The story of India

"The story of India" is a 6 part BBC series first telecast in 2007 commemorating 60 years of India/Pakistan independence from the British. The show is a must watch for every Indian. Michael Wood, the narrator and also the author of a book by the same name provides glimpses of the people of different ages in the history of the subcontinent, their culture, belief system, idealogy, economy, political framework, military and even trade relations with foreign lands in a time period spanning 5000 years. The enthusiasm with which he explores the vast land, mixing and mingling with the local population, experiencing the smells, tastes and sounds of India and the child like awe with which he listens to the stories that the locals have to say to him are infectious.

I was a lover of history in my schooling days. Infact I still am. The history that I have been exposed to in my formative years in school have led me to accept as a fact that our present identity as "Indians" was given to us by the British and it is because of them that we are one nation today. But many great empires spanning the vast majority of the subcontinent, precursors of modern multi-cultural India, headed by enlightened rulers have existed throughout history and their founding and guiding principles have been what we consider the cornerstone for the largest democracy on earth : secularism, peace and universal brotherhood. It was an invigorating experience to take that journey once again through the rich and intriguing history of India, to take a fresh look at what our roots were, what we currently are and where we are headed. 

Here is the link to the Google video 

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=the+story+of+india&emb=0&aq=f#q=the%20story%20of%20india&emb=0&aq=f&dur=3

The series is also going to be telecast in PBS this month in the US.

Watch and experience for yourself the most fascinating tale in history, The story of India.

peace out.