Through the series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, the presenter and comedian explains why common stereotypes against African countries did not matter to him. By Team Viva
In today’s COVID-hit world, our travel bags have barely seen any light since the past few months. However, for us to reminisce about how travelling felt like, comedian Romesh Ranganathan is travelling to some of the world’s most unlikely holiday destinations. In his series, Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, he’s seen heading to African countries like Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Colombia and Bosnia to find out whether there’s more to these places than negative headlines and if they might in fact turn out to be some new and perfect holiday spots.
There’s a problem, however. Romesh can barely negotiate a travel plug, let alone a hostile foreign situation — so he’s going to need a local host to help him out. The series documents his encounters of extraordinary characters, bizarre subcultures and surprising shared passions. If he could only find a vegan meal, he might learn to love this life of adventure.
Excerpts:
How did your journey as a traveller begin and how has it changed your perception towards the world?
Well, I came into travelling by accident, a few years ago. I did a Wednesday show for the BBC, which was based in Sri Lanka, a place my family originates from. After that, I ended up doing more and more such works — delving deep into a new culture and place. I was not very much of a traveller when I started this whole experience. Now I have been lucky enough to visit so many different countries and probably the biggest thing which has happened to me is that I have become a lot more open to experiencing different countries and of course, three children.
I would love to see them travelling as well as I never realised how valuable that was unless I started it myself. I see travelling as a privilege. It teaches you to appreciate the differences between people and societies.
Where was your best misadventure?
Probably, in Ethiopia. I fell in love with that country — food, people, and its scenic beauty. Everything about it was wonderful. It has got some amazing natural beauty. If you want to see it, then probably you could backpack around Ethiopia for some time but at the same time, if you want luxury, you could stay at hotels. It is a place I would go back to.
What were the challenges while shooting?
There were a lot of environmental challenges like filming in very hot conditions to filming in very cold weather in the optic. And filming in the scorching heat is a horror. We went to Mongolia, the most vastly populated country in the world, and when you are in the middle of Mongolia, you are really in the middle of nowhere.
I remember spending a night with some nomads. We were driving across the place and got completely lost. There were no landmarks or villages around us to look for directions. That was quite frightening. We did not know which side we were coming from or going to. There, we were all just walking around with the risk of getting ourselves stranded or being in an unusual situation and much more.
What has been the most amusing experience in your travel journey?
I would say in Mongolia. When I was there, we went to visit a wrestling camp which is an important and the biggest part of the Mongolian culture. They see wrestling as a part of the process of becoming a man. My co-host took me to a wrestling training camp, and I got to wrestle. To be honest, I found it quite painful but was a memorable experience.
What is the secret behind the effortless blend of travel and comedy?
It is the matter of reacting to things genuinely. We often do certain things and if I find them funny, I react accordingly. It is very much led by the experiences we are having. It is about reflex actions to what is going on around you and from there, you get the blend. But the truth is we do things very carefully about how to walk that line about serious travel reflections and those on culture and comedy. That was the hardest part in the whole show.
How have you observed the stereotypes in different places while travelling?
I think people have images of different places in their minds, which might not necessarily be true. For instance, there are many images of African countries in various places as their people starving. But that is not my experience of those countries. I went to Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, which I think are some magical places. I do feel that this show examined a lot of those stereotypes against South Africa.
Would you like to share some travel tips for the Indian audience?
Speaking as a vegan, taking some ready-to-eat snacks is quite helpful. They also at times remind you of home at a place unknown to you. I personally do that a lot! The other thing is about attitude because when you visit new places, the top travel tip is to go as open-minded as possible. Also, be ready for surprises because uncertainty is the first thing that comes with travelling.
(The series, which started airing on August 4, airs last on August 7 at 10 pm on Sony BBC Earth.)
