Stefano Pelle, the Italy-born senior executive of a leading confectionery brand, had to literally rescue himself from a stubborn elephant before he could tie the knot with his Keralite wife.
Pelle, Executive Vice President and COO of PerfettiVan Melle Group, producer of confectionery products like Mentos, Happydent and Centerfresh, and married to a Kerala girl, revealed in his book that he had to jump off the jumbo as it refused to kneel down.
"The elephant refused to let me get down from its back. I had no other option but to jump and people who had come for my wedding caught me," Pelle said, narrating a chapter from his book, "When Not in Rome, Don't Do as the Romans Do", which he launched to select audience in Goa yesterday.
"The book has a chapter on marriage. It talks of marriages in India and my marriage as well," Pelle said, recounting the "jumbo escape" he pulled off at his marriage ceremony.
"First of all elephant arrived late by three hours. And when I wanted to get down from his back, it refused to let me get down. After much of efforts, I decided to jump off," he recalled.
The elephant was apparently upset due to celebratory firing, part of the Indian marriages.
On writing the book, Pelle said he conceived the idea to pen it during one of his trips to India's beach capital, where he now owns a beautiful holiday home.
Pelle's assignment in India dates back to 1998 and after that he travelled to other countries in Asia, Africa and Russia during his different roles in the same company.
"The book is my autobiography which will also help a newbie in India to know about the country. It (the book) talks about his experience as an expat during last 15 years," Pelle said.
"When Not in Rome, Don't Do as the Romans Do" is also a travelogue chronicling his life in Dhaka, Colombo and Karachi, he added.
