Brazilians going Indian ways – Caminho Das Indias
Posted on August 21, 2009
Filed Under East meets West | 3 Comments
Welcome to the  Brazil’s number one soap opera —Caminho Das Indias
This is the very  first evidence that the relentless march of desi culture has breached a new frontier: South America. As an true Indian and a true  patriotic at my heart, I am so thrilled and relieved about the fact that Indian television based shows are admired on a larger platform. Surprisingly , Indian shows are underestimated by our very  own folks  and they fail to appreciate and understand that our desi, homely serials are full of exotic culture, rich traditions, family bond, logical feast and fastings, prayers and much more. Indian culture is like  precious priceless pearls in the oceans. Ultimately, it’s  the Indian ways which will save this universe from disaster, violence and various evils which has croped up in the global society. Time has come when the world is realizing the worth of Indian ways which says non violence, self control, sacrifice, inner peace, disiplined and infinite such great values. In short our values teaches us to go slow and easy. After all yoga and ayurveda started from India and is practiced all over the world. I think I am getting  a bit carried away, now some details about Caminho Das Indias.
Caminho Das Indias (India’s Way), yes that’s the name of the show that has got all the Brazialians hooked up to TV! The theme- “Upper-caste girl meets Dalit boy. They fall in love.  In the face of opposition from their families and society. Girl’s evil family objects and tries to marry her off. Boy decides he must fight for his ladylove.†That’s very much Indian, right?  The actors are Brazilians speaking Portuguese.  Welcome to Brazil’s number one soap opera — and first evidence that the relentless march of desi culture has breached a new frontier: South America. To maximise its Indianness, the show’s producers have even added Bollywood-isms to some episodes.
What’s more interesting is that they haven’t tried to mix their culture at all. Set at Rajasthan the show even uses some Hindi terms and also uses Bollywood style filming .  The show is as authentically Indian as a Barjatya production — except the actors are Brazilians and speak Portuguese, peppered with the Hindi phrases Prakash refers to. The show has made Brazilians understand Indian culture better and they are just loving it. Just as Indians are looking elsewhere to get a clue about other countries’ culture and incorporate them in Indian shows, foreigners are seeking India. This is a very good process which can lead to cross-culturism in a new and effective way. At least few Indians who underestimate and criticize  Indian saas bahu soaps will have a wake up call and in no time  realize the fact that the  Indian shows are worth appreciating.
Meet Maya and Bahuan, the protagonists of  Caminho Das Indias (India’s Way), a television show that perhaps has Brazilians more excited about India’s caste system than Ronaldinho’s paycheck. With 60 per cent of the market share, Caminho is currently Brazil’s most watched show. “The show has sparked off a massive interest in Indian culture. People now use words like achha, theek hai and Bhagwan ke liye (for God’s sake) as common slang,†said B.S. Prakash, India’s ambassador to Brazil who’s been inundated with emails from curious Brazilians.
Schechtman and his crew visited India three times in preparation for the filming, even setting up a workshop with Indian consultants to help the actors understand the ‘Hindu’ way of life. Caminho’s success is affecting everything and everyone Indian in Brazil. “Before the show, only people interested in yoga knew about India. And now everyone wants to drink chai, Suddenly Indian costumes and jewellery have become very fashionable. India is the new flavour in Brazil.  And something worth admiring is in order to stay tuned to traditional Indian values, there are no kissings scenes there.
These are queries about the significance of the bindi. ‘Can a sari be stitched, or worn without a blouse?’ Or ‘Is Kali the name of a curry or something spicier?’ and such other matters of Indian exotica. And all this in Brazil where few of my Indian friends are experiencing currently the strangest and strongest manifestation of India’s soft power. Very positive indeed.
This soap which started in January and will run till September, every day for seven months. This novella, as television soaps are called in Brazil is predictably called Passage to India (Caminho das Indias in the original Portuguese) and is bringing India into the living rooms of a large majority of Brazilian homes night after night.
let us hope that more Indian based shows will take the lead all over in near future.
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3 Responses to “Brazilians going Indian ways – Caminho Das Indias”
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A thoughtful article, well above the usual standard. I fully agree with your thesis that the world can learn a lot from Indian culture, philosophy and moral code.
Those of us who wish to experience something of the grittier aspects of life in India should also read “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts. It is a truly remarkable story, based in India, containing the best and the worst of human behaviour.
To return to the novella – I am thoroughly enjoying it, though, as an English guy, I need to use the facility for subtitles to understand the language.
Well, thanks for this article, you are clearly a exceptionally talented writer and I will certainly be returning to the site – basically to enjoy the words of someone who knows how to write.
Hi! An indian, Mrs. Mallika Rajagopal (and my mom), worked in the production of the indian scenes for the soap opera as a consultant! They wanted something authentic without being bland…
She has so many fun stories, and the soap was a huge success!
verynice of you for your comments
id welcome any stories from your or your mom’s side
thanks