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Sachin Tendulkar on his 35th record century

kapil Dev on Indias' 1983 World Cup victory

Sunita Williams from space talks to India

The last day in the life of Mahatma Gandhi

A radio drama

Hrishikesh Mukherjee: My life and work

In this rare interview Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who died on 27 August 2006, talks about his life and work. The interview was done at his home in Mumbai  by Lalit Mohan Joshi, the editor of South Asian Cinema Foundation, in 2000, soon after Hrishi Da got the Dada Saheb Phalke award, the highest award in Indian cinema. When asked about the absence of violence in his films the maker of films like Anari, Anupama, Satyakam and Anand said "standing on your balcony one can look down and see the dirty drains or can look up and see the beautiful sky and stars." Hrishi Da always looked up to portray an idealistic, truthful, humane and joyous society.  

The story of oldest Ramayana

For the first time nearly 120 paintings from the British Library’s lavishly illustrated 17th century Ramayana manuscripts are on  public display in its summer exhibition: The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India’s Great Epic, 16 May – 14 September 2008. The Mewar Ramayana manuscripts were produced between 1649 and 1653 for Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar in his court studio at Udaipur . Illustrated on the grandest scale, with over 400 paintings. Two volumes have been identified as being painted by the studio master Sahib Din, a Muslim painter who spent his life painting Hindu legends like Ramayana and Geet Govinda. The exhibition curator Jerry Losty explains the significane of this Mewar Ramayana.

last day in the life of Mahatma Gandhi

On the 60th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination broadcast journalist Vijay Rana recreates the events of that fateful day in this radio docu-drama. Gandhi’s day begins at 3.30 am, followed by his morning meeting. He then gives final touches to a new draft constitution for the Congress party. He proposes that Congress should renounce power and dedicate itself to service of the poor. And finally he met Sardar Patel asking him to sort out his differences with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Then ‘a mad man’ put an end to his life, while he was on way to his evening prayer meeting.  The day ended with Nehru’s announcement to the nation, ‘The light has gone out of our life…’ Nehru also hoped that in the coming years ‘that light will give solace to innumerable hearts’.
 Written by Vijay Rana, the radio drama was presented by UK's leading NRI actor KK Tandon and the veteran BBC broadcaster Mamta Gupta. 

The literary life of Arvind Adiga

Man Booker Prize winner novelist Arvind Adiga talks about his life and work.

AR Rahman on his life and music

In a exclusive interview the legendary Bollywood music composer talks about his extraordinary musical journey, his struggling childhood and his personal faith in Islam and Sufism. He talks about his father's illness that forced him to work when he was a little child. He says: "I didn't want to take a big journey. I wanted Roja to be my last film... by then I was sick of working..." Rahman will soon be conducting the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, he begins by telling what he shall be playing there.

Bollywood in UK Part III

Passion for romance, melody and Yashraj Films
British Asians had little interest in the action films, they liked on-screen romance, melodious music and a fair mix to NRI life and swadesh. Yash Chopra captured the mood and his Dil Wale Dulhnia le Jayange (1995), with a collection of £1.7 m, became one of the highest grossing films ever in the overseas market. Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) album sold more than 4 million copies and Veer Zara became another big hit. Avtar Panesar tells the story of Yashraj films in the UK.