VIP Visits - 2004-2007

• Year 2007

December 7 Mr. Osama MANZAR and Mr. Syed S. KAZI, two members of the delegation of the prestigious Manthan Awards which the OSCAR project of the IFP was rewarded on September 22, 2007, visited the Institute, and discussed with Dr. Frédéric BORNE, Dr. B.R. RAMESH and Dr. Pierre GRARD about possible collaborations with regards to launching common projects in the fields of NTIC. They discovered the IFP projects, especially those involving the manuscripts collection, the ecological maps and the identification software products (Oscar, Biotik, Pollen...). They tried the Oscar software on a newly released platform called UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC). (see photos [1] [2])

November 30 Six members of the management team of the Havre harbour, France, of which its Président and its Director General, visited the Institute on the request of the French Consulate in Pondicherry and Chennai. (see photo)

November 2 Forty two French consultants, businessmen and businesswomen, from the “Synthec” Delegation, led by Mr. Jean-François ROQUET, visited the Institute in the framework of a three-day visit to Pondicherry. They were given a thorough presentation of the Institute by the Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER and proceeded to visit the Manuscript collection of the IFP which was presented to them by Dr. Dominic GOODALL. The visit continued with a presentation of the library by its Chief Librarian, Ms. Anurupa NAIK, then of the Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatics by its Head, Dr. Frédéric BORNE. The delegation members expressed considerable praise for the quality of work undertaken by the Institute. (see photo)

October 25 Mr. Richard YUNG, French Senator representing French people established abroad, visited the Institute in the framework of a visit to India, where he was given an overall presentation of the Institute’s activities by its Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER. The Indology department was presented to him by Dr. Dominic GOODALL along with Dr. T. GANESAN, who, together with Pandit SAMBANDHAN, exhibited and provided insights on some of the rare Saiva manuscripts on palm leaves housed at the IFP which has earned it a place in the UNESCO Register of the Memory of the World. The Chief Librarian, Ms. Anurupa NAIK, then presented the library and some of the publications edited by the IFP. The visit concluded with a presentation of the Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatics by its Head, Dr. Frédéric BORNE, and some of its ouputs, namely CD-ROMS and different forest maps of the Western Ghats. (see photo)

September 18 Dr. M. KALYANASUNDARAM, Officer in charge of the Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) in Pondicherry, along with Dr. Sabesan SHANMUGAVELU, Deputy Director of the VCRC, met with the IFP Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER, in the presence of Dr. Bernard MONDET, researcher at the IFP in charge of the Spatial Epidemiology project, and in which the VCRC is much involved. They discussed together on the preparations for the coming book "Urbanization and Vector-Borne diseases epidemiology" co-edited by the IFP and the VCRC. (see photo)

September 05 Mrs. BHANUMATI, Director of the Department of Art and Culture of the Government of Puducherry, visited the Institute along with four other colleagues. She discussed with the Director Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER about the digitization of manuscripts undertaken at the IFP then spent time visiting the library, the manuscript room and the photo library, with Ms. Anurupa NAIK, the Chief Librarian, Dr GANESAN, and Dr. MURUGESAN and Mr. Ramesh KUMAR, the IFP’s archivist and photographer, respectively. (see photo)

August 22 A team of 15 Asian delegates from ARKEMA Peroxides India pvt. Ltd visited the Institute and showed much interest to some of the projects led in the Indology Department, and notably to the one on Cataloguing and Preservation of Manuscripts. They were attentive to the arguments of the Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER and the Head of the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry, Dr. Dominic GOODALL, regarding the much-needed funds for the monumental work involved in digitising the unique collection of manuscripts housed at the IFP and EFEO. (see photo)

August 20 A team of officials and academicians from the Institut de Chandernagor comprising of Shri Binod KUMAR, IAS, District Magistrate, Hooghly, Shri Soumitra MOHAN, IAS, Addl. District Magistrate, Hooghly, Dr. Gautam SENGUPTA, Director, Archaeology and Museum, Prof. Basudeb CHATTOPADHYAY, Director, State Archives and Shri Barendra Nath MAKAR, Assistant Curator, Institut de Chandernagor, visited the Institute. They were given an in-depth presentation of the activities of the Institute by its Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER, and by the heads of the respective departments. The two hour long visit concluded with a presentation of the Geomatics Laboratory, where they were given some of the CD-ROMS made by the Institute. (see photo)

February 2 David M. MALONE, High Commissioner of Canada in India, was given an in-depth presentation of the activities of the Institute by the Director, Dr.Jean-Pierre MULLER. Mr. MALONE was extremely impressed by the dynamism shown by the IFP’s Director and staff, the extent to which the much needed reform of the Institute was conducted, as well as the excellent quality and high standard research that it conducts, which he did not hesitate to communicate to the Pondicherry Governor and Chief Minister. (see photo)

• Year 2006

November 29 Two representatives from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Ministry of Finance, respectively Mr. FIESCHI and Mrs. BERTHAUD visited the Institute in the framework of a General Inspection of French research centres in India. They had an in-depth discussion with the Director of the FIP, Dr. Jean-Pierre MULLER on the functioning and activities of the Institute. Mr. MULLER then proceeded to make them visit the different departments and services of the Institute, where they interacted with some of the personnel. (see photo)

November 14 Mrs. Joëlle RAYET, new Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai and Mr. François STRIBY, Vice-Consul to the same, visited the Institute for the first time. They were given an extensive presentation of the Institute and its activities by the Director, Dr. Jean-Pierre Muller. The Indology department and its associated research projects were presented by Dr. François GRIMAL and Dr. Dominic GOODALL . Mrs. RAYET and Mr. STRIBY also showed much interest to the library collection and the latest publications of the IFP, presented to them by the Chief Librarian, Ms. Anurupa NAIK. They finished the tour by visiting the Geomatics Department, where Dr. Frédéric BORNE, Head of the Department, presented them some of the ongoing projects for which the lab now contributes an integral part. (see photo)

September 7 On the occasion of the OSCAR software launching ceremony in Pondicherry, held at the IFP, the Minister for Education of the Government of Pondicherry, Mr. SHAHJAHAN,delivered a special address praising the IFP’s continuous effort and commitment to projects aiming to introduce the new information technologies in the field of study of biodiversity. (see photo)

August 10 Mrs Minja YANG, UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, and Director of the UNESCO Office in New Delhi and Mrs Nicole BOLOMEY, Culture Specialist from the UNESCO, visited the Institute and discussed on the possibilities for UNESCO providing support to some of the ambitious projects launched by the IFP. They also had an extensive tour of the unique collection of Saiva manuscripts on palm leaves of the IFP, which has been added to the ’Memory of the World" Register of the UNESCO and celebrated on March 30th, 2006.

June 21 Mr Serge MOATI, French journalist from France Television and producer of several TV programmes including "Ripostes", visited the Institute in the framework of his TV documentary on Pondicherry and French citizens of Indian descent. His film crew focused on the architecture of the IFP building and its origin blend of traditional and modern design.

May 8 Mr. André FERRAND, French Senator, visited the Institute and emphasized on its outstanding achievements and its dedication towards applied research. The senator was glad to see that the IFP is a useful tool for both France and India. He was greeted by Dr. Laurent PORDIE, Head of the Social Sciences Department.

May 3 Mrs. Monique CERISIER - BEN GUIGA, French Senator visited the Institute and felicitated its members for their commitment and ongoing efforts in the study of Indian society and cultures. She appreciated the integration of the IFP in the scientific landscape of India, and encouraged the IFP staff to continue their work in the same direction. She has underscored that while maintaining an ethos of application, the IFP was conducting researches of the highest fundamental standards.

March 31 As part of the Eight Monitoring Committee meeting of the French Institutes in India, held at the IFP, the following distinguished guest attended: Ms Marie-Anna LEBOVITS, Direction of Social Sciences and Archeology from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Prof. Bernard HEULIN, Counsellor for Science & Technology of the Embassy of France in India; Prof. Balveer ARORA from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Dr. K.K CHAKRAVARTY from Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and Prof.P.S.ROY from National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad. Also participating, were the heads of departments of the IFP and CSH. (see photo)

March 30 As part of the celebration of the inscription of the Saiva Manuscripts of Pondicherry to the "Memory of the World" register of the UNESCO,the following distinguished guests attended the ceremony: The Ltd.Governor of Pondicherry,Shri M.M.LAKHERA; the Ambassador of France in India, Mr Dominique GIRARD; UNESCO’s Regional Adviser for Communication and Information in Asia and the Pacific, Ms Tarja VIRTANEN; the Consul General of France to Pondicherry, Mr Michel SEGUY and former member of the IFP and EFEO, Pandit N.R.BHATT. (see photo)

January 31 CEFIPRA Board members: Prof Shiva PRASAD (Director), Mr P.G.S MONY (Ex Director) and Mr MURALI, visited the Institute from January 31 to February 1-3, 2006 to discuss plannings on the coming conference "Prevention of Biomedical risks" organized by the CEFIPRA at the l’IFP and scheduled for March 2-5, 2006.

January 30 Dr Philippe DEVRED, Regional Director, Asia Pacific, of the AUF visited the Institute from January 30 to February 1, 2006 .Stock was taken on projects having had the support of the AUF ("Social management of water" and "Societies and medicines" projects). A broadening of collaboration between the IFP and the AUF has been discussed between the director and the heads of departments.

• Year 2005

December 20 Lieutenant General Y.M. Bammi (retd.) visited the Institute and showed keen interest to the activities undertook there, and presented by the Director J.P Muller, and Ms Anurupa Naik. Mr Y.M Bammi was India’s Defence Advisor to Malaysia and Singapore. He is currently an active member of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses and a Research Fellow at the United Service Institution of India. Gen Bammi has written several articles for professional journals and was recently also invited to an international seminar on Kargil, held in the United States of America.

December 19 Dr Hubert Devautour, Research Director at the CIRAD (International Center for research on Agriculture and Development) came to the Institute to meet the Director and the Head of the Social Sciences Department, in order to discuss the future affiliation of Delphine Marie-Vivien, CIRAD/EHESS, to the "Societies and Medicines in South Asia" Program. The project of Marie Delphine-Vivien will focus on intellectual property regime, especially as it is related to "geographical indication and medicinal plants".

November 10 Delegates from the organisation “les Comptoirs de l’Inde" along with their president, M. D Gressieux, visited the IFP on November 10, 2005.

November 7 Mr Michel Guerry senator representing the French Expatriate Community visited the French Institute along with Mr. Gerard BAILLY.

October 7 Visit of the delegation from AIPF "Association Internationale de la Presse Francophone" (International Association of French-Speaking Press) comprising of (Gérard COLIN - L’Est Républicain (Nancy); Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace (Strasbourg); La Liberté de l’Est (Epinal) - Jean-Pierre VERDOLIVO - La Liberté de l’Est - Christian BACHELIER - l’Indépendent (Perpignan) - Pascal DEJEAN - La Voix du Nord) - François LE SACHE - l’Est Éclair - Jean-Pierre CASSAGNE - Pyrénées-Presse; La République - L’Eclair - Agnès RICO - SPQD (Syndicap des Quotidiens Départementaux) - Marcel CLAIRET - La Presse de La Manche; Liberté de Normandie) journalists representing several French regional daily journals at IFP on 7th October 2005.

July 15 Mr. Christian COINTAT, senator representing the French Expatriate Community visited the French Institute.

May 19 Mr. Michael Carter, Country Director - World Bank, New Delhi visited the Institute and showed interest in the activities and projects of the IFP. He was accompanied by his spouse, Mrs. Jenny Carter and both were very impressed by the IFP’s manuscript collection.

February 21 Mr. Richard Yung, Senator of French citizens settled outside of France, visited the French Institute and learnt about its activities and projects.

• Year 2004

December 13 The new Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry, Mr. M.M. Lakhera (General Retd - PVSM, AVSM, VSM) visited the French Institute. He showed keen interest in the activities of the Institute and visited each and every department and even asked questions to the project heads. Dr. Muller explained to him the activities of the Institute using the newly made posters at IFP.

December 9 Mr. Andre Lewin, former French Ambassador to India visited the French Institute. He was accompanied by his wife Mrs Catherine Clemente.

November 2 Madame Joëlle GARRIAUD-MAYLAM, Senator representing the French expatriate community visited the French Institute.

September 26 Delegation CNRS, comprising of Bernard Larrouturou : Director General of CNRS, Jean-Luc Clément : Director - International Relations, Minh-Hà Pham-Delègue : Head of the Asia-Pacific sector, Sofia Nadir : Director - Scientific and Technical Information, Antoine Petit : Director for Scientific and Technological Information and Communication, Paul Vigny : Deputy Scientific Director : Chemical Sciences, Jean-Philippe Duvel : Research Director at the Laboratory of Dynamic Meteorology (LMD), Gerard Lenclud : Director of the Department of Human Sciences and Society, Pascal Chossat : Scientific Counsellor, French Embassy, New Delhi, visited the French Institute on September 26, 2004. The delegation was taken around the IFP and was shown the activities of the various departments with the help of the newly designed posters. The meetings were interactive and the delegation was also shown a slide presentation of IFP, followed by lunch in the hall.

August 12 Madame Marie France GONNORD, Attachée for Science and Technology, Embassy of France, New Delhi visited the IFP to take stock of various projects carried out by the Institute in connection with the French Embassy in New Delhi.

April 2 Mr. VERELLEN, new Director of EFEO, Paris visited the French Institute focussing mainly on the library and the indology sections.

March 29 Mr. Laurant VANOPSTAL, Head for Asia at the secretariat of the European Program Asia IT&C, visited the Institute. He was accompanied by Mr. Atul NANDA, Head for India of this Program

March 16 Mr. BORZEIX from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France visited the Institute and spent some time in the IFP library.

March 12 Mr. Louis DUVERNOIS, Senator from France visited the Institute.

March 4 Mr. Jerome PASQUIER, Research Director, French Ministry of External Affairs and Mr. Jean Claude TRIBOLET, Cultural Counsellor, French Embassy, New Delhi visited the Institute together. They were given a short presentation of each department by the project heads.

February 2 Mr. Daniel WEISSBERG, Regional Director of the "Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie en Asie-Pacifique", visited the Institute.

Library

April 2 Carol MITCHELL, Deputy Director, Library of Congress Office, New Delhi visited the IFP library on 04/02/04 and held discussions with the Director and Chief Librarian of the IFP.

VIP visitors - current year