In case I haven’t mentioned it, I’m relocating to Bangalore, India to take a full-time job with a media startup. Moving to India means uprooting my life and literally restarting halfway across the planet. Such is the life of a TechTrotter.

Although I spent much of the summer months in Brazil it’s nice to know that India was never as far away as it seemed. In particular, a soap opera on the Brazil’s most watched network, Globo, helped to create a common link between the two continents. While I wait for my connecting flight to Mumbai in the Brussels International Airport, allow me to tell you about one of my favorite Brazilian TV shows, Caminho das Indias. (The following contains excerpts from a post original intended for publication on SAJA Forum.)

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India’s impact on the world is felt in myriad ways, but the form it takes can often come as a bit of a surprise. Members of the Indian diaspora are found throughout Africa, Oceania and the Caribbean, but there is one place few would expect; Brazil.

One of Brazil’s most popular television shows is soap opera is called ‘Caminho das Indias‘ or, ‘Way of the Indies.’ The show airs nightly after the 8PM news broadcast on Globo, the largest television network in Brazil. The show has three inter-linked plots that unfold simultaneously in Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro and Dubai and the cast features more than a dozen Portuguese-speaking, Brazilian-born Desis.

Brazilian soap operas have quite a few unique features. Each series lasts just six months after which time, production ceases forever. Episodes are filmed as little as two weeks in advance of the date they air to quickly react to audience feedback. When popular characters are killed off, they are often resurrected as a result of audience sentiment. Plot lines themselves are very didactic, and characters regularly deal with social issues such as how seek help for mentally ill family member. However, true to it’s roots as a soap opera, the gorgeous characters zip from society parties to the polo club in expensive clothes or bejeweled saris and it’s never clear how anyone earns the money to support this lifestyle.

The show also features a sophisticated, Flash-based Web site, with cast interviews, a plot synapse and section devoted to explaining Indian cultural issues such as the caste system, cuisine and the festival of Holi. Caminho das Indias has also spawned real-life couplees that are straight out of a Bombay talkie. The tumultuous on-screen romance of characters Raj and Maya belies the truth, the actors are actually happily married.

While looking up information to include in this post, I found this blog called Sepia Mutiny, where the author spoke about her own experiences Desi spotting in Brazil. Among her observations was the fetishization of Indian culture by upper class Brazilians, despite a lack of people of Indian descent. On news stands, yoga magazines abound and Indian-themed clothing and imagery are popular. I am curious to see the extent to which the opposite will be true in India. How often might I see Brazilian-themed products or images in Bangalore?

It’s an interesting question, since both countries, Brazil and India, have such a strong cultural heritage and sense of self. I will be on the lookout for any threads that tie the two together across oceans and continents. In terms of social media, Indian trends trail those adopted by Brazilians by a few years. I wonder what else is out there.

I’ve got a flight to catch, so I have to jet, literally and figuratively. The next time I update, I will have made the move to Bangalore. Stay tuned and wish me luck!