Puducherry
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| புதுச்சேரி పాండిచెర్రి പുതുശ്ശേരി Territoire de Pondichéry Union Territory of Pondicherry |
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Location of புதுச்சேரி
పాండిచెర్రి പുതുശ്ശേരി Territoire de Pondichéry Union Territory of Pondicherry |
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| Country |  India |
| District(s) | 4 |
| Established | 1 July 1963 |
| Capital | Puducherry |
| Largest city | Puducherry |
| Lt. Governor | Lieutenant General Bhopinder Singh(Addl.) |
| Chief Minister | V.Vaithilingam |
| Legislature (seats) | Unicameral (30) |
| Population • Density |
973,829 (2nd) • 1,979 /km2 (5,126 /sq mi) |
| Language(s) | Tamil,Telugu, Malayalam, French |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area | 492 km² (190 sq mi) |
| ISO 3166-2 | IN-PY |
| Website | www.pondicherry.nic.in |
Coordinates: 11°56′N 79°50′E / 11.93°N 79.83°E 
Puducherry (help·info); Tamil: புதுச்சேரி (Putuccēri), Telugu: పాండిచెర్రి (Pāṃḍicěrri), Malayalam: പുതുശ്ശേരി (Putuśśēri), French: Pondichéry, English formerly Pondicherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or regions, and named after the largest, Puducherry[1]. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est). Of late, Puducherry is also considered an educational hub of southern India, having about 8 medical colleges, 8 engineering colleges, 3 dental colleges, law college, 10 arts & science, & 5 polytechnic colleges functioning within its territory. Many medical and engineering colleges including one national institute of technology and a state owned university are also reported to be in queue.
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[edit] Geography
Pondicherry consists of four unconnected regions: Pondicherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. Puducherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively. The territory has a total area of 492 km²: Puducherry 293 km2 (113 sq mi), Karaikal 160 km2 (62 sq mi), Mahé 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) and Yanam 30 km2 (12 sq mi). It has 900,000 inhabitants (2001).
Pondicherry is a place to visit for tourism. Pondicherry is a peaceful state. No robbery, no criminal activities are done.
[edit] History
Pondicherry had different names. Atlast it was named as Pondicherry or Puducherry.
[edit] French influence
Pondicherry still retains much evidence of its history as a French colony. The design of the city was based on the French (originally Dutch, the plans of Pondicherry dating from the end of the seventeenth century (1693-1694) are preserved in the National Archives at The Hague) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The entire town is divided into two sections, the French Quarter ('Ville Blanche' or 'White town') and the Indian quarter ('Ville Noire' or 'Black Town'). The history of French India is led by Joseph Francois Dupleix, governor general of the French establishment in India, and rival of Robert Clive. Dupleix was primarily responsible for the Carnatic Wars. At first Dupleix was successful in resisting the attacks of the English East India Company, but he lost in the later battles.
There is also French influence in the layout of the city. The numbering of the houses is unique compared to other cities in Tamil Nadu, in that all with the even numbers are on one side and the odd number are on the opposite side of the road.
 The Old Light House |
 Old Light House and one of the pillars which were brought from Gingee Fort and installed around the Gandhi Statue on the beach |
 Bilingual street sign in French and Tamil |
[edit] Official languages of government
| Pondicherry population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1961 | 369,079 |
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| 1971 | 471,707 | 27.8% | |
| 1981 | 604,471 | 28.1% | |
| 1991 | 807,785 | 33.6% | |
| 2001 | 973,829 | 20.6% | |
| Source: Census of India[2] | |||
The official languages of Pondicherry are Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and French. The status of each language varies with respect to each district. When communicating between districts of different languages, generally English is used for convenience[citation needed].
1.Tamil: Language used by the people in the Tamil majority districts of Pondicherry and Karikal. Also the official language in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state.
2. Telugu: Another official language of Pondicherry, but used more within Yanam (Telugu region). So, more correctly, it is considered a regional official language of Pondicherry while being the official language of Yanam region. It also has an official language status in the state of Andhra Pradesh. And is spoken widely in Pondicherry and Karaikal also.
3. Malayalam: Another official language of Pondicherry, but used more within Mahé (Malayalam region). So, more correctly, it is considered a regional official language of Pondicherry while being the official language of Mahé region. It also has an official language status in Kerala State and Lakshadweep Islands Union Territory.
4. French: Also the official language of Pondicherry Union Territory. It was the official language of French India (1673-1954) and its official language status was preserved by the Treaty of Cession signed by India and France on 28 May 1956.
French remained as the de jure official language of Pondicherry U.T by the Article XXVIII of Traité de Cession which states that,
- Le français restera langue officielle des Établissements aussi longtemps que les représentants élus de la population n'auront pas pris une décision différente (French version)
- The French language shall remain the official language of the Establishments so long as the elected representatives of the people shall not decide otherwise (English version)
[edit] Languages spoken
As of 1981, number of people speaking in each official languages are,
Other Languages (Including Telugu, Malayalam and French) : 10.82 %[4]
[edit] Government and administration
[edit] Sub-divisions
Puducherry is divided into two districts and each district is divided into sub divisions, taluks and sub-taluks :
1.Puducherry district(Pondicherry)
Puducherry – North – Sub-Division ( 1.Puducherry Region )
- Puducherry taluk
Puducherry – South- Sub-Division (1. Puducherry Region )
Yanam Sub-Division (4.Yanam Region )
Mahe Sub-Division (3.Mahe Region )
2.Karaikal district (2.Karaikal Region )
[edit] Special administration status
According to Traité de cession dated 1956, the four former French colonies were assured of maintaining their special administrative status. That is why Puducherry is the only Union Territory with some special provisions like Legislative Assembly, French as official language, etc.
The Article II of Traité de Cession states that,
- The Establishments will keep the benefit of the special administrative status which was in force prior to 1 November 1954. Any constitutional changes in this status which may be made subsequently shall be made after ascertaining the wishes of the people.
[edit] Puducherry in literature
- Ananda Ranga Pillai (1709-1761), a dubash and famous writer.
- Puducherry (then Pondicherry) was the setting for the first third of the Booker prize-winning novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
- Lee Langley's novel A house in Pondicherry was likewise set there.
- In Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Prince Pondicherry has Willy Wonka build him a castle made entirely of chocolate, which quickly melts.
- In the Sherlock Holmes adventure, The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the family of a murder victim resides at Pondicherry Lodge. In the adventure of The Five Orange Pips a frightening letter is postmarked from Pondicherry, India seven weeks before the death of Colonel Openshaw.
- Some Novels of M. Mukundan, Mahe former employee of French Embassy and famous Malayalam Writer.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Macro-economic trend
This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Puducherry at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Gross State Domestic Product |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,840 |
| 1985 | 3,420 |
| 1990 | 6,030 |
| 1995 | 13,200 |
| 2000 | 37,810 |
Puducherry's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2 billion in current prices. The potential for fisheries is substantial in the Union Territory. The four regions of the Union Territory have a coastline of 45 km (28 mi) with 675 km2 (261 sq mi) of inshore waters, 1.347 ha of inland water and 800 ha of brackish water. There are 27 marine fishing villages and 23 inland fishing villages with fishermen population of about 65,000 of which 13,000 are actively engaged in fishing. Irrigation tanks and ponds are also tapped for commercial fish rearing. The Railways play a vital role for speedy economic growth. The entire cost towards execution of the new broad gauge line for 10.7 km (6.6 mi) from Karaikal to Nagore would now be funded by the Ministry of Railways and work has already been awarded on turn key basis for laying the new railway line in a period of 18 months. The present availability of power is about 400 MW. The demand is likely to increase with the development of Port, Special Economic Zone, other industrial development, trade, commerce etc.It has been decided to expand the Puducherry Airport so that air services could improve gradually over years, to land ATR to Boeing aircraft, to meet the growing demand for air travel. A MoU has already been signed with Airports Authority of India for expansion of Puducherry Airport in two phases.
[edit] Tourist spots
[edit] Places to visit
[edit] See also
- Road Network in Puducherry District
- Causes for Liberation of French colonies in India
- Municipal Administration in French India
- List of Chief Ministers of Pondicherry
- Puducherry (Lok Sabha constituency)
- French East India Company
- Auroville
[edit] References
- ^ BBC: "New name for old French territory"
- ^ "Population Analysis and Projections". Census of India. www.pon.nic.in. http://www.pon.nic.in/stategovt/pandr/vision2020/pdf_files/APPENDIX.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ www.education.nic.in/cd50years/g/t/V/0T0V0D01.htm
- ^ www.education.nic.in/cd50years/g/t/V/0T0V0D01.htm
[edit] External links
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