Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity

by Sam Miller

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A provocative portrait of one of the world's largest cities, delving behind the tourist facade to illustrate the people and places beyond the realms of the conventional travelogue Sam Miller set out to discover the real Delhi, a city he describes as "India's dreamtown-and its purgatory." He treads the city streets, making his way through the city and its suburbs, visiting its less celebrated destinations-Nehru Place, Rohini, Ghazipur, and Gurgaon-which most writers and travelers ignore. His show more quest is the here and now, the unexpected, the overlooked, and the eccentric. All the obvious ports of call make appearances: the ancient monuments, the imperial buildings, and the celebrities of modern Delhi. But it is through his encounters with Delhi's people-from a professor of astrophysics to a crematorium attendant, from ragpickers to members of a police brass band-that Miller creates this richly entertaining portrait of what Delhi means to its residents, and of what the city is becoming. Miller, like so many of the people he meets, is a migrant in one of the world's fastest growing megapolises, and the Delhi he depicts is one whose future concerns us all. He possesses an intense curiosity; he has an infallible eye for life's diversities, for all the marvelous and sublime moments that illuminate people's lives. This is a generous, original, humorous portrait of a great city; one that unerringly locates the humanity beneath the mundane, the unsung, and the unfamiliar. show less

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forrestreid Two interesting books about Indian cities

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4 reviews
Very entertaining. I started reading it some time before my first trip to India then had to take it back to the library. Finished it after returning and really enjoyed the "visit back". Now I want to go back again. The method of exploring a city - in spiral format, is a really interesting idea and makes me wonder how it would be to do that in my own city on foot, or in a bigger project, by bike.
This is a surprisingly good book. It is not long, and the manner in which the book has been written makes it a pleasure to read. I like the tool of using "intermissions" between chapters, and this makes it refreshing.

There is a lot of good information about Delhi, and about some more stuff as well. I figured that I know Delhi well, and I do, but there were enough surprises that were thrown up from time to time.

Sam evidently does have a feel for Delhi, and a lot of "positive energy" towards the city. This comes through very clearly, and it shows even when he writes about the not so savory parts of the city.

A good read indeed!
A William Dalrympish attempt at Delhification or should I say become a Delhiphile. I am afraid to say he falls far short of expectations, for some reason fixated by the sordid underbelly of the city and magnifying it to unneeded level of detail a la Slumdog Millionaire. What is with these British like the pot trying to call the kettle black. Some of the blighted areas of London like Eastham are no different from the same Delhi neighborhoods he describes in such gory detail.
A William Dalrympish attempt at Delhification or should I say become a Delhiphile. I am afraid to say he falls far short of expectations, for some reason fixated by the sordid underbelly of the city and magnifying it to unneeded level of detail a la Slumdog Millionaire. What is with these British like the pot trying to call the kettle black. Some of the blighted areas of London like Eastham are no different from the same Delhi neighborhoods he describes in such gory detail.

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Published Reviews

ThingScore 75
Hirsh Sawhney, The Guardian
Jul 25, 2009
added by chazzard
Peter Carty, The Independent
Jul 3, 2009
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Author Information

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4 Works 187 Members

Awards and Honors

Common Knowledge

Important places
Delhi, India
First words
Delhi was once, several hundred years ago, the most populous city in the world.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Stung to the quick, I sought shelter in a security guard's hut, and in the invigorating company of a garrulous Japanese businessman, a flirtatious teenage Gurgaon college student, and our smilingly attentive host, we watched the storm pass by.
Blurbers
Dalrymple, William

Classifications

Genres
Travel, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
DDC/MDS
954.56History & geographyHistory of AsiaIndiaNorthwestern IndiaDelhi
LCC
DS486 .D3 .M54History of Europe, Asia, Africa and OceaniaAsiaHistory of AsiaIndia (Bharat)Local history and description
BISAC

Statistics

Members
117
Popularity
275,124
Reviews
4
Rating
(3.79)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
6
ASINs
2