Since knowledge of the language is instrumental in understanding French culture, the Alliance Française's primary focus is to teach French. But if it is a school for learning French, it also functions as a cultural center and social forum.

The Alliance françaises de Pondichéry organises, with the support of the Délégation Française de l'Alliance Française de Paris en Inde, the Embassy of France in New Delhi and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prestigious cultural events which attract the best in the world of music, dance, theatre, science, etc. These events are open to its members as well as to the public. The friendship between France and India has led to many official cultural exchanges.

The cultural events attract people from all parts of the French and Indian communities. The events - art exhibits, lectures, music, dance, theatre and film festivals - serve as a vehicle for cultural dialogue. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the instrument by which the best artists and performers are able to tour the different Alliances Françaises. While each one functions independently, the programs are held in collaboration with the Embassy of France and the Délégation Française de l'Alliance Française de Paris in Delhi. Indeed, the tradition of reciprocal contact between French and foreign cultures has always been very strong. The Mona Lisa is the best known of the art works in the Louvre. Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece symbolizes the debt French culture has always owed to foreign artists and influences.