News Broadcasting
‘Being Indian’ voted best BBC World documentary in 2006
MUMBAI: The six documentary programmes with the most votes in BBC World’s Best Of The Year: Documentary online poll have been announced. Throughout November, BBC World viewers have had the opportunity to vote for the most outstanding documentary programme shown on the channel this year, from a selection of 15 documentaries – many of which are award-winning BBC productions.
Voting closed on 4 December, and the six documentary programmes that received the most votes will be shown across two weekends at the end of December.
Being Indian with 18.95 per cent of votes came out on top. This airs on 30 December at 8 pm with repeats on 31 December at 11 am, 4 pm. Being Indian follows the lives of four children from widely differing backgrounds, in a country with a fast moving economy and half its population under the age of 35. The programme delves into what the social change and mobility really means for children of India today. This episode follows Biru Malik, a nine-year-old, who lives with his family in one bedroom. One of his family’s main jobs is to prepare funeral pyres and cremate bodies on the banks of the Ganges.
Another documentary The World Uncovered: Sex Crimes And The Vatican got 16.36 per cent of votes. This airs on 30 December at 5:45 pm with repeats on 31 December at 7:45 am, 1:45 pm. This programme examines a secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church. Crimen Sollicitationis was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the Pope. It instructs bishops on how to deal with allegations of child abuse against priests and has been seen by few outsiders. Critics say the document has been used to evade prosecution for sex crimes.
Kill Or Cure? The Deadly Sleep got 15.04 per cent of votes. This airs on 30 December at 9 pm, and 31 December at 6 pm. Sleeping sickness is one of the most deadly of the forgotten diseases. Experts thought it had been eradicated, but it’s back with a vengeance and now mobile field teams are out in the bush in the Democratic Republic of Congo, carrying out tests to try to beat the disease.
BBC World’s editorial team selected the original shortlist of 15, based on viewer panel research and feedback, spread of subject matter and global availability.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
