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BBC: Ganges and The Story of India

€7.00EUR

Two great BBC documentaries presented in a collector's pack for the first time. Made and presented by the historian Michael Wood and Sudha Bhuchar.

Product description

1. GANGES
2. THE STORY OF INDIA

TWO COMPLETE BBC SERIES NEVER BEFORE RELEASED AS A COLLECTOR'S PACK

Ganges is a BBC TV documentary series, narrated by actor/playwright Sudha Bhuchar and produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, in association with the Travel Channel and France 3. It was first broadcast on BBC Two in August 2007 and formed part of the BBC’s “India and Pakistan ‘07” season, marking the 60th anniversary of independence from British rule and the partitioning of India and Pakistan.

The Story of India is a BBC TV documentary series, written and presented by historian Michael Wood, about the 10,000-year history of the Indian subcontinent in six episodes. It was originally aired on the BBC in six episodes in August and September 2007 as part of the BBC season "India and Pakistan 07", which marked the 60 years independence of India and Pakistan.

All 9 episodes of the two series are presented in a collector's pack of 3 DVD discs.

See the list of episodes and other details under Additional information.

This movie comes from our personal collection and only one piece is available
DVD Rating	Like New: a DVD in perfect condition. The box or jewel case is clean and vivid, with no signs of wear.
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Additional information

Starring	Michael Wood, Sudha Bhuchar (narrators)
Format	Collector's pack, Colour, PAL
Main soundtrack	English or Greek (selectable) Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles	OFF, Greek
Special features	-
Region
Aspect ratio	16:9
Number of discs	3
Classification	Exempt
Studio	2 Entertain Video
DVD release date	Ganges - 20 Aug 2007 in the UK The Story of India - 5 Nov 2007 in the UK
Run time	477 minutes (7 hours 57 mins)
EAN	-

List of episodes

Disc 1 - Ganges

Episode 1: Daughter of the Mountains

The first episode begins at the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian Himalaya, regarded as the true source of the Ganges, and follows the river 150 miles downstream through the mountain valleys to the edge of the north Indian floodplain and the holy city of Haridwar.

Episode 2: River of Life

Beyond the mountains, the fast-flowing river slows and spreads out over the plains, forming a marshy grassland known as the Terai. Animals featured include the rare Indian rhinoceros and Ganges river dolphin, but in these polluted and crowded waters their future is uncertain.

Episode 3: Waterland

The Ganges eventually flows into the Brahmaputra and drains into the Bay of Bengal via a huge delta. In the coastal mangroves of the Sundarbans the locals share an uneasy existence with tigers.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_(BBC_TV_series)

Discs 2 & 3 - The Story of India

Episode 1: Beginnings

At the 60th independence anniversary of the largest democracy, Michael tells how it entered the world stage. Some 75,000 years ago, curious men from Africa followed the shore to southern Indian, thriving as it was fertile. Some of its prehistorical 'cultural' heritage remains, e.g. in some of the Brahmin caste's Hindu traditions, as in some genes. 10,000 years later, agriculture started sedentarisation and cities, perhaps the oldest being present Pakistan's Harappa, which civilisation peaked in the third millennium BC. Also Mohenjo-Dara, capital of a vast, 5,000,000 people empire until trade collapsed mysteriously. Circa 1,500 BC arose the Sanskrit language and script. Its Vedic scriptures support cultural import, including domesticated horses, from the West by Aryan immigration circa 1,750 BC to the Indus valley, via Central Asia, from (or as) Mazdeist Iran. The Mahabharata epic mythologises their epic tribal and princely warfare and their new religion, Hindu polytheism.

Episode 2: The Power of Ideas

Since the fifth century BC, India developed an Iron Age pacifist model: individuals seek dharma (virtue), artha (richess and success), kharma (pleasure and joy) and ultimately moksa (enlightenment). In the holy Ganges cities, Michael contemplates the hierarchic, controversially fatalistic Hindu caste system and ritualistic tradition. The philosophical rise of moralism and meditation culminated in Buddhism, the teaching of prince Gautama turned wandering ascetic preaching detachment. After Alexander conquered the Persian empire, Indian admirer Chandragaupta Maurya founds his own from Bengal to Afghanistan and Ganges capital Patna, then the world's greatest city. His grandson Ashoka elaborates secular absolute rule, complete with torture house and aggressive war, then converted to Jain non-violence and Buddhist humanity.

Episode 3: Spice Routes & Silk Roads

In 150 BC, the Greek Hippalos discovered strong monsoons that allowed seafaring using improved Roman wooden ships from the Red and Arab Seas to the spice coast of modern Kerala and back. This enabled trade in what made the subcontinent as rich as silk-home China. Herbal products like peppers, ginger, cardamom and other conservation - and seasoning ingredients, worth up to their weight in gold, plus gems, paid mainly in metals and wine. India's fertile south conserves the Ancient Tamil language and metropolitan capital then, Manduarai. North of the Himalaya, the Kushan tribes formed a now forgotten empire, based on Merw (Turkmenistan), which opened the Silk Route, the main land trade.

Episode 4: Ages of Gold

In the 6th century AD was the start of India's Golden Age, with the rise of mythical kingdoms, especially Rama's Ayodhya, according to the supreme Hindu epic, the moralistic Ramayana. Aydodhya was later really built as capital of the historical Gupta dynasty's vast, rich, well-organized northern empire, recorded by Chinese visiting monk Fa Hsien. They excelled in metallurgy, astronomy and hedonism. The later southern counterpart was the Chola empire (c900-1300), capital Tanjore. Their Tamil culture, excelling in architecture, dance and bronze, lives on.

Episode 5: The Meeting of Two Oceans

Ghazni Afghan empire founder's 11th century raids from Multan (Pakistan) started Islam's influence on India. Since the twelfth century conquests established sultanates dominating northern Hindustan. In the 16th century another wave of Turkic-Mongol-Persian invaders, under Babur's dynasty, united them. Soon much of the South, was established as the Mughal empire. The natural meeting of Sufism and Hinduism in asceticism now was matched by a policy of tolerant coexistence, with Hindu vassals. A brilliant culture flowered, embellished by the Taj Mahal. However economic decline set in.

Episode 6: Freedom

Michael discusses with Indian historians and witnesses, including some rajahs, first how British India was established by the East India Company in the general British rivalry with France, first in southern principalities, then in Bengal, finally taking over the Mughal empire. Then the pros and contras of the raj (colonial rule). Finally the mutiny, the long struggle for independence, finally won by Ganghi, and the separation between a mainly Hindu Indian state and a Muslim Pakistan.

Source: IMDb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333053/episodes