Beyond the map

When was the last time we watched a travel show that went beyond the guidebooks when representing India? For most such shows,the content rarely went beyond visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra and staying in a houseboat in Kerala.

When was the last time we watched a travel show that went beyond the guidebooks when representing India? For most such shows,the content rarely went beyond visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra and staying in a houseboat in Kerala. Luckily though,the coming months promise variation. CNN Internationals monthly show CNNGo will be exploring Mumbai with the help of a few unusual guides. Fox History and Entertainment is producing a travel show called It Happens Only in India which will explore places,practices and beliefs in India which were previously unknown even to most Indians. On TLC,Vir Sanghvis Asian Diary will explore India by placing it in the larger context of Asia.

Perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks to producing a travel show about India remains the exoticising of the country,says Sumnima Das,producer of CNNGo Mumbai. The show has tried hard to avoid the biggest clichés about the city Bollywood and slums by rounding up a set of unusual guides to show them around the city. These include architect Kapil Gupta and musician and film producer Mukul Deora. Das says,We picked true Mumbaikars whove contributed to the city in some manner and can really show us the city with an insiders perspective. We also wanted to profile some of the citys young and creative talents and have them show us their interpretation of Mumbai. So,while the Wall Projects founder Dhanya Pilo takes viewers to Tulsi Pipe Road that has become a canvas for kilometres of street art,Mumbais top milliner Shilpa Chavan takes them to the bazaars where she finds the treasures to make her vintage headpieces.

Pilo explains that its important to get locals to guide a travel show if it hopes to capture the zeitgeist of a place. The city has to be from a locals point of view,or else it is an assumption or a romantic idea. People think if they see the Eiffel tower,they have seen France, she says. Most travel shows,she asserts,make the mistake of copying information from the internet or travel guides.

In cases where it is difficult to avoid stereotypes,it is important to treat the content in a new way. Popular radio jockey Malishka Mendonsa will highlight certain previously-unknown facts about the tourist hotspots like Delhi,Udaipur,Konark and Kolkata. In the Rajasthan episode,you wont see me eat dal-batti-churma,because everyone already knows that its a Rajasthani dish. Ill be sampling some other less-known items of their cuisine, she says. Similarly,in Delhi,she will visit the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla,where the locals still pray to djinns to make their wishes come true.

Invite Mr Wright got Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi to lavishly host Ian Wright in Mumbai. While it may seem like an old formula,Rahul Johri,the senior VP and general manager of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific,points out,Who better than a Bollywood star to be part of a show on lavish living?

Now,TLCs approach,on the other hand,is to go beyond India and examine the countrys position in relation to other nations. Johri says,We need to examine the common threads that bind us all together and look at Indias position on a global level. For instance,in the upcoming season of Vir Sanghvis Asian Diary,starting the story from India,we look at how rice and curry are common for all of Asia.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
taj mahal