1947: After decades of struggle India won its independence from Britain and Partition created two nations in one land … A ship left Bombay shortly afterwards: the SS Asturias. It was one of the first passenger ships to leave for Britain after independence. A Passage to Britain II: The Asturias
On its fifteen day journey the Asturias left Bombay and after stopping off at Aden and Port Said it docked at Southampton on 23 October 1947 … There’s over a 1,000 names. ibid.
Partition was a time of horrific violence across India and Pakistan, and refugees fled in one of the largest forced migrations in history. ibid.
More than 10,000 Poles were housed in camps in India set up by the British in support of their wartime allies. Ibid.
Here in Southampton that the great passenger liner The Batory docked on 4th March 1954. The 553 passengers on board had travelled over 7,000 miles from Bombay. A Passage to Britain III: The Batory
20% of the Indians and Pakistanis on board were heading to the Midlands. ibid.
India is a state where calls for genocide against Muslims are on the rise. There is a very direct call to violence to make India a Hindu nation. The prime minister of this country should have spoken against it. India: The Modi Question, BBC 2023
He is the leader of the world’s biggest democracy. He came to power promising a new age of prosperity. But his rule has been marred by religious turmoil. ibid.
‘The international stage makes him something of a pariah.’ ibid.
He was cleared of criminal conspiracy. A finding upheld by India’s highest court. But concerns will not go away. India: The Modi Question II
‘The victory for Mr Modi was interpreted as a mandate for the muscular nationalism that Mr Modi and his government has been projecting.’ ibid.
It’s just before dawn and I’m in one of the most sacred location for one of the world’s oldest faiths. Bettany Hughes, Exploring India’s Treasures I, Channel 4 2023
The splendid resonance of the treasure of India. ibid.
Home to 1.4 billion … with well over 3,000 archaeological sites. ibid.
Varanasi stretches along the Ganges … an important destination place for pilgrims. ibid.
Sufi shrines in Delhi … The celebration of positivity and tolerance is everywhere. ibid.
The Lakeside palaces of Udaipur … A sort of harmony here between the palaces and the lakes and the islands. ibid.
The Taj Mahal complex with its stunning secret gardens is in Agra. ibid.
Amritsar: A dip in the sacred water is believed to wash away bad karma … At its heart is the magnificent golden temple. ibid.
Southern India with its extraordinary cultural and geographical diversity. Here landscapes have made history. Bettany Hughes, Exploring India’s Treasures II
The Lost City of Hampi: One of the world’s greatest abandoned cities. ibid.
Who exactly were the people of Vijayanagara? Seven hundred years ago the Hindu rulers of Hampi extended their kingdom over most of southern India. ibid.
The Great Shiva Temple … Nilgiri mountains … Kerala … ibid.
August 1947: A nation is about to be born. Its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, lands at the new capital Karachi … Even more than Gandhi, Jinnah shaped the turbulent events that unfolded fifty years ago. Secret History: Bloody Partition, Channel 4 1997
We present compelling evidence that until the end he didn’t want partition and that he never foresaw the full price of Pakistan. ibid.
‘One million people died. One million Hindus and Muslims across the border. And ten million people were uprooted. The biggest price that any country ever paid for such kind of operation.’ ibid. Rafiq Zakaria
India: 1.4 billion people and counting. It’s growth seems unstoppable. It’s beating heart – Mumbai. The boom town that was once Bombay. A city electric with opportunity. Where your billionaire neighbour might live with his skyscraper. Mumbai: Streets of Gold I, BBC 2024
To a world where too much is never enough. ibid.
With more millionaires and billionaires than anywhere else in the country, the privileged few enjoy a life of unparalleled luxury. ibid.
‘It’s a competition: space, money, time.’ ibid. famous dude
In the fast-paced world of Dubai everyone is dreaming big. Mumbai: Streets of Gold II
‘It’s a financial city. It’s very cosmopolitan.’ ibid. big cheese
Mumbai attracts about a thousand new residents every day. ibid.
‘It’s a competition: space, money, time.’ ibid. famous dude
As India looks to the coming century the baton is passed to the next generation. Mumbai: Streets of Gold III
Mumbai, India, November 2008: The world watches on as a fire rages at the city’s most famous landmark, the luxury Taj Mahal hotel. It’s rumoured that up to sixty terrorists [Lashkar-e-Taiba] are behind a series of commando-style attacks. 59 hours after the attacks began, 166 innocent people are dead. Seconds from Disaster s5e6: Mumbai Massacre
Two men armed with machine guns enter the Concourse. ibid.
2 car bombs explode in different parts of the city. ibid.
Bihar Area, India: 7 caves entirely excavated from massive granite blocks spread across 2 main sites … These are unique because of their precision. BAM: Builders of the Ancient Mysteries, Amazon Prime 2020
Could the strange ruins found in the Indus Valley really contain evidence of an ancient atomic explosion? Ancient Aliens s1e4: Close Encounters, History 2010
Such similarities are not limited to the Greek and Norse myths. In India the ancient epic of the Mahabharata describes visitations from God who possesses the advanced technology of space travel. Ancient Aliens s2e2: Gods & Aliens
But technology was not the only characteristic these ancient deities had in common. According to legends the gods enjoyed intimate relations with humans. If aliens chose human women as their sexual partners, what was their motivations? And what was the outcome of these very close encounters? ibid.
Some of the oldest accounts of gods and humans interbreeding can be found in ancient Hindu texts. ibid.
Off the coast of India – In 2001 researchers from India’s Oceanic Institute detected anomalies on the Gulf of Khambhat. The images revealed an enormous network of stone buildings now shrouded in mud and sand, and covering an area of five square miles. Ancient Aliens s2e3: Underwater World
Some believe a link between the submerged ruins and extraterrestrials can be found in another set of texts known as India’s Sangam literature. ibid.
According to the early Sanskrit texts discovered in India aircraft called Vimana used a similar propulsion system thousands of years ago. Ancient Aliens s2e5: Aliens & the Third Reich
The sculptures and wall paintings are some of the oldest surviving works of art from ancient India. Ancient Aliens s3e3: Aliens and Sacred Places
The ruins of a vast temple complex of Vijayanagara … The temple of Vijayanagara was built using ancient geometric and mathematical formulas. Ancient Aliens s3e6: Aliens and Ancient Engineers
Vadic literature contain multiple references to flying objects of various shapes and sizes. ibid.
Kerala, India, 2001: A cosmic bang, a massive explosion in the atmosphere, and then a downpour of red rain. Ancient Aliens s3e7: Aliens, Plagues & Epidemics
Mahabharata: Some of the earliest accounts of warfare describe sophisticated weaponry that humans wouldn’t develop for thousands of years. Ancient Aliens s3e9: Aliens and Deadly Weapons
A network of organised killers who by the 19th century numbered in the housands. They were known by the Thuggees, and by the most conservative of estimates, they are history’s deadliest cults. Ancient Aliens s3e12: Aliens and Deadly Cults
Gateways to other dimensions. Hidden dwellings. Secret vaults of knowledge. Since the earliest times caves have been a source of great mystery. Imagine if the darkest recesses of our planet were hiding ancient secrets. What if within their depths there could be found evidence of extraterrestrial visitors? Ancient Aliens s9e1: Forbidden Caves
Central India, July 2014: Prehistoric artwork dating back ten thousand years. ibid.
Warfare described in ancient Hindu texts: could these wars have been waged between opposing factions of extraterrestrial beings? Ancient Aliens s10e9: The Alien Wars, History 2015