Story of India-II

Well I believe, its time that I take the ‘Story of India’ forward (Don’t read too much between the lines). In my last post I wrote about the BBC’s six-episode enthralling TV series ‘Story of India’ presented by Micheal Wood where he narrates the story of oldest civilization and how it has moved forward in series of unexpected yet spellbinding events that shapes the history of this great nation. In each of the episodes Micheal describes about a significant period of evolution in India’s history from beginning till its independence. In my next two posts,I will be writing about two periods-covered in two episodes, my personal favorites, which, I believe describes the period that had indelible and significant mark in India’s glorious History.

Episode 2 - The Power of Ideas
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The second episode of Michael Wood's journey through Indian history covers the last centuries BCE—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. The theme of the episode is the power of ideas in Indian history, and among the people Michael Wood meets is his Holiness the Dalai Lama who explains the rise of Buddhism.Like any other Civilization’s History, India's History is also predominately covered in endless wars and struggle of power. But what makes India’s History so distinct is ,since ancient times, India’s civilization has also been driven by great ideas in search of knowledge and truth and this period predominately epitomizes the the zenith of this quest.

Historians have contested the idea that History can only be written by man of Wars but this period tells a different story and deals with birth of conscious which led to the elusive quest of true self and truth. The man who led this idea was none other then Gautam Buddha. Under a tree in Bodh Gaya, now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to leave the position until he found Truth. At the age of 30, he attained Enlightenment. He was then known as Gautama Buddha, or simply "The Buddha", which means "the enlightened one", or "the awakened one". But the thing to remember is he basically is a protester. Through the whole of Indian history there is a tension between rulers and those who fought for social justice. From the wandering medieval saints to the freedom fighters to liberal modern poets and agitators he was first of the million mutinies. So profound was his impact on History that presently there are about 250-500 million people across the world who follows his preaching and practices, and follows the faith and religion founded by him called Buddhism. Starting in India, the religion evolved as it spread through Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.

“All created things must pass. Strive on diligently” - Buddha’s Last word



Seen here..me in front of Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya.


In later half of this series, we hear the dramatic story of the first great emperor (Chandragupta Maurya) who renounced his kingship and starved himself to death. Finally we meet his grandson Ashoka, who after a cruel and violent opening to his reign, renounced warfare and introduced the idea of non-violence, which runs down through Indian history all the way to Mahatma Gandhi and the Freedom Movement. All over India he wrote his edicts and laws in stones and pillars, which talks a great deal about human rights, moral conduct, ecological conservation of species and political order which were never been conceived in the world before. He even had police to enforce them. Surprisingly his edict not only covers Humans, but also Animals and were the first Animal Right Laws in World History. What makes his impact so important in Indian history is he was the first person who put forward the idea of united India and it was his vision which led the the creation of India’s geopolitical geography what we know today. Perhaps that was the reason why after independence, Ashoka Chakra replaced Charkha in India’s Flag.Renowned British author H. G. Wells in his bestselling two-volume work, The Outline of History (1920), wrote of emperor Ashoka:


“In the history of the world there have been thousands of kings and emperors who called themselves 'their highnesses,' 'their majesties,' and 'their exalted majesties' and so on. They shone for a brief moment, and as quickly disappeared. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto this day.”


In the next post I will write about a another glorious period(Episode 4:Ages of Gold) when India was called “Sone ki Chidiya”,including how India discovered zero, calculated the circumference of the Earth and wrote the world’s first sex guide, the Kama Sutra.

Ciao!!