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The impact of the French colonial policy in French settlements in general and Pondicherry in particular was mostly felt in the spheres of political development, administration, trade and religion. In other fields like agriculture and land settlement, industry, culture and literature the impact was only marginal While the influence of French colonial policy helped the spread of Christianity in the region, there was very little impact in respect of culture and literature as the French colonists did not seems to have had any definite or active policy in these two spheres. The French colonists followed an active policy in respect of the propagation of Christian religion but it cannot be said that they ever followed a bigoted and aggressive policy of forcible mass conversion of natives into Christianity1. As the Census Report of Pondicherry of 1961 says, "except for a few excesses of religious zeal they have invariably respected the manner and civilization of the people who were entrusted to their care". In this respect they differed very much from the Portuguese who persecuted the natives and followed a policy of forcible conversions.