On The Ground (2025)

06/03/2024

Hello, friend ! I hope you're well. There's a very important award announced by the Government of India for the first time called the 'National Creator Awards'. The winner of this award will receive a lot of support from the government in terms of opportunities, funding, reach, brand collaborations, etc.

Among lakhs of Indian creators, I am thrilled to share with you that I've been nominated (ontheground.with.sai) in the 'Green Champion Creator of the Year' category. The final winner is decided through a voting process. It would mean the world to me if you could take a moment and vote for me on this link:

*You have to login to cast a vote*
*You can use your email id if your ph number doesn't work*
*Its a 3 minute process*

You can vote here: https://lnkd.in/dUrwk8sE.

I would be SO grateful if you could do this. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE :)

Voting ends at 6.00 pm IST on the 6th of March.

16/01/2024

Guys just google open house and you’d find the location easily
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

This house in Hyderabad is OPEN to everyone. Mr and Mrs Prakash built a house that opens its doors to the hungry, to the homeless and even for women from broken marriages. You can enter this house whenever you want, stay as long as you’d like. The only requirement is to BE HUMAN.

14/01/2024

State number 16 - Arunachal Pradesh.

Before I start releasing some incredible videos I filmed at Arunachal Pradesh. Here are some beautiful pieces from Arunachal for you. Trust me, these moments looked 25 times more beautiful in real time.

1. Standing at a 600-year-old handmade bridge built with Bamboo.
2. Trekked for an hour and found one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen.
3. Buddhist flags which send you the most positive and peaceful vibes .
4. Enjoying my lunch beside a calm river.
6. I spotted some plants which are RED in colour. They had red leaves and red flowers.
7. White stones, usually lined up at temples in memory of the dead.
8. Walked into a local’s house and drank a cup of Butter tea . They were the kindest.
9. The second most famous monastery in the world - Tawang.
10. A healthy, energetic, happy 85 year old man.
11. A sight of emerald blue waters.

Massive shout out to for taking me to these hidden gems.

27/11/2023

The stories from ASSAM got nearly 20 million views.

My journalism journey began as a radio journalist, and while filming in Guwahati, Assam, I had the incredible opportunity to speak about my experiences On The Ground with the amazing RJ Mandy from Radio Gupshup. .3fm

Going from a radio student to a guest on a show in a city (Guwahati) I wasn't very familiar with felt like coming full circle.

The stories filmed in Assam are among my favorites to date, and I'm thrilled that you all enjoyed them—they've reached 20 million people and some of them got shared all across the world.

Assam is truly incredible, and I appreciate you tuning in.

Up next, I'll be sharing stories from Pune and Arunachal Pradesh. Keep watching and Stay On The Ground! ❤️

17/11/2023

State number 16 - Arunachal Pradesh ✅

✈️Usually, I travel SOLO to capture untold stories from the hidden corners of India 🎬

🗺However, this time, I introduced 'On The Ground Experiences,' where 11 members from my audience joined me to explore Arunachal Pradesh and immerse themselves in incredible STORIES 🎞

After all, stories are the heart of my journey, On The Ground ❤️

12 of us 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 coming from different cities, professions, interests, and backgrounds bonded over Arunachal's magnificent snow-capped mountains, calm Buddhist culture, lush waters, stunning valleys, and the addictive CLEAN AIR.

🧗‍♂️We began our journey as mere digital friends.

⛷Yet, by the end of our 8-day adventure, we became a group of friends that make fun of each other, a community that cares for each other & evolved into curious travelers united by unforgettable stories in the heart of Arunachal Pradesh ❤️

I can’t wait for you to watch all the AMAZING stories I’ve filmed here🤗😀

Thanks to for building us a well thought out itinerary with unforgettable experiences!!

Stay, on the ground 🎬💪🏾

05/07/2023

My 2nd and final leg of Assam has come to an end. Here are some random moments.

1. A picture with two reluctant women farmers in the heart of Assam's tea plantations.

2. A bunch of spiciest chilli in the world that I randomly found at someone's house.

3. A group of women farmers patiently posing to my camera.

4. A picturesque farm at Jorhat, Assam.

5. Some native flavours from the Assamese food palette.

6. Clothes hanging on the side of a traditional Assamese house built with clay (mostly)

7. Photo with the Forest Man of India, a living legend Mr Jadhav Penang.

8. A couple of traditional hats I got from a dear friend .borkakoty . To honour someone's work and presence in Assam, they usually give these cute hats made with bamboo.

9. A handful of freshly plucked tea leaves. Can you smell them?

10. Different varieties of native rice. Many of which we've forgotten today.

I can't wait to edit all the stories I've filmed and bring them to you 🌟

Stay, on the ground :)

25/03/2023

After she lost her short term memory due to an accident, Bhargavi climbed back to normalcy with an artform that has existed since the Indus valley civilization :D

14/03/2023

Renjini runs a sustainable brand which creates decor and utility products from waste. Their products are available for purchase on various online e-commerce platforms including amazon, brownliving, onegreen, etc.

04/03/2023

Omkarnath Sharma also known as Medicine Baba, walks from one home to another and collects medicines from the rich and donates them to the poor. There's nobody as rich as him :)

I filmed this story at New Delhi.

09/02/2023

These 3 engineers designed a printer that can print homes in less than 25 days. Is this the future of housing in India?

Their website: https://tvasta.construction/

Share their incredible story.
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

05/02/2023

I read somewhere that 'Women leaders create a better world'

This village in Gujarat is a living example of this idea. Women here hold all key positions - administrators, counsellors, planners and many more. They even successfully run households. And their biggest support and backbone? MEN.

The women have transformed the entire village with facilities better than most cities - education, hospitals, water equity, electricity equity, and even clean and green infrastructure.

The people of Kharad, Gujarat were incredibly welcoming when I visited them. They even invited me into their homes and gave me the most memorable Gujarati meal.

Story about a village run by India's Superwomen releasing today. :)

02/02/2023

These homes can be built in less than 48 hours. Shreeram and Gobinath aim to build a future where everyone one of us has a place called HOME.

These homes can be built in 60 days and it takes only less than 48 hours to set it up. Their standardized modules are manufactured in the factory and come with built-in plumbing and electrical lines.

And they feel like they have just started.

You can reach out to Modulus Housing

Reach out 79-04400792

24/01/2023

Rakesh Khatri is reviving the culture of sparrows in our surroundings by building model nests that we can all construct in less than just 5 minutes. Follow and share his incredible story.

Location: New Delhi

Eco Roots Foundation

11/01/2023

My first impression about Praveen was the scale of his ambition. An ambition to change the lives of millions of Indian shopkeepers with his simple SMART Calculator. I filmed him at his house in Bengaluru where his workspace had many interesting charts and numerous books. I could immediately guess that this 20+ year old was building something interesting. After all, you're a reflection of the books you read, right?

While talking with him, I learned so much about a simple everyday item that we usually tend to overlook - a calculator. We had a long chat about innovation, the formula for being successful and so on.

By the end of our filming session, without any second thought Praveen gave me a free copy of one of his favourite books - 'Zero to One' by Peter Theil. He said 'you will learn a lot from it'. I am yet to start reading the book. It's next on my list :)

11/01/2023

These three friends , and Satyam Sahu have innovated a SMART calculator that can elevate the lives of millions of Indians. Share their very SMART innovation!!!

You can reach out to them here:
https://instagram.com/tohands_?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=

07/01/2023

Hello friends, I am starting a new series of posts from now. A day before the release of every video, I am going to share my experience or the learnings I've gained while filming these very important and amazing stories across India.

The first one in this personal diary is about Ms Pappamal:

Ms. Pappamal was one of the easiest people to work with. Given her age (106 years old) one might think, she can be diffcult to interview, film and work with. But, she was extremely easy going, told me SO many stories and was very warm and accomodating. Even at such an age, she had a certain lust for living that I found very rare and interesting. While filming, she was ready to film under the scorching heat for easily an hour or so in her farm.

Her story is coming out tomorrow!!!

Meanwhile, tell me how you deal with the idea of growing older?

04/01/2023

The dhobi ghat is the largest laundry in the world. To wash millions of clothes everyday - it runs on a well planned system that supports hundreds of families. Share this incredible story!
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

30/12/2022

2022 has been a wild year, On The Ground.

By the end of 2021, I remember telling myself that this was going to be a make or break year. I either make it to a considerable distance or break away into a different direction with my career.

And that's exactly what happened, it broke me and then built me.

July 2022 was a turning point for my adventure, On The Ground.

I had already created 200+ stories across 13 Indian states and it was just NOT working. The videos weren't reaching the 'millions' I always wanted. I was hanging at 'a few thousands' for 2 years.
I was done.
I thought to myself 'I'm doing this for two more weeks, if nothing changes, I'm going to quit'

But you know what they say? Things change at the very moment you want to quit.

Out of the blue, a very unexpected video about a juice seller in Bengaluru went viral and reached 3M people. (within those 2 weeks)

Since then, multiple videos have gone viral. And over the past few months, these videos have managed to reach 35 million people with thousands of positive comments (I love to read them, keep commenting).

But, numbers are just an indicator that 'lots of people are watching'. For me, it's always been about the impact. The impact these stories have on ALL OF YOU. The experiences these incredible people have given me while filming them, interviewing them, and writing about them.

In the midst of this wild n chaotic journey of story telling across my favorite country,

I've somehow managed to grow my team from 1 to 5.

I've managed to tell unheard stories across 4 more states.

I've managed to fetch amazing opportunities & triple my monthly income.

I've managed to be the healthiest I've ever been.

I've managed to never give up & stay on the ground.

'Manage' being the key word 😂

So remember, if something is breaking you, it's also building you in the process.

I've enjoyed reading your amazing messages, comments and reposts. I hope 2023 has a lot more surprises.

Stay on the ground with me, until we make it!!

On The Ground

06/03/2024

16/01/2024

14/01/2024

27/11/2023

17/11/2023

05/07/2023

25/03/2023

14/03/2023

04/03/2023

09/02/2023

05/02/2023

02/02/2023

24/01/2023

11/01/2023

11/01/2023

07/01/2023

04/01/2023

30/12/2022

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