This JNU researcher chose to study French because a Kerala Sevens Football player from Ivory Coast did; Look what next

When Malappuram native Ashik Kadambodan agreed to help his friend aid African football players who travelled to Kerala to compete in the Sevens Football competition four years ago, he had little interest in French. He is currently working for a PhD in French at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) thanks to a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) that was given to him after passing the incredibly difficult UGC-NET exam. His is a timeless story of how a kid in God’s own land had his life completely changed by a small act of kindness.

The Malappuram district, in particular, is at the very centre of the football-loving state of Kerala’s sevens competition. The majority of the players in the competition are African, and no matter which continent they are from, the locals in the state refer to them as “Sudani.” A manager of one of the football clubs approached Kadambodan to offer him assistance speaking English. Kadambodan had no idea that he would fall in love with the romantic language of French.

Eight players, mostly from West Africa (Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Ghana), did not answer when he attempted to speak to them in English. As in the 2018 Malayalam film Sudani from Nigeria, the players were enraged since they could not comprehend the language or the culture, he recalled. A short minutes afterwards, Ivory Coast native Musa, one of the players, began yelling “French, French!” Kadambodan was shocked to learn that not all foreigners could speak English, so he asked a college professor for help right away. In addition to teaching him a few words and phrases like “bonjour” and “comment ça va?” the teacher also provided him a rudimentary French language book. Merci (thank you), and how are you?

Musa’s French language lessons
He continued to be fascinated by the French. The footballers, particularly Musa, served as Kadambodan’s initial tutors as he sought to learn more. Every day Musa would read to him from the beginner’s French book. Additionally, he watched some YouTube French tutorial videos and noticed that Musa had a different pronunciation. Now intrigued, he began researching about the language, its origins in West Africa, and the time when France held it as a colony. He said: “I used to travel to Fort Kochi, Kovalam beach to chat to native French speakers. I never missed an opportunity to engage with visitors and I was always getting my pronunciation right.

NTA NETWORK 2023, JRF Clearance
After completing his Masters in French Literature, Kadambodan appeared in the University Scholarship Commission (UGC NET 2023) held in February and again won the much-coveted Junior Research Fellowship in the first attempt. He is now pursuing a PhD in French literature at JNU. In addition, she teaches French to 9th and 10th grades. “I love teaching French and I mostly work as a teacher. The language has never failed to fascinate me. I’m also learning Canadian French, African French and European French.” Kadambodan still talks to Musa when he can. – It’s difficult for the players there to talk on the phone often. I remember one time when he showed me a video call from his home. Although I wanted to invite all the players to a meeting in Kerala, my friend (the manager) reminded me how difficult it is for them to come here, he said.

For the most recent information about colleges and universities, entrance, programs, tests, schools, research, NEP, and other educational policies, follow us. Write to us at  news@formfees.com if you want to get in touch.