The French Bakery in Bangalore- Boulangerie Française à Bangalore: October, 2006

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Expat interview

Frenchman Jean-Philippe's observations on living in Bangalore, India

Jean-Philippe Gliscard

October 18 2006

Jean-Philippe moved from France to Bangalore, India, because of his involvement in the creation of a chain of French cafes and bakeries there. As most people do, he finds both good and bad things about living in a country that is not the land of his birth.

-Where were you born?
Paris, France

-In which country and city are you living now?
Bangalore, India

-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my girlfriend

-How long have you been living in India?
Since June 2006

-What is your age?
28

-When did you come up with the idea of living in India?
When I was proposed with an interesting job in this country. This project is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Philip Cherian, an Indian citizen living in the US. Traveling frequently to France on business, he fell in love with the French cafes and boulangeries.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
I think they make it all but impossible to give you a visa. For most of the French people, it is a big issue to get an employment visa if they work for an Indian company.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
I’ll manage with medical insurance later.

-How do you make your living in India? Do have any income generated?
My employer has contacted the employment service of my engineering school. Recognizing that the economic and cultural environment in India is ripe for international offerings in the food and beverage industry, he set up this enterprise. The chain will endeavor to faithfully reproduce an authentic array of offerings and ambience.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
We can manage without speaking Hindi or Kanada. We do everything possible to respect local customs. It is not a big issue in Bangalore.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
No, not too much.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I think about traveling to Japan or South America.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
The company rented an apartment for us. We don’t know for how much they rent the apartment.

-What is the cost of living in India?
It is more expensive than I thought. Bangalore is a very expensive Indian city. For example, classic Indian restaurants are very expensive like kerala or Tamil nadu, and at pubs and bars now you have to pay the entrance (between 200 rupees and 400 rupees) just to take a beer.

-What do you think about the Indian people?
White people pay twice the price. This is the philosophy in this place. For the rest, there is no real problem.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in India?
What I like most about living and working in India is the sense of tranquility. People are friendly and helpful. The climate in Bangalore is excellent. What I do not like is the lack of discipline of the people and the way in which they try to do things with a short-term objective. The road sense of most people is appalling. It takes a lot of patience to live in India.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about living in India?
The French Bakery in Bangalore

Thank you to Lizza from expatinterviews.com

October, 2006 2:27 PM | Add a comment | Permalink | View trackbacks (2) | Blog it

The beginning - Le commencement

As you announced it in our forums, you have a project which will ally the French and Indian cultures. How came to you the idea to go up a French bakery in India? And why the city of Bangalore?

We will launch a chain of Boulangeries (French Bakeries), some of which will have attached cafes in December 2006. The first bakery and café will come up in Bangalore and be housed in an upmarket mall in the Northern part of the city.

This project is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Philip Cherian and Indian citizen living in the US. Travelling frequently to France on business he fell in love with the French Cafes and Boulangeries. Recognizing that the economic and cultural environment in India is ripe for international offerings in the food and beverage industry he has set up this enterprise. The chain will endeavour to faithfully reproduce an authentic array of offerings and ambience.

What do you think about India and the possibilities of going up this project there?

India is one of the fastest developing economies in the world. As a result of the booming IT and ITeS industries and rising incomes, more and more Indians are travelling internationally. In addition with the globalization of media, international cultures, foods and lifestyles are becoming a part of the Indian psyche. We believe that this union of French know how and attention to quality with Indian business acumen is a win-win situation. The large number of French, European and Western expats living and working in India offer a captive audience for our proposed chain of boulangeries and cafes.

What do you think about the potential place of the France in india ? did you meet a lot of French people ?

France has always had excellent relations with India. In Bangalore for example one has a large number of French companies with business associations, and as a result a significant number of French nationals live in the city. The Alliance Francais is at the core of the city’s art and theatre scene. It is common for the French community to meet frequently and often it feels like one is at home in France living in Bangalore.

What did you know before going there? Is that the picture which you had of it turned out to be precise or hushed up whizz surprised by the reality of this country?

I must confess that I had a preconceived and very clichéd image of India before I came here – one of poverty, dirt, tropical life and Gandhi. Now living in India and in Bangalore, I realize how wrong I was. Bangalore is an emerging metropolis with a population of over 7 million people. Like all cities it has its good and bad, but life here is not very much different from anywhere in the world. One has access to all amenities and luxuries.

What do you appreciate in India? What you don't like ?

What I like most about living and working in India is the sense of tranquility. People are friendly and helpful. The climate in Bangalore is excellent. What I do not like is the lack of discipline of people and the way in which they try to do things with a short term objective. The road sense of most people is appalling. It takes a lot of patience to live in India.

Interview from Taara for http://www.indianstylz.org/fr/

Traduction by Advertoadvertising

Comme tu l'as annoncé dans nos forums, tu as un projet qui allierait les cultures française et indienne. Comment t'es venue l'idée de monter une boulangerie française en inde? Et pourquoi la ville de Bangalore ?

L'idée vient d'un homme d'affaire indien, Cherian Philip qui a longtemps vécu à l’étranger. Lors de ses séjours en Inde, les produits européens et plus particulièrement le pain français lui manquaient. C’est à partir de là qu’il a voulu créer un salon de thé axé autour des produits de boulangerie. Bangalore, de part son essor qui donne lieu à un fort brassage culturel, est apparu comme l’endroit idéal pour lancer ce projet.

L'objectif a terme est d’ouvrir plusieurs boulangeries à travers l’Inde.

Que penses tu de l'Inde et des possibilités d'y monter ce projet?

Une association franco-indienne est un atout. D’une part, il faut arriver à surmonter les difficultés administratives et savoir exploiter au mieux les possibilités qu’offre l'Inde et d'autre part, déterminer le matériel et la qualité de matières premières nécessaires. Cette collaboration nous permettra d’aller plus loin que nombre de personnes qui ont tenté ce genre d'aventure auparavant.

Qu'est ce qui t'amène en Inde ? Entretiens tu un lien spécifique avec ce pays ?

Dans un premier temps nous sommes ici en rapport avec le travail, mais dans un second temps afin de découvrir une autre culture, d'autres traditions et de vivre une expérience hors du commun.
Nous n'entrenions aucun lien avec l'inde lorsque nous étions en France.

Que penses tu de l'Inde et des possibilités d'y monter ce projet?

L'inde me semble le pays de toutes les possibilités et opportunités afin de monter un projet, en effet, les gens vous font confiance directement, vous offrent des responsabilités qu'en France il est possible d'acquérir sauf après 15 ans d'ancienneté dans la même boite.

Quelles sont selon toi les différences flagrantes entre l'Inde et la France?

Au niveau du travail, sans conteste l'organisation, en effet, je crois que l'inde manque indéniablement de structures surtout concernant les questions de timming, nous apprenons "la patience" tous les jours ! C’est une question d'habitude certainement.

Par contre, comme je le disais précédemment, ce pays offre une multitude de possibilités d'aboutir au niveau professionnel surtout lorsqu'on est jeune, d'ailleurs nous avons pu constater que la majorité des expats ont moins de 35 ans ! C’est une liberté indéniable.

Que penses tu de la place potentielle de la France en Inde, rencontres tu régulièrement des français...

La France à Bangalore me semble très présente, on peut le constater de part l'implantation de nombreuses entreprises françaises, mais aussi de part les infrastructures liées aux français comme l'Alliance française, le consulat et diverses associations.
Effectivement, nous rencontrons régulièrement des français de part notre travail mais aussi de part notre quartier, et cela devient vite un "cercle vicieux", je dois dire que malheureusement on a vite tendance à se "renfermer", je crois qu’il faut tout simplement du temps.

Que connaissait tu de l"inde avant d'y aller ? Est ce que l'image que tu en avait s'est révélée exacte ou as tu été surprise par la réalité de ce pays ?

En toute honnêté, j'avais une image très préconçue de l'inde, je pensais "vie tropicale", "pauvreté", "saleté" "Gandhi", l'image ne s'est pas révélée juste.
Surtout résidant à Bangalore, je ne pense pas que cette ville reflète la "vraie inde", nous sommes dans une des villes les plus occidentalisée donc la pauvreté est moins visible, le côté tropicale aussi.
Je ne pense pas que mon avis soit très objectif.

Qu'apprécies tu en Inde? Qu'est ce qui t'y révoltes?

Ce que j'apprécie c’est la tranquillité de vie, la serviabilité (pas dans le sens servir) des personnes, le climat, la différence avec la France.
Ce qui me révolte est une autre différence, celle entre les riches et les pauvres.

Interview parTaara pour http://www.indianstylz.org/fr/