August 02, 2020
Modi vs man vs wild
ENTERTAINMENT
ENTERTAINMENT
PM Modi to feature in Discovery Channel's Man Vs Wild
Bear Grylls with PM Modi | Photo Credit: Twitter@BearGrylls
The Hindu Net Desk
29 JULY 2019 12:59 IST
UPDATED: 29 JULY 2019 13:03 IST
The episode will premiere on August 12 at 9:00 p.m
Popular television show ‘Man Vs Wild’, will soon feature Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Renowned survivalist, adventurer and host of the show Bear Grylls broke the news on Twitter on July 29.
He wrote: “People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM @narendramodi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change. Catch Man Vs Wild with PM Modi @DiscoveryIN on August 12 @ 9 pm. #PMModionDiscovery.”prime minister, Narendra Modi, will appear with Bear Grylls in a wilderness survival television programme, the latest in a series of Putin-style media appearances in which the 68-year-old leader projects himself as a man of action and a champion of the environment.
A trailer for the programme, Man vs Wild, which will air in India on 12 August, shows the two men cutting through forests, sniffing animal dung and floating down a river on a makeshift raft. In one scene, Modi holds an improvised spear and tells Grylls: “I’ll hold this for you.”
The programme is the latest of Modi’s choreographed media appearances where the strongman leader casts himself as the a symbol of masculinity, strength and robust health – a pitch that appeals to his party’s nationalist voter base.
“He is the alpha-male. He will not lose even a single opportunity to project himself as the man with the 56-inch chest,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography on Modi, referring to a claim Modi made on his campaign trail in 2014.
In recent months, Modi has bolstered that superhuman image – appearing in images that show him meditating in a Himalayan cave and doing early morning yoga exercises. “He wants to be seen as the biggest and most popular globally-accepted political leader from India ever. He wants to have iconic status globally.”
Stretch, bend and flex: Indian PM releases fitness video
Promoting the trailer for the programme, Modi tweeted: “India – where you find lush green forests, diverse wildlife, beautiful mountains and mighty rivers. Watching this programme will make you want to visit different parts of India and add to discourse of environmental conservation.”
The programme previously caused controversy in India after the Indian Express reported that Modi was likely to have been filming with Bear Grylls on the day of a terror attack in the disputed region of Kashmir, when extremists from neighbouring Pakistan killed dozens of Indian armed security personnel and almost prompted military conflict.
Narendra Modi: from impoverished tea seller to master of political theatre
Some reports suggest Modi delayed taking action after the attack because he was in the wilderness filming with Grylls, but this has not been confirmed. “We know how important it was to him to feature in this show,” Mukhopadhyay said.
The appearance with Bear Grylls will also bolster Modi’s image as a protector of India’s environment.
Bhavreen Kandhari, an Extinction Rebellion activist in India, said Modi’s pro-business, pro-development government contributes to India’s environmental destruction. She ridiculed the UN’s decision to award Modi the title of Champion of the Earth in 2018. “I am standing in the most polluted city in the world,” she said, speaking over the phone from New Delhi.
“My children’s lungs are black. There is no day when I don’t get calls about trees being cut down. There is absolute devastation.”
Modi’s government has made international commitments to increasing India’s solar power production, but has also given the green light to controversial mining and infrastructure projects that will result in deforestation and environmental issues.
In June, images from a giant landfill site went viral after it was reported that a mountain of garbage was set to climb higher than the Taj Mahal.
On Monday, as he announced the results of a tiger census, which showed the number of Bengal tigers in the wild had risen, Modi said: “I feel it is possible to strike a healthy balance between development and environment. Our country is one where for thousands of years there have been teachings of co-existe
nce [with nature].”
ENTERTAINMENT
PM Modi to feature in Discovery Channel's Man Vs Wild
Bear Grylls with PM Modi | Photo Credit: Twitter@BearGrylls
The Hindu Net Desk
29 JULY 2019 12:59 IST
UPDATED: 29 JULY 2019 13:03 IST
The episode will premiere on August 12 at 9:00 p.m
Popular television show ‘Man Vs Wild’, will soon feature Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Renowned survivalist, adventurer and host of the show Bear Grylls broke the news on Twitter on July 29.
He wrote: “People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM @narendramodi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change. Catch Man Vs Wild with PM Modi @DiscoveryIN on August 12 @ 9 pm. #PMModionDiscovery.”prime minister, Narendra Modi, will appear with Bear Grylls in a wilderness survival television programme, the latest in a series of Putin-style media appearances in which the 68-year-old leader projects himself as a man of action and a champion of the environment.
A trailer for the programme, Man vs Wild, which will air in India on 12 August, shows the two men cutting through forests, sniffing animal dung and floating down a river on a makeshift raft. In one scene, Modi holds an improvised spear and tells Grylls: “I’ll hold this for you.”
The programme is the latest of Modi’s choreographed media appearances where the strongman leader casts himself as the a symbol of masculinity, strength and robust health – a pitch that appeals to his party’s nationalist voter base.
“He is the alpha-male. He will not lose even a single opportunity to project himself as the man with the 56-inch chest,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography on Modi, referring to a claim Modi made on his campaign trail in 2014.
In recent months, Modi has bolstered that superhuman image – appearing in images that show him meditating in a Himalayan cave and doing early morning yoga exercises. “He wants to be seen as the biggest and most popular globally-accepted political leader from India ever. He wants to have iconic status globally.”
Stretch, bend and flex: Indian PM releases fitness video
Promoting the trailer for the programme, Modi tweeted: “India – where you find lush green forests, diverse wildlife, beautiful mountains and mighty rivers. Watching this programme will make you want to visit different parts of India and add to discourse of environmental conservation.”
The programme previously caused controversy in India after the Indian Express reported that Modi was likely to have been filming with Bear Grylls on the day of a terror attack in the disputed region of Kashmir, when extremists from neighbouring Pakistan killed dozens of Indian armed security personnel and almost prompted military conflict.
Narendra Modi: from impoverished tea seller to master of political theatre
Some reports suggest Modi delayed taking action after the attack because he was in the wilderness filming with Grylls, but this has not been confirmed. “We know how important it was to him to feature in this show,” Mukhopadhyay said.
The appearance with Bear Grylls will also bolster Modi’s image as a protector of India’s environment.
Bhavreen Kandhari, an Extinction Rebellion activist in India, said Modi’s pro-business, pro-development government contributes to India’s environmental destruction. She ridiculed the UN’s decision to award Modi the title of Champion of the Earth in 2018. “I am standing in the most polluted city in the world,” she said, speaking over the phone from New Delhi.
“My children’s lungs are black. There is no day when I don’t get calls about trees being cut down. There is absolute devastation.”
Modi’s government has made international commitments to increasing India’s solar power production, but has also given the green light to controversial mining and infrastructure projects that will result in deforestation and environmental issues.
In June, images from a giant landfill site went viral after it was reported that a mountain of garbage was set to climb higher than the Taj Mahal.
On Monday, as he announced the results of a tiger census, which showed the number of Bengal tigers in the wild had risen, Modi said: “I feel it is possible to strike a healthy balance between development and environment. Our country is one where for thousands of years there have been teachings of co-existe
