New Delhi's new French connection is Prime Minister Villepin

NEW DELHI: French celebrations over the election of Dominique de Villepin as the new French Prime Minister has come with a dash of Indian spice. And why not? For Villepin's Indian friends, it is time to cheer the once-familiar Delhi face who's best remembered for his “aristocratic looks, sharp intellect and love for food.”

Villepin's two stints in India, first as the second councillor at the French Embassy in 1989-90 and then as the first councillor in 1990-92, have given Indians enough reason to join the French celebrations.

As conservationist and art historian, Aman Nath put it, “I am extremely happy that a man like Villepin has become the prime minister. He loves India which is a good thing for our country.”

Nath remembers him as a man who was a complete India-wallah. Calling him a “contemporary man with an extremely positive outlook,” he added, “I am pleased that Villepin now holds the top job.”

Nath recalled the Villepin couple's inimitable hospitality. “Like the stereotypical French, they loved to eat well and drink well. Their parties were always thoughtfully organised with interesting people and, most importantly, interesting conversation. To my mind, Villepin typifies the clichéd Frenchman-dapper, elegant and intelligent.”

To Indophile French hotelier Francis Wacziarg “what strikes me most about Dominique is his very modest approach, he's not the kind to carry a chip on his shoulder. Which is why I am delighted at the news of his becoming PM. This appointment will do good for Indo-French relations. I think I will post him a letter congratulating him.”

Wacziarg, who runs the The Neemrana Music Foundation, added, “As a young diplomat, he was simply mulling over the change. His father Xavier whom I knew asked me to speak to Dominique. I met him in Paris and we spoke for over an hour. Through our conversation I remember telling him of the good life in India. I almost feel instrumental in getting him to come here.”

Others like Dalip Mehta, member secretary, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) who had known Villepin in Delhi, recalled, “I had been to the get-togethers at his residence in Vasant Vihar. He was quite unlike the usual diplomats. One could connect with him and his wife Marie Laure at a very human level. He knew a lot of people in Delhi, served the best French food, even by the high French standards, and came across as particularly intelligent and knowledgeable.”

Conservationist O P Jain said, “Villepin was very good. He was very culturally oriented and loved India dearly. Certain cultural activities that he started here during his stint later went on to become benchmarks. Given his association with India, it may bring the two countries closer which will be wonderful.”

A Chirac loyalist, Villipen is known to be an eloquent speaker, sometimes even poetic. He has been Interior minister for the past year but made his mark as Foreign minister. It was as Foreign minister that de Villepin voiced his opposition to the Iraq war.

Born in 1953 in Rabat, capital of the former French colony Morocco, Villepin has been a career diplomat and played a key role in Chirac's inner circle for a decade.

He is a graduate of the prestigious Ecole Nationale D'Administration, a traditional breeding ground for top civil servants and politicians. He was named a top aide to the President in 1995 after playing a senior role at the Foreign Ministry and was a prime mover behind Chirac's early dissolution of Parliament in 1997.