Dominique Lapierre, better known to Indians for his earlier books, The City of Joy and It was Five Minutes Past Midnight in Bhopal, digs out a road trip from his past. Once a journalist for French newspaper Paris Match, he and photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini went on a 13,000-km trip through the Soviet Union in 1956, soon after Nikita Khruschev had taken over in USSR. A trip that seemed as likely as trekking to the moon when first proposed, it came about when the First Secretary himself astounded the world by inviting the two reporters, with their wives, to travel through European parts of the country.

Lapierre describes the three-month journey in Once Upon a Time in the Soviet Union rather concisely. The reporters profile five ?random? people ? a railway worker, a sales attendant, a factory worker, a surgeon and a peasant, but easily the most interesting character is Slava, a Russian journalist designated to accompany the Frenchmen in this historic journey.

For historic it was ? the first time foreigners were allowed to travel outside designated areas, live outside hotels, interact with the people off the streets, and carry back a pictures of the USSR ? warts and all. Though apparently the Soviet Union had intended as an exhibition of its glory, according to the author. The photographs are telling, whether of huge statues, of people milling around the visitors, or even of signboards.

Lapierre freely expresses his views of the lack of freedom and what he sees as the pathetic condition of the people. It also brings many instances of how the people desperately wanted a feel of the world outside, though he notes how many were satisfied and had starry visions of the new world the Soviet system promised to usher in. He notes ?the lack of any spirit of criticism? and the brainwashing that led people like Slava to believe the ?Soviet Union would last for a thousand years?.

The book is in typical Lapierre style ? fast-paced and dramatic. And it is invaluable for its recording of vignettes from a time the Iron Curtain was firmly in place, of interest both to the lay reader and for those ferreting for elusive information about life in Stalin and Khruschev?s regimes.

Dominique Lapierre?s book, translated from French, offers slices of life ? sometimes Chekovian, at other times veering towards the Soviet propagandist novels. His journey more than half a century ago was in a different era ? ?the country and regime no longer exist? he says.

Why did you write this book so long after your journey?

The book is today history, back then it would have been journalism. I did write an extensive report, on the basis of which Slava, the journalist assigned to accompany us, was exiled to Siberia. It is about a world that is fossilised in history, but back then it was an enigma.

What were the biggest challenges ?

Getting permission for the trip itself was a huge challenge. But once we started, many others followed. Perhaps the biggest was that there was no petrol. There were hardly any private cars or tourists in USSR at the time, and our car had to make do with very low-grade petrol almost all the way through. The roads were terribly potholed, often there was wheat drying on them, which we had to avoid by swerving in the fields. At many places there were no bridges, and our car was forced to become amphibious! We were almost arrested for spying once. Then there was the sense of antiseptic throughout the communist world, which we however got used to!

Your most abiding memories of the three-month trip?

Many. There was this woman who wanted to deflate the tyres of our Simca Marly so that she could breathe the Paris air. Even when the people knew no French, they lovingly hugged copies of the Match. Most met us with wonder ? almost as if we were from another planet. What we realised is that people, despite considerable barriers, could emotionally connect.

How is your humanitaran work in the Sundarbans going?

Very well. For the 10 lakh people in 54 islands in the Sundarbans we need about $5 million annually, and are falling about a million short. However I strictly monitor all the money coming in, making sure it reaches the priority areas. We have four ferries that serve as mini hospitals ? we need at least three more. I would like to attract more Indians to donate more. I am planning my next book on the Sundarbans. I want India to shine for all.