I was born in Paris in 1950. I had a strict upper-class Catholic education but I never really fitted in the system and revolted against it quite early.

More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.

I have no intention of going back to France, except for yearly visits to meet my family.

Being married to a daughter of India is a natural complement of my being in this country for 30 years. My roots are very much in this country, even though I remain a Westerner.

I started writing and photographing for different publications and finally ended up being the correspondent in South Asia, for the Geneva-based Journal de Geneve, which at one time used to be one of the best international newspapers in Europe.

Many live in the ivory tower called reality; they never venture on the open sea of thought.

The West remains obsessed by the caste system.