BBC presenter and veteran travel broadcaster Rajan Datar is a familiar face having been on our screens for over thirty years.
Interviewer became interviewee, as Counterculture took a moment to catch up with him and discuss his life, culture and current obsessions.
Beyond your amazing work on the BBC, what projects or adventures have been taking up your time recently Rajan?
Well, I’ve been chairing a couple of timely conferences – one in London and one in Seville – with some big players and thinkers in the travel industry talking about how to make tourism greener and more inclusive. What with COP29, extreme weather events and record breaking tourism figures recently, it’s becoming more and more urgent.
I’m also in the process of trying to find sponsors for my new podcast ‘One Step Beyond’ about travelling to cool relatively undiscovered destinations – great experiences and good for the planet! Any thoughts let me know…!
Then, I’ve been trying to put a proposal together for a BBC R4 programme about “Bass – the final frontier!” … Think about it: from the womb …to sound systems to earth shattering low frequencies used in science, warfare and industry, bass is all around us but many of us just don’t notice it.
Also, I’m going to Malta soon to chair a conference on the importance of Art and Culture in the Mediterranean. And then my beloved ska and reggae band Maroon Town are about to do a charity gig and we’re experimenting with mixing drum ‘n bass beats with reggae riddims. Great fun!
What was the last thing you saw or read that really inspired you?
I really got into series 3 of Industry on the BBC – it hit Succession/Breaking Bad heights for me.
I’m also fascinated by how ancient Greek philosophy like Stoicism is really taking off at the moment.
I went and saw the DJ/producer Quantic in London recently which was really inspiring…
Oh and my daughter has inspired me to ditch old dietary habits, eat more protein plus try out regular cold showers! Have you tried it?
You’ve had a long-standing career with many fascinating turns. Is there a moment, a story you covered, or a project that still resonates deeply with you?
Oh, there are so many episodes during my travels that keep cropping up again. I’ve been revisiting one from the 90s recently that encapsulates my love of travel, music and the spontaneous joy of meeting strangers with similar mindsets. One rainy November night I left a friend’s apartment and walked out into the street, made luminescent by NY’s neon streetlights … Along came a yellow cab and when I got in, I was welcomed by the brilliant grooves of KC and The Sunshine Band. The car had fantastic speakers and the driver and I soon bonded chatting over our mutual love for soul and funk. Within ten minutes (and after only three tracks from the KC greatest hits album) we had reached my hotel already! So guess what? He turned his meter off and drove me around until we had listened and celebrated every track! Magical.
The things that really claw in my mind are the projects I’ve toyed with for many years but never done anything about them. Like the book everyone says I should write. So many of my friends have just published their debut books.
Another thing that has come back into my consciousness recently, is a long standing sitcom idea about an old peoples home that’s full of ex ravers. But you know what they say ideas are easy, it’s the execution that’s the hard bit!
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I would love to work in a TV writers room on a top drama series – maybe Jesse Armstrong of Succession or Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan and learn how the experts do it- and then musically I would love to put on a big extravaganza multi-media show – crazy lights, projections, a dramatic score and trippy philosophical narrative…There’s a brilliant reggae producer called Prince Fatty I’d love to work with.
You co-founded and play bass in the band Maroon Town. From ska to jazz to reggae, you’ve spanned so many genres. Are there any emerging bands or classic tracks that have been on repeat for you lately?
My Spotify ‘Likes’ Songs list just brims with cool stuff I collect along the way – sometimes by Shazaming. It’s so eclectic but so cool..anyone want to offer me a show?! Here are some of the latest additions :
- Plinio Guzman Ramon Ropain y Su Combo
- Evolution Revolution Love by Tricky
- Little Spot of Soul by Skeewiff
- Mad Movie by The Hippy Boys
- Keep on Moving by Lord Tanamo
- Jackson Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
- Gunz in the Ghetto by Morgan Heritage and Bounty Killer
You’ve travelled all over the world, but with your eye for discovery, what’s your ideal way to spend a day close to home?
Ooh … I’m a restless soul and I would be guilt tripping about not working but if it was winter : it would involve a spin class to clear my brain and enjoy the endorphins followed by getting into a book that I was totally absorbed in at the time. I’d watch a brilliant afternoon movie in a cinema, and art exhibition, then a jam with my mates and going to see an unknown artist or DJ at a cool club.
To find out about Rajan and for bookings and enquiries, visit his website.