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New Statesman
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Amol Rajan's Ganges vanity project
Photo by BBC/Wildstar Films It must be great to be a BBC news presenter. The side hustles! Anyone made too weary by stonewalling politicians and all those late nights under an umbrella in Downing Street will almost inevitably find, courtesy of a generous boss, some light relief in the form of an easier, lovelier gig elsewhere (unless you're Mishal Husain, the most talented of them all, in which case you'll unaccountably have to head to the wilder shores of Bloomberg without passing even so much as Start the Week). Sophie Raworth gets to float round the Chelsea Flower Show. Fiona Bruce verbally polishes other people's antiques. Clive Myrie is not only in the quiz master's chair on Mastermind; he also gets to tootle around the nicer parts of Italy and the Caribbean with the BBC Two crew. Amol Rajan presents Today on Radio 4, and the 'toughest team quiz tournament', University Challenge, on BBC Two, which should be enough for anyone. But now here he is on BBC One, in an hour-long film in which he travels to India for the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, a gathering of more than 400 million people – yes, really – that takes place at the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna near the city of Prayagraj approximately every six to 12 years. The twist here, though, is that before he sets off, one senses some anxiety, even dread, at what lies ahead. Speaking to his mother, who has been on a similar pilgrimage herself, he worries about hygiene: he favours two showers a day. My guess is that he turned his trip into an assignment as a way of forcing himself to do it. I know this because I've done the same thing myself; for no other reason but a deadline would I have travelled across Yemen with an armed guard who was half my height. Rajan, though a cradle Hindu, describes himself as an atheist. But he has a feeling of emptiness. Struggling to deal with the death of his father three years ago, he's envious of the spiritual toolkit his mum has at her disposal. In the waters of the Ganges, he'll both purify himself and set the soul of his father on its way, his last great service to a man he adored, and this will be cathartic – even if his two-in-one conditioner is going to be of little use for the duration of his stay. He'll feel the cosmic energy that's all around, as well as the feet of a holy man he'll massage as a sign of respect for his elders. I think he goes for the cosmic energy a bit too soon. 'I feel small and humble and pious!' he proclaims from the melee, a declaration that suggests the precise opposite is true (see also when someone announces: 'I've got a great sense of humour!'). But never mind. Events soon intervene. As Rajan and his fixer attempt to head towards the waters, news reaches them that people have been crushed in the crowd; 30 are dead, many of them sleeping pilgrims who were trampled under foot, and 90 others are injured. Rajan is struck by people's attitude to such a disaster. For him, it's horrifying. For the more devout, including Aunt Lakshmi, who's shortly to help him perform pind daan, an ancient funeral rite, for his father, it's nothing to get too heated about. There's no difference between life and death, she tells him calmly. Rajan chose not to interrogate this: by now, he was all in. 'What a privilege to sit at the feet of a wise lady,' he said, as if he hadn't worked with Martha Kearney all those years. Around him, the temporary city the Modi government had built for the Kumbh Mela – 30 pontoon bridges, 135,000 toilets – ceaselessly shimmered and shook. Rajan might, he thought, have stepped through a wormhole. In the Ganges at last, he felt 'as high as a kite'. What his audience will make of this film, however, is a different matter. Part documentary and part vanity project – there's just no escaping his swimming trunks – it seemed to me to be half-hearted, somehow, its sincerity both unquestionable and strained. If the story of one man's ordinary grief and how he soothed it is to work on screen, good writing is vital: a narrative voice that paints the pictures we can't see. But alas, Rajan was often lost for words, his epiphany no more expressive than a honking Prayagraj car horn. Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges BBC One [See also: The savagery of Alexander McQueen] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New National Geographic Show 'Underdogs' Celebrates Nature's 'Terrible Parents'
As parents, we can often make so many decisions through the day. We then usually doubt the decisions once we've made them. Should I really let my 5-year-old stay up until 11:30 p.m. to watch a movie? Or lose my cool on my kid when they've done something questionable? What about the junk food and sugar binge my kid had right before bed? There's no doubt that parents in the animal kingdom can also make some poor decisions or have some questionable parenting strategies. Just in time for Father's Day, National Geographic is debuting its brand new series called UNDERDOGS, narrated by actor and father of four Ryan Reynolds. And it's definitely not your typical nature show. The second episode of UNDERDOGS is titled "Terrible Parents," and we are getting a sneak peek at an exclusive clip. In this clip, we meet Larry the Barnacle Goose, known as "Father of the Year" in the episode. His chicks are about to take on the very dangerous art of base jumping, after hatching from the nest at the top of a cliff. I know I held my breath watching that chick take a leap of faith and then try to survive! But we all have to let our kids spread their wings and fly, even if they fail. They can then learn from those mistakes, right? (I mean, if it's not a threat to their lives like it seemed for this little goose.) But Larry the Barnacle Goose isn't the only "Terrible Parent" in this episode. Reynolds also introduces viewers to a koala that feeds its baby poop. It also features other animals like gazelles, beetles, meerkats, and langurs. I think we parents can all relate in some way. "Ryan is a parent himself, and this was always the episode he was the most enthusiastic about when we were developing the series," says Dan Rees, UNDERDOGS executive producer, who works for Wildstar Films. "Every parent makes mistakes, but this show offers some solace because, no matter how bad you might think you are at parenting, you can't be as bad as these guys. Some of the UNDERDOGS parents' decision-making is seriously flawed, and Ryan, with his unique brand of self-deprecating comedy, was the perfect person to tell their stories." Rees also offers this takeaway for parents who watch the show."So just how terrible are the Underdogs at parenting? You'll have to watch the show to decide for yourselves, but when the chips are down, no matter how much they might have messed up along the way, even the underdogs (with one or two notable exceptions) come through. And if they can do it, so can you," he tells Parents. UNDERDOGS is all about "the outcasts of the animal kingdom." The show looks at animals' unique behaviors that don't always get the attention, including their hidden talents, "unconventional" hygiene choices, and "unsavory" courtship rituals. The show is produced by Reynolds' company, Maximum Effort, along with Wildstar Films. And if it's narrated by Reynolds, you know the Deadpool actor will be injecting his own signature sarcasm and humor into each episode. There are so many, let's say, interesting aspects of the natural world. In one episode, a film crew goes into an unusual cave in New Zealand—a cave no film crew has ever entered. According to the news release, it's "a huge cavern that glows brighter than a bachelor pad under a black light thanks to the glowing butts of millions of mucus-coated grubs." If that description tells you anything, you and your kiddos will definitely get some chuckles from this series. The first episode of National Geographic's UNDERDOGS called "Superzones" premieres on National Geographic Channel on June 15, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. It will also be simulcast on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. If you're looking for "Terrible Parents," it will air immediately following the first episode on National Geographic. Here's the full list of episode titles and air dates. 'Superzeroes' - June 15 at 9/8c on National Geographic 'Terrible Parents' - June 15 at 9:54/8:54c on National Geographic 'Sexy Beasts' - June 22 at 9/8c on National Geographic 'The Unusual Suspects' - June 22 at 9:53/8:53c 'Total Grossout' - June 29 at 9/8c on National Geographic All of the episodes will be available the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Read the original article on Parents
