大象传媒

Train enthusiast Michael Portillo chats about 'Great Indian Railway Journeys' on 大象传媒2.

The series follows the success of Great British Railway Journeys, Great Continental Railway Journeys and Great American Railroad Journeys, all presented by Michael.

With a century-old Bradshaw's Handbook Of Indian, Foreign And Colonial Travel tucked under his arm, Michael will embark on a brand new railway adventure through a land of majestic mountains, scorching desert and plains watered by holy rivers. Published at the height of the British Raj in 1913, Michael's guidebook will steer him towards ornate palaces and golden temples. He will meet Maharajas and Mughals and ride some of the world's most exhilarating trains.

Along the way, Michael will discover how imperial railways designed by British engineers inadvertently spread ideas of independence among hundreds of millions of Indians, who today live in the world's largest democracy.

Michael Portillo comments: "British-built railways in India helped the British to make money and maintain order; and as a by-product served to unite the country, ripe for independence. Exploring the subcontinent by rail today exposed me to its extraordinary vivacity, colour and noise; and introduced me to the new high-tech India too."

Taking in the extraordinary variety of the Indian landscape, journeys in the series include Amritsar to Shimla, Lucknow to Kolkata, Mysuru to Chennai and Jodhpur to Delhi through India's famous 'Golden Triangle'.