Fred Negrit

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Fred Negrit
Born (1949-06-07) June 7, 1949 (age 76)
Guadeloupe, French West Indies
NationalityFrench
Occupation(s)Educator, cultural promoter
Known forPromotion of Indian languages and culture in Guadeloupe
Awards Padma Shri (2024)

Fred Negrit (born 7 June 1949) is a French educator and cultural promoter, known for his contributions to preserving and promoting Indian languages and culture in Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean. He is the founding president of the Guadeloupean Council for Indian Languages, the first institution dedicated to Indian language education in the French West Indies. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Negrit was born in Guadeloupe. He completed a Master of Arts from the Université des Antilles Guyane (UAG) in Pointe-à-Pitre. [3] He also obtained a Hindi Pravesh Certificate from the Central Hindi Directorate in New Delhi. [4]

Career

Negrit worked as a teacher for 35 years in government schools and retired as a vice-principal. [3] Motivated by his interest in Indian heritage, he began offering free classes in Indian languages, including Hindi, Sanskrit, and Tamil, at his home. [2] [5]

In 2002, he founded the Guadeloupean Council for Indian Languages (CGPLI), which remains the first and only Indian languages school in the French West Indies. [6] Under his leadership, the school expanded to teach other regional Indian languages and became a centre for cultural activities, celebrations of Indian festivals, and community engagement. [7]

Recognition

In 2024, the Government of India conferred upon him the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, for distinguished service in literature and education. [1] [4] [8] The honour reflected the recognition of his decades-long role in fostering India-France cultural ties. [9] [10]

He also received a Gold Medal from the Red Cross for over two decades of voluntary service. [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Padma Awards 2024 Citation" (PDF). Padma Awards Portal. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fred Negrit: Honouring 170 years of Indian heritage in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe". Global Indian. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 "A language lover and ambassador of Indian culture in French Guadeloupe". The Hindu. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Fred Negrit among foreigners awarded Padma Shri". Mint. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "India-France relations: Four French citizens receive Padma Shri awards". Firstpost. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "French national Fred Negrit conferred with Padma Shri; talks to Sansad TV". Sansad TV. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Republic Day: Four French nationals conferred with Padma Shri". Hindustan Times. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Who are Charlotte Chopin, Kiran Vyas, Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat, Fred Negrit? French citizens set to receive Padma Shri". Times Now. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Four people from France awarded with Padma Shri". The Times of India. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Padma Awards 2024 announced". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
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