00:00And tonight, a reality check from Tehran.
00:04Not missiles, not sirens, not sanctions.
00:07Books, coffee, conversation.
00:11In an India Today ground report,
00:13Vice Chairperson Kalipuri and Foreign Affairs editor Geeta Mohan,
00:17they step beyond the Western headline narrative
00:20to show you a different side of Iran.
00:23Yes, there is inflation.
00:25Yes, there are challenges.
00:26But then, it's not the collapse that's often projected.
00:30So, from cafes that could pass off as any country in Europe
00:34to streets where choice appears visible.
00:37This report questions that one-dimensional image of constant fear
00:41and moral policing that's projected by some.
00:44So, beyond the rhetoric, beyond ready-made narratives,
00:48this is Tehran as seen on ground.
00:52An India Today exclusive, cutting through the myth
00:55with first-hand ground reporting.
01:09Books, coffee, conversation.
01:14Not missiles, not sirens, not sanctions.
01:19This is Tehran, beyond the Western headline.
01:24From the outside, Iran is framed through conflict and confrontation.
01:30But step inside a mall in Tehran and the narrative shifts.
01:33So, we are looking at a mall that not just enriches,
01:39it is enriching because of the books that they have.
01:43They are portraying and showcasing Iranian books,
01:46Persian books, Persian culture.
01:49The books over here are not just confined to religious texts.
01:56There is poetry, there is khayam,
01:58there is absolutely every big port
02:02and their work that you can see over here.
02:05This is showcasing Iranian architecture.
02:10Look at the beautiful space they have built
02:14just to portray and project what Iran is
02:19and what Iranian or Persian architecture looks like.
02:25Absolutely spectacular.
02:27So, you go into this nook
02:28and the moment you walk through,
02:32you come out into a space
02:34where there is dome,
02:36there is beautiful artwork,
02:39there is calligraphy.
02:41India Today Group's Vice Chairperson Kalipuri
02:44and Geeta Mohan
02:45give you a glimpse of the reality of Iran
02:48beyond the picture
02:49that the Western media has painted for the world.
02:52There is inflation, undoubtedly so,
02:55and there are problems,
02:57but not the way the West projects
03:00because we see a lot of reports, Kali,
03:02from the West
03:03and we have to be so careful in our reporting
03:06to ensure that we do not fall prey
03:09to a certain kind of narrative.
03:12This breaks that for you, for us, for our viewers?
03:15This could be anywhere in Europe, couldn't it?
03:17The way the coffee shop is done,
03:19the kind of people who are sitting around,
03:20the books at the back,
03:22like the atmosphere, the lights.
03:24It will feel like the image you have of Tehran.
03:29And then comes a second big myth,
03:33the narrative of constant fear,
03:35of moral policing on every street corner.
03:39We are all for women's rights.
03:41We talk about it all the time.
03:43But roaming around in the streets of Tehran,
03:46do you feel the moral police
03:49as is reported by the Western media?
03:52Like, we know that a lot of women
03:53do wear hijab or headscarves.
03:56We had to for the interview.
03:58But you also see a lot of women who don't.
04:00It seems as if it's a choice.
04:02I mean, today we have a headscarf on
04:05because it's a bit cold outside.
04:07And it seems like a reasonable choice
04:10to have the headscarf then.
04:12But, you know, there's been no sort of pressure on us
04:16to do either, except at the ministry.
04:18I mean, I guess that's their convention,
04:20which is fine.
04:21American staple in Tehran.
04:23This is the reality of Iran.
04:26Myths over a sanctioned backward world
04:28busted by the India Today group
04:30as we travelled through the streets of Tehran.
04:33Bureau Report, India Today.
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