By walking along the streets in Paris or La Courneuve, you will meet men and women who left their country of origin to settle in France , whether it be only for a few months or forever. The Ganesh Festival is held every year on the Sunday of August, in the 18th arrondissement, passing by the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis.
The different shop windows present us multitude of stories from the past and the present, and give us a taste of what could become these neighborhoods. Posters taped between two store fronts represent pages from a journal: culture, religion, politics, death notice, pieces of life⦠On our way, we meet people coming from the Indian sub-continent: Tamils from Sri Lanka, Pakistanis from Punjab and Bangladeshis. If the word community is used, it is to express something common to everybody: a story, a language, a religion⦠But not to forget that in a community everyone has a singularity and a particularity.
Like a patchwork it forms a pattern, a harmony and by getting closer we distinguish every little pieces of different sizes, colors or shapes. Everybody has its own story: reasons to settle in France are different economic, social, family, escape warsβ¦. Everyone leaves a print in the street in its own wayβ¦.
In the 18 th century, the Maharajahs and their families, Indian artists and intellectuals, came to Paris to settle there for a few months, ideally in the chic neighborhoods of the capital city, to enjoy the Parisian cultural and social life.
From the 19 th century, gemstone traders discreetly set up in the 9 th arrondissement, and later on Indians coming from Pondicherry started to open shops and restaurants in working-class neighborhoods such as the 10 th or 18 th arrondissements.
