The wife of the Indian high commissioner to South Africa is working on a documentary series that she hopes will increase awareness about India and counter misconceptions.
The first episode of the Banyan Tree documentary series filmed by Kamalini Sengupta was screened here and in Durban over the past week and got mixed reactions.
Sengupta, wife of Indian envoy Santosh Kumar, hoped the Banyan Tree project will result in a 20-part series that will serve as an educational tool on India, with its diversity of culture.
"The Banyan Tree series will give vital information about India on a series of topics, increase awareness and counter widely held misconceptions based on mindsets," Sengupta said.
The first episode, "In the Beginning", kept the audience glued to their seats here as it traced the emergence of humans and focused on the early history of the people of the subcontinent.
The influence from the influx of cultures and from Asian nations and the exotic archaeological discoveries were also covered.
The programme did not challenge theories but sought to present various views, encouraging the people to delve into the subject.
"It was the riots between communities in India in (the 1990s) that inspired me to undertake this series so that we can begin to understand each other better," Sengupta told IANS.
{{/usCountry}}"It was the riots between communities in India in (the 1990s) that inspired me to undertake this series so that we can begin to understand each other better," Sengupta told IANS.
{{/usCountry}}"I discovered we don't have proper information about the country. It is educationally essential for us to know these things."
Sengupta planned, researched and wrote the script and worked with a professional team to put it on film.
Said Shan Moodley, a veteran filmmaker from the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa: "As a filmmaker, I think that an undertaking of this magnitude must be commended."
He, however, wanted to know why the southern part of India had been "skimmed over".
"Were I a south Indian fanatic, I would question why only three minutes out of 45 were included when there is evidence that south Indians were more indigenous to the land than the north Indians," Moodley said.
TV producer Shaffie Shaikh said the documentary delved only on the surface with some very rich and diverse subject matter.
"In 45 minutes, she tried to give us an overview of the historical evolution of the cultures, traditions and religions in India. I think the series, as it fans out over the 20 programmes, will hopefully do justice in substantiating what she has opened up here," Shaikh said.
But historian and writer Shireen Moonsamy was all praise.
"I think it was excellent, especially the way both north and south India were covered to help with the paucity of information about India among the ordinary people," Moonsamy said.