Education/Hobbies
Diplomas in graphic design and journalism.
Profession/Achievements
Writer/artist
Nationality/ Ethnicity/ Home Countries
Canadian with Dutch/Irish roots. Read: pale to the point of translucency.
Anecdotal character-building story
After skipping college convocation in 2000, I left Canada to explore the world, and after my 30th birthday, having visited as many countries, ended up working for The Caravan magazine in Delhi. I’ve exhibited my art on four continents (the last one a group show with HR Giger in Amsterdam), designed furniture in a workshop funded by the King of Thailand, contributed t-shirt images and sculpture for a Tokyo fashion boutique and written articles for various newspapers and magazines—from The Toronto Star to Rolling Stone India.
When were you in India and why? How did you find your way to India?
I first came to India as a tourist—actually, I betrayed the traveller’s code and came for a girl, which we all know is a bad idea—and then spent about four months tooling around Varanasi and the Himalayas, alone. I tried to escape, but India kept pulling me back, and with the publishing/media industry being what it is, I couldn’t turn down a fulltime gig as part of the launch team for India’s first narrative journalism magazine in Delhi.
What do you like about Delhi?
The ever-clement weather, the courteous rickshaw drivers, the clean rivers, the outstanding service, and the respect for personal space.
What do you not like about Delhi?
The weather, the rickshaw drivers, the rivers, the service, the personal space
Favourite places to eat
I hope I’m not committing a deadly, Lonely Planet-style sin by exposing this place: The South Café in Gautam Nagar.
Indian dish that everyone must try
First, finish an entire curry at Karim’s with some naan to sop it all up in Old Delhi, and after you’re finished feeling ill from all the grease, fly south to Goa and eat everything in sight.
What is the one thing that people must do in Delhi?
Look both ways before crossing the street.
What are the things that you like about India?
It’s maybe not a ‘like’, but what I often get a kick out of is that living in India, like no other country I’ve been to, is like having a relationship with a real person. All the human manias co-exist. She can be generous and loving, and just quickly rude and obtuse. Her capacity for cruelty is incredible, but she always manages to get you back on her side eventually.
Any musicians/artists/etc that you recommend?
Any country where you can see Zakir Hussain or Anoushka and Ravi Shankar in concert for free is cool with me.
Blurb about any projects you are doing, your organization, your artwork, your band, your book, your dj set, etc.
I’m in the early stages of publishing my first book, which will hopefully be out in India by the end of this year or early next.
Link to organization or anything of yours, really!
www.davebesseling.com
Any troubles you have faced or if anything you would like to warn foreigners about?
You can try not to get ripped off, and you may think you’re doing well, but you’re going to get ripped off. It’s the degree of being ripped off that must be fought for.
Anything secret about India that you discovered?
To classify India as one country is slightly absurd—as absurd as referring to Europe as a single nation. Does save you money as far as visas go, though.
Where all did you travel and what are the places you loved? Any recommendations you would like to share with travellers?
I’ve been to quite a few places in north and south India, but the most beautiful trip I’ve done here is probably the most beautiful trip I’ve ever done, period. You have about 3 months of the year to do it due to the high-altitude roads being open or not, but if you can swing it, the clockwise loop from Manali to Srinagar to Leh and back to Manali is so awesome you’ll want to do it again counter-clockwise after a quick round of banana pancakes.
If you’ve decided to live here for an extended period, what made you stick around?
I came for fun. I stayed for work. They say India’s is the only growing print market in the world, and the subcontinent is now home to a new classification of refugees: journalists and photographers.
If you’ve lived in various other countries, how do they compare to India? (And where?)
Holland: small. India: big.
New Zealand: kiwis. India: mangoes.
Canada: clean. India: dirty.
Japan: Bushido. India: Kalaripayattu.
Thailand: Sang Som whisky. India: Old Monk rum. |
