After 'Wild Brasil', now BBC Earth came up with this. A three part mini-series and each one an hour long. It was focused on the wildlife of the Indian Sub-continent. From the Great Himalayas that spread out from north to northeast India to the Western Ghats in the west and southern India, all the hidden natural world revealed. As the opening of each episode say, India is the land of one billion people, if you had ever visited India, you would have seen people everywhere, spread out the entire land mass. But there are still some places where human penetrations absolutely limited, and that's where the wildlife flourishing. You are going to enter there with this documentary film.
The first part was called 'Land of Changing'. A perfect intro for those who don't know the India's dynamic lands and the species that living there for the millions of years. From the snow mountains to wetlands, arid desert, grasslands, deep jungles, full of surprises. All the type of land mass and the animals that perfectly adopted those conditions and some of the species you might have never thought that you would find in India can be witnessed. Like the Indians who are one of the first people to migrate out of Africa, it seems these animals as well. Because being the same species, there are big difference in size and pattern compared to their counterpart from Africa.
There are some off topic discussions like Hindu religion associated with the animal kingdom. Its done only for a slight moment to explain things. If you understand that, it'll tell you why the majority of Hindus are vegetarians. Almost entire species found in India are linked to Hindu gods and goddesses. The rest of the world does not have to turn Hindus, but respect the animals in a similar fashion with passion, why not we the sons and daughters of Earth can live together harmoniously. Some of the documents in this episode will amaze you, how the people and animals co-existing peacefully. But animal instincts can't be predicted, so occasionally things could go wrong as well.
❝You do not want to run from what you cannot see. As you may run straight into it.❞
The Second part was called 'Land of Mountains'. Of course, this kick starts with the Great Himalayas and moves to the UNESCO recognised world heritage site, the ancient mountain chain, Western Ghats. Many rare species like the snow leopard, Indian Sub-continent's only ape variety, hoolocks, frogs et cetera can be witnessed. Frankly, the Western Ghats are one of the less explored place on the earth. It is called the Amazon jungle of India, but the local name is Sahyadri. The 1,600 kilometers long mountain chain, a paradise for botanists, photographers and wildlife lovers. So I thought they should have got into deeper for more details about the place, it'll take you to the ancient time with your finds.
Then the third and final part called 'Land of Rivers'. The third longest river in the world, Ganga, the sacred river of Hindus. The exploration begins from where it starts and where it is heading. The rich in minerals, that benefited by both wildlives and humans are detailed. On the opposite side, Brahmaputra, coming from the other side of the Himalayas and meets the Ganges before fall into the Bay of Bengal. I liked this episode as well, but I don't know how they have missed the Jog falls from different river, the Niagara of India, one of India's natural wonders.
Narrated by Geraldine James, it's truly an amazing nature series. The India you would have never seen or thought of. But it is just a ten per cent, there are lots more to see the real wild side of India. The only disappointments was there were a few clips that are already seen in other BBC Earth shows. Other than that, it is a must see, particularly if you love India, visited India or going to. There are not many nature documentaries about India, so I hope it returns for the second season. But this time expecting to cover the Andaman Islands to the east and Lakshadweep to the west. Definitely worth making, if not for commercial purpose, just to investigate and keep the documents.
9/10
The first part was called 'Land of Changing'. A perfect intro for those who don't know the India's dynamic lands and the species that living there for the millions of years. From the snow mountains to wetlands, arid desert, grasslands, deep jungles, full of surprises. All the type of land mass and the animals that perfectly adopted those conditions and some of the species you might have never thought that you would find in India can be witnessed. Like the Indians who are one of the first people to migrate out of Africa, it seems these animals as well. Because being the same species, there are big difference in size and pattern compared to their counterpart from Africa.
There are some off topic discussions like Hindu religion associated with the animal kingdom. Its done only for a slight moment to explain things. If you understand that, it'll tell you why the majority of Hindus are vegetarians. Almost entire species found in India are linked to Hindu gods and goddesses. The rest of the world does not have to turn Hindus, but respect the animals in a similar fashion with passion, why not we the sons and daughters of Earth can live together harmoniously. Some of the documents in this episode will amaze you, how the people and animals co-existing peacefully. But animal instincts can't be predicted, so occasionally things could go wrong as well.
❝You do not want to run from what you cannot see. As you may run straight into it.❞
The Second part was called 'Land of Mountains'. Of course, this kick starts with the Great Himalayas and moves to the UNESCO recognised world heritage site, the ancient mountain chain, Western Ghats. Many rare species like the snow leopard, Indian Sub-continent's only ape variety, hoolocks, frogs et cetera can be witnessed. Frankly, the Western Ghats are one of the less explored place on the earth. It is called the Amazon jungle of India, but the local name is Sahyadri. The 1,600 kilometers long mountain chain, a paradise for botanists, photographers and wildlife lovers. So I thought they should have got into deeper for more details about the place, it'll take you to the ancient time with your finds.
Then the third and final part called 'Land of Rivers'. The third longest river in the world, Ganga, the sacred river of Hindus. The exploration begins from where it starts and where it is heading. The rich in minerals, that benefited by both wildlives and humans are detailed. On the opposite side, Brahmaputra, coming from the other side of the Himalayas and meets the Ganges before fall into the Bay of Bengal. I liked this episode as well, but I don't know how they have missed the Jog falls from different river, the Niagara of India, one of India's natural wonders.
Narrated by Geraldine James, it's truly an amazing nature series. The India you would have never seen or thought of. But it is just a ten per cent, there are lots more to see the real wild side of India. The only disappointments was there were a few clips that are already seen in other BBC Earth shows. Other than that, it is a must see, particularly if you love India, visited India or going to. There are not many nature documentaries about India, so I hope it returns for the second season. But this time expecting to cover the Andaman Islands to the east and Lakshadweep to the west. Definitely worth making, if not for commercial purpose, just to investigate and keep the documents.
9/10
