Sam Miller is an author and a journalist. Born in London, Miller worked as BBC's New Delhi correspondent in the early nineties. He has authored several books and has since served as the presenter and editor of the broadcaster's current affairs programme South Asia Report, the head of the Urdu service, and the Managing Editor, South Asia.
On the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Miller tells CNBC-TV18 about his early days in India, the changes he has observed in the capital city and more.
Your book Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity came out in 2009. It's been one-and-a-half decades, what are the positive and negative changes you have observed over the years?
Well, Delhi in some ways has changed a lot. It's much more polluted, it sadly is a less tolerant place than it was. It has also grown massively. I travelled in the Delhi Metro, which had a very few stations. Now it's a huge network. bigger than most capital cities around the world. It's an enormous city, it is growing in population massively. But it's still very recognisable. In the ancient buildings across the city, which are now sadly disappearing. Just heard news this week that a shrine in Mehrauli has been broken down and I'm sad to see that happen. It's not the first time though. I described in Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity a very similar incident that occurred at the time of the Commonwealth Games.
How according to you, a literary fest like JLF that provides a chance to interact with readers, benefits a journalist and a writer and vice versa?
I love coming here. It's an incredibly lively occasion. I feel exposed to all kinds of different views. It's important for me not just to hang out in the author's lounge but to talk to people and find out what's happening. And everyone's very approachable. People come up to me and want to chat. I've done some sessions that I've enjoyed, but it's the atmosphere that I come for first and foremost and I love it.
If you have to do so briefly, how would you describe the experience of a London-born person living in India?
I always say to newcomers who are coming to India, to think of it as a continent rather than a country, because it has got a variety that you would normally expect from a continent. I have never felt bored, in all the years I've been here. I've been frustrated or happy or angry but never bored. It's an extraordinary place with just everything that might interest anyone. And, when I returned to London, it all seemed rather smaller.
Any anecdote you would recall and would like to share from your early days in India?
I was by then the boyfriend of an Indian woman. I came to Mumbai to meet my future mother-in-law. She was keen to get me travelling. She sent me to Ellora and it was a wonderful choice because in those days it wasn't very touristy. But it is for me one of the great sites anywhere in the world. You can go on about the Taj Mahal, you can go on about the pink city, but actually, it was Ellora, the first place I saw when I came to India, and it was remarkable.
As a journalist, what is the one piece of advice you would like to give to new and aspiring journalists?
Ask questions all the time and ask obvious questions. People are too nervous to answer the very basic questions. They are always trying to ask very complex, clever ones. You ask the simple, straightforward questions. And the other thing I always argue and that was the biggest inspiration behind my Delhi book — on every street there are stories. You just have to ask.
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