NPR's programming from India seems to be a shallow knock off of "Trials from the East" -- a show on Link TV that interviews people throughout Asia on trains.
Here's a bit from one of my favorite segments: "I used to think living in the city would be wonderful. I've seen it on television. I've seen that everything is bright and colorful there. That's the modern city. A big world, full of challenges. And that's what I wanted too, and so I ended up in Bangkok. "But I am from the countryside and I am very attached to my village. That's where you live like you like. I know the trees from when I was young. Now those trees are old their branches and barks have changed. Every tree is unique, every leaf is different. It is so fascinating to get to know all the trees. "But in the town, every building is still, it is the same after 10 years. And the people are like pre-historic people. Everything is geared towards survival [sic?: possession?]. [You live?] from day to day. It's just like in the stone age, using everything and everyone in the fight for survival. And you have to have money, or you get nothing to eat. "But what I really want is what I have left behind. That which I was looking for is at home. I was looking for modern life, for something new. But it meant that I left my real self behind."