"Traces in Time : Pondichéry/Indochine : Reminiscences Croisées" an Exhibition Highlighting Art, Culture and Cuisine of the Indochinese community in Pondicherry

"Traces in Time: Pondichéry/Indochine : Reminiscences Croisées" was a cultural exhibition highlighting Pondicherry's colonial connections with Indochina (modern day Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam). It was organised from the 12th-18th of February, 2018 as part of the closing week of the 4th Annual Pondicherry Heritage Festival. The organising team was comprised of young professionals from all over the world (France, Spain, USA, Bangladesh & India) who brought together their combined expertise, in collaboration with academics from Cambridge University, UK and Hanoi University, Vietnam, to pull off the first Exhibition on this theme in the entire world. During the colonial period (1870-1954), almost 3000 French Indians lived in Indochina and were an active part of the social and cultural life. Over the years, descendants of many of these families have either returned to Pondicherry or Karaikal, moved to parts of the French mainland or have continued to live in Vietnam. Shubham Biswas, Historical Researcher at INTACH Pondicherry, who was co-ordinating the exhibition felt that "The most exciting aspect of this project has been talking to members of the families living in Pondicherry who had such intrinsic connections with Indochina, and listening to them recall memories from their childhood. Several of them have since returned to these places later in their lives and have, in a way, gotten a glimpse into a time gone by".In recognition of these multi-faceted connections, a variety of events are were organised as a part of the exhibition. The opening of the Exhibition was on February 12th in the presence of the Vice-Consul, French Consulate in Pondicherry, EFEO-Pondicherry Director and members of the Indochinese diaspora in Pondicherry. The Consulate recognised the WW1 statue in Reddiarpalayam, installed by French soldiers of Indian origin who had settled in Saigon (modern Ho Chi Minh City). Unfortunately, the memorial is currently in a state of disrepair and commitments were made to come together to restore it to more favourable surroundings.

From the 10th-18th February, the ‘Vietnamese Food Festival’ was organised at Le Dupleix and The Promenade based on recipes from the Imperial City of Huế. The festival served dishes like Bánh Xèo and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Satays — to lusty, fiery street-level soups, crêpes and much more. The recipes were taught by a prominent member of the Pondicherry community, who chose to remain anonymous, but have played a crucial role in the world of Pondicherry cuisine on several occasions. The exercise was aimed at reintroducing a cuisine in the city, which has died away, and in the process increase awareness about the historical links between two former French colonies.
Two of Pondicherry's prominent families with connections to Indochina opened their houses on Bussy Street and Rue Cazy, to the public for a guided tour every day from the 12th-18th. The Exhibition organisers worked closely with these families to recreate surroundings in their living spaces, using photographs, documents,furniture and other memorabilia from Indochina which have remained in the possession of these families. It was the first time that these people came together to relive their family histories and also share it with vsitors and other members of the community in Pondicherry.
On the occasion of the Vietnamese New Year (16th February), in coordination with teachers and students of the Lycée Francaise, a treasure hunt was conducted by our team where the kids were given clues to try and reconstruct the life of a typical migrant from Pondicherry to Indochina. The enthusiasm and eagerness on their part to explore vistages of Pondicherry history and in a sense, experience the stories of their own family members in many cases, made the entire morning come alive with a sense of vigour. Later that day, for a public talk was held at the Exhibition venue, 7 Rue de la Caserne with local historians and members of

the Pondicherry-Indochina community in the presence of other dignitaries. It was moderated by Nicolas Bautes and Aurelie Varrel, Social Sciences Researchers at the IFP and dealt with issues surrounding the lost fragments of colonial connections and their relevance in the heritage of Pondicherry today.

The Exhibition and all associated events were a huge success overall, in an attempt to bring together people to enjoy, experience and reminisce vast disappearing slices of the city's rich and varied history. We had over 750 visitors throughout the week at the venue and there was a keen sense of appreciation and curiosity about new ventures in Pondicherry history. We aimed to recreate the Exhibition space into a temporary museum gallery and to tha effect, our souvenir section contained Indian spices imported from remnant communities in Vietnam specifically for the event ,scholarly works on the migration of Indians to South East Asia, old postcards from the time which were reprinted and several other niche items.

The interest generated by the event amidst the local population, academic communities and visitors was very encouraging indeed. The families who came out of their traditional comfort zones to publicly share their stories were overjoyed and several people rekindled old connections which often get lost in the vagaries of time. The Exhibition sparked off new conversations amid the wider network of heritage issues in the city. In the spirit of continuing and improving our work on similar themes, the Exhibition will be travelling to France in August, 2018.