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Dave Prager Dave Prager
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Jan 04, 2012 | Closed

What Delhi is to outsiders


Join author Dave Prager in a webchat in the 'IBNLive-HarperCollins authors' lounge' on his book 'Delirious Delhi' which is a full-length portrait from an outsider's perspective that helps expats demystify Delhi - and helps Delhiites demystify expats. You can read an extract from his book here.

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  • Indian Government advertises as "Incredible India". What is your opinion on it as an outsider did you felt India is Incredible? Asked by: Rohit
  • It truly is incredible. India is completely unlike anything that we experience in the US. The sights, the sounds, the smells -- it's impossible to communicate how different the life is from what we're used to. I remember on my very first day in India, I was wandering and GK II in a state of total shock. I'd never heard such noise or seen such traffic. Truly! And yet, a few days later, I came to realize that GK II is actually very quiet and peaceful. That's how different our two countries are. Incredible indeed!
  • What is the most incredible thing you have realised about Delhi? Also, what is the most terrible fact about Delhi that you've come across? Asked by: Anirban
  • One of the most incredible things was the Sunday Book Market in the old city. It was my favorite experience -- not only did you get to wander the old city and discover new sights, but you got to wander the piles of books and discover new treasures. Some of my favorite photos came from this experience: http://ourdelhistruggle.com/2008/12/02/delhis-sunday-book-market/
  • Indian Govt. is promoting the country's tourism with the tag of "Atithi Devo Bhava.." (Guest is like God). Did you and your friends got this kind of treatment/help/support by the public of Delhi? Asked by: Rohit
  • I can say that Indians are the friendliest people on the planet. Almost everywhere we traveled, we felt welcome. If we ever had any questions or concerns, people were always there to help us.
  • If you had 1,000,000 dollars, where do you think it should be invested in in Delhi, from a foreigners point of view. Asked by: Cap.
  • I discuss this in the book: I would invest it all in real estate in Daryaganj. I believe that neighborhood will be the cultural, leisure, and residential center of Delhi in just twenty years.
  • Hi Dave, Did politics or US foreign policy embarrass you in front of your Indian peers? You know we Indians love to go on and on about politics and world affairs... Asked by: Mehmood
  • US politics lead to lively discussions. I think that of all the places we've traveled, India has one of the more pro-US attitudes. People weren't nearly as critical of the US as they were in Europe or Egypt. (They WERE critical, of course; but not AS critical.) I personally love to discuss politics. And it was fun to live in India during the US presidential election of 2008 -- I was always amazed to see how closely the world followed it, and to get perspectives I would not have imagined.
  • For an outsider Delhi is an island of unique cosmopolitan nature. People who get settled in Delhi are reluctant to leave it. They say that life is boring elsewhere including Mumbai. It is like New York! Asked by: padmasethu
  • I personally found Mumbai to be more like New York and Delhi to be more like Los Angeles. Mumbai has NYC-style density, which makes it more walkable and more vibrant. In Delhi, you need to travel from place to place to find the excitement, just like in LA. Delhi and LA are horizontal cities; Mumbai and NYC are vertical cities.
  • Hi Dave, I live in Paris myself and it's never easy to start life somewhere else without the help of locals. How lucky or unlucky were you in that respect? Asked by: Priyanka
  • I was somewhat unlucky. I had expected my company to provide housing and transportation and all the amenities. But the moment I got out of the plane, I discovered I had to arrange for things all on my own. However, that was a blessing-in-disguise, because it meant we could pick a flat that suited our tastes (we preferred to live in South Delhi, even though I worked in Gurgaon). Ultimately we came to know Delhi much deeper simply because we had to fend for ourselves in organizing our household.
  • How did you get used to all spice in the city..? of course talking about food! :) Asked by: Radha
  • Eat lots of raita, drink lots of beer :)
  • Hi Dave, Am from the south. Is Delhi not similar to Mumbai. you can live and visit delhi proportinate to the money you have in your pocket ? Yes or no ? Your thoughts pls. Asked by: Ashok
  • I think this is true. Jenny and I lived relatively modestly compared to many foreigners (although it was lavish compared to many Indians, certainly). We did not have a full time maid, we did not have a driver, we relied on autorickhaws to get around. However, for a foreigner, the big expense comes from traveling home. We tried to save money and live thrifty, but we spent a fortune returning to the States for weddings and holidays. Even though we returned only 2-3 times a year, that gets very expensive and eats up all the savings.
  • Today Delhi has become 'The Rape Capital of India'. Do you agree? Asked by: Rohit
  • See my answer below in regards to eve-teasing. I agree that there is a very serious problem. But I also think the media has taken a serious problem and sensationalized it. Every time there is an incident, it gets disproportionate coverage in the media, which leads to disproportionate fears. Again, I agree there is a problem -- but I don't think it's as bad as they make it out to be.
  • Isn´t it funny to be respected by "high-class" Indians but cheated or trying to be cheated by Autorickshaw drivers? How was your experience as a foreigner , fitting into the Indian society? Asked by: Cap.
  • We were rarely cheated by auto drivers or anyone else. We did find that auto drivers or vegetablewallahs would assume that we were ignorant of what the prices should be, and try to push their advantage. (Can you blame them?) However, once we knew the going rate of a ride from Hauz Khas Market to Defense Colony, for example, we would generally get fair deals. If an auto driver refused to give us the fair right, we'd just find another driver -- same as anyone else. In other words, we weren't cheated so much as we were taken advantage of because of our ignorance. There's a difference.
  • Delhi is referred as most unsafe city for women. What is your opinion on this? Asked by: Rohit
  • I talk about this in Delirious Delhi. Here's a quote that sums up my thoughts: "{Eve teasing} is a real and serious problem. But it was also highly sensationalized by the newspapers. Just like the US media suffers from something called Missing White Girl Syndrome (a term used to criticize the disproportionate coverage of tragedies that befall young, attractive white women as compared to similar cases impacting men or women of other races or attractiveness), so too did Delhi’s media spring into action when eve-teasing hit the news. The papers would present a barrage of exposés and editorials about the safety of women in the city, the inefficiency of the police force, and the fact that everyone’s daughter might be next. It’s commendable that Delhi’s newspapers would take moral positions on women’s safety, but the tone and breadth of the crime coverage -- not just eve-teasing, but all crime in general -- probably inflated Delhi’s reputation for crime beyond what the facts would warrant."
  • Many expats tend to huddle among themselves, kind of insulated from everything Indian. What was your experience like? Are the Indian friends you made good enough to last the strains of long distances? Asked by: Ravik
  • At first, I didn't think I would make any expat friends. After all, why would I move all the way to India just to meet more Americans? So I made many Indian friends, from work and from groups like "Eating Out in Delhi." BUT Jenny and I soon realized that we still needed expat friends, because we needed to talk about our Delhi experiences with people who understood what it was like to live there as a foreigner. Eventually we ended up having expat friends AND Indian friends, and we remain close with both. Of course, Facebook makes it very easy to stay in touch.
  • Sir, I do not know whether you would agree with me that Delhi, though our capital, is number one in crime rate, lawlessness and most unsafe city to stay. Asked by: Sham Vadalkar
  • I've talked about this at great length in my book and also on my blog. I believe that Delhi is much SAFER than the media leads you to believe. I compared the crime statistics of New York and New Delhi. If you put the numbers side-by-side, you'll see that NYC has much more crime than New Delhi -- and NYC is considered the safest big city in the US. You can read my analysis here: http://ourdelhistruggle.com/2009/12/09/is-delhi-actually-that-dangerous/ The big question is this: are Delhi's crime statistics reliable? I doubt they are, but I still think there is less crime than in NYC. I felt very safe in Delhi at almost all times.
  • Coming from a foreign country sir, and writing a book about Delhi. Do you expect you're book to have a good response in terms of sales? Asked by: Shikhar Kapoor
  • I sure hope so! But one of the realities of being a writer is that you very rarely make a living by selling books. You have to work very hard and get very lucky. For instance, I am doing this chat right now from my home in the US, where it is exactly 3:44 AM. A writer will get up in the middle of the night in the hopes of connecting with just a few more readers!
  • your best and worst experience in the city? Asked by: Rakesh
  • I talk about this a lot in my book. I had many great experiences and only a few bad ones. From a touristic point of view, one of the worst experiences was climbing the minar at Jama Masjid: as we climbed up, all these teenage boys started climbing down trying to grope Jenny as they did so. As for the best, where do I begin? I wrote a whole book about the wonderful experiences I had in Delhi. I can tell you this: I think my best memories came from simply wandering around the Old City -- every step I took revealed new and fascinating wonders. When I was back in Dehli for my book release tour last month, the first thing I did was head to the Old City to eat breakfast and wander around.
  • Hello Dave, I have visited Delhi often, but i would like to ask you as a foreign national how do you rate Delhi as one of India's most developed cities? Specially interms of Lifestyle, Cost of living, Security, Cleanliness? Asked by: Royston Coutinho
  • It's hard for me to say with certainty, as I've only lived in Delhi. However, I believe that a foreigner can live in Delhi in whatever manner they choose. Jenny and I chose to live *relatively* modestly, for instance: we lived in Hauz Khas Market area, we did not own a car or a driver, we took taxis and autorickshaws to work. Some expat friends chose to stay in Shanti Niketan or Chanakyapuri and live much more lavishly; others chose to stay in cheap flats above general stores and live the life of a penny-pinching student. And others still stayed in Paharganj in 100-rupee-a-night hostels. From an expat standpoint, Delhi is whatever you want it to be.
  • A lot of Indians find the show of wealth culture in Delhi to be utterly repulsive. What's your take on it? Asked by: Rahul Banerjee
  • I'm fairly repulsed by ostentatious displays of wealth in any city. I personally can't understand why a person would, for instance, buy a $200,000 car when a $75,000 car is more than fancy enough. Of course, if I had $200,000 to spend on cars, I might sing a different tune.
  • Is Delhi a cosmopolitan city in the true sense of the word? Isn't Bombay a lot more cosmopolitan? Asked by: Vivek
  • I think you're right. Bombay is more of a 24-hour city. It's more vibrant. There's no denying it. Delhi's sprawl prevents it from achieving the critical mass of density and excitement that cities like Bombay or NYC have. But I think that will change as the center of Delhi develops. I have a vision of the Old City as the cultural and residential nexus of the city, like in Barcelona. It will happen within a few decades, I believe.
  • Why does foreign media always try to show India in poor light. I’ve seen numerous times when india’s slums , messy roads and gutter were shown where they’ve conveniently neglected to show urban centers , metro cities and growing India. Is this a deliberate attempt by certain sections of western media?? Asked by: santosh
  • I think there are two reasons. First, it's because stereotypes perpetuate stereotypes. The media shows the slums in India because viewers have come to expect visions of the slums of India. They just give the people what they expect to see. But second, and probably more important, it's because people turn to the media to see things that are new or unique to THEM. To Westerners, urban centers and metro cities are not interesting, because we see those every day. But we rarely see slums or "old cities", which is why we're fascinated by looking at them.

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