Indian soap operas make their way to the Sahara Desert
Loved and loathed in equal parts, a new breed of Indian soap operas have emerged in the last 15 years. For some folk these are compulsory watching. For others (including me) these are a mindless, pointless sequence of visuals strung together by hordes of characters who utter very little and count on the ever-zooming camera and elaborate make-up to move from one episode to the next. The producers are fixated on propagating a vision of Indian family and culture that is steeped in orthodox beliefs and superstitions. In almost every sense they take us back several decades by displaying the often patronising and clichéd manner in which society, especially women are represented. I make no secret of my disdain for the Indian television today, compared to the quality programmes when I was growing up. Despite this, I was filled with amazement a few months ago, when I walked into Hotel Kasbah le Touareg in Merzouga at the edge of the Moroccan Sahara. In it's cozy lounge was a TV screen...