Before 1914, the world belonged to everybody. Everyone went where they wanted to and stayed as long as they pleased. There were no visa, and I am still amazed by the awe of young people, when I tell them that before 1914, I travelled from India to America without owning or ever having seen a passport. (…)

Everywhere countries defended themselves against the foreigner. All the degradations which once were created for dealing with criminals, were now used for normal travellers before and during their trip. You had to let yourself be photographed, from the right and from the left, in profile and en face, the hair cut so short so that your face could be seen; you had to give fingerprints, first only the thumb, then all ten fingers; you had to present credentials, references, helth certificates, invitations and the addresses of your relatives; you had to bring moral and financial guarantees; you had to fill in forms and sign them in three or four copies; and if only one sheet of all this paperwork was missing you were lost. (…)

If I count how much time I spent filling in forms, the hours spent waiting in administration offices and being searched and questioned, then only I feel how much human dignity has been lost in this century, which as young people we dreamed of as one of freedom and world citizenship.