Pondicherry French Institute to Celebrate Diamond Jubilee

PUDUCHERRY:  The French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), the largest of the research institutes dependent on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI), will be celebrating its 60th anniversary on 18 and 19 November.

A series of roundtables are planned to mark the first day of the celebrations with eminent experts engaging in discussions relating to the research at the Institute, in the fields of Indology, Ecology and Social Sciences. An open day on the second day will allow the general public to discover the IFP’s unique collections and to interact with the researchers. This anniversary will bear witness to 60 years of high level scientific cooperation between France and India.

Special Address by will be delivered by  Ajay Kumar Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. He will also launching Prof George Hart’s book. The basic mission of IFP is to function as an establishment for higher studies and research. The vocation of the Institute is to involve itself in South and South-East Asia.

It has a  collection of more than 65,000 books and 200 live journals.  A manuscript collection comprising 8,187 palm-leaf bundles, 360 paper codices and 1,144 recent paper transcripts. It is the largest collection in the world of texts on the Saivasiddhanta philosophy.

The institute is also involved in various projects in several areas including Indology, mental health, social sciences, water, conservation of environment, endangered temple art and food.

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