Daniel Laks foray into writing a book on India started with a non-image. When, towards the end of his three-year stint as a BBC correspondent in India,

he was accused by a young university student of portraying stereotypical images of the country in his report bullock carts, cows ambling in the streets, snake charmers surrounded by enthralled spectators he was completely taken aback.

This got him questioning the images of India portrayed by the media, especially the Western media.