) and French (Pondicherry) remained. The French relinquished their establishments in India in November of 1954. Meanwhile, Portuguese territory was forcibly annexed following a 36-hour battle between Portuguese forces and the Indian Army!
In sharp contrast to the violent ending of colonial rule by the British and the Portuguese, the 1954 cession of French establishments in India took place peacefully. While there were agitations for independence from France, when the cession took place via a bilateral treaty, Indian Prime Minister Jewaharlal Nehru asked that freedom fighters avoid bitterness toward France. Nehru encouraged the continuation of French culture and education in Pondicherry and expressed hope that the region would remain a window to France in India.
Article XX of the treaty allowed for the continuation of French cultural and educational institutions in Pondicherry, as well as the addition of new ones. The most prominent institution established following the treaty is the French Institute of Pondicherry, which produces research in the areas on Indology, Ecology, Social Sciences and Geomatics. The Alliance Francaise also has a large center in historic French Town which serves as a venue for a variety of Indian and French themes exhibitions, performances and more.