There are 17 Alliances Françaises on the Indian subcontinent: 16 are located in India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Karikal, Kolkata, Mahe, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Pune and Trivandrum) and one in Nepal. These committees are placed under the auspices of the Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française en Inde et au Népal (DGAF).
The DGAF acts as a coordinator of the Alliances network in India and is the main contact between them and the Cooperation and Cultural Action Office of the French Embassy in India (SCAC). The DGAF works closely with the French Embassy on the staging of various events for the Alliance Française (itinerant exhibitions, scientific conventions, etc.) within the Indian network, but also on organizing the different teaching activities, on training the professors and on supervising the DELF and the DALF examinations which certify the students’ level in French.
This coordinating role also results in the two meetings of the national Alliances network held each year (in March-April and October), to which the SCAC also takes part. During the rest of the year, the Délégué Général remains in close contact with all the other Alliances’ directors.
In all these respects, the DGAF plays a key role in the global strategy of the Alliances Françaises network, in order to spread France’s influence on the Indian subcontinent and to promote its language and culture to the largest possible audience.
