Upanishad Ganga Appreciation Thread: A MUST-WATCH!

This content was originally posted by-AishuHiBawari

Okay, so I am so surprised that I hadn't heard of this television series earlier. Guys, everyone go and and watch it, it's amazing! The dialogue is perfect, because it's shudh hindi but not overtly dramatized and effusive as we often see it on mytho shows. And the pronounciation and stressing and unstressing of certain words is spot on! Simply, you will understand the gist of what is being said even if you don't understand every specific word. I've seen a lot of these actors on screen, and this is just me, but their talents have never been utilized well before this.
YES!!! SO MUCH YES 👏👏👏👏👏 Like for instance we both knew Jaya Bhattacharya as a bright spot in several of Ekta's crapfests, but we didn't know she had THIS level of talent! It's an altogether different kind of subtlety and dedication they've elicited from each actor and actress in the show.
I'm only on episode five right now, and they've covered the Kurukshetra battle scene, to Valmiki's transformation from the dacoit Ratnakar to the writer of the Ramayana, and the story of Ashtavakra. I grew up on these stories as a kid. I very clearly remember my mom telling me about Ratnakar (he's referred to as Valya Koli in most marathi versions). And the obvious lesson in this case is that anyone, no matter how far they've fallen, can pick themselves up and right their wrongs. I remember her telling me that he couldn't even pronounce "Raam" correctly when he first started chanting the holy name. He would chant "Mara, Mara, Mara" which literally means "Die, Die, Die." But over time he became so engrossed in his chanting, that the "Mara, Mara, Mara" became "Raam, Raam, Raam." So, if a sinner like Valya Koli, who couldn't even say Raam, can become the great sage, Valmiki, then anyone can make up for their wrongs. But in this example, they take a teaching from the Upanishads. In this particular episode it was that you are your own friend and your own enemy. And they applied it to this katha and how Ratnakar had the power to create his own family, he had the power to create enemies, and then he also had the power to also create his new life as a devotee of Shri Raam. Lol. I went waay too in detail with that example, but you get the point. Like Lola di said, they take one teaching from the Upanishad and apply it to a story and that becomes the episode.
That's a great point dearie! Even when the story is a familiar one, they don't always present the moral of the story we would expect from it - further proving how universal our scriptures are, and how you can learn something different from the same story each time you reread it. Bottomless oceans, quite literally.

Speaking of the Valmiki episode, I really really LOVED their Narad! It was a different take on the character from what we're used to, a fully-realized version rather than a mastikhor. The Bhagavat and some other scriptures refer to Narad also as an avatar of Vishnu, and with this particular characterization, I would definitely believe that. To add to that, the actor sang so beautifully! Wish his little chants were longer so I could save them, the same old dhuns are so touching when sung without music <3

This content was originally posted by-lola610

This content was originally posted by-Debipriya

[size=3]so happy to see this thread! Lola 🤗 

Firstly I want to thank Chinmaya MIssion for their decision to show it on Doordarshan, which reaches every household ⭐️ which has a tv set. It is another thing that thse days we do not pay much atttention to national channel. I guess that is the reason most of us missed the show during its original telecast. 

That is another thing, Di! Because it was created by the Chinmaya Mission, they stuck true to their original goal and didn't deviate into the TRP based cycle of changing the storyline every week to suit the audience. The plot had a good structure and each episode was perfectly written to teach us something. But yes, there is the fact that Doordarshan gets often overlooked nowadays, but I am so happy that the series is available on youtube now because people in other countries, like myself and Lola di, can watch it.

the show is So UNIQUE in its concept, in its handling of the content material, that we all need to watch the show to experience it. Drama pattern, stage theatre, outdoor shooting and narration- all thsae techniques have been used perfectly to craete the desired effect (i.e.- to convey the messege of thet particular ep.). No words are enough to apprecite the work of the whole team of Upanishad Ganga. 

I know! The stage direction and the writing is so subtle and natural and real! It's beautiful! It lets the stories speak for themselves rather than taking center stage, but at the same time, you have to appreciate the little technicalities too. It's a great piece of work!

The beginning (i.e.- the first two episodes) , as mentioned by Lola, are really nice. The conflict of father and son, the position of Sanskrit in today's world 😔  ( and the ACTUAL VALUE of Sanskrit ⭐️ )- all have been shown in such a way that the audience can 'Relate' with the situation with the characters. This element is maintained throughout the whole series. each and every story is shown in such a  way  so as to make us feel 'one' with those characters, their situation. 

I know! Gaurishankar is honestly going to be one of my all time favorite characters from any show, henceforth! His dialogues are perfect, and the way his relationship with his son leads his son to follow in his path, and enlighten his audience through drama, it's just a really awesome way to present the show.

These episodes (ep 1 and 2) introduce us with the concept of Atma/ Brahma, with the concept of Soul- searching, it tells us about the journey 'within' to find out the answers of the question we face in our lives, just by chaanging our focus from outer worrld to inner world, we will be able to reach near the Truth,
Yes, Gaurishankar went over in one of the beginning episodes how the Upanishad looks at the person observing the universe rather than the universe itself, so that once one understands oneself, one can better understand the universe. That one dialogue alone was just a great opening for the Kurukshetra scene.