It’s hard to believe that a man born and raised in Oxford, England has become Chennai’s biggest fan. But with the release of ‘Looking for P James’, Darren Burnham has proved two things — one, we fascinate the tourist yearning the typical Indian experience. Two, often our extent of warmth and willingness to please is misused.
Although the work is a stunning collection of 400 carefully chosen photographs portraying Chennai in the most aesthetic light, the man mentioned in the title of the book, P James seemed blissfully unaware of what the book contained. Speaking exclusively to expresso he said “I was invited by the author to perform some tricks. They just paid me conveyance and also sought information from me about the city,” he said.
“I don’t believe you can ever truly appreciate a place you grew up in, it’s far too easy to take it for granted. Coming to this city as an expatriate is a wonderful experience — I see beauty everywhere and in everything,” says Burnham. He also claims that it is quite literally “running through his veins”. In the words of MP Kanimozhi, “Looking for P James is a book that captures the colours of Chennai in a very endearing way.”
The release of ‘Looking for P. James’ was held at the Marriot Courtyard on Saturday and well attended by over a hundred guests including many expatriates, artists and celebrities.
Speakers at the event included Dr. V Sumanthran of Hinduja Automotive UK, Mr. Nigel Wark of Ford India and Mrs. Ranjini Manian of Global Adjustments. ‘Looking for P. James’ is priced at Rs 1195 and is available at the Indian Immersion Center, Global Adjustments, 5 Third Main Road, R. A. Puram, Chennai 28.
