Latest news with #Loison
Indian Express
03-08-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Watched movies, read books to learn more about adoption as teen, says Alliance Française's Indian-origin director
As her car halts at Delhi's traffic signals, an oft-repeated encounter always leaves an ache in Patricia Loison's heart. 'Looking at the children selling things at these traffic signals, I often think, 'This could have been me'. So I lock my heart up and pretend that I did not see anything,' she says. Fifty-four years after she left India in July 1971 — she was adopted from a Delhi orphanage by Paris residents Gisèle and Christian Loison when she was just six months old — Loison returned to the national Capital in September last year as the first Indian-origin director of Alliance Française, the French language school. Loison, who is currently working on her third book, which is based on the street children of Delhi, says, 'I never had the chance to work in Delhi earlier. I was not ready then. But now, in my 50s, I feel ready.' Stating that she finds her role at Alliance Française fitting — 'a perfect blend of Indian origin and French identity' — says she hopes to set up a media literacy institute in France upon her return after her three-year tenure at the institute in New Delhi. Having spent her childhood in a Parisian suburb with her adoptive parents and her brother Franck, who was adopted from Lebanon, Loison is a former journalist who has authored two French books, a biographical novel, titled Je cherche encore ton nom (I'm still looking for your name), and a book on her years in Japan, titled Ceinture de soie (Silk belt). Loison, who hopes to trace her birth family some day, said she first discovered that she was adopted when she was 13 years old. 'I was so loved that I never felt the need to look for my biological family. Though we did not have the same skin colour, it took me really long to understand that though my adoptive parents were my parents, they were not the reason why I was on this Earth. Besides strangers, despite my skin colour, my peers never treated me differently,' she says, sitting in her third-floor office inside Alliance Française on Delhi's Max Muller Marg. Soon, a teenage Loison started educating herself about adoption 'by watching movies and reading books'. In 1996, she said she met her husband Gregory Claude Jamet in a night club. 'He invited me to dance with him and asked me out on a date the next day. We hung out in Saint-Malo (a port city near Paris), a very romantic place. Soon, we started dating and eventually got married in 1999,' she says. Though Loison was never at odds with her adoptive status, she said everything changed when she gave birth to her first child, her daughter Luna. 'I finally understood what it means to be a mother and the bond a child shares with their biological parents. My mental state shifted. All I felt for my adoptive mother was rejection,' she says. Confessing that she was 'very harsh' towards her adoptive mother after Luna's birth, Loison says, 'I did not recognise myself… For me, the fairy tales (of a good adoptive family) blew up soon after I gave birth. It is okay when you have a normal family tree. However, when one branch is missing, it reminds you of what is missing — your biological mother.' Though she said she spoke to her adoptive mother about it later, her question — 'Who are my parents?' — always remained unanswered. When her own daughters, Luna and Violette, asked questions about their maternal lineage, Loison said she has never had any answers. 'There was no Angelina Jolie path for me in the 1970s,' she says, referring to the American actor, who famously took her adopted children back to their native countries, taught them their mother tongue and exposed them to their culture. Talking about her adoptive parents, Loison says, 'Initially, my father was a pastry chef. He did many jobs before starting his own company that provided building supplies. My mother worked as an accountant in his company itself. My adoptive family did not have the means to fly me to Delhi and back, or help me stay connected to my roots.' Pointing to a file containing her adoption papers that she takes with her everywhere, Loison says, 'Thankfully, my mother kept all my adoption records and stayed in touch with the orphanage.' Stating that 'being abandoned is very painful', she adds, 'Adoption is a blessing. I was left here (in Delhi) at an orphanage, the lowest strata of society. It might not mean anything personally, but socially it does.' In 2016, during a sabbatical from journalism, Loison moved to Japan with her husband and two daughters. In Japan, she said she started writing about her own life and came out with her debut novel. Invited to New Delhi for 'Bonjour India', a literary festival organised by the French Embassy in the national Capital in 2022, Loison finally stepped foot in New Delhi in September last year as the director of Alliance Française. To a question on whether she feels ambivalent about Indian culture, she replies, 'I am totally French. That is both the most wonderful and the terrible thing about adoption. Being abandoned as a baby, I have no connection with my original culture. I reached France when I was six months old. It's like a sapling being uprooted from its first spot. You are lucky to grow in another place, but you cannot expect to be replanted at your original spot.'
The Star
31-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Sailing-Builder and skipper power Leon to Fastnet triumph in centenary race
(Reuters) -Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert were on Thursday crowned overall winners of the centennial Rolex Fastnet Race aboard JPK 1050 Leon, with boat builder Kelbert helping steer his creation to success in the 100th year of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's offshore classic. The French double-handed duo secured the Fastnet Challenge Cup after beating a record field of 444 boats ranging from 30ft (9.14 metre) keelboats to giant 105ft (32m) Ultim foiling trimarans on the 695 nautical mile course. "We had a very good boat," said Loison. "I was racing with Jean-Pierre, the builder of the JPK boats, which are now very well-known on the international offshore racing scene, and we had a great time. We really fought hard." Loison's victory makes him one of the rare sailors to win the Rolex Fastnet Race twice. He first claimed the prize in 2013 alongside his father Pascal, when they became the first double-handed crew to beat all fully-crewed boats to offshore racing's biggest prize. "It's really the same feeling as 12 years ago. An unexpected victory, but with just as much joy. Arriving in my home city, Cherbourg, the city of my heart," Loison said. French double-handed teams swept the podium, with Lann Ael 3 second and Amarris third. Loison noted the common thread, saying: "It's no coincidence that there are Figaro sailors on board each of the top three ... All of us have been through the best offshore racing school in the world, the Figaro." Often called the 'Tour de France of sailing,' the Figaro circuit is France's premier offshore racing school and a renowned proving ground for elite sailors. Its signature event, the Solitaire du Figaro, is a gruelling solo multi-stage race sailed in identical 32ft(9.75m) boats, demanding precision navigation, stamina, and tactical brilliance. Many of the world's top offshore racers — including Vendee Globe winners and Fastnet champions — cut their teeth in the Figaro. Kelbert, whose JPK boats have dominated offshore competition for over a decade, praised their 34ft(10.36m) vessel's performance, saying: "Its reaching performance is just amazing because with this powerful hull you can sail higher angles with the big kite even in 25 knots of wind. It's so fast, it's like a rocket." Loison has already confirmed his return for 2027, the 40-year-old declaring the Rolex Fastnet Race is in his blood. (Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Builder and skipper power Leon to Fastnet triumph in centenary race
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert were on Thursday crowned overall winners of the centennial Rolex Fastnet Race aboard JPK 1050 Leon, with boat builder Kelbert helping steer his creation to success in the 100th year of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's offshore classic. The French double-handed duo secured the Fastnet Challenge Cup after beating a record field of 444 boats ranging from 30ft (9.14 metre) keelboats to giant 105ft (32m) Ultim foiling trimarans on the 695 nautical mile course. "We had a very good boat," said Loison. "I was racing with Jean-Pierre, the builder of the JPK boats, which are now very well-known on the international offshore racing scene, and we had a great time. We really fought hard." Loison's victory makes him one of the rare sailors to win the Rolex Fastnet Race twice. He first claimed the prize in 2013 alongside his father Pascal, when they became the first double-handed crew to beat all fully-crewed boats to offshore racing's biggest prize. "It's really the same feeling as 12 years ago. An unexpected victory, but with just as much joy. Arriving in my home city, Cherbourg, the city of my heart," Loison said. French double-handed teams swept the podium, with Lann Ael 3 second and Amarris third. Loison noted the common thread, saying: "It's no coincidence that there are Figaro sailors on board each of the top three ... All of us have been through the best offshore racing school in the world, the Figaro." Often called the 'Tour de France of sailing,' the Figaro circuit is France's premier offshore racing school and a renowned proving ground for elite sailors. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights Singapore 5 foreign women suspected of trafficking 27kg of cocaine nabbed in Changi Airport Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore Fallen tree branch damages two Yishun flats, showering one home owner in shattered glass Singapore Man accused of raping woman who hired him to fix lights in her flat claims she made first move Singapore Jail for ex-employee of agency under MOH who corruptly obtained $18k trip from 2 men Singapore ICJ's climate ruling may spur scrutiny of S'pore carbon tax, firms' climate action plans Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' Its signature event, the Solitaire du Figaro, is a gruelling solo multi-stage race sailed in identical 32ft (9.75m) boats, demanding precision navigation, stamina, and tactical brilliance. Many of the world's top offshore racers — including Vendee Globe winners and Fastnet champions — cut their teeth in the Figaro. Kelbert, whose JPK boats have dominated offshore competition for over a decade, praised their 34ft (10.36m) vessel's performance, saying: "Its reaching performance is just amazing because with this powerful hull you can sail higher angles with the big kite even in 25 knots of wind. It's so fast, it's like a rocket." Loison has already confirmed his return for 2027, the 40-year-old declaring the Rolex Fastnet Race is in his blood. REUTERS
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Alstom bags €135 million contract for Chennai Metro Phase II, ET Infra
Trainsets and maintenance scope Advt By , ETInfra Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. French transport company Alstom has secured a contract worth €135 million (approximately ₹1,321 crore) from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for Phase II of the city's metro project. PTI has reported that the deal includes the design, manufacture, supply, testing, and commissioning of 96 Metropolis metro cars Under the contract, Alstom will supply 32 three-car trainsets. The company will also provide 15 years of maintenance services after the warranty period. This will include cleaning, obsolescence management, and upkeep of plant and machinery at the metro trains will be manufactured at Alstom's facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, aligning with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. Each trainset can carry around 900 passengers and is designed for multiple unit operations. They will include evacuation features for train-to-train and train-to-track 119-km Phase II network will have three corridors, covering more than 76 km of elevated track and 43 km Loison, Managing Director, Alstom India, said, 'This new contract strengthens our association with CMRL in helping modernise Chennai's urban rail mobility landscape.'Alstom is currently producing 108 driverless Metropolis cars for another section of Phase II, connecting Poonamallee Bypass to Light House through 30 stations — 18 elevated and 12 its first contract with CMRL in 2010, Alstom has delivered 208 metro cars for Phase I of the project.
New Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Patricia's choice: the first Indian-origin director of Alliance Francaise Delhi on her two mothers & adoption story
Facing it Loison tells this story with the openness of someone who has told the story before. Writing the book also made her look at her biological mother's decision closely, obsessively, repeatedly. It was also the chance to tell her story, her way. 'It is said if a chick is made to leave the mother, some die and some survive. So, it is with a human child. Whether you blend or cling, it's a decision you make. You make your new family yours. Whichever family or the mother you came from, whatever happened before, you can't have that. You can't have both….' When she was in her 30s, Gisèle gave her her case file. 'I am told she breastfed me,' Loison says softly. Each detail has added to her mental picture of how she wants to imagine her biological mother right up to the moment of separation — from her skin, hands, and bosom to another's. These feelings she also confronted when she gave birth. 'When you give birth, you put yourself in a lineage of women but when I was giving birth my biological mom wasn't there….' The book was Loison's way to give her corporeal form, make her seem alive, and around. This is perhaps not a story she wants to close; when she was part of the Press contingent covering French president Nicolas Sarkozy's official trip to India in 2010 for LCI, the news channel of TF1 France's first private TV channel and the biggest in Europe, she went to Shishu Bhavan to try to get a lead that she could follow up about her mother but to no avail.
