The 13-part series is all set to give viewers a comprehensive look at what modern India looks like and what Indians of the 21st Century are doing. What puts #Indiamyway in a different league is that it is not just about sites and locations it explores but the real stories about real people it presents. To be aired every Saturday from October 16, hosts, Paloma Monnappa and Meraj Shah, will embark on a road trip across 29 States, going beyond regular tourist hotspots to find what is the new and cool wave in the country. Going through the diverse Indian landscape the two presenters will meet a range of fun, eclectic characters ranging from celebrities, tribal fashionistas, women wrestlers, tattoo artists, and many others.
So right at their homes, the audience get a ringside view of the Delhi Drum Circle which brings people across all ages and professions to play drums or see the unexpected side of Old Delhi with Vicky Roy, a street kid turned photographer. Moving to Haryana, they watch women wrestlers practising at Jaiveer Ka Akhara and meet an engineer-turned-tattoo artist in Chandigarh. Likewise Rajasthan offers them the auto art by Himanshu Jangid who has transformed ordinary autorickshaws into moving pieces of art besides Haathi Chaap where elephant poop is turned into paper. Not just interesting places but equally interestingly persons too.
Monnappa, an actor, model and surfer, says the true life stories of those captured in the show were really inspiring. “Vicky Roy’s story of hope and ambition proves that sometimes dreams really do come true.” For Shah a lifestyle journalist who writes on travel, golf and automobiles and for whom travelling has been a second nature it was an eye opening experience. “I was amazed in terms of things people are doing. It was like unexpected activities at most unexpected of places.” He cites how stopping at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh they came across children doing parkour. “This extreme sport, which is very popular in West, one would expect at Delhi or Mumbai but at Rampur never.” Full of surprises, the show brings them face to face with skate park in a remote village of Janwar where they meet Ulrike Reinhard who established it and explore the philosophy of ‘no school no skateboarding’.
According to Shah, “The show made me realise the disconnect I had especially about tier II and III cities and remote areas. I became aware that in these places out of the box thinking and action is catching up. Instead of sticking to the conventional jobs and sports, people are now tending to choose what is close to their heart and what they truly feel passionate about without buckling under the family or peer pressure.” He says Monnappa and he were amazed to meet a diver and instructor making a living by doing underwater fashion photography. “I do not know about Monnappa but I definitely found it bizarre,” he quips.
What is noteworthy observes Shah is the change in the social fabric. The show vividly brings out these aspects. “In comparison to the boys, the girl wrestlers in Haryana were chirpy. Speaking their mind they came across as confident and ambitious.” Similarly, in Muzzaffarpur, Bihar it was surprising to know a fortnightly news channel Appan Samachar being run by local women. The channel shows its news coverage and scoops to the people at the village square.
Monnappa found the visit to Sheroes Hangout run by acid attack survivors very touching. “I acted in a short film called ‘Doon ke na Doon’ which is based on a true story of an acid attack survivor where I played the role of the survivor. So, it was really intense for me to meet these girls but I was amazed to see how confident and empowered they were. The Sheroes Hangout girls are true fighters and there's a lot to learn from them.” For Shah discovering Ponni, a transgender teaching Bharatanatyam to slum children at Chennai was amazing. “This exhibits change in our attitude. We are becoming more open minded and tolerant letting go prejudices to some degree.”
“The slice of life which the show brings to viewers drawing rooms is something which they will like and appreciate,” says Meraj.
