Dr. Chitra Krishnan, professor and head of the department of French and other foreign languages at the University of Madras and chairperson of the school of English and foreign languages, has been awarded the Chevalier Dans L’ordres Des Palmes Academiques (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms) for her noteworthy contribution to the propag-ation of French language and culture. The French government’s oldest civilian honour was conferred upon Dr. Krishnan by France’s ambassador to India, Jerome Bonnafont, on the eve of France’s national day (July 14) at the Madras University auditorium.
“The award is a pleasant surprise and means a lot to me as the awardees are handpicked by the prime minister of France. I’m happy that my contribution to boosting Indo-French cooperation and communication over the past three decades has been acknowledged,” says Krishnan, an English literature graduate of Madras University and postgrad of Kerala University who later switched to learning advanced level French, obtaining a doctorate in the subject from Madras University. Her career as a French teacher began in 1982 in Chennai’s well-reputed Stella Maris College where she rose to the position of vice-principal during a 22-year tenure at the college. In 2004 she put in her papers at Stella Maris to take charge as head of the department of French and other foreign languages at Madras University.
Currently, Krishnan is also director of the International Centre (estb. 2003) of the University of Madras, which facilitates foreign students’ research and studies at the university. In this role, she has signed 14 collaboration agreements with French universities for student and faculty exchanges, and to promote conferences and seminars in India and France.
An enthusiastic and prolific author, Krishnan has written and published ten works, the most prominent being De Bouchea Orielle (‘By Hearsay’) in 2009, a collection of short stories to help first year undergrad students learn the basics of the language. “Contrary to popular belief, knowledge of French is a vital asset for students as it widens the scope for employment in the new globalised world. Working knowledge of English and French opens up business and employment opportunities in three quarters of the world,” she says.
Be that as it may, Krishnan’s exploration of the French language and mores is far from over. “I travel to France at least once a year to explore its rich culture and deepen my knowledge of this beautiful language. There are no full stops to learning,” says this indefat-igable professor and polymath.
Femme formidable!
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)