Mangaluru: The students and faculty of French, of St. Aloysius College (Autonomous) organized ‘Un Jour en France – A Day in France’ on Saturday, February 17 from 9 am at the Mother Teresa Peace Park (Katte) at the campus, as part of ‘Journée de la Francophonie’, an annual French event held on March 20.

This was a day-long event to celebrate the various aspects of living the French life, and was aimed at giving the attendees a glimpse of French culture.

The inauguration was held 9.30 am at the venue. Rev. Dr. Praveen Martis SJ, Principal, St. Aloysius College and patron of the language, was the Chief Guest. In his address, he lauded the students for commemorating the event, and spoke at length about France and French. “The very experience of Paris is romantic. This language romanticizes human thought and action,” he said.

Dr. Alwyn D’Sa, Vice Principal, Admin Block, Ronald Baptist D’Souza, staff convener, and Ancita Gonsalves and Ann Dehnuger, student conveners, were also present.

Partly sponsored by the Franco-German Institute, this event saw 8 teams from colleges in and around Mangaluru (like St. Agnes College, Roshni Nilaya, Sarosh Institute and Manipal University) participate in 6 events which incorporate French culture. The events conducted were – spell bee, treasure hunt, cookie art, mock personality and poetry recitation. In the end, Roshni Nilaya came first, bagging the overall prize.

A cultural program was also organised. A drama, recreating the classic tale of Cinderella with a modern twist, was also staged by the students. Star Aloysian Nicky Pinto, of ‘Dance Plus’ fame, performed a dance number, while ‘Vocal Rush’, a popular band, entertained the audience with songs. Food stalls which sold cupcakes, macarons, momos and drinks were set up.

‘Un Jour en France’ was an earnest attempt by the students to depict life in France in an authentic and enjoyable way.