Opportunities Today :- April 2005 Issue

Interview with Gerard Saby

 

Gérard Saby, recently has come back to India as Director of l'Alliance Française, New Delhi. This is his second innings in India as he was first with the l'Alliance Française, Mumbai and during the last 15 odd years, besides travelling around India he has also been teaching French in Kenya and Australia. 

I learnt French with Gérard when he was with the l'Alliance Française in Mumbai and it was interesting to know his experience of travelling and teaching French across continents.


Gérard, this is your second tenure in India. Tell us how different is it this time.

Firstly, I am not back to the same city as I was in Mumbai and that too was 17 years ago. And it is not the same India today as it was 17 years back. I am sure the residents of both Mumbai and Delhi would also agree with me. India has changed and it appears as if I have landed in all together a different country. 

 

What are the memories of India that you have when you were last here with the Alliance Française, Mumbai?

I have many pleasant memories. You might be aware that Mumbai was my first posting abroad and India has a culture which is so different from France. India is a country that changed me actually, changed me for the good. It improved me as a person and I feel Mumbai is also my city. When I am in Mumbai I can feel the pulse of the city running in my veins. I have stopped in Mumbai many times when I have been transiting to go to the Far East or even to Australia. After Mumbai, I was posted to Australia and on my way to Australia I stopped in Mumbai for 2 or 3 days and I have never lost touch with Mumbai. 


There are many places in India of which I have very nice memories As I love wildlife, on top of the list of my favourite places is the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. I have been a fan of Ranthambore and have visited the place on more than 4 occasions and I look forward to visiting it again especially as I am now in Delhi which is much closer to Rajasthan. 

Ranthambore is a very nice place with the lakes, the moghul monuments, the fort and of course the encounter with the elusive tiger. I also very much liked Periyar, Madhumalai and I have also been to Corbett. You very well know that I like wildlife and nature. Besides that I have visited wonderful cities in Rajasthan, the Taj Mahal in Agra,Konark, Bhubaneshwar, etc. 

You should be with the Indian Tourism Department especially the kind of extensive travelling you have done in India and thanks to the valuable information you shared as a teacher with Indian students, many Indians including me were inspired to go to places like Ranthambore.

Ranthambore should in fact pay me royalty for promoting their park both in India as well as in France. India was my first foreign posting and India is quite an attractive country for French tourists and particularly Rajasthan. So when I was in Mumbai during my posting for 5 years, many people who used to come to Mumbai, I felt I had to go and travel with them as they mostly spoke French. I did some circuits with them in the north especially around Rajasthan. So I was quite knowledgeable where to spot a good rickshaw in Jaipur or even Agra, Delhi, Fathepur Sikri, Benares and further up north in Kathmandu as well. I think I could be a good travel agent!!


Out of the several places you have visited, which of them was your favourite destination?

It is a bit difficult to decide as each place has its own charm. I don't know much of North India i.e Himachal and beyond. I very much liked Kerala, Rajasthan and there are some places I would like to visit and see as there is so much to see in India. I am very much attracted by the North Eastern States.


As you like wildlife a lot, you were also fortunate to get a posting in Kenya. What was your experience in Kenya?

Kenya is a wildlife paradise. I also visited Tanzania as well. Kenya is a place of diverse landscape, diverse climates and diverse animals as well. There is the Masai Mara, one of the biggest parks in Kenya, then there is the Serengeti in Tanzania. You can find resorts from the very luxurious to the budgeted kind where you can go for a picnic with your sleeping bags. You mentioned to me that you promote South Africa There were many from South Africa who used to visit Kenya and they too felt that Kenya is more wild. South Africa is probably a bit too organized. In Kenya you can still have a bit of adventure with the wildlife and feel sometimes that you are a bit in danger. So it is a place for the adventure seeker. 

Did you have some interesting encounters?

At times, I was sleeping in a tent and we had left something cooking on a stove close by and next morning we found some crocodiles had come to steal the stove, took it to the river & who knows they might have even swallowed it! And we were sleeping next to them most of the night. Then we had instances of baboons coming to raid our tent and sometimes you had a herd of various animals chasing each other around your tent at night, so we used too at times not sleep much and pray that the ropes fixing the tent were strong enough.


Tell us about your experience in Australia?

Australia was my immediate posting after Mumbai. Australia is a beautiful country with extensive landscape. I felt the people and I mean the students there were not as challenging as probably India. It was very difficult to enter into a discussion with them. They are always happy and cheerful people and don't want to enter a debate. They are puritans, very sportive and very reluctant to express themselves.


Coming to the expert you are at, i.e. teaching French how did it all start?

I come from Chambery which is in the Savoie region of the Alps. Teaching French happened by chance. After doing my University, I was teaching history and then I went for a holiday in Dublin where some members of my family were staying. There I met some people who were teaching at Alliance Française in Dublin. They advised me to get in touch with Alliance Française. I wrote to them and I went to Paris and I wrote to the French Embassy of Foreign Affairs and I applied, went for some interviews and got selected and came to Mumbai. 

I had to do some training how to teach French as a foreign language before I was sent to Mumbai. 

 

What were the initial challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them?

For a country boy like me to come to Mumbai was a bit scary (laughs!). The five years of my life in Mumbai is something which I will always remember. In fact, I didn't have any problem in Mumbai. The city is fine, very welcoming and you can walk around and find everything you need. People are friendly and the advantage of working with Alliance is that you get to meet people from across the country and I had the opportunity to interact with many young Indians from diverse backgrounds.


Was the Indian cuisine a problem?

I knew about Indian food before coming to Mumbai as Indians are settled everywhere so there are Indian restaurants in France. Not only I like Indian cuisine but I am a good Indian cook as well. Ever tried my chicken curry, my aloo ghobi or my sarson ka saag?


How do you compare Indian students to the ones that you have taught in Kenya and Australia?

The Indian students highly respect their teacher which is a good thing but sometimes it is not so good because then they have a tendency of not challenging what their teacher is teaching them. They have a tendency of accepting whatever teacher is teaching them or taking them for granted. Sometimes it is a good idea to challenge the teacher. The Indian students are mostly at an advantage as most of the students are well versed in atleast 3 or 4 languages, they speak English, Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi and so on and therefore they are able to juggle from one language to another without much of a problem as they are conversant in more than one language. I found generally in schools and not so much in Alliance most of the students have a tendency to memorize and just repeat what they have learnt and in college, students only put the effort 10 or 12 days before the exams rather than year round. 


In Kenya also they speak at least two languages, Swahili and one of their local tribal languages. The Australian students were much less serious students and took the things a bit too lightly, a little casual. Unlike students in India who are a bit more serious or disciplined and have a much higher level of commitment in learning a foreign language. The Australian students on the other hand presume that everybody speaks English and therefore their approach generally was a little too casual in learning French. The students out there belonged to a higher age bracket-housewives, professionals or those who wanted to go for a holiday to a French speaking country or people who wanted to buy a house in the south of France. 


In Australia too the classes were just about twice a week whereas in India the classes are normally five days a week which is about 10 hours a week. So it is more intensive.


During the last 17 odd years did you also have an opportunity to teach in France?

After two foreign postings, we have to go back at least three years in France. So after Australia I was three years in France. You have the choice of either working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or go back and do what you used to do before. I chose to be back as the teacher of history for three years. So I was back in college.


Which are the other languages besides French and English that you speak?

A little bit of Hindi. I still remember that I know a lot of bad words (laughs!!). I learnt a lot of vocabulary in Hindi through the Hindi movies and Hindi songs so I know whether to tell you bad words or talk about love. I also speak a bit of Kiswahili and Italian.


Which Hindi movies have you seen that you can recall?

I have a lot of Hindi tapes. I remember having seen Dil, Aashiqui, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Hum. Mr Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Pooja Bhatt, Sridevi, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah are some of the stars whose movies I have seen. Even in Kenya I had some Indian friends who took me to see some Hindi movies such as Lagaan, Devdas, Kal no ha Ho with English sub-titles. 

Earlier in Mumbai you were a teacher and now you are the Director of Alliance Française, New Delhi What are your additional responsibilities?
Basically I prefer to be a teacher. Here you have to manage a lot more including finance and resources. You have to manage accounts and I am responsible for 60 odd people here in Delhi which includes teachers and other staff. But I also was the Director in Australia & Kenya and I am used to it. Luckily in Delhi, I am working with a core team of very dedicated and efficient people. I am also responsible for the cultural events We have three or four cultural events per month, that's quite a lot to do. Obviously, I spend a bit more time in the office It's a bit more solitary as compared to being a teacher and I am not a solitary person. 


Do you also take a few lectures here in Delhi?

In Nairobi I used to especially for a few trainees who used to train with me. Here in Delhi I am more involved in the administration although after some time I would love to teach as well. My problem in teaching here is that I cannot commit a fixed time plan for teaching as suddenly there may be a meeting somewhere and it may clash with the batch timings. If I have a choice I would definitely prefer to be in the class rather than my office as teaching is my first love. 


Has the popularity of language been affected with globalization?

With globalization too there is still a big part of the world which speaks French. There is French spoken in Canada, in Africa and parts of Asia and there are a lot of French speaking countries. I think globalization would be sad if it wasn't encouraging diversity. Globalization should be there to know more about the other cultures and languages rather than having one universal language or style of dealing with people across the globe. It should not narrow but in fact open new vistas.

Besides teaching French, what are the various cultural activities at Alliance Française?
We have a lot of activities which try to bring together the Indian artists here in India in touch with the French artists. For example in January we had a French modern dance choreographer who came down to work with Indian dancers so that they can put a performance together. We also had a French Rock Group performing in India and we also had the famous Bharat Natyam dancer Malavika Sarrukai who performed for us. We also have a very nice art gallery where we will have exhibits on display from Indian as well as French Artists. In March we organized a Franco-Indian concert where an Indian singer traditional vocalist Meeta Pandit had spent four months as part of an artist in residence programme organized by the French Embassy. We try to built bridges between the two cultures.

Here in Delhi, we have a translation cell, a big library, an auditorium with a 120 seat capacity and once the art gallery is fully ready, it would be one of the finest art galleries of Delhi. 


If one wants to pursue a career as a French Interpreter or Translator what is the best way to go about it?

First you must master the language. You need to spend some time to understand the culture and the way the French live. This is essential, as when you live the language you will understand what people do and how they react do different situations. You cannot literally translate everything, what is the level of language one should use with different people. After that there are some schools where you can further study for specialization. Many people feel that by merely learning a language be it French, Spanish or German you can be an interpreter or translator. It is a very difficult job and you need to be a specialist. 


What are the other areas of specialization after completing the Diplôme de Langue Française ?

After the Diploma, you have Diplôme Superieur which could be in Tourism, Commerce, Business French, Literature, etc. Something which could be of interest to Indian students is that after learning French, you could go for higher studies in French Universities and France. It is cheaper compared to U.K. or USA and the degree you get will be very useful for your career once you are back in India. 


What are other courses and how can one go about preparing for higher studies in France?

You have an exam which checks your level of proficiency in French in order to get admission in a French University. It's organized by the Embassy. One can go for studies in Fashion, Technology, MBA, etc. There are quite a few private schools too where one can study. In Delhi we have a special cell called EduFrance which helps students to decide and know what they could go for and study in France. 


What are your hobbies and interests?

I like to be in the midst of wildlife and the bush. I love photography and explore the wildlife in a 4x4 with my camera in tow. I loved my stay in Kenya and India too especially visiting Ranthambore. 


What are your future plans ?

I like to be abroad. It allowed me to meet people and understand different cultures and civilizations. It made me move and made me change. But after some time you feel you belong to nowhere. After 3 to 4 years you feel you are uprooted. It was difficult to leave Mumbai, it was difficult to leave Australia as well as Kenya and I am sure when my tenure here in Delhi is over it will be equally difficult. Sometimes it is a bit tiring to restart and get back a circle of friends, to try and get accustomed to a new environment. Sometimes you feel you should have a base some where rather than moving along all the time. 

Ideally, it would be wonderful to be 6 months of the year abroad and 6 months of the year in your place in France. Probably after Delhi, I will have to be in France as I was in Kenya before this. I am not sure after that where would I be unless I get a good offer from a travel agency in India like yours!!!


Lastly, a message to our readers.

Don't close yourself. Be aware of what's around you. Look at people with an open mind don't have prejudice or preconceived ideas and move. Life is short and there are situations where you feel you are unhappy, move and do something else.