'I love France' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I wrote the following piece way back in 1997 and one of the newspapers published it. Looking at it again today after 17 years, I find that what I wrote was all full of cliches! Take a look: "I can not forget that the French had colonized parts of India. However I love France for having given the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the world. It not only came out with the clear call of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” but has also demonstrated that it is perfectly possible to put this concept into practice. The Frenchmen love their country very passionately and I am impressed by France for inculcating this virtue amongst its people. I respect France because the French have regard for Indian culture. I love France for I learnt from it that life is not a curse to be tolerated and grudgingly gone through but is a blessing which needs to be lived and enjoyed with a “joie de vivre”. French is a lovely soft language and the French love their language no end. And I love France for giving this lovely language to the world. “Ce qui n’est past clair, n’est pas Francais”, what is not clear is not French, goes the well known saying and I love France for its emphasis on clarity and logic. I adore good wines and I love France for giving the world some of its best wines. Cheers to that! You can choose from amongst the choicest cheeses in France, which is another reason why I love France. Everyone likes wonderful French cuisine and I love France for turning gastronomy into a fine art. Bon apetit! Paris is undoubtedly the fashion capital of the world and I love France for the exquisite fashion sense of its people. Who does not know about the soft sensuous perfumes of France and I love France for being the nicest smelling part of the world. I love France for it is a country where love and romance are always in the air. I am very fond of films and I must compliment France for having invented the wonderful world of cinema. Perhaps I am not the only one in love with France. I think the British also love France because they have named so many important things after it such as the “French Leave’, French Letter’ and the ‘French Kiss’. I salute France for being the country which gave birth to Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and countless other ladies of stunning charm and infinite grace. Vive la France! " ... Photo & copyright: K.J.S.Chatrath Contact email: kjschatrath@yahoo.co.in