Discovering
India!
Discovery Channel launches its six-episode programme, The
Story of India
Virumandi has an interesting genetic history. Thanks to
research by Prof. Pitchappan and his team from the Department
of Immunology, Madurai Kamarajar University, it was discovered
that Virumandis DNA h early settlers of India. But
the credit for bringing this sensational scientific finding
out of the rarefied world of genetic research goes to Discovery
Channel.
While discussing the roots of the Indian nation, the first
of Discoverys six-episode programme, The Story
of India (on air at 8 p.m. every Wednesday starting
from April 16 and retelecast every following Sunday at 11
a.m.), gives details about the experiment that has turned
Virumandi into a celebrity.
Historian Michaeal Wood, through whose eyes the viewer gets
to witness the wonders of India, is treated to a varied
fare as he walks around the Ganges Plain, the lost
cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and other archeological
sites which have not ceased to throw surprises. His attempt
to unearth Indian origins takes him out of the country
to Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
Another episode discusses why India has been a melting pot
of ideas. With great drama, the events that changed the
lives of Siddhartha and Asoka are related. Wood visits the
countrys holy sites and meets up with the Dalai Lama.
The third episode traces the beginnings of international
trade in the Indian subcontinent. It tells how the Spice
Route and Silk Roads changed the landscape of Indian
trade in the centuries immediately following the death of
Christ. Wood gets to sit on traditional boats and Indian
trains, as he retraces Indias ancient trading trails.
Subsequent episodes are about medieval Indias achievements
in astronomy, the evolution of wrought-iron technology,
the making of the worlds first sex manual, the Kama
Sutra, the rituals specific to the Chola temple (1010 A.D.)
in Tanjore, a visit to Multan, a trail through the deserts
and the Mughal cities.
The programme culminates in an exploration of events that
took place during British rule and a commentary on how India
has grown following Independence.