India With World Nomads

Our host Caroline Pemberton contemplating India during her train adventure across the country.

Our Client: World Nomads

Our creative studio and Colombia-based film production agency collaborated with World Nomads, our client, on their "Discoveries" online travel video series filmed across four continents. We've roamed the streets of Tokyo, savored Mezcal in the Mexican badlands, measured penguins in Patagonia, and delved into the depths of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

In World Nomads Discoveries in India, we delve into spirituality, ancient culture, women's safety, life in a slum, and the culinary wonders of India.

Spirituality and Culture in Varanasi

The River Ganges is the lifeblood of India, both spiritually and physically – it is the most sacred river to Hindus. It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism, and millions of Indian people depend on the river's waters for their day-to-day lives. So when our storytelling agency journeyed to India to film with our client WorldNomads, there seemed no more appropriate starting point than the sacred banks of the Ganges.

We began our journey to the heart of Indian culture in Varanasi, the most spiritually significant city on the Ganges. Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi and being cremated there on the banks of the Ganges allows a person to break the cycle of death and rebirth and attain salvation. It is, therefore, an important pilgrimage site for Hindus across India.

Our host, Caroline Pemberton, began with a visit to one of Varanasi's public riverside cremation grounds. Despite her concerns about being confronted with the sight of bodies being cremated, she was struck by the very different attitudes to death held there: there were no tears or displays of grief. Instead, people treat death as just another part of life, and observing these rituals gave Caroline a new perspective on how we deal with death in the West.

We then visited the woman who is the keeper of the 'holy flame,' which is used to start the cremation fires in Varanasi. We sat with her in her home on the banks of the Ganges as she explained how the flame has been passed down through the generations for centuries. Her perspective on death was a reflection of the attitudes we had seen at the crematorium: "I say to people, 'Don't be afraid of death.' No one came to Earth to be here forever […] Everybody has to die. That is the truth of life." Caroline summed up the unique contradictions of Varanasi perfectly after we left the house – it's a city that, while there is a distinct focus on death, it's a place to learn more about life.

We then went to visit a Sadhu on the banks of the river. Sadhus are some of the holiest people in the Hindu religion and are devotees of Lord Shiva. Since Varanasi is Shiva's city, there are many Sadhus there on the banks of the Ganges, their bodies painted white with ashes gathered from the sacred cremation grounds. The Sadhu passed Caroline a burning lamp to release on the waters of the Ganges, blessed her with holy water, and then melted back into the vast crowd thronging the riverbank.

We ended our day in Varanasi at the Aarti Festival as thousands of believers lined the river banks to say goodnight to the waters and thank the Ganges for another day. It was a sensory overload as the waters of the river shone with the lights of a thousand reflected candles, the air lay heavy with the scent and smoke of the incense, and a cacophony of bells and horns blended with the voices of the faithful. Caroline sat with a group of local women decked out in brightly colored saris and shared a moment of reflection among the chaos and celebration.

The following day we went to a workshop where silk is woven on the outskirts of the city. The workshop was a riot of thumping machinery, the noise and commotion belying the intricacy of the craftsmanship on display. The thousands of silk strands, each narrower than a human hair, are delicately woven into the stunning sari patterns such as those worn by the worshippers on the riverbanks the night before. As Caroline succinctly said, "It was the coolest thing I've ever seen, honestly."

Flavors and Tradition

For our exploration of Indian culinary traditions, we journeyed to the city of Mumbai. This chapter of 'India Discoveries' highlighted the depth and diversity of Indian food, which is so much more varied than the typical menu at an Indian restaurant abroad.

With our local insider, Niha, at her side, Caroline explored the labyrinthine corridors of Crawford Market, one of Mumbai's oldest and most well-known markets. They sampled local fruits and sugar cane juice, and Caroline enjoyed a first-hand lesson in the art of bargaining. Apparently, the trick is to enjoy it, treat it like a game, and not take it too seriously.

Niha then took us to some nearby restaurants, where we enjoyed an endless array of traditional dishes. These were authentic 'local' restaurants, with no other tourists in sight. But, as Niha pointed out, when a restaurant is packed with locals, you know it will be good.

India is such a vast country that it's impossible to define 'Indian food' – there's a marked change in cuisine as you travel from north to south and east to west. So our next stop was Kerala in south India, where Caroline learned how to cook typical local dishes with a chef on a houseboat. On large platters of banana leaves, we enjoyed an endless array of curries and chutneys, all cooked and flavored with coconut, a key ingredient in Kerala cuisine.

Back in Varanasi, our culinary experience was a lot closer to home – our AirBnB host treated us like family, and in India, that means food and lots of it! Everything was homemade, prepared with love, and absolutely delicious.

Traveling by Train

Caroline was nervous about traveling by train in India. Everyone has seen the images of trains packed to the rafters and people hanging off the roof, with barely a centimeter to move, yet once we'd found our carriage and settled in, her anxiety lifted quickly.

We experienced two different sides of train travel in our journey along the rails in northern India. We started in 'sleeper' class, the economy option of Indian train travel. There are more people packed in and no air conditioning, but the open windows keep the carriages fresh with a constant breeze. We also traveled at night in the slightly more spacious air-conditioned carriages, where Caroline had a comfy bed for the night and a bit more space to herself.

Train travel is a popular and easy way to get around India, so booking tickets in advance is advisable. The system has gotten a lot easier in recent years, and you can now book online with an international credit card. You can show the conductor a digital ticket, and the overnight trains are an excellent money saver if you're planning a long journey around India. The best food comes from the train's 'pantry car,' where uniformed staff take your order and freshly prepare local dishes.

Our time on the train in India was perhaps Caroline's most eye-opening experience. She was nervous about taking the train, but by approaching it with an open heart and confidence, she had a wonderful experience. Moreover, it served as a metaphor for India as a whole: people often travel to India with a sense of trepidation, but it's a beautiful, diverse country that rewards travelers who journey there with an open mind.

Women's Safety in India

When Caroline was first planning her trip to India, she was slightly nervous about her safety as a woman. But those initial nerves soon evaporated when she met Paula, an American expat and World Nomads local insider. These two adventurous female travelers connected instantly. Caroline felt that she could see something of herself in Paula, but a version of herself with five years of experience living in India.

Paula took Caroline on a "baptism of fire" public transport train ride through Mumbai. They jumped onto the rammed commuter train, paying the cheap local fare, and started their Mumbai adventure. There are also "women only" train carriages available in Mumbai, which they checked out next. These are an excellent option for solo women travelers or for any women feeling a bit insecure or wanting a greater sense of security while traveling.

Paula also shed some light on a very unique issue for travelers in India: staring. The two blonde women were stared at constantly during the shoot. However, as Paula explains in the video, staring in India doesn't carry the same negative connotations as elsewhere. It isn't connected to bad intentions or aggression but indicates curiosity. This knowledge helped to put Caroline at ease for the rest of the shoot.

We then met with Jas, a local street artist in Mumbai. Jas created 'The Pink Lady,' an image of a beautiful Indian woman in a sari, staring firmly down from the walls of Mumbai, sporting a goal knuckleduster with the word 'boom' written on it. The image is one of female empowerment and strength, a solid rebuke to high-profile violence cases against women in the country.

Caroline's next stop was the famous Dharavi slum, where she met with Akash, a local insider from this part of Mumbai. Caroline was initially uncomfortable with the idea of 'slum tourism,' but Akash's local perspective helped to ease her doubts. Akash was focused on dispelling the negative images associated with 'slums,' taking us to meet local people, showing us the thousands of micro-businesses operating there, and ultimately altering our perception of Dharavi in the process.

Shattering Expectations in Dharavi Slum

Dharavi Slum was such a compelling location that we also shot a micro-video there about a kid's break-dancing group working in an English school. Along with our local insider Akash, Caroline dived in with a group of kids from age six to sixteen, beat-boxing, break-dancing, and generally having a great time.

Akash is devoted to hip-hop culture and sees it as a powerful tool for change in the slum. He always tells the kids to read and study hard so they can grow their vocabulary to help them "spit a lot of things." Break-dancing also gives the children more confidence and allows them to feel proud of where they come from. As Akash likes to say, "Here we are not slumdogs; we are slumgods."

Ancient Practices and Rituals

For our final video in the series, we visited Kerala to learn about ancient rituals and practices. After wandering through the opulent architecture of the old city, we met up with a Holy Man on the banks of a river. He told us that he needed to take a quick bath. We were confused at first before he quickly stripped off and slipped gently into the muddy river. Then, as Caroline looked on, slightly embarrassed and unsure which way to look, he changed into his robes, washed his ceremonial blade, and prepared to enlighten us further on Indian spiritual practices.

As the Holy Man danced for the camera, the remarkable blending of ancient spirituality and modern practices in India was apparent in the tinny music soundtracking the dance coming from his cell phone. This Holy Man channels the goddess wife of Shiva; you can ask him things, and he will answer from her.

He then took Caroline into a small temple. There may have been a language barrier, but Caroline never felt that it stopped her from understanding what was happening. As she very perceptively put it: "The intention and the message come through in the energy in the room." She may have had no idea what was going on during the ceremony, but she felt something spiritual within her as the Holy Man blessed her.

After giving the Holy Man a lift back into town, we learned more about Ayurveda, an alternative medicine system with its roots in India. Caroline got an oil massage from the Ayurveda practitioners, but the cameras were shooed from the room for that part since the practice doesn't involve many clothes.

Our final stop in Kerala was a Kalaripayattu martial arts class for children and women. This martial art isn't about aggression or attacking people; it's about using people's strength against them, primarily focusing on pressure points. It's a simple yet effective means of protecting yourself. Caroline learned some of the basics. As her instructor jokingly pointed out, "you're not deadly yet, but you're deadlier than you were before."

Learn more about our Colombia-based Creative Studio + Film Production Company HERE.

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