Delhi(PTI) Expats often face challenges
in Delhi but for US-based adman Dave Prager, the joy of living here far
outweighed these challenges so much so that he tries to demystify the city by
chronicling how he and his wife experienced: isolated, overwhelmed, and loving
every minute of their nearly two-year-long stay.
"Every expat has different
challenges. Some expats have a lot of trouble adjusting to having maids at home
and peons in the office. Others have trouble with the pollution, or the heat.
For me, my biggest challenge was the traffic, because I commuted from Delhi to
Gurgaon every day. But for us, the joys of living in Delhi far outweighed the
challenges," he says.
Dave was a copywriter working at a
Madison Avenue advertising agency until fate offered him the opportunity to
spend a year-and-a-half working at the agency`s office in Gurgaon. He and his
wife Jenny Steeves leaped to spend the next 18 months "immersed in the
cuisine of their dreams".
And then ‘Delirious Delhi’ was born, a
392 pages book offering hilarious anecdotes, astute observations, and attempted
comprehension about what the couple encountered, ate, and stared at while stuck
in traffic in Delhi.
"Delhi`s only going to get more
influential in the world economy. That`s one reason I wrote the book: as more
foreigners come to visit it, whether for business or for pleasure, it`s
increasingly important to know what makes the city tick," Dave told
reporters.
He feels most books about India written
by Westerners document an obligatory personal journey.
"At first they hate India, but then
they learn to love it. At first they`re overwhelmed by the chaos, but then the
soul of the people shines through. At first they`re horrified by the poverty,
but then they find spirituality in every speck of dirt.
"Many people have talked about
Delhi`s problems. I like to focus on the positive side of things: the fact that
Delhi, in the face of all its challenges, is still essentially peaceful and
prosperous. If you look at history, you find that all of the world`s big cities
had periods of great problems -- including New York, London, and Singapore.
They`ve all
overcome those problems, and I know that
Delhi will, too."
According to Prager, every traveller
should know three Hindi words ? `chalo`, `theek hai` and `bhaiya`.
The couple’s trajectory in Delhi was
different.
"We loved it instantly and
intensively, every bit of it, as frightening and overwhelming and
incomprehensible as it was."
"But the adventure we seek is not
mountain climbing or jungle
safari -- It`s things like riding in an
autorickshaw or shopping in a spice market. In other words, we fly 20 hours and
pay thousands of dollars to do what everyday Indians would consider chores.
That`s just the expat mindset."
Ask about incidents which he and his
wife can never forget and he quips, "I can recall 392 pages worth of them.
That`s why I wrote the book! But when I think back, I remember our Holi
celebration and our walks through the Old City. Most of all, though, I think
about all the great food we ate. More than anything, our memories of Delhi
revolve around food."
And his take on Delhi`s food and
hygiene, "You can`t judge a book by its cover, and you can`t judge a
restaurant by its tablecloth. In Delhi, every reward has an equal and opposite
challenge necessary to redeem it: which means that sometimes the best food can
be found in the not-so-best places."
Organised into 12 thematic chapters
(like worklife, transportation, and food), "Delirious Delhi",
published by HarperCollins, is perfect for expats and locals alike: it helps
newcomers orient themselves to this intense and amazing city, and it lets
veterans see it through eyes that have never seen anything like it before.
