RAVI VELLOOR, 48
India bureau chief, based in New Delhi since November 2004

Born in Kerala, India, he joined The Straits Times in 1993 before leaving to be an editor for Bloomberg News in 2000. He rejoined ST in September 2004.

The best thing about working in New Delhi... When I was working for Bloomberg, we were always looking for the biggest and the richest. But it is also important to look for the people with the least. I'm deeply interested in human transition, and India and China are the two biggest transition stories at the moment. Documenting events as they unfold and seeing people lifting themselves from poverty is the best thing for me.

The worst... is the 40 deg C heat, and sometimes I get two hours of power shortage. I wake up at 5.30am to turn on the taps just to make sure I get 10 minutes of municipal water supply. But this is hardly something I should complain about. I have covered the worst conflicts. Hardship is not new to me.

The most misunderstood thing about New Delhi... I think Delhi is well-understood, probably too well-understood. So much information is available about it. Plus, you can get a Delhi belly in Singapore, too, if you are unlucky.

The most difficult thing about reporting from New Delhi... is getting appointments. People are really too busy. Other than that, Indians are fairly cosmopolitan and welcoming of foreigners. Only thing is, if you are a single woman, you can get too much unwanted attention.

Three places Singaporeans must visit:

• Old Delhi, to see the Muslim quarters that the Mughals built.

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• The Nanking, a restaurant in Vasant Kunj, for great dimsum if you are feeling homesick. The Shangri-La New Delhi also has a Singaporean chef.

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• Bukhara, if you are in a celebratory mood. It's a restaurant in the ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton which serves Central Asian frontier cuisine. The dhaal and leg of lamb are very good.