What do you think?
Rate this book
Delhi OMG!
Delhi OMG! traces the journey of Dinesh, a middle-class offspring as he meanders through life and the city of Dilli in his struggle for survival.
The journey takes him through the many signature spots in the city, exposing the underbelly and presenting a side which is rarely seen. The loss of innocence riddled with myriad splashes of contrasting, funny and often contradictory shades, this tale attempts to expose the superficiality that lies beneath, in a way that is shocking, real, hard-hitting and humorous.
Consumed as Delhiites are in their world of make-believe and maximising their returns, with each one trying to be what they are not, Dinesh discovers that the city allows one to revel in their belief of having actually succeeded.
But have they, really?
Welcome to Delhi … as we think we know it!
Vinod Nair was born in 1967 in New Delhi and graduated in B.Com from Delhi University. He went on to complete his study in International Management from the Chartered Management Institute (UK). Having worked for over two decades which has seen him travel to most places around the world, he is now heading the Human Resources function in a US multinational company based out of Gurgaon. Delhi OMG! is borne out of his experiences, incidents, and events that helped him appreciate and depreciate the essence of survival in the city worth dying for. Vinod stays in DLF (Gurgaon) with his wife and seven-year-old daughter Carissa. This is his first book on the intriguing yet fascinating city of Delhi.
The journey takes him through the many signature spots in the city, exposing the underbelly and presenting a side which is rarely seen. The loss of innocence riddled with myriad splashes of contrasting, funny and often contradictory shades, this tale attempts to expose the superficiality that lies beneath, in a way that is shocking, real, hard-hitting and humorous.
Consumed as Delhiites are in their world of make-believe and maximising their returns, with each one trying to be what they are not, Dinesh discovers that the city allows one to revel in their belief of having actually succeeded.
But have they, really?
Welcome to Delhi … as we think we know it!
Vinod Nair was born in 1967 in New Delhi and graduated in B.Com from Delhi University. He went on to complete his study in International Management from the Chartered Management Institute (UK). Having worked for over two decades which has seen him travel to most places around the world, he is now heading the Human Resources function in a US multinational company based out of Gurgaon. Delhi OMG! is borne out of his experiences, incidents, and events that helped him appreciate and depreciate the essence of survival in the city worth dying for. Vinod stays in DLF (Gurgaon) with his wife and seven-year-old daughter Carissa. This is his first book on the intriguing yet fascinating city of Delhi.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 7, 2013
Maximum for minimum...an apt descriptor for the city of Delhi. Not the best written book I have ever read but one that really cut through to many home truths about this complex city. Well worth a read if you live in Delhi or planning a visit...it illustrates aspects of the city's psyche that don't really scome to the surface while on the tourist trail.
July 12, 2025
It was a good read for a guy currently living in delhi but not from delhi, observations by the author written in his stories goes well with the tagline of the book "Maximum for minimum".
May 16, 2013
I wished I had picked up a better book, when i picked Delhi omg!. The reviews at the back make for a funny read, but the 300 pages inside are rather on the contrary. the character is underdeveloped, the events happen rather quickly and predictably. the style of writing towards the end is as if the writer is getting ready to wind up the major happenings in the character's life - and still does not succeed. Delhi's touristy/popular stops are thrown in to make the title seem legit. the underbelly of delhi is the only highlight of the book, it paints the city in a rather dreary colour - hardly somewhere you would want to stay. thumbs down for the book!
November 5, 2012
Maximum for minimum...the motto of the delhi janta.
very aptly observed, documented and written. having stayed in delhi my entire life, i found it so true and was at many instances actually empathizing with the author.
loved the book!
however, was very confused with the main protoganist and the author's narration. i could tell that dinesh is the author himself and many a times, there was a conflict. that part could have been concealed better.
very aptly observed, documented and written. having stayed in delhi my entire life, i found it so true and was at many instances actually empathizing with the author.
loved the book!
however, was very confused with the main protoganist and the author's narration. i could tell that dinesh is the author himself and many a times, there was a conflict. that part could have been concealed better.
October 22, 2012
A good book detailing the various aspects of Metropolitan Delhi. The story moves slow, albeit drags at times, and a lot of emphasis on GB Road, with sketchy details into the actual life in there.
July 31, 2020
Its something you would’nt normally go for a read but with a narration that good u are bound to get attached to it.
Great narration by vinod nair, not the greatest writing but oh boy i loved it and i dont know why.
It was something unique, ofcourse in a good way.
Great read.
Great narration by vinod nair, not the greatest writing but oh boy i loved it and i dont know why.
It was something unique, ofcourse in a good way.
Great read.
February 20, 2018
One of the few books I left in between. characters and narration is so dis-jointed and just cashing on one line - maximum for minimum - repeated so many times that essence is lost. avoid if you can.
January 30, 2022
An effortless panorama of Delhi and Gurgaon of three decades very well knit within the narrative of Dinesh, a Mallu born and brought up in Delhi.
I hope they make a movie of it.
I hope they make a movie of it.
July 21, 2012
http://reading-buddha.blogspot.in/201...
'Delhi OMG' is a classic case of "Don't judge a book by it's cover". Especially... back cover...
It looks interesting, the cover is jazzy, the back notes look tempting... they look positively funny.
And then you open the book to start reading. You start to think that you may be missing the humour, or the humour is yet to walk in the book... or maybe even cynicism. But trust me all I managed to read in the first 50 pages were rants. Rants about how 'Delhi' is all that the world and most bloggers like me have been complaining about on their personal blogs. How it is a city with more pompousness than the erstwhile kings of lucknow, how the people are hypocrites, women are promiscuous, bribery, cheats, et al. It is a book of rants.
The first 50 pages pass, but please dont expect a miracle... I was left wondering, how come flipcart gave it such rave reviews... What have those guys been eating? really??? Or are they all people who never really read but picked up this book cause it looked like SMSese.
Sorry Mr Nair, your book does get a reaction... OMG!!! WHY DID I EVER PICK IT UP?
I really feel sorry for my friend who got me the book thinking this would be interesting... He picked it with all good intentions. But sometimes the best intent cannot get good books off the shelves.
'Delhi OMG' is a classic case of "Don't judge a book by it's cover". Especially... back cover...
It looks interesting, the cover is jazzy, the back notes look tempting... they look positively funny.
And then you open the book to start reading. You start to think that you may be missing the humour, or the humour is yet to walk in the book... or maybe even cynicism. But trust me all I managed to read in the first 50 pages were rants. Rants about how 'Delhi' is all that the world and most bloggers like me have been complaining about on their personal blogs. How it is a city with more pompousness than the erstwhile kings of lucknow, how the people are hypocrites, women are promiscuous, bribery, cheats, et al. It is a book of rants.
The first 50 pages pass, but please dont expect a miracle... I was left wondering, how come flipcart gave it such rave reviews... What have those guys been eating? really??? Or are they all people who never really read but picked up this book cause it looked like SMSese.
Sorry Mr Nair, your book does get a reaction... OMG!!! WHY DID I EVER PICK IT UP?
I really feel sorry for my friend who got me the book thinking this would be interesting... He picked it with all good intentions. But sometimes the best intent cannot get good books off the shelves.
May 17, 2012
There's a frustration they can never completely explain. Never ever. Frustration of 'them' who are not 'us', frustration of 'outsiders' who don't 'belong' here, frustration of being treated badly. What's meant to be will always find a way it is said, and it must be these aforementioned feelings that prompted the author of this downright 'in-the-face' book to pen down a tragi-comic take on 'our' beloved city. It is an impertinently bold tale on survival of the fittest and the meanest, an unrelenting account of urbane pride and prejudice, and a moving 'kahaani' of an outsider's survival in a city which conveniently disregards his (Dinesh, the central character's) presence. But what's up with all the profanity? Not that it reduces the impact of the story, which is a tad 'deshbhakti-inducing' towards the end, no not even remotely. So pull onto a sidestreet, open the book, read, and get back on the road. If you think a two-hour detour from your work is too long for you then put your work to rest and grab a copy 'kyunki ab dilli door nahin'.
September 17, 2013
The book surely doesn't fulfil the great expectations the reader gets with checking out the cover that promises a lot, being very well designed. A novel about Delhi should offer more action, stronger and spicier characters and definitely densely happening storyline.
The poor story with dull main character would nearly bore one to death. It is hard to keep attention when pages are saying still some unimportant information. Maybe the only touching was the strand of story with the child prostitute Vandana.
On the other hand, a person who lived or lives in Delhi appreciates the colorful characteristics of familiar places which the author picked aptly. The rules of how life in Delhi works such as "Maximum for minimum" or the thing about the city keeping sort of balance shows author's good observation of Delhi's spirit.
Overall, the book is not so bad. It shows a good view of what Delhi and its people are like. Omitting the story, Delhi OMG! is a nice insight into the common swirl of this distinctive metropolis.
The poor story with dull main character would nearly bore one to death. It is hard to keep attention when pages are saying still some unimportant information. Maybe the only touching was the strand of story with the child prostitute Vandana.
On the other hand, a person who lived or lives in Delhi appreciates the colorful characteristics of familiar places which the author picked aptly. The rules of how life in Delhi works such as "Maximum for minimum" or the thing about the city keeping sort of balance shows author's good observation of Delhi's spirit.
Overall, the book is not so bad. It shows a good view of what Delhi and its people are like. Omitting the story, Delhi OMG! is a nice insight into the common swirl of this distinctive metropolis.
February 14, 2013
Just do not read this book.
I would hardly start a review like that for a book that I have read but this book does not deserve better. The cover page and the title look promising, thats it and the disappointment begins right from the start.
It seems that even basic research about Delhi( the city author wants to talk about) has not been done. The author rewords ad writes the clichés that have been heard about delhi for ages. There is nothing interesting in the content or the plot.
The author embarked upon a tough task to talk about Delhi, one of the oldest cities of the world and colorful in many respects. It was a tough task but anything would be better than this.
I would hardly start a review like that for a book that I have read but this book does not deserve better. The cover page and the title look promising, thats it and the disappointment begins right from the start.
It seems that even basic research about Delhi( the city author wants to talk about) has not been done. The author rewords ad writes the clichés that have been heard about delhi for ages. There is nothing interesting in the content or the plot.
The author embarked upon a tough task to talk about Delhi, one of the oldest cities of the world and colorful in many respects. It was a tough task but anything would be better than this.
August 24, 2012
I picked up the book hoping for a riveting ride through the diversity of Delhi but I have been disappointed. The book is well written but the plotting and the content is very insipid and dull. There's no element of thrill or what-happened-nextism in the book and even some of the major unraveling of facts is being carried out via a character's dialogues rather than story.
It's an ambitious attempt by the writer but the writer has failed to do justice with the majestic city.
It's an ambitious attempt by the writer but the writer has failed to do justice with the majestic city.
July 14, 2013
boring, not captivating enough to hold you even till a quarter of the book... :( sadly, my expectations were crushed. disappointing!
January 12, 2018
A decent effort at portraying the city however the presentation was below par with abrupt cutting in of characters and events. The book is quite negative on its portrayal and very monotonous in approach.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews