Joanna Lumley’s India

Đam mê du lịch, nhưng trước đấy, mình chỉ xem chương trình thực tế là chính, chưa xem phim tài liệu du lịch. Từ khi xem “Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure”, mình thành người hâm mộ, thích nghe giọng kể ấm áp, nhẹ nhàng và cũng rất hài hước của cô Joanna. Ủ mưu đi tìm hết các phim tài liệu du lịch của cô để xem. Xem xong và ghi lại các nội dung cần thiết, mai này làm tư liệu đi bụi.
Danh sách các tập mình đã có ghi chú theo thứ tự xem:

– Trans-Siberian Adventure (2015)

– Japan (2016)

– Unseen Adventures (2020)

– India (2017)

Kiến thức của mình về Ấn Độ gần như là con số 0. Chỉ biết về Ấn qua đúng hai bộ phim “Ba chàng ngốc”, “Triệu phú khu ổ chuột”. Trước covid-19, việc đi du lịch bụi khá dễ, từ Việt Nam có nhiều đường bay giá rẻ đến Ấn Độ, nhưng chưa một lần gợi lên suy nghĩ sẽ đi du lịch Ấn. Gần đây, có thời gian rảnh nên ngồi nghiên cứu và thấy có quan điểm rất đáng suy ngẫm.

“Việt Nam ở trên bán đảo Trung-Ấn và chịu ảnh hưởng của hai luồng văn hoá Trung và Ấn. Nhưng kiến thức của người Việt về Ấn Độ có lẽ không bao giờ so sánh được với hiểu biết về Trung Hoa.” (Hồ Anh Thái)

“Ấn Độ là một trong rất ít những nước có quan hệ chính trị lâu dài và rất tốt đẹp với Việt Nam. Thế nhưng từ xưa đến nay, chỉ mỗi khi Tổ quốc sắp nguy to (bởi người hàng xóm tốt bụng) thì chúng ta mới bắt đầu sôi nổi ý tưởng “thoát hàng xóm” và tìm đến những người anh em cũ. Trong cộng đồng ASEAN, Việt Nam là nước duy nhất lạc lõng, nằm ngoài sự ảnh hưởng mạnh mẽ của văn hóa Ấn Độ. Ngoài những việc quốc gia đại sự thì mỗi người chúng ta có thể làm gì? Đơn giản là nên bắt đầu tìm hiểu về Ấn Độ, dù thích hay không, vì việc hợp tác với người Ấn sẽ là xu thế tất yếu trong tương lai rất gần.” (Đặng Thái, soi.today)

Đúng lúc tìm thấy tập phim tài liệu du lịch về Ấn của cô Joanna nên ngồi xem luôn. ❤️

Joanna Lumley travels back to the country of her birth. A year older than independent India itself, Joanna was born in Srinagar in the last days of the Raj and India was home to both sides of her family for several generations. Joanna travels the length and breadth of the country, beginning her epic journey in Tamil Nadu – on the southern tip of the subcontinent – and works her way up to the north. She travels over 5,000 miles, exploring its diverse landscapes, different cultural traditions, and extraordinary spirit.

EPISODE 1 HIGHLIGHTS
From the very south of the country to the foothills of the Himalayas. Her journey includes Meenakshi temple, Lord Shiva ceremony, Western Ghats, Valparai Plateau, tea plantations, tracking Indian elephants, jewelry markets in Hyderbad, Tollywood movie industry, Kolkata, Sikkim, cable car ride to Gangtok and The Residency.

Kanyakumari, the very south of India, the great golden of the sunrise

Kanyakumari is well-known for the great golden orb of the sun rising out of the Indian Ocean and all the people streaming out, backlist with the sun. You should stand there and it would be absolutely glorious. Kanyakumari is the meeting place of three great expanses of water. To the East, the bay of Bengal. To the West, the Arabian Sea. And to the South, the mighty Indian Ocean.

Madurai, Meenakshi temple, Lord Shiva ceremony

The people here used to trade with ancient Rome and today its streets are still an assaut of colour and confusion. Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion and for over 5,000 years has shaped India. The city is dominated by 14 magnificent sculpture-festooned towers of the astonishing 2,500 years-old Hindu temple, the dazzling Meenakshi. At night, this temple comes alive with all sorts of elaborate religious ceremonies. People prostrate themselves from a very holy part of the ground, because they believe that from here, the ground resonates great strength, so you can draw it up into your body and become stronger and better.

Western Ghats, Valparai Plateau, tea plantations, tracking Indian elephants

It is the magnificent mountain range that runs the length of India’s west coast. This mountains have been the home of the India elephants since time immemorial.

Hyderabad, jewelry markets, Tollywood movie industry (Telegu language)

The stunning Islamic architecture instantly makes it feel exotic. Apart from the fruits and vegetable stalls, the markets are full of jewelry. The nearby Golconda mines were for 2,000 years, the only source of diamonds in the world and Hyderabad is still a hub for all things sparkly with millions of pounds traded in gems and precious stones.

Kolkata

For nearly 150 years, it was the capital of British India. It was known as the city of Palaces and in the mid-19th century, laid claim to being the 2nd city of the Empire after London.

Sikkim

Kingdom of Sikkim lies the Himalayan. Sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan on the Chinese border, it’s least-populated and 2nd-smallest state. As a foreigner, you still have to show your passport to enter Sikkim. You can’t just come into this place because it’s actually a completely different state and it’s strategically so important with China, with Bhutan, with Nepal.

For over 300 years, Sikkim was an independent country which ruled by a Buddhist monarchy, before becoming part of India in 1975. Sikkim Tsuklakhan was originally where all ceremonies and important prayer rituals would take place for the royal family or for the benefit of Sikkim.
All of Sikkim is mountainous, and on the border with Nepal, it rises to the magnificent peak of Kangchenjunga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world. On a clear day, you can see its spectacular five peaks from the capital, Gangtok. Kangchenjunga is terribly important to the people of Sikkim because when Armagelddon comes, when the end of the world comes, everything that you need is going to be stored in these five peaks. Each one has a different precious substance: (1) salt; (2) turquoise, gold and precious metals; (3) sacred scriptures; (4) arms and ammunition; (5) grain and medicine. So you go to one of those five moutains and you’ll get those things and live forever.

EPISODE 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Joanna begins in Mumbai before travelling through the western state of Gujarat and on to exotic Rajasthan. This episode includes The Times India, World One Tower, Ellora Caves, Hindu Kailasa Temple, Ahmedabad, Manek Chowk market, Rajasthan and the Juna Mahal Palace.

Mumbai

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is India’s most populated and intense city. Bombay’s Harbour was built between 1911 and 1924 to celebrate the Royal visit of George V and Queen Mary.
This is the city of dreams, hot, crowded, humanity intensified. 22 million people are crammed into an area about 603km2. (Ho Chi Minh City has an area of 2,096 km and more than 8 million people, 2014 data).
Throughout history, India has been renowned as a land of spirituality and has given birth to some of the world’s most influential religions. 200miles in land from Mumbai are the Ellora Caves that may give us an insight to the country’s rich and diverse spiritual history. The caves are actually a series of temples which, between the 6th and 10th centuries, were hewn out of solid rock. They lie along a valley on an ancient trade route that once linked inland cities with western ports on the Arabian Sea.

Ahmedadbad

Once known as the Manchester of the east, it was at one time the center of the country’s huge cotton industry. Here is the place which India’s two main religions, Hinduism and Islam, co-exist in a crowded, multi-faith city. At the market at Manek Chowk, it crosses all boundaries, everybody from every religion, every age. There are no barriers in this market.
India is 80% Hindu, but the Islamic influence is everywhere. The city of Ahmedadbad was founded in 1411 by Ahmed Shad, the first Moghul ruler who established the city and built the Great Mosque, which at the time was the biggest in the subcontinent. With over 170 million Muslims in India, Islam is the 2nd largest religion. It’s predicted that by 2050, the country will surpass Indonesia to have the largest Muslim population in the world.

Rajasthan

It is India’s biggest state. Rajasthan’s western flank covered by the Great Indian desert (the Thar desert). 77,000 square miles of arid wilderness that forms a natural border with neighbouring Pakistan. For centuries, Rajasthan has been synonymous with the great ships of the desert, the camels. The Raika people have tended, bred, and made their living from camels for over six centuries. And just 20 years ago, there were as many as 800,000 of these wonderful creatures here. But now that cars and trucks are replacing them, the Raika need alternative ways of earning a living from their beloved animals. One way is by selling their milk. Camel milk is much more nutritious than cow’s milk and has medicinal properties.

Rajasthan means literally the place of kings (Raja – ruler, Sthan – place or land). Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dungarpur District. It is the fastest developing town in the southern part of Rajasthan, alongside Aspur tehsil. Hotel Udai Bilas is one of the former private palace of the maharajah that’s been converted into a swish hotel.

Rajasthan is also home to one of the most famous tiger reserves in the world. In about 1850, there were 250,000 tigers roaming in India. But they were hunted ceaselessly by the British and Maharajahs together in great big shoots, and 10 years ago, their numbers had dwindled to 1,400 tigers left. They’ve done huge conversation programmes and they’ve worked on it and they’ve got the numbers over 2,000. Ranthambore National Park is one of the finest wildlife reserves in India. It was established in 1973, around the ruins of a 10th-century port. This park is like something out of Kipling’s Jungle book – quintessentially Indian.

EPISODE 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Joanna Lumley ends her amazing 5,000 mile journey in the place where she was born, Srinagar in Kashmir. In Dharamsala, she has a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Delhi

It is India’s modern capital, but also a city that’s been the centre of a succession of many mighty empires. Delhi is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. The British in India moved their capital here in 1911.

Dharamsala

Himalaya which is the greatest mountain range in the world, stands along India’s northern border. Dharamsala nestled below the snowy Himalaya peaks.

60 years ago, India gave refuge to a god-king who is one of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His residence is high in the mountains in a small town called McLeod Ganj. The Dalai Lama has been in India in 1959, since his country was invaded by China and he had to flee in fear of his life on foot across the Himalayas. After escaping to India, His Holiness carried on his role as leader of the Tibetan people in exile in India and still receives a continual flow of pilgrims, well-wishers and refugees from his homeland. His Holiness is Buddhist, and he lives peacefully in this predominantly Hindu country, which is also shared by many other religions.

Kashmir

The beauty of this region has been renowned for centuries. But since India and Pakistan were split apart in the Act of Partition in 1947, it’s become a conflict zone. With Partition, its Muslim majority was determined to join Pakistan, while its Hindu government acceded to India. Today there are half a million Indian troops in Kashmir, trying to quell demands from a powerful independence movement in a conflict that’s killed 47,000 people.

Through the ages, the stunning Dal lake has drawn people who want to shelter from the summer heat of the Indian plains. The houseboats first came to the lake around 1800s. The British were not allowed to buy land in Kashmir and they came with a fabulous idea of making houseboats. In the summertime, the lakes are covered with lilies and lotus blossom. There is a floating market on the lake every morning for over hundred years. They appear on the boat to be selling leaves to each other.

India has shown me such incredible diversity, optimism and tolerance. It really is a unique and glorious country. The country faces huge problems of poverty and population growth, but it’s on the cusp of becoming a superpower and it’s potential is immeasurable.