 |
| Pondicherry, India Dupleix' statue -.alamy.com |
 |
| Statue of Joseph Francois Dupleix, Puducherry Beach, India. alamy.com |
Above image: Bronze statue of French Gov. Gen. Dupleix, Pondicherry (Puducherry) on the sea shore (sept. 2019).........
Joseph François Dupleix (23 January 1697 – 10 November1763), a man of commanding stature was the colonial administrator and governor-general of the French territories in India and rival of Robert Clive. Since the 1720s the colonial rivalry between Britain and France had been growing in intensity an time went by and there was no force to stop them India was no exception to it. .Under his command the French East India company gave a stiff competition to the EIC operations in Madras and also in Bengal. Widely traveled, he made several voyages to the Americas and India and in 1720 was named a member of the superior council at Bengal and he got the job through his father. His wife was one Jeanne Albert, widow of one of the councilors of the company. and was quite well known among the natives as Joanna Begum. Using his business acumen on his own, he made many business ventures on the sides and acquired a big fortune. He was the one who turned the succession disputes among the Indian rulers to his advantage and pushed the French influence to the fore. After 11 years he was appointed as the Gov. Genera. On 7 September 1746, with the help of a French fleet, Dupleix seized Madras (now Chennai) . The fortifications of Madras were not strong enough to withstand the continuous French bombardment.
 |
| Gov.Gen. of French India, Joseph Francois Dupleix, alamy.com |
 |
| Battle of Madras, India. 1746 French Vs English en.wikipedia.org |
 |
| renovation of Gov. Gen. Dupleix statue, Pondicherry, S.India.thehindu.com |
 |
| location. Pondicherry (UT), India.mapsof.net |
He was unsuccessful in recovering the money that he had spent from his account in India from the French East India Company. Discredited in France he was pushed to a precarious position and died in despair and obscurity. Dupleix was a good administrator and a diplomat, but with respect to military operations, he lacked leadership military strategies and the ability to work with others.
The beautiful iconic statue of Joseph Francois Dupleix, who was the last Governor of French Pondicherry, is being given a facelift after 145 years. The restoration work has been taken up by the Public Works Department (PWD). Continuous exposure to saline air had an impact on the bronze statue, loss of shine and dull look grabbed the attention of the passers-by. The iron poles were corroded and the pedestal became weak. The highly oxidized statue needs proper restoration when treating it with chemicals to remove the flakes. A coat of paint would mar its originality. The continuous exposure to saline air, considering its proximity to the sea is a big problem and needs further attention. A children's park was planned on the promenade and there was a proposal to install 24 powerful lamps in the park for better visibility.
 |
| Dupleix on Banque de l'Indochine banknote, upload.wikimedia.org |
Planned in memory of Dupleix who was the Governor from 1742 to 1754. the statue was shipped from France to Puducherry in 1869 to be erected at Gandhi Thidal, where the statue of Jawaharlal Nehru stands now. It was later shifted to its present location near the Park Guest House.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/facelift-for-dupleix-statue/article6734988.ece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Fran%C3%A7ois_Dupleix
.webp)
