Embarking on an enthralling expedition across India, Sanjeev Bhaskar brings his unique blend of humor and perceptive observations to peel back the layers of this endlessly intriguing country.
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Bettany Hughes – Exploring India’s Treasures – The South – Bettany could hardly contain her excitement as the train slowly chugged its way up the lush green hills of Tamil Nadu, bound for the picturesque hill station of Udhagamandalam, more affectionately known as Ooty. She had been looking forward to this trip for months and now it was finally happening. As she gazed out the window, marveling at the stunning valleys and rolling tea estates that flashed by, she thought back to how it all began. Bettany Hughes had stumbled upon some enchanting photos of the famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway
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Bettany Hughes – Exploring India’s Treasures – The North – In the enchanting city of Varanasi, a place brimming with spiritual energy and ancient traditions, Bettany finds solace and healing amidst her own recent bereavement. Embracing the profound customs of the Hindu faith, she engages in a poignant and transformative ritual that serves as a guiding light on her path of mourning and self-discovery. As the sun casts its golden hues upon the sacred Ganges River, Bettany embarks on a soul-stirring journey towards healing. Accompanied by wise and compassionate locals, she immerses herself in the age-old rituals that
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Joanna Lumley’s India episode 3: Joanna ends her 5,000 mile journey in the place where she was born, Srinagar in Kashmir. She starts off in the Ranthambhore National Park, where she hopes to spot a tiger in the wild. Meeting tiger conservationist Belinda Wright, Joanna witnesses the work of local NGO Tiger Watch, who are attempting to break a cycle of poaching and poverty through education. Home to over 18 million people, Delhi is a city of stark contrasts. The extreme differences are obvious when Joanna visits a homeless community – where 10,000 men live under a flyover – and
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Joanna Lumley’s India episode 2: Joanna meets the Maharaja of Dungarpur, who shows her around his lakeside palace. In stark contrast, Joanna visits a Dalit community – considered to be India’s lowest caste – in Gujarat, and hears of the everyday discrimination these people experience under India’s still deeply entrenched 3,000-year-old caste system. She later joins in a Hindu house warming ceremony, where a cow and calf are brought into the new house for luck. Braving the roads of Mumbai, Joanna takes a ride in the city’s only all-female taxi company and visits the Times of India, where her uncle
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Joanna Lumley’s India episode 1: Joanna Lumley travels back to the country of her birth. A year older than independent India itself, Joanna was born in Srinagar in the last days of the Raj and India was home to both sides of her family for several generations. Joanna travels the length and breadth of the country, beginning her epic journey in Tamil Nadu – on the southern tip of the subcontinent – and works her way up to the north. She travels over 5,000 miles, exploring its diverse landscapes, different cultural traditions, and extraordinary spirit. Joanna witnesses religious ceremonies in
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India’s Frontier Railways – The Last Train in Nepal: In 1927 a British civil servant drew a line on a map to define the border between their Indian empire and the kingdom of Nepal. Today, that border line is only marked by a chain of boundary stones and pillars – it’s a border that is almost invisible. This is the story of an international railway line. It runs for 20 miles from the little-known town of Janakpur in Nepal and crosses over the border to Jaynagar junction in India. But now the last train in Nepal is
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India’s Frontier Railways – Maitree Express: Filmed during the holy month of Ramadan, this is a journey from India into Bangladesh on a train that reunites the region of Bengal. Partitioned in 1947, Bengal was divided in half, creating East Pakistan – a satellite state ruled by Pakistan. It was an unwelcome occupation. In 1971, they fought a war of independence and East Pakistan became the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 37 years later, the first train ran between India and Bangladesh – the Maitree Express. Maitree means friendship. It takes 12 hours to make the 392km journey
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Treasures of the Indus – Of Gods and Men: In a journey across the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sona Datta traces the development of the Hindu religion from its origins as an amalgamation of local faith traditions to its dominant position today. She uncovers this fascinating tale by looking at the buildings in which the faith evolved, moving from the caves and rock temples on the shores of the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipurem, through the monolithic stone temple at Tanjavur to the vast complex of ornately carved towers, tanks and courtyards at Madurai, where every
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Treasures of the Indus – The Other Side of the Taj Mahal: This is the story of the Indian subcontinent told through the treasures of three very different people, places and dynasties that have shaped the modern Indian world. The Mughals created the most famous and dazzling empire that India has ever seen, from the Taj Mahal to fabulously intricate miniatures of court life. But in the process, did they bring civilisation to India or tear it apart? From the moment the first Mughal emperor Babur arrived from Afghanistan the debate began – were the Mughals imposing their
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Treasures of the Indus – Pakistan Unveiled: This is the story of the Indian subcontinent told through the treasures of three very different people, places and dynasties that have shaped the modern Indian world. All too often, Pakistan is portrayed as a country of bombs, beards and burkhas. The view of it as a monolithic Muslim state is even embodied in the name of the country, ‘the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’. Yet, as Sona Datta shows, it used to be the meeting point for many different faiths from around the world and has an intriguing multicultural past –
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Rick Stein’s India episode 6: As he reaches the end of his journey around India, Rick Stein cooks thoran, a vibrant Keralan vegetable dish, and reveals the outcome of his search for the perfect curry. Rick Stein discovers a five-star hotel in Madurai employing local housewives for genuine home-cooked dishes and enjoys chettinad chicken, a dish inspired by spices brought back from both the east and the west by the local travelling merchants. He also meets India’s first Masterchef winner in Lucknow to observe the making of dum machli, a sophisticated fish dish served at royal tables. Given
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