Delhi : Adventures in a Megacity

Contents: Prologue. 1. In which the author is dazzled by the Metro, finds a cure for haemorrhoids and turns the tables on an unscrupulous shoeshine man. An early intermission. 2. In which the Author explores the mysteries of the sodomitic gerund, monastic nudity and geocaching. A second intermission. 3. In which the Author is spat at, flirted with an eventually beheaded. A third intermission. 4. In which the Author encounters a digital mahatma, unravels the mystery of Stella of Mudge and engages in solvent abuse. A fourth intermission. 5. In which the Author discovers a celluloid wardrobe, is described as a wanker and meets some bestial shoe-cleaners. A fifth intermission. 6. In which the Author expectorates a carrot, meet an asthmatic goat and identifies a nappy thief. A sixth intermission. 7. In which the Author rediscovers Tintin, prepares for the Olympics and locates the Hand of God. A seventh intermission. 8. In which the Author is accused of queue jumping, delivers a discourse on Mozart and considers the best way of disposing of dead body. An eighth intermission. 9. In which the Author visits Ludlow castle, learns the meaning of choledocholithotomy and almost buys a packet of condoms. A ninth intermission. 10. In which the Author tries to break into jail, falls into a manhole and encounters several tiny terrorists. A tenth intermission. 11. In which the Author is phlebotomized, meets a human yo-yo and avoids the cannibals of Noida. An eleventh intermission. 12. In which the Author climbs a malodorous mountain, reflects on poverty and hope and falls at the feet of King George V. A twelfth intermission: 13. In which the Author is chased by killer pigs, meets the 'Magnet Man' of West Delhi and has doleful wander through the Millennium City. Index.

"This is an extraordinary portrait of one of the world's largest cities. Sam Miller sets out to discover the real Delhi, a city he describes as being 'India's dreamtown--and its purgatory'. He treads the city streets, making his way through Delhi and its suburbs, visiting its less celebrated destinations--Nehru Place, Pitampura, Rohini and Gurgaon--that most writers ignore. Miller's quest is the here and now, the unexpected, the ignored and the eccentric. All the obvious ports of call--the ancient monuments, the imperial buildings and the celebrities of modern Delhi--make only passing appearances. Through his encounters with Delhi's people--from a professor of astrophysics to a crematorium attendant, from ragpickers to members of the Police Brass Band--Miller creates a richly entertaining portrait of what Delhi means to its residents, and of what the city is becoming. Miller is, like so many of the people he meets, a migrant in one of the world's fastest-growing megapolises and the Delhi he depicts is one who future concerns us all.

Miller possesses an intense curiosity; he has an infallible eye for life's diversities, for all the marvellous and sublime moments that illuminate people's lives. This is a generous, original, humorous portrait of a great city; one which unerringly locates the humanity beneath the mundane, the unsung and the unfamiliar." (jacket)