1975 Puducherry (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி / புதுவை) (formerly Pondicherry) is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Puducherry. In September 2006, the territory changed its official name from Pondicherry to the vernacular original,Puducherry, which means "new village" in the Tamil language. The territory is called பாண்டிச்சேரி (Pāṇṭiccēri) in Tamil, పుదుచ్చేరి (Puduccēri) in lugu, and പോത്തുച്ചേരി (Pōttuccēri) or പോണ്ടിച്ചേരി (Pōṇṭiccēri) in Malayalam. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East. French influence A remarkable degree of French Influence in Puducherry exists to this date. Puducherry was designed based on the French grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The entire town is divided into 2 sections, the French quarter and the Indian quarter. Many streets still retain their French names and French style villas are a common sight in Puducherry. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls. The Indian (Tamil) quarter consists of houses lined with verandas, and houses with large doors and grills. French and Tamil are equally spoken, while Puducherry is one of the few places where one can see the French flag fluttering in India. Puducherry still has a large number of Tamil and a small number of non Tamil residents with French passports, whose ancestors were in French Governmental service and who chose to remain French at the time of Independence. This gives them some privileges with France that are not available to other Indians. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French Period, there is the French Consulate in Puducherry and several cultural organisations, and even the Foyer du Soldat for war veterans of the French Army. [ Ссылка ]
