‘The India Experience – Season 2’ to Screen in Cambridge, MA and Warwick, RI

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A new collection of short documentary films exploring India’s cultural diversity, traditions and human stories will be screened at Apple Cinemas locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Warwick, Rhode Island, on October 17 and 18.

The India Experience – Season 2, presented by filmmaker and director Bharatbala, is the second installment of a cinematic initiative focused on documenting lesser-known stories from across India. The screenings will feature eight films, followed by a conversation and question-and-answer session with Bharatbala.

The Cambridge screening will take place at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. The second screening is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, at 3:30 p.m. at Apple Cinemas in Warwick, Rhode Island.

The project is part of Bharatbala’s Virtual Bharat initiative, which aims to digitally document and preserve India’s cultural diversity through 1,000 high-quality short documentary films featuring people, communities, traditions, landscapes and stories from across the country.

According to the organizers, Season 2 presents stories connected by themes of discipline, devotion, perseverance and reinvention. The films move across regions and communities, from the Himalayas and Punjab to Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and Chhattisgarh.

The eight films

1. Ganga | Daughter of the Himalayas
The season opens with the story of mountaineer Devyani Semwal, who grew up in the Himalayan village of Mukhba near Gangotri. After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, she sets her sights on Mount Everest and the Seven Summits. Her journey takes her to the source of the Ganga at Gaumukh and onward to Tapovan and Mount Shivling, where she confronts the physical and inner challenges of mountaineering.

2. Chasing Gandhi
This film follows Vishwanathan Jayaraman, who has run barefoot and bare-bodied for approximately 32 kilometers each day for 15 years. Beginning his runs at 3:30 a.m., Jayaraman’s disciplined routine is presented as an example of perseverance and his personal interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of becoming the change one wishes to see.

3. Buchen Lamas – Healers of the Pandemic
The film explores the tradition of the Buchen Lamas, a Buddhist faith-healing tradition associated with Tibet and now practiced by only one surviving troupe in India. Drawing on the legend of Lama Thang Thong Gyalpo and the ritual known as the “breaking of the stone,” the story examines a tradition centered on confronting fear and illness.

4. My Dad Invented the Vada Pav
The film tells the story of Ashok Vaidya, credited with creating the Mumbai-style vada pav in the 1960s. Beginning as a snack sold outside Dadar Station, the combination of spiced potato fritter, pav, chutneys and green chili became a widely popular and affordable part of Mumbai’s food culture. The documentary follows the story through Vaidya’s family and the continuing popularity of the snack.

5. 123 – The Happiest Man
This documentary profiles Swami Sivananda, whose reported age and longevity have attracted international attention. Born in 1896, he is presented as a practitioner of yoga and a proponent of a simple lifestyle. The film recounts his childhood, including the loss of his parents, his introduction to yoga and his perspective on happiness and longevity.

6. Kulasekarapattinam
Set in the coastal Tamil Nadu village of Kulasekarapattinam, the film follows devotees during celebrations associated with Dussehra and the worship of Shakti. It focuses in particular on 20-year-old Tamizhmaran, who undertakes 40 days of penance before participating in the ritual, including painting his skin blue and joining thousands of devotees in the festival’s intense celebrations.

7. Gatka – The Lion’s Roar
Set against the backdrop of the Punjab insurgency of the 1980s, the film follows Sandeep, whose father disappeared after being taken by police when Sandeep was a child. Drawing on Sikh teachings about courage and resistance to injustice, Sandeep turns to Gatka, the martial art associated with the Nihang warrior tradition. The practice becomes a means of confronting personal loss and shaping his own identity.

8. Ramnami
The final film focuses on the Ramnami community of Chhattisgarh, whose history is connected to caste-based exclusion from temples dedicated to Lord Ram. Members responded by inscribing the name “Ram” on their bodies, effectively making the body itself a place of worship. The documentary explores the community’s history, faith and enduring practice across generations.

Together, the eight films present different perspectives on India’s cultural and social landscape, examining how traditions, personal discipline and community practices shape identity and preserve stories across generations.

The screenings are organized as a cinematic presentation of the Season 2 collection and will conclude with a discussion and Q&A with Bharatbala.

Screening information

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Saturday, October 17, 2026
3:30 p.m.
Apple Cinemas, Cambridge

Warwick, Rhode Island
Sunday, October 18, 2026
3:30 p.m.
Apple Cinemas, Warwick

Registration is required, and seating is limited to the capacity of each theater. Organizers are encouraging attendees to reserve seats in advance.

Registration for the Cambridge screening is available through the event’s Luma registration page, while registration for the Warwick screening is available through a separate Luma page.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to Virtual Bharat, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The organizers said the initiative is intended not only to present the films but also to encourage the development of a wider “Virtual Bharat” community focused on documenting, celebrating and preserving India’s cultural heritage for future generations.

The screenings are sponsored by Venkat and Pratima Srinivasan; Meena and Sundar Subramanyam; and Santhana and Namitha Krishnan. Their support is helping bring The India Experience – Season 2 to audiences in the Cambridge and Warwick areas and supports the broader effort to document and preserve stories reflecting India’s cultural diversity and heritage.