Student Talk: Kamlendra S. 'My favorite French verb is ETRE'

Kamlendra Pratap Singh

Licensed Tour Guide

       Favorite French Verb - 'Etre'

    Song: Savoir Aimer by Florent Pagny

"I speak English, Hindi and French. But I want to learn Russian and maybe Hebrew too'

Who am I?

My name is Kamlendra and I am a licensed tour guide from Agra. During my time in Pondy, I also catered to European tour groups. I'm geared up to arrange for tours across India with Pondy as the base.

MY FRENCH GROUP AT THE TAJ MAHAL 

Why did you choose French?

Because the French tourists come to India more than the others. And French is a famous language anyway. French wines and perfume are very famous.

My studies in French

I took a 3 month course at the Agra University and then I came to Pondicherry to study French.

ME AND A FRIEND ON THE PONDICHERRY SEA

My Experience With Delf

I gave my DELF A1 exam from Alliance Française de Jaipur. At that time, I did not even know what was A1 and A2. There was a French woman who was my jury for my oral production exam. It was the 1st time I saw a French person in my life. She was kind and trying to help me with gestures to speak but as I had a fever, I could not understand her expressions.

Why did you come to Pondy to learn French?

Agra is a landlocked city. I wanted to see the sea and live in a beautiful place near beaches. Also I heard from many people that it was easy to practice French here as there are so many French expats and retired folks. It's like a free language class which benefits both parties. Students improve listening skills and spoken French, while the French people experience life with locals. We go to concerts together, for walks on the promenade, for a coffee or drinks, drives to Auroville. We introduce our friends to them and they do the same, so the circle of friendship gets bigger. 

This is the true spirit of Indo-French friendship. Nothing comes closer.

PONDICHERRY AERIAL VIEW

A SWIM IN AUROVILLE

                                         Funniest Incidents in Class

Madame Geraldine asked us in Level 3. 'Il y un tigre dans la classe. Moi, j'ai peur. Qui n'a pas peur?' No one understood so she repeated it few times. Finally one guy Kuldeep answered, 'Euuuh.... le tigre (n'a pas peur)'

 Also one time we had to do a role play but I started laughing uncontrollably so the whole play was spoiled and we could not even start it.

How were you able to speak French with French people at a early stage in studies?

I see my self speaking French fluently one day. I do not feel shy speaking French to French people as they appreciate my efforts to speak. This has helped greatly. There is no substitute for actual conversations with French people.

ME AND AN ACTOR AT BONJOUR INDIA 2013

Your preferred teacher?

For me all were the same but I liked Madame Antoine the most. She was a comedian. She was joyful with a lively personality. 

Songs and Films I Like

I like the songs Si tu n'existe pas, 

Savoir Aimer (Florent Pagny), 

Pour un Flirt and 

Bonne Etoile.

Movies I love are l'Arnacouer, Indigene and Toi Moi Les Autres. I like Edouard Baer and Roman Duris. The most beautiful French actors are Romain Duris and Leila Bekhti.

ROMAN DURIS

LEILA BEKTHI

How can a student master a language?

You must sit in the library if you really want to learn. Reading is a must whether you understand what you read or not. There is no shortcut with languages.

Your favorite Verb in French

ETRE because this is the first verb I learnt with my heart.

STEPS AT ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

Thanks to Kamlendra for photos provided from album.