Seventy years after France quit once hard-fought for territories seized from India, the dwindling influence of Paris on the bustling streets of Puducherry is still reflected in language, architecture and cuisine. As President Emmanuel Macron heads to New Delhi to celebrate Republic Day on Friday -- marking the day independent India's constitution came into force -- Francophiles in Puducherry say the impact of France's colonial rule was better than British brutality elsewhere in the country. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES