But the series does not stop at tigers. "The tigers are the hors d'oeuvres and the diversity unfolds from them," says Thapar. The stars in this show are the dazzling array of plants, animals and landscapes found on the Indian subcontinent.

BBC's Natural History Unit invested around 5 million pounds, 24 camera teams and three years in this spectacular project. Not surprisingly, Land of the Tiger has already bagged three awards at the International Wildlife Film Festival (USA) -- for photography, music and educational value.

The commentary by Thapar is succinct andforceful. His love for wildlife -- especially for tigers -- is transparent in his words. "These superb animals have been my passion. Their majesty has completely mesmerised me," he says. Also, the commentary tries to interest children with witty references to characters from the Jungle Book and Kipling's country.

And at the beginning of the first episode -- The Tiger's Domain -- Thapar announces that we are about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. True. He covers everything from the coral reefs of Kutch to the Himalayan sunset, then down the Ganges to Sunderbans and on to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Next he's off to Candy in Sri Lanka for the elephant festival and then up to the emerald green waters of Lakshwadeep. He stops over at the Kanha National Park (MP) and other exotic places. Throughout, the journey is made astride elephants!

The camera work is consistently stunning. It captures the glow of a leopard's eyes in pitch darkness with the same elan as it slithers after apython. There are extraordinary shots of a cobra narrowly escaping the clutches of a peacock, a wild buffalo beating off a tigers attack, and a langoor who is not so fortunate. There are glorious moments like the underwater scene which shows the calm ripple of the sea surface. The serenity is shattered as huge apparitions float by: the creatures turn out to be three elephants -- swimming effortlessly through the waters! But Thapar's favourite moment is when a jackal bites a bear's bottom! "I've spent 23 years of my life watching wildlife, but this is something I could never imagine happening!" he says.

Land of the Tiger is not just about wild beauty and the beast; the pressures created by the population explosion and the relationship between man and Nature is also highlighted. The series portrays the struggle of animals trapped on an island which is rapidly submerging under the sea of humanity. "The responsibility for keeping the land of the tiger alive rests on every human being. This is the naturalheritage of the world and if we can't save it, what can we save?" wonders Thapar.

Land of the Tiger hammers home the fact that if wildlife disappears, no human genius will ever be able to recreate it. There will remain no tigress licking her content, purring cubs. Ever again.