OT: You’ve travelled widely across the world since the age of 17. What makes you travel so much?
Dominique Lapierre: I wanted to travel the world rather than sit in a classroom. So I’d travel every vacation, while studying in Paris. At the age of 17, I set off on a 30,000-mile jaunt across North America spending about $30 dollars on the whole — the book I wrote about it was called A Dollar for a Thousand Miles. The best thing in the world is to get out and travel.


OT: Of all your travels which has been the most interesting?
Dominique Lapierre: My journey across the Soviet Union in 1956 (the subject of my latest book) has been the most interesting. Venturing into the forbidden world of the Soviet Union was a bit like going to the moon. I spent three months and 14 days there.


OT: What about travels in India?
Dominique Lapierre: There are so many places that I love in India — especially in the mountains. I also love wild animals and I’ve been to a few national parks like Kanha in Madhya Pradesh.


OT: Which other parts of India have you travelled to?
Dominique Lapierre: I travel a lot. I’ve been to most parts of the country. The other day, I was on the Palace on Wheels — writing about the experience. However, I’m very worried that many beautiful places are not going to survive for long—for example, the coast of Kerala, which is so beautiful, has been ravaged by rampant construction, most of which is right on the beach. Sewage from all those fancy hotels and houseboats empties straight into the backwaters…


OT: Tell us a little more about your association with Kolkata…
Dominique Lapierre: It’s been a long love story between me, Kolkata and the people of Bengal. There are just so many facets to this city — and more than anything else it’s the people of the city who’ve fascinated me. They smile through every adversity, and even the poorest of the poor finds something to laugh about. I always carry around this bell (pulls out a bell) — it’s what every rickshaw puller in Kolkata carries, it’s their cellphone. This bell was given to me by the hero of The City of Joy. It reminds me of the sights, sounds and smells of the city. I’ve spent a lot of time in Kolkata and have got a number of friends there. I’m also involved in 14 projects which work with slum dwellers in Kolkata and people in rural Bengal.


OT: Any places (or hotels) in India that you’d like to visit?
Dominique Lapierre: I want to visit all 15 properties of the Neemrana chain of hotels. It’s a fantastic initiative and a very good way of preserving our heritage.


OT: Do you like Indian food?
Dominique Lapierre: Oh, I love Indian food — there are just so many spices and flavours. I just wish there was less chilli used — it destroys the delicate flavours and textures. Some of the best meals I’ve had in India have been in the bastis of Kolkata, in the houses of those who barely had enough to feed themselves.


OT: When you travel what it is that you are looking for?
Dominique Lapierre: I just look to report the truth — the colours, noises and smells. And what I report I report with love.

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