Story
Bharat Darshan is a 1972 Indian Bollywood film released on 1972. 32 children, boys and girls, winners of an essay competition from all parts of India, went on a 40 day "Bharat Darshan" tour of India. The itinerary included Delhi, Srinagar, the holy Sikh shrine of Anandpur Saheb, the fountains of Pinjore, "the dream in-marble" - Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikhri,Jaipur, Benaras, Sarnath, Durgapur, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, Madras, Kerala, Bombay and back to Delhi. The Bharat Darshan concluded with a meeting with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President V.V. Giri. While parting, the children suddenly discovered that despite the difference of language, religion etc. they had re-discovered themselves as Indians, who always be one ! *.* Can thirty two absolute strangers become friends within a period of forty days? . The problem is further complicated, because there is no common language between them. . Between them, they speak foruteen languages of India. Not all of them know Hindi, few of them can undrstand English. . This was the strange, interesting and challenging situation, when the Childrens Film Society invited 32 children, boys and girls, winners of an Essay Competition, from all parts of India to go on a "Bharat Darshan" tour of India. . They all met in Delhi, the national capital. And that is where their "discovery of India" started by cisits to the Parliament House, the the Nehru Museum, the Bal Bhawan, the Zoo, the Red Fort, the Qutab Minar and the Jantar Mantar. . From Delhi they were flown to Srinagar. It was November. While half of them went up to the snow-covered slopes of Gulmarg, others floated down the Dal Lame in Shikaras. . Retuting to Delhi, they took a bus to Bhakra-Nangal dam (one of the "temples of Modern India", as their Chacha Nehru had described it), vi sited Anandpur Saheb, the holy shrine of the valient Sikhs, saw the celebrated fountains of Pinjore, they had an eye-ful of the beauty of the Taj Mahal, " the dream carved in marble", as also Akbars deserted city of Fatehpur Sikhari, saw the rose-red city of Jaipur and went up on elephant back to the top of the Amber fort. . Then, taking a train, they went to see the holy city of Benaras and the ancient ruins of Sarnath, but they did not forget the modern Benaras Hindu University. From there to Durgapur, one of the giant steel plants in the Public Sector which introduced them to the marvels of modern industrialization. . Calcutta, the crowded metropolis, revealed to them to the contrasts of city life. At Visakhapatnam, they saw the naval cadets under rigorous training. In Bangalore they saw not only the magnigicant buildings but also industrial undertakings like the Telephone factory. . In Madras, they not only saw the anicient sculptures of Mahabalipuram, and marvelled at the sculptured poses of the Bharat Natyam dancers, but also "inspected" the Avadi Rank Factory where these steel chariots were being manugcturd to defend the country. . Kerala revealed to them a tropical paradise Tea. Rubber and Coffee plantations, and the wild elephants preserve around the shores of the picturesque Periya lake. . They were all excited to see Bombay with his landmarks they had heard so much about the Getway of India, the Malabar Hill, Chowpatty, the skycrapers at Naiman Point, and the Bhabha Atomic Research Center at Bombay. . Once again they went back to Delhi to have the crowning moments of their "Bharat Darshan" tour the most coveted privilage of a meeting with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Giri, who receied them in the historic Rashtrapati Bhawan. . Then the moment of parting came. And now they suddenly discovered that despite the differences of language, and religion, and their different backgrounds, in these forty days they had not only re-discovered the past and the present of thier country, but they had re-discovered themselves as friends, as borthers and sisters, as Indians, who would always be one! Check out this page for more updates on Bharat Darshan.
