Unite and Divide
John Sergeant embarks on a 3,000 mile journey through the history of the greatest legacy the British left to India - its vast rail network, the biggest in Asia.
John Sergeant embarks on a unique 3,000 mile journey through the history of the greatest legacy the British left to India - its rail network. The biggest in Asia, it runs on 40,000 miles of track and reaches every corner of the subcontinent. Proposed in 1853 by Governor General Lord Dalhousie, it would become the biggest engineering project of its time and instrumental in every chapter of India's history.
Starting in Kolkata, Sergeant traverses India from east to west, travels through turbulent Bihar state, visits the Victorian railway town of Jamalpur, and discovers why the construction of the Dufferin Bridge at Varanasi resulted in Victorian technology and ingenuity clashing with ancient religion, before ending his journey at the border with Pakistan.
Even though Mahatma Gandhi denounced the railways as evil, Sergeant reveals how it became a civil engineering triumph that united the country and played a crucial role when India became independent in 1947.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | John Sergeant |
| Executive Producer | Neil Grant |
| Director | Jim Funnell |
Broadcasts
- Tue 13 Jul 2010 21:00
- Wed 14 Jul 2010 01:25
- Wed 14 Jul 2010 03:25
- Fri 16 Jul 2010 01:30
- Fri 3 Sep 2010 00:00
Fri 3 Dec 2010 21:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Wales- Fri 3 Dec 2010 21:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Wales
- Mon 3 Jan 2011 19:00
- Mon 16 Jan 2012 23:00
- Thu 19 Jan 2012 20:00
- Fri 20 Jan 2012 02:35
- Sat 20 Jul 2013 19:00
- Sun 21 Jul 2013 02:50
- Wed 24 Jul 2013 23:30