The Alliance Française was created in 1883 in Paris and it is today the leading cultural network worldwide, with 1,040 establishments in 136 countries on all five continents. Each year, 450,000 people, of all ages, attend Alliances Françaises to learn French and more than 6 million people participate in their cultural activities.

There are 17 Alliances Françaises on the Indian subcontinent: 16 are located in India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Karikal, Kolkata, Mahe, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Pune and Trivandrum) and 1 in Nepal. These committees are placed under the auspices of the Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française en Inde et au Népal (DGAF - Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française).

This large network organizes concerts and tours with French and Indian jazz musicians on a regular basis throughout the year, in collaboration with the French Embassy in India and the Institut Francais in Paris.