The story of India with Michael Wood - an introduction

I haven't seen anything like this before. It is so exciting...

It make one, especially an Indian, so proud of Indian culture, history, its values and more. I thank Mr.Michael Wood for such an informative film. Finally, one is here, not an Indian, to talk about India, and explore its history, wealth of Information and tried succcessfully to share that excitement to the world. It is also interesting to see this presentation from an outsiders view. I don't know how to thank him. He made me so proud of India. Ofcourse I was shivering with excitement and pride while watching this documentary. I cannot say it so perfect. But considering the challenge/ effort/ research to make this series, its difficult to assess its value. This makes one to read more and learn about Indian history.

Generally, when foreign people think about India, the picture probably they have is about a poor country with poor people. But Michael Woods’s series give a positive impression about India and make one wonder about its contributions to this world.



I read that Michael Wood tried to make this series long back. He couldnt. In Mr. Wood's words India was simply not on their “radar,”. But miracle happened. The economic boom, which is likely to continue, has made the foreign media to mention India's name more often than usual, leading to a new interest on Indian civilizationin in their people's mind as well. Thus India's series became marketable. Whatever may be the reason it resulted in a 'MUST WATCH' series.

Ohhh.. I am still not out of excitement....Great work indeed Mr.Wood.

Michael Wood weaves a spellbinding narrative out of the 10,000-year history of India in 6, 60min episodes broadcated by BBC & PBS. It has also resulted in a book series.

1: Beginnings
The first episode looks at identity and the roots of India’s famous ‘unity in diversity’. Using all the tools available to the historical detective – from DNA to climate science, oral survivals, ancient manuscripts, archaeology, and exploration of the living cultures of the subcontinent, Wood takes us from the tropical heat of South India to the Ganges plain and from Pakistan and the Khyber Pass out to Turkmenistan where dramatic new archaeological discoveries are changing our view of the migrations that have helped make up Indian identity

2: The Power of Ideas
The second episode is ajourney through Indian history covers the last centuries BC - the age of the Buddha, the coming of the Greeks and the rule of the emperor Ashoka, one of the greatest figures in world history.

3: Spice Routes & Silk Roads
This episode in the story of India takes us to the early centuries AD, the time of the Roman Empire in the west, and to ‘the happiest time in the history of the world’ as the historian Edward Gibbon put it.

4: Ages of Gold
Fourth one is the story of India in the Middle Ages. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, and the European Dark Ages, India had a series of great flowerings of culture, both in the north and the south. In this episode Michael Wood shows us some of the amazing achievements of medieval India: In astronomy they discovered the heliocentric universe, absolute zero and the circumference of the earth.

5: The Meeting of Two Oceans
The fifth episode of the story of India takes us to the time of the Renaissance in Europe, when India was the richest, most populous civilization in the world.

6: Freedom
Episode 6 of this series tells how the East India Company took power over great swathes of the Indian subcontinent, the British Raj, and how the Freedom Movement delivered Independence to India in 1947. The series ends by acknowledging the extraordinary achievements of Indian democracy over 60 years and predicts its growth to become the second largest (or even the largest) economy in the world in the next decades to come.



Written and Presented by Michael Wood
Producer Rebecca Dobbs
Editor Gerry Branigan
Music Howard Davidson & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Filmed and Directed by Jeremy Jeffs

Awards
Winner - Accolade Award of Excellence, TV Mini-series
Winner - Accolade Honorable Mention, Cinematography
Winner - Accolade Honorable Mention, Editing

"Michael Wood loves India. When he starts to tell you about its 10,000-year history, the excitement and passion in his voice is undeniable." The Daily Mirror

“Energetic, enthusiastic presenter Michael Wood supplies a clear historical perspective accompanied by an uncomplicated narrative...unmissable.” The Observer

“This is a terrific series, a visual feast that boldly sketches overviews of vast tracts of history...” The Times

(The story of India with) “the knowledgeable,enthusiastic and eternally boyish Michael Wood…this one stands out as a superior product”
The Daily Mail


WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY
The Story of India -Part 6- Freedom and Liberation
The story of India -Part 5- The Meeting of Two Oceans
The story of India -Part 4-Ages of Gold
The story of India -Part 3-Spice Routes & Silk Roads
The story of India -Part 2-The Power of Ideas
The story of India -Part 1-Beginnings

Related Posts by Categories