The Story of India

Dear Readers,

I started with the first episode with a little doubt in mind that " how it would be to see my own home through the eyes of others" but no doubt it was excellent.

Michael Woods style of presenting and his vast experience in filming would never distract you throughout the episode, he would travel across the nations to reveal about a subject and research it vastly.

Besides that all the participants behind the scenes were equally complimenting each other in their respective areas. The background score changes with the demand of scene which really is commendable.

Being an Indian, I myself enjoyed the series and a very good experience to know more about my own home. A Must watch.... from me.

This is the first series by Michael Wood that I see and I really enjoyed watching it. The history of India is certainly so rich that one could do a sixty episodes series as well. Wood has a colloquial style that makes complex subjects attractive. Here he catches the pulse of the Indian history and of the diverse civilizations that succeeded on the sub-continent and brings them to life, filming on site and interviewing people who are not only experts but also survivors, continuators and keepers of the traditions of the different religions and peoples who lived and survived in this huge country. His style is never dry, although a little bit superficial, but in the limits of time he is doing quite well. Even folks who were very little familiar with the subject end by learning some useful information and especially by having their interest open to learn more.

This was best work on Indian history i ever witnessed. Commerce, culture, politics, religion, literature, food, art- an astonishing and beautiful cinema. Thankyou for this special series defining Indian history as it should be. Loved it.

I started to watch this series with a fair degree of scepticism, being of Indian origin, but was hooked within the first 15 mins. The credit almost entirely goes to Michael Wood and the unending passion with which he has presented this masterpiece. It is a daunting task to be asked to cover India's vast and varied history in 6 short hours but Wood tells an intriguing and masterful tale, carefully taking into consideration all of the historical aspects and view points. I was delighted that as an Indian, there was a lot I got to learn and was pleasantly surprised at Wood's tenacity towards fact finding. Also, the history is told not so much in a chronological factual manner, but in Wood's fascinating and poetic story telling style, making it an extremely interesting and entertaining 6 parts to watch.

If I had to be picky, the only criticism I would have to offer would be on the lack of attention to the splendid Mughal era. Wood does touch upon it , but only when it is dying. The great Mughal emperors like Jahangir, Akbar and Shah Jahan have played a huge role in shaping Indian history and have given to India such splendid monuments such as the Taj Mahal.

But then again, it is a vast country with an over-abundance of history and tales.

A must watch in my book !

Hats of to Michael Wood for his extensive research and such a wonderful representation. Your enthusiasm mesmerizes me while watching the series. Also we have watched it with a view of foreigners. it is full of information. It has all the thing needed to be a great documentary be it direction, representation, music, sites etc. Really I felt enormous pleasure watching all the episodes. :)

It describes the beauty of culture and a great history of the India. I would like to admit that, even after being an Indian I did not know some minute things which I have come to know after watching the documentary. So a great thanks to BBC for presenting such a great series in India. I am looking forward to upcoming series. please bring more such series on India.