Francophone North Africa (where his father was a visiting Specialist & Co-Ordinator in a Central Hydrocarbon Research Facility) & the Mediterranean world led him later to pursue most of his formal studies in French : a Diplôme (with a special award) from the Calcutta Alliance, Master’s from CIEFL/EFLU, Hyderabad and M.Phil. & Ph.D on Camus & Beaumarchais respectively from JNU, New Delhi. He has varied interests in literature of several genres, periods and languages (classical, modern European, commonwealth, Bengali etc.) as well as in languages, linguistics & theatre arts
