`Sanjeev Bhaskar is the perfect guide to the endlessly astounding universe
of sensations found on the subcontinent. Witty, observant, honest,
affectionate and informed, he brings India alive on the page. His
beautifully produced and dazzlingly informative book made me want to drop
everything and take the first plane out.'

Sanjeev Bhaskar, comedian and writer behind 'The Kumars at No. 42' embarks on an epic and highly personal journey through modern India. Sanjeev's characteristic humour and unique perspective form the heart of this audiobook that accompanies his travels for the BBC2 series. Exotic and diverse, richly colourful and intriguingly complex -- India is one of the most exciting countries to visit in the world today. Sanjeev Bhaskar of 'Goodness Gracious Me' and 'The Kumars at No. 42' , grew up in 70s surburban west London, so his regular family visits to India to see his relatives gave him an endless fascination for its bizarre contradictions. Now Sanjeev is going back with a BBC film crew to delve deeper into what makes this country such a compelling phenomenon. As Sanjeev travels from Delhi to Bombay, Jaipur to Calcutta, he meets ordinary and extraordinary Indian people from every background, and brings his natural warmth and sense of humour to these encounters. Although often baffled by the eccentricities of India, our endearingly good-natured guide never fails to find humour in these situations.'

Sanjeev's India' is also a personal journey as Sanjeev meets old relatives who reveal their moving and often traumatic stories of India's turbulent and bloody past, and comes to understand a little more about his own roots. During his trip Sanjeev is invited to a middle-class wedding in Delhi as well as witnessing the poverty of the slums in the Calcutta backstreets. He wryly observes the polo-playing Maharajah jet-set in Jaipur as well as the kitsch of Bombay Bollywood, and experiences the Ganges lit up by a million floating candles for the ancient ritual of Diwali and the majestic colonial architecture of the British Raj. With such an engaging and thoughtful travelling companion, we find ourselves going beyond the cliches to reveal a country steeped in history yet at the forefront of new technology, at once confusing, astonishing and jaw-droppingly beautiful.

As a young British Asian growing up in 1960s London, writer and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar was fed stories of exotic old India - of cobras and leopards, trapping fireflies and riding in rickshaws. But his childhood visits to the old country revealed stifling heat, powercuts and the pervasive aroma of cow dung - baffling to a young boy brought up in an England of fish and chips and light drizzle.

Now, years later, Sanjeev embarks on a uniquely personal journey through the heart of India, where he is reunited with old relatives with traumatic stories of Partition - but also discovers a shiny new India of high-tech industry and glittering Bollywood kitsch. Sanjeev paints a unique picture of this chaotic, beautiful and remarkable country - this is India like you've never seen it before.

Actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar first came to widespread public attention
through the ground-breaking comedy sketch show `Goodness Gracious Me'. He
followed up this success with his solo venture, `The Kumars at No. 42'.
Sanjeev writes the show and plays the role of Sanjeev Kumar, who tries to
host and broadcast a celebrity chat show from his parents' living room.
Sanjeev can also be seen in the films `Anita and Me', `The Guru', `The
Mystic Masseur'and `Notting Hill.' He is married to Kumars co-star Meera
Syal.

2007-08-13 A Very funny book and TV series

This is a funny and imaginative approach to Indian cultures and festivals.
I enjoyed both the TV documentries and book.
Funny, informative, plain great!