The Inescapability Of India

Over the past week or so, by some odd stroke of coincidence, every time I turned on the TV or surfed the net, there was something invariably about India.

And I'm not referring to the ongoing reports from the Land Of Suess.

First, on TV last week, it was a program morbidly-titled '1,000 Places To See Before You Die" and it was an episode on New Delhi. Some of the must-sees (their word) included the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal, and the expansive market/bazaar that is the dili haat.

Then over the weekend, Jeremy Piven's travel across India (or parts of it) was on the Travel & Living channel, and given that he visited some of the locations that Stephen did, I could not help but tune in and watch the seemingly-irascible Mr Piven give in to the ways of a world far removed from the one that he was accustomed to. He seemed almost like a regular fella you could hang out with.

Maybe it was just the clever editing, but now I too want to be Jeremy Piven's friend. Or maybe it's because he was shirtless in Cochin.

Then, there was the Yahoo Underground report a few days ago about Bollywood Berkeley, the dance competition that's 'celebrating the loveliness of love and the manliness of men'. Another reason to visit California!

And finally, director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tennebaums) has got a brand new movie titled The Darjeeling Limited, an 'emotional comedy about 3 brothers re-forging family ties...by taking a trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India". The movie is slated to open in the US on September 29.

I have a love-hate relationship with Wes Anderson's movies. Or I might be a bit tired of Hollywood's ongoing exoticization of India.

Or maybe I should revisit India at some point. It's only been about 8 years (or more) since my last short visit. Is India calling? Or should I just get more cable channels?