PODCAST. You feel like travelling, but the whole world has shut down. Here's a plan: Listen to this podcast!
His grandfather was born here
Okay, I admit that this particular podcast perhaps leans more to ‘travelling’ than to ‘history’, but since there are at least some bits on Indian history scattered throughout the episodes I decided to present it here.
Right from the beginning of “My Indian Odyssey” we are told that our host, the South African/British actor Vincent Ebrahim, has a special connection to the Indian territory: One of his grandfathers was actually born here. However, he only remained until he was 17 years old. Somehow this childhood place of his didn’t quite live up to his expectations, and in a courageous attempt to find somewhere better he boarded a ship to South Africa.
This was apparently an excellent idea ‘cause he succeeded in settling down here, create a life, raise a family and what have you. And it is here, in South Africa, that Vincent Ebrahim was born and raised.
Later, though, Ebrahim moved to London where he became an actor, playing in the successful comedy show “The Kumars At No. 42” among other things. However, through most of his life, he has been curious to learn about his Indian roots, and to visit the places of his ancestors. Through the making of this podcast he suddenly got the opportunity.
It’s like being there yourself
Now, even though I’ve never been to India myself - except from a stop over in Mumbai airport years ago - the recordings of the noisy traffic, the speaking of local dialects, some shouting in the background etc etc, all gives me a strong feeling of how it must be like to be there in reality.
And let me just say that this feeling of ‘like being there yourself’ is symptomatic of the whole podcast, whether we are visiting one of India’s top business schools listening to students telling about their ideas and visions, or we are on a 26 hours train ride taking us from New Delhi to West Bengal.
Mr Ebrahim’s journey starts out in the West of India, in Mumbai, and from here he continues north to Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat. Next is McLeod Ganj at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, then New Delhi - the capital of India - Agra, West Bengal, Darjeeling and the Himalayas, and - last stop - Kolkata. Oh well, perhaps it’s easier if you look at this map:
Of course I will not give you all the details of Mr Ebrahim’s doing and goings - please have a listen yourself - but to give you an idea what this Odyssey is all about, I’ll present to you a few of his adventures.
The more than 100 year old Food Delivery Service
When starting out in Mumbai, a city of almost 13 million inhabitants, one of the first things Vincent Ebrahim visits is the ‘Dabbawala’. If you have seen the movie “The Lunchbox” by Ritesh Batra (from 2014) you’ll know what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t then keep on reading.
In short the ‘Dabbawala’ is a food delivery service. Lunchboxes prepared by a stay-at-home wife - or in some cases a restaurant - are delivered from the private homes of the workers directly to the workplace. After the food have been consumed the empty boxes are brought right back to the doorstep of the owner - et voilà.
It may sound very simple but actually there is a complicated logistic network operating behind the scenes to make it work. But it does work. Actually the ‘Dabbawala’-network proves to be very successful - it is extremely rare that a lunchbox doesn’t reach its owner. Vincent Ebrahim is told that the ‘Dabbawala’ is so reliable that some workers choose to put their salary in the empty boxes so it can be transported back home this way. Supposedly this is more safe than putting the money in your pocket and travel through traffic carrying it yourself - with the risk of being ripped off by a wallet lifter.
Anyway, the story of the ‘Dabbawala’ goes a long way back, all the way back to the British Raj in the 1890s. Back then more and more migrants entered the cities, but still there were no fast food culture or office canteens around to provide the hungry workers with a meal. At the same time quite a large group of unskilled workers were hanging around with nothing to do… or well, at least this was the situation until some guy - a certain Mr Mahadeo Havaji Bachche - got the idea to combine the two needs. And there you go, the ‘Dabbawala’ was born, giving the unemployed group of workers a job, and making sure the office employees could fill their stomachs with nice freshly homemade food.
If you want a sneak peek into the world of the ‘Dabbawalas’, here’s your chance:
Hello E.M. Forster "A Passage to India"
In Darjeeling in Himalaya Vincent Ebrahim and his son Emile, who has joined the tour at this stage, are visiting some of the tea plantations in the area. We are told how the British Raj back in the days would come and spent his summer holidays out here in the cool mountain air, escaping the warm summer heat. And how the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway used to connect passengers and tea leaves with the port of Kolkata, how the railway still runs a full timetable, and how many of the trains that are used here today are the original steam locomotives - and that some of them are more than 125 years old.
The Darjeeling episode is all very 'old days of the British Emperor-style' …hello E. M. Forster “A Passage to India”.
But what is also happening here at the end of Vincent’s Indian Odyssey is that he now is in the area of the village from which he believes his grandfather came from. We follow him as he sets off to see the very house his grandfather used to live in, and you could say that this last part is some sort of climax of the whole journey. What he finds out here I will not reveal - but I can say that what happens is indeed very touching.
I didn't want it to end
If you want a handbook telling you the full history of India, this podcast is not for you. But if you, on the other hand, are in for an entertaining ride through some of the really interesting parts of modern and historical India, told by a friendly, humorous, interesting - and interested - travel guide, I’d give this podcast a try. “I didn’t want this audiobook to end”, one reviewer states, and I actually have to agree with her.
These days the whole world has shut down, but if you feel like travelling, I'd say that this podcast is a wonderful alternative.
A F E W X T R A S
🎧 Listen to a free sample of “My Indian Odyssey”
🌏🎬 A small bite of India for you: Trailer - “The Lunchbox”👇
See you next time
Majken xx
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P.P.S. I would love to hear from you! Comments on this blog post, recommendations in the historical non-fiction department, thoughts about the strange world we live in these days 🙃 ...anything you like to share. Please send me a message ➡️ C L I C K H E R E
"My Indian Odyssey" by Vincent Ebrahim.
8 episodes á c. 40 minutes.
Find it here: Audible.
📷 British Raj in India, Tahir Iqbal, Flickr
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