Dominique Lapierre passed away this December leaving behind a long line of work that speaks of friendship, adventure, humanity, passion and history.
Born in France, he travelled to the US with his diplomat father at the age of thirteen. There, the young Lapierre enrolled in New Orleans while developing a deep and lasting interest in travelling, writing and cars.
When I read the 'about' section of the author, his profile got painted in vibrant colours. Enthusiastic from childhood, he actively distributed newspapers as a paper boy. He renovated the car got from his mom and hitchhiked across the US during the summer holidays. To fund his trip, he painted mailboxes, cleaned dishes and worked his way with several small-time jobs. His adventure starting with just thirty dollars fuelled his wheels of passion for covering twenty-thousand miles while firing his pen to share the snippet of his exclusive thrill with the Chicago Tribune for hundred dollars. This also led to his first book 'A Dollar for a Thousand Kilometers'.
A Fulbright scholar in Economics, he graduated from Penn in 1952. Just when he received the degree, he bought a Chrysler, fell in love and got married at 21. He drove to Mexico for his honeymoon with just three hundred dollars in his pocket. Their honeymoon had various stops, making him sell his Chrysler for tickets to Japan. This adventure too led to his second book 'Honeymoon Around the Earth'.
On Lapierre's return to France, he got listed in the army. During his stay in the army, he met Larry Collins, a young American corporal. No sooner than they met, they became fond of each other. After completing their years in the army, they met on several writing assignments for their respective companies. Later, instead of competing for stories, they decided to join hands for bigger stories catering to both the French and Anglophones.
The first collaboration, 'Is Paris Burning?' became a bestseller selling over 10 million copies in 30 languages. This work, first in the list, among the many, served as the best example of mixing investigative journalism with historical research.
The second spin-off of their collaboration came to the 'City of Joy'. When Lapierre's demise hit the news, a reverberation of flashbacks was felt across India. It wasn't just the author's demise, but it was India's piece of heart that stopped beating.
What Lapierre means to India, especially Kolkata? The writer tells the tale of the slums and their dwellers. Dark and deplorable are balanced with light and beautiful. It talks of power and its misuse; the missionaries and the will to create miracles amidst squalor and poverty.
Post-publication, Lapierre supported many humanitarian causes catering to the need of refugees and destitute children. He established rehabilitation centres including Asha Bhavan to improve the life of slum dwellers. Inspired by real-life slums in Pilkhana, Howrah, Lapierre also spread his humanitarian cause in other districts of West Bengal.
Lapierre and Colins' investigative journalism and historical research also lead to the publication of major works like; Freedom at Midnight and Five Past Midnight in Bhopal. The momentous, as well as the lowest points in Indian history, have been chronicled by the duo while being faithful to Indianness.
Lapierre received the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award in 2008.