‘Nandini Mana?!' traces Malaysia's cultural ties across the world
KUALA LUMPUR : Local media platform SAYS has launched 'Nandini Mana?!', a refreshing new travel and culture series that explores food, heritage and identity through the eyes of a Malaysian.
Fronted by SAYS video lead Nandini Balakrishnan, the show traces cultural connections across Asia and Europe, revealing how Malaysia is more deeply intertwined with the world than we often realise.
Over the span of two months, Nandini will cover three continents, with just two flights.
The rest of her journey is done the old-school way: by land, rail and sea, all on a modest daily budget of RM170.
Each stop comes with a self-imposed challenge:
Eat only local food
Learn five phrases in the local language
Collect a matchbox as a keepsake
The trailer has garnered over 262,000 views and nearly 500 comments on Instagram, reflecting a strong interest for relatable content rooted in shared experiences.
'I wanted to explore places that feel far from Malaysia but are actually deeply linked to us, through food, migration, language or shared history. Connections and threads exist everywhere, and I want to show it in a way that feels honest, raw and very Malaysian. Jom lawatan sambil belajar with me!' Nandini shared.
In Episode 1, Nandini visits a Sri Lankan Malay-owned restaurant in Colombo, chats with the owner and enjoys a home-style meal that reminds her of Malaysia. The debut episode has racked up more than 211,000 views, setting a strong tone for the rest of the series.
From Sri Lanka, she will travel by ferry to India, diving into Tamil Nadu's rich culture through stops in Trichy, Madurai, Pondicherry and Chennai.
Her route then continues westward to Istanbul, before winding through Greece, North Macedonia, Albania, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and finally England, all told from a proudly Malaysian point of view.
Catch new two-to-three minute episodes every week on SAYS' Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
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