TV show hosts, foodies and travellers Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma are back with their new show Goan Gullies which will be broadcast on the newly launched channel Zee Zest from January 29.
The show, which will take viewers on a journey around unexplored Goa, will be full of interesting people, undiscovered art, sports invented by locals, culture, and more. The hosts promise to show you Goa only like a local could.
We have all been to the beaches, the shacks, had those famous chorizos, and visited the known churches. But Rocky and Mayur will take us on a journey of the unknown where we discover a house older than Taj Mahal, go to a secret location for a &lsquohippie theme&rsquo photo session, walk through the village of Demani to meet with a family that preserves the age-old Chitari art form, and more.
Kickstarting the fun-filled itinerary, Rocky and Mayur meet at Artjuna &ndash a Mediterranean-style café, followed by an exciting interaction with Iggy The Bastard &ndash a DJ who believes in building community through experimental ideas.
Each episode captures immersive local experiences like learning Fado music &ndash an expression of love, loss, and guilt, and nuances of jazz, while Rocky and Mayur meet with local musicians. Banana pottery, kiteboarding, dolphin conservation, a visit to the Three Kings Trail, a tale of the legends of the village that helped the liberation movement in Goa are things to add to your next Goa trip.
We caught up with the witty duo to know more about their experience.
Here are excerpts from the interview.
You are back and you are hungry Tell us about Goan Gullies. What was the idea behind conceptualising the show
Rocky Goa is an incredibly varied and rich destination but most just come here to party and for the shacks and beaches. I wanted to free two birds from one cage a) spend time with my friend of 45 years (Mayur) in Goa and b) explore a place I knew has immense culture and a wealth of tradition and history.
The good news is - we did.
Mayur Goan Gullies is my way of saying thank you. Thank you to Goa and the lovely Goans for making me and my family feel at home ever since we moved here in 2016. I wanted to share with Rocky, and with all our community, the joy, the hidden gems, the unexplored lanes and stories of this amazing place I now call home.
Why did you choose Goa What can viewers look forward to
Rocky Goa is a world party hotspot, but did you know it&rsquos also a world biodiversity hotspot It has more than six distinct cuisines, and the list is endless. Viewers can expect to discover thrilling info about Goa and come along with us for the ride.
Mayur Goa is a very special place and deserves a lot more than just a reputation for being a party place. It has a very interesting mix of cultures, traditions, food, lifestyle and communities, the likes of which are rarely found anywhere in the world. When you watch Goan Gullies, you'll discover why we say this and you will find yourself nodding in agreement and making plans for the next Goa trip.
How was the experience of shooting the show
Rocky Like Goa, it was thrilling, beautiful, unique and oh so relaxed.
Mayur Like Goa, it was very often a journey into a different time and space. When you close your eyes and listen to the thrilling lament of the Fado or lean back in the shade and sip on a feni cocktail in a museum of glass jars, or float down the backwaters among the mangroves listening to the trilling of a hundred types of bird, you're in Goa
How will the show help travellers planning to visit Goa What are some of the destinations/activities that will be featured in the show
Rocky Aha The best food / the best music / the best action and the best things you can do in Goa .. watch the show to catch it all.
Mayur Short answer - Goa thoda hatke ) Watch Goan Gullies every Friday and Saturday night to really see Goa like you never have before.
You have been on the road amidst the pandemic. How do you ensure safety while travelling
Rocky Masks, social distancing, plus we only meet people outdoors where aerosol count is much lower hence lower risk. We check with people about their health status before removing the masks. We have taken a general flu vaccine. We boost our immunity with vitamin C, honey, cinnamon etc. We sanitise all rooms where we stay and use our own washed bed sheets and pillow covers.
Mayur Keep healthy, exercise every day to build my immunity, eat lots of fresh healthy food, think positive thoughts and have gratitude for all I have. A healthy and stress-free mind and body is my best defence strategy. And it seems to be working so far.
To Mayur You have been staying in Goa for the last four years. What motivated you to move there and how has the experience been
Our family moved here to get away from Delhi's toxic air and in Goa we found cleaner air, a very active yet simpler and quieter life, greenery, and a beautiful community of friends. We have time to really live. Life here in Goa is like it should be.
Apart from your love for food, what inspires you to travel How do you choose a destination
Rocky It should have a variety of food, a culture of tourism, should be popular with Indians and foreigners, should have a decent tourism infrastructure, should be rich in historic locations, have great natural beauty, and above all it should have friendly and engaging people and inclusive and pleasant social conditions, so that we may delve deep and try and appreciate its intricacies.
Mayur I've always travelled to meet people and share adventures. Inspiration could come from anything...a random image of a place, a story I hear from a friend, a line from a book I read and, heck, maybe even a song (I sang 'Sweet Home Alabama' at the airport there when I first visited Alabama, USA and man you should have seen the immigration officers grinning away).
Choosing a destination depends on why I'm traveling and who I'm traveling with. When travelling solo, I've had two years wandering around Africa and then South America - just wandering where an image, a person, a story or a wonder took me. With kids we always look for an active holiday and almost always it'll be in the mountains, forest, beaches, instead of a large city.
READ Rocky & Mayur
To Rocky You are also an avid birdwatcher and photographer. Apart from the famous Keoladeo National Park, which birding destinations would you recommend for our readers
India is fortunate to be blessed with an enviable amount of bird life. My favourite locations are The Rann Of Kutch, Dudhwa, Kaziranga, Corbett, Bikaner, Coorg, and Thekaddy.
Tell us more about your lifelong friendship. When and where did you meet How has the experience of travelling through the country been over all these years
Rocky We met in 1976 when Mayur became my neighbour, he was 3 and I was 6 - so it goes back to over 45 years.
It&rsquos been a privilege to travel through India which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world and more importantly, has some of the most varied cultures, languages and music and all live in great harmony and peace. (As long as politics stays out). The good is endless and yes, meat eaters far outweigh vegetarians which means I get more variety than Mayur does.
Mayur We're family now after all these years. We live, we love, we laugh, we fight, we sulk, we make up and we laugh again. The circle of life. Traveling together across our wondrous land has been a blessing, a joy, an adventure and never ever boring
Which has been your all-time favourite destination in India and why Which state, according to you, has the best food
Rocky For food, Bengaluru is my favourite city for its variety, and the availability of authentic world food. Kerala is my favourite food state for its sheer wealth of cuisine, and the availability of all kinds of meat at a single eatery. My favourite dish is from Lucknow - the Tunde Kebab. My favourite lassi is from Amritsar, available at Ahuja Lassi.
Mayur Delhi and Lucknow for the street food, Uttarakhand for its mad mountain treks, Goa because it has everything and more.
