Make India Now! Your Must-Watch TV Show This Week

ABC's six-episode series will be covering news, culture and politics from India and the subcontinent. The show will extract what's happening in South Asia and contextualise for an Australian audience.

If there's one show you tune into this week, make it ABC's India Now! which premieres on Monday, May 30.

As someone who is of Indian heritage – but born and brought up in Australia and never having actually visited India – I'm looking forward to the first 30-minute episode covering news, culture and politics from India and the subcontinent. While South Asian news and current affairs is easy to find on the internet, a show like this will extract what's happening abroad and examine how it impacts Australia.

"For new arrivals, to long settled migrants, and anyone interested in one of the most populous and fascinating places in the world - we bring the subcontinent to you," reads an official statement from the ABC.

"As Australia’s relationship continues to grow at a rapid rate, and with ever closer ties at a government level, the show will be informative, always entertaining and told through stories and the people from India and the region."

Host Marc Fennell will be joined by paediatrician Dr Shanti Raman in episode 1 to examine the Indian education systems and how many migrants do not get the jobs they are qualified for in Australia. Plus, with comedian Amit Tandon also stopping by, audiences will learn more about India's growing stand-up comedy scene (who else was obsessed with Vir Das' Netflix special?!). Avani Dias, who is currently based in New Delhi as the ABC's foreign correspondent covering South Asia, will also be sharing the latest news from the region.

Ana Tiwary, the brains behind the Diversity in Australian Media Facebook page, is a Series Producer on the show working with the same team behind successful programs, Planet America and China Tonight. She says India Now! "is ground-breaking on so many levels" as a series of this nature "dedicated to India and the subcontinent has never before aired on Australian TV".

"We are working hard to ensure authentic representation of stories from India, while creating an engaging, informative and enjoyable show - that will help create a more nuanced understanding of India in Australia," she wrote on Facebook.

This six-episode series premieres on Monday, May 30 at 9:30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.