The name ‘India’ has been derived from the word ‘Indus’, which has been adapted from

the Sanskrit word Sindhu. Well, there are numerous theories about the origin of the
word France. The word France is a term that has been coined from the Latin word
‘Francia’, which means land of the Franks. It has also been said that France was derived
from ‘frankon’, a Proto-Germanic word.

India and France are different countries, which differ in their geographical, cultural,
traditional and political characteristics.

India is officially known as the Republic of India, whereas France is officially termed as
the French Republic. India is a country in South Asia, and France lies in the western
region of Europe.

As a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic, India is the seventh largest
nation in the world, in geographical terms, and the second most populous nation in the
world. On the other hand, France is a unitary, semi-presidential republic. It is the largest
state in the European Union, and the third largest in Europe.

While India has recognized Hindi and English as official languages, France has only
recognized French as the official language. The state of France was formed in 1843, with
the treaty of Verdun. India is an ancient country, and was colonized by the British,
French and Portuguese for a very long period. The country got its independence from
the British on August 15, 1947.

Another difference that can be seen is that France is a developed country, whereas India
is a developing country. When comparing their economies, France has a better economy
than that of India. The national GDP of France is higher than that of the national GDP of
India.

I Have a first hand experience of the difference of the culture of the Two countries from a friend who
kind of enough to share it with me .

As Told by Renee a resident of Paris who is a dear friend and had come down to India last month for a
visit.

I tried to make two points about what occurs to me as different in the Indian behavior
from what I am used to.

1. Hierarchy
Indian society is very hierarchically organized. I can see that already from the way
parents raise their kids. The parents are the boss and the kids follow the instructions
from the parents. When I visited some daycares to find one for my own kids, I often saw
kids obediently sitting on chairs waiting for the teachers to give them some instructions.
This is strikingly different from the daycare that my kids go to in Holland, where there is
an ‘organized chaos’  and kids are left free to do whatever they want.

In organizations, hierarchy is the central way of managing. If you work with a software
company, even a small one, you’ll find a project manager, who is managing the team
leader, who is managing the programmers, even in the smallest projects. And the
programmer will need his superior for anything that he does.

In Europe (at least in the Netherlands) most companies give people responsibility +
freedom and measure people on their performance within those boundaries.

2. Openness

One of the core values of myself and also my company Bridge is ‘openness’. I believe
it’s important that you give another person exactly the same image about something as
the image you have in your mind (ok, some exceptions might be appropriate). In Kerala
(it might be true for the rest of India too), the general spirit is not openness. People are
always trying to be very polite and won’t share anything negative or offending (which
also makes for a very positive cultural experience). It is sometimes hard to really get the
truth or the person’s vision on a subject.

In Europe (especially in the Netherlands), people are very open. Sometimes even too
open, which results in being blunt or offending people.

From an outsourcing perspective it’s valuable to know and recognize these cultural
characteristics. By understanding them, it is easier to develop a succesful cooperation. I
hope that you will share some of your findings so we can elaborate the list of
differences.

Ah yes, a last difference: women don’t shake hands (which they also don’t do in Eastern
Europe).
These are the differences that I feel are present in the two cultures:
BUSINESS INTERACTIONS
INDIA
1.Shaking hands is a common practice
in business interactions
2.Decisions are strongly influenced
from the top.Usually One person
makes all major decisions.
3.Business cards are exchanged and
Indians are very conscious of this
protocol.
4.For business Man usually wears suit
and ties.
5.Initial business entertainment is
done in restaurants.Business can be
discussed over meals.
TRAFFIC
INDIA
There are too many traffic problems in
India such as
 Congestion
 Pot holes
 Primitive means of transportation
like Bullock Carts in rural areas.
FRANCE
1.It is not acceptable in France to ‘drop in’
on someone unannounced and is
considered rude ,whatever the occasion.
2.Punctuality is treated quite casually in
France, although there are some regional
differences within the country itself.
3.Gift giving among business associates
is not a common practice in France.
4.Offices open early as well as close early
and weekend are sanctimonious.
5.France is ranked in the top-25 countries
on the (Corruption Perception Index of
government organisations) for being the
least corrupted government compared to
other 176 countries.
FRANCE
The traffic scenario is much better due to
 Efficient vehicles
 Excellent quality of roads
 Rules and regulations are followed
 Excellent means pf public
transport.
 RELGIOUS SETTINGS
INDIA FRANCE

1.Religion in India is characterized by a

diversity of religious beliefs and practices.
India is the birth place of Four of the
worlds major religions namesly Hinduism,
Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.
1.France is a country where freedom of
religion and freedom of thought are
guaranteed by virtue of the 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of
the citizen.

2.According to the 2001 census,80.5% of

the population of India practice Hinduism.
Islam (13.4%),Christianity(2.3%) are the
major religions followed by the people of
India.
2.Major religions in France include the
Catholic church, Islam, various Protestant
churches, Hinduism, Judaism, Russian
orthodoxy and Armenian Christianity
making it a multi – confessional country.

LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION
INIDIA FRANCE

1.India has recognized Hindi and English

1.France has only one official language
as official languages . which is French.

2.A few minority languages recognized

2.Other than these two there are about 20
other official languages used by people
belonging to the different regions across
India.

Summary:
1. As a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic, India is the seventh largest
nation in the world, in geographical terms, and the second most populous nation in the
world. France is a unitary, semi-presidential republic.

2. While India has recognized Hindi and English as official languages, France has only
recognized French as the official language.

3. France is a developed country, whereas India is a developing country.

4. When comparing their economies, France has a better economy than that of India.

5. Unlike France, India has a cultural pluralism, and the people are very much absorbed
in traditional customs.