Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Chevalier title for Loyola professor

Staff Reporter

French Government honours G. Francis Xavier Raj for his service to the language

HONOUR FOR TEACHER: Michel Seguy, French Consul General, confers the title `Chevalier in the Order of Academic Palms' on Professor G. Francis Xavier Raj on Thursday. Loyola College Principal Albert Muthumalai looks on. Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: The French Government has conferred the title `Chevalier' on a teacher from Loyola College for his services to the promotion of French education in India.

At a recent ceremony here, Michel Seguy, Consul General of France in Pondicherry, conferred the `Chevalier in the Order of Academic Palms' title on G. Francis Xavier Raj, professor of French in the Foreign Languages Department of the college.

Mr. Rajseemed rather overwhelmed by the award and the felicitations. But the long list of achievements read out showed that the modest, unassuming man had a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Loyola College Principal Albert Muthumalai said that Mr. Raj had over 30 years of experience in the college. "He is a simple, gentle and easily approachable person," Mr. Muthumalai noted.

Lawrence Pius, Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Madras Mylapore and one of Mr. Raj's former students, commended his teacher for bringing contemporary, modern texts into the French syllabus. Mr. Pius also praised his teacher's compilation of a Tamil-French dictionary and the introduction of new courses such as `French for Business'. His wife Philomena recalled Mr. Raj's passion for organising seminars and symposiums on the French language. "At home, he would spend several hours writing stacks of letters and network with French scholars and students," she said. He has been an office-bearer of the Indian Association for Teachers of French for almost 10 years.

Mr. Raj is now one of the teachers of the self-financing programmes in Loyola. "India is my mother (land) and France is my aunt," he said, accepting his title.

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