0:00:03 > 0:00:05This is the Ganges,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08a river like no other on earth.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Its waters bring life to hundreds of millions of people across India.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Turn! Other way. That's not good. That way.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18That's better.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22To a billion Hindus, it's the immortal mother goddess,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24who'll wash away a lifetime of sins.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm going to explore the length of this beautiful, contradictory,
0:00:33 > 0:00:34and rather pungent river.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36SHE COUGHS
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I don't even know what that smell is.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42From its source high in the Himalayas...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44This is why my make-up is so flawless.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..through some of the most crowded,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50chaotic and exciting places in the world.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Is this the queue for the toilet?
0:00:52 > 0:00:54It is? God, I've got a wait on me.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00I'm on the final stretch of the river and it feels as if a new India
0:01:00 > 0:01:03is being built right before my very eyes.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07This is Trumpian in its blingtasticness.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11People are pouring into the cities, looking for work and better lives.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13So what do you want to be when you have qualified?
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Railway driver.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Whilst out in the country,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21farmers and fishermen struggle to make ends meet.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Have you ever seen tigers?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:01:24 > 0:01:27What?! On the boat? On this boat?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30You don't like tea? You're Kolkatan and you don't like tea?
0:01:32 > 0:01:37As India changes, the Ganges is under threat as never before.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- So this is raw sewage?- Yeah.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43So what does the future hold for the great Ganges
0:01:43 > 0:01:45in the India of tomorrow?
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I'm so sorry. So sorry.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57People always talk about rivers as being timeless,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00but you completely get a sense of that.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04This could be the 18th century, the 14th century.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05It just happens to be the 21st.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11My first stop is the ancient city of Patna,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13capital of Bihar state, in the north-east of India.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19From here I'll work my way down the Indian branch of the Ganges,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22called the Hooghly, through the great city of Kolkata,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26then onwards through the Sunderbands, to the Bay of Bengal.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30So, I'm on the Ganges, but don't be, you know,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34bamboozled by these soft skies and perfectly still waters.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Less than half a kilometre that way is one of India's biggest,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40most vibrant, and fast-expanding cities.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Lying on the southern bank of the Ganges,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Patna is one of the oldest cities in India and was once the centre
0:02:50 > 0:02:52of the British Empire's lucrative opium trade.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Now that the Imperial drug lords have left,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Patna produces something far more intoxicating -
0:03:00 > 0:03:01education.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Hello. Namaste.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The streets are crammed with schools and colleges,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11and bright young things eager to learn.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Oh, that's how a main substation relates to a distribution transformer!
0:03:27 > 0:03:31What's even more exciting is that many of these colleges are teaching
0:03:31 > 0:03:35young women skills that would have once have been only for the men.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Namaste! Namaste!
0:03:39 > 0:03:40- ALL:- Hi!
0:03:40 > 0:03:42How are you?
0:03:42 > 0:03:44This is the Patna Institute of Technology,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48a girls-only college teaching young women to be engineers.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49What is happening?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51They're running this handle.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52Left to right.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Left to right.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56OK, this bit I can do. This bit I can do.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01These girls have come from all over Bihar to learn the skills
0:04:01 > 0:04:04that India's supercharged economy needs to grow.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Today's lesson is filing.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09So describe what it's like where you live.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- So a dairy farmer?- Yes.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- So milks...?- Ah, yes, yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I'm hoping that's the international sign for...
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Yeah, otherwise I'm in real trouble.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Otherwise, that's a major domestic incident here.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Is he very proud that you are in the city
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and you are learning how to do metalwork?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- Yes.- So what do you want to be when you have qualified?
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Working on big projects?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42You want to build a bridge?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44What would you like to be when you graduate,
0:04:44 > 0:04:45when you complete college?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- Railway driver.- You're going to be a railway driver?
0:04:47 > 0:04:51- Yes.- That is everyone's childhood dream - is to be a railway driver.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59You could be the first railway driving model.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01I can imagine,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04you're at the helm of this incredible sleek train,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06hair blowing,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09fixing some more stuff, "Back off, lads, I know how to do this."
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Fixing more stuff, bit of filing, hair's going.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- I have many dreams. I have many dreams.- You really do have many dreams.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20But mainly, I choose railway driver because it is
0:05:20 > 0:05:22inspiration for other girls.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And why is it important for you to be successful, as a woman?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38That's why I choose.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40That seems pretty comprehensive.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Pretty cool. And for you,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46is it important as a woman to be successful and to have all these skills?
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Absolutely.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58Why stay at home when you could be
0:05:58 > 0:06:01the world's first modelling railway driver?!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Would you like to stay in India, or would you like to travel?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Where in the world would you most like to go?
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Switzerland.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Switzerland.- Switzerland?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Now, I hadn't have thought Switzerland as a holiday destination.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19And where would you like to travel to?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- London.- To London?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29You close your eyes and you dream of London?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34That's weird because most people in London close their eyes and dream of
0:06:34 > 0:06:36India. So what does London look like in your dream?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Well, the house prices might come as something of a shock!
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Best not mention that.
0:06:50 > 0:06:5420 years ago, there were just three of these colleges in Patna.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Now there are 18, with plans for double that in the next five years.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Are you ready for an outing? Yeah?
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Do you fancy getting a cup of tea?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I think these girls will reimagine the future of India.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Is it me or do all the men look a bit nervous?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Have you got enough room there?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Is my bottom too big?
0:07:25 > 0:07:26SHE BLOWS RASPBERRY
0:07:27 > 0:07:28Just let me just...
0:07:28 > 0:07:29SHE BLOWS RASPBERRY
0:07:29 > 0:07:31..spread out a bit.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33College is over for the day,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36so the girls take me down to the Ganges for a bite to eat.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39So you sit, sit on the beach?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- No.- Oh, what do you do?!
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- No, no, no! - Do you come here with boys?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- No!- Yes! She does!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48You do!
0:07:49 > 0:07:51What do you want? What does everyone have?
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Biscuits?
0:07:55 > 0:07:5890 rupees? Let me see. If that's the price of fun,
0:07:58 > 0:07:59I'm prepared to pay it.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Hello, gorgeous. Hello, gorgeous.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Change is in the air,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05these young women dream of professional lives,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09building bridges and driving trains all over the world.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13But I wonder, will they find men who share those dreams?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15So what sort of men would you like to marry?
0:08:15 > 0:08:16What is your ideal man?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42That's a good man. That's a proper man.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49That's a lot of demands she is placing on one human being!
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Will you marry for love?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Will that be the main reason you marry? Because you feel love?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- No.- So not for love? So, what?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Because it's a good match, is that why?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- You'll get married because they are a professional person and it's a good match?- Yes.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Yeah.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So your parents won't put you into a good match,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10you'll put yourselves into a good match?
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- So your parents will decide?- Yeah.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16- Still?- Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22So even, you have your education, you go and live in the city,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25after all that, your parents will decide who you marry?
0:09:37 > 0:09:38What if you don't like him?
0:09:45 > 0:09:46It's just a bit...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49The new India only goes so far.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52They are free to choose careers,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55but their parents will still choose their husbands.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58What are you even...? How do you even...? How do you even...?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00What is that?!
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I've hung out with you all afternoon
0:10:02 > 0:10:03and now she breaks that out! What?
0:10:09 > 0:10:11I call this the hungry tortoise.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Very good?
0:10:12 > 0:10:13- ALL:- Yes!
0:10:17 > 0:10:19I've had such a wonderful afternoon.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The great thing about... I say kids, they look like children, of course,
0:10:22 > 0:10:27they are young adults. Some of them are, sort of, 21 years old...is...
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I'm sort of more playful than they are.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30They haven't got time to, you know,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33roll around in the sand and make fart jokes,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35and eat ice cream until their bellies swell.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Come on, come on, come on then.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42You want to see how India has changed, in just a generation,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45then you just don't need to look any farther than those young girls, really,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49because, in the space of ten, 20 years,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53they've gone from being pretty much chained to the home,
0:10:53 > 0:10:54and domestic duties,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57to being able to travel around the world with a set of skills, that,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59quite frankly, I'm envious of.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I can't even file, for goodness' sake!
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Jump now!
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Jump now! Ahh!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I'm leaving the smoggy streets of Patna behind and heading out into
0:11:13 > 0:11:15the countryside, where millions of small farms
0:11:15 > 0:11:18are watered by the Ganges and her tributaries.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22India is a nation of independent farmers
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and Bihar state is one of its most productive regions.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31But in recent years, the industry has struggled, as incomes fall
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and people leave the land for new lives in the cities.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40So I'm somewhat going against the flow of traffic.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Whereas everyone is trying to leave the agricultural heartlands
0:11:44 > 0:11:46of Bihar and move to the city,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51I'm heading into the rice paddies and the agrarian heartland.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I'm off to meet an extremely sexy farmer called Mr Kumar,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58sexy because he, for some time,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01held the enviable title of the man who grows more potatoes
0:12:01 > 0:12:04per hectare than anyone else in the world.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Yes, ladies, prepare to be amazed.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12In a country with over a billion mouths to feed,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15farming is hugely important.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19So when a group of humble farmers from one village in rural Bihar
0:12:19 > 0:12:22smashed world records for growing crops,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25it was headline news all over India.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Welcome to Darveshpura, also known as the miracle village.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33So this is the bustling heart of Darveshpura.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37And I'm here to meet the big one, the prince of potatoes.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Titan of tubers.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44The Masher-Raja.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46COW MOOS Hello.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Namaste, Mr Kumar.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Namaste.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54How are you? Nice to see you.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Now, much as I'd love to chat,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59there's a whole field of potatoes that I'm desperate to see.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00- Will you take me?- Yes.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03After you, you show the way.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Thank you.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Oh, I can breathe, Mr Kumar.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11The country air.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Very proud, upright stance, Mr Kumar.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18A sort of thousand-yard stare.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21You sense he could sense potato blight from 20km away.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26As a young man, Mr Kumar left the farm
0:13:26 > 0:13:29to seek his fortune in the big city.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31But he hated the crowds,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35so he came home and enrolled on a new farming course,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39replacing expensive chemicals with lots of muck and hard work.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42- This is yours?- Yes.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- Oh!- Yes.- Here are all your babies.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They look good. Don't tell anyone,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50but I think your potatoes are way better than their potatoes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Unless that's your field, in which case, they're all amazing potatoes.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59So this is the field that created the biggest yield of potatoes in India?
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Yes.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Mr Kumar grew a mountain of spuds,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15nearly doubling the existing world-record.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18So you try to keep it natural and organic,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21which is quite different from lots of other farms across India,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24where there is a very heavy use of pesticides.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33So these look ready to harvest.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38They are majestic potatoes.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Look at that!
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I could never hope to grow anything as wonderful as that.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45The fertile waters of the Ganges make Bihar
0:14:45 > 0:14:48one of the most productive regions in India,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52but Mr Kumar struggles to find young men willing to work on his land.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59So that's interesting, so you can't get the labour,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02so for the first time you've had to rely on machine tools to do the work?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Sensing an opportunity for some easy money,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I offer to help Mr Kumar with his manpower problem.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Yeah, got you.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37That bit I've got, it's the getting down.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38It's the getting down there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42That's a very intense on the hamstrings, it really is!
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Yes, there's a burn, isn't there? Do you feel that?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Oh!
0:15:49 > 0:15:50As it stands, Mr Kumar,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53would you be employing me to work in your potato fields?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59That laughter's mocking. That's the international language of mockery.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Mr Kumar's tubers made him a minor celeb.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07He became the pin-up boy for traditional farming.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10He gave hope to India's army of small farmers
0:16:10 > 0:16:14struggling to survive in the new industrialised economy.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16So how has winning all these prizes changed your life?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Or HAS it changed your life?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Gentlemen, your silent scrutiny has been thrilling.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Thrilling! Keep it up.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Come on, let's move.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It may seem like...ahem, small potatoes,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50but what Mr Kumar has achieved makes the difference between feeding
0:16:50 > 0:16:53your family or moving to the city to find work.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59With India projected to have the world's biggest population by 2022,
0:16:59 > 0:17:021.4 billion people,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I think it's going to need all the Mr Kumars it can get.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12South of Patna, the Ganges splits in two.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Part of the river flows on through Bangladesh to the sea,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19but I'm going to follow the Indian branch, called the Hooghly,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22onwards to the great city of Kolkata.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28It was once the greatest city in the Orient,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31home to the mighty East India Company
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and jewel in the crown of the British Empire.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Now it's a sprawling mega-city.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44This is my second visit to the city
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and it's surprisingly good to be back.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50I don't know whether it is time or amnesia,
0:17:50 > 0:17:51but I find myself really loving Kolkata.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Maybe I had that feeling the first time around,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56but I sort of feel a little bit more inured to the noise,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and the heat, and the smell, and the madness,
0:17:59 > 0:18:00and it feels much more familiar
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and much more like a place where you want to spend time,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07as opposed to a place which is just terrifying in all of its extremes.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I came to Kolkata two years ago to film a documentary about the city...
0:18:16 > 0:18:20..and one night, I met a little girl who completely captured my heart.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24One of the highlights of my last trip was meeting Geeta
0:18:24 > 0:18:27from the Hope foundation and some of the street kids of Kolkata.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30But one in particular, really stayed with me,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32the rather naughty nine-year-old Rakhi,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36so I really wanted to, this time around, catch up with her, see how,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40if, her life has actually changed in the intervening time.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I joined a patrol with a charity called the Hope Foundation,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48which helps homeless kids have a chance in life.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54When you finish school, what would you like to be when you are grown up?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Rakhi was living on the streets, with her father, brother and sister.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Their mother had died.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05What a way to make somebody proud.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07You're going to be a brilliant doctor?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Yeah? Will you be the best doctor in all of India?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Everybody will know.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14Yeah?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19I will come back to see you and I'll say, "Where's she gone?"
0:19:19 > 0:19:21And you'll say, "I don't have time to see Auntie Sue
0:19:21 > 0:19:24"because I'm too busy being a great doctor."
0:19:24 > 0:19:26No, no.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27She will give time.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Now I'm back at the Hope Foundation to meet Geeta again.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Hi!
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Whom are you going to hug?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44This is Rakhi, all grown up, and this is her
0:19:44 > 0:19:45older sister Rekha.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I've not seen you for ages.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- You remember?- Yes.- You remember?
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Where do you want to sit? Where do you want to sit? Where is good?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Let's sit here.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Rakhi is now in school,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01her fees paid thanks to a donation from a Bengali family
0:20:01 > 0:20:02living in the UK.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So, you go to school every day?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07- Yes.- Every day?
0:20:07 > 0:20:08No.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- Today absent.- Saturday, Sunday.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14That's all right, you're allowed... You have to have some time off.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16That would be insane. So where do you sleep at night?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Where do you go at night?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23On the footpath.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24- On the footpath?- Yes.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26And where do you sleep at night, Rakhi?
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Remember I saw you on the streets before?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Do you still sleep there?
0:20:32 > 0:20:33- Footpath.- Footpath.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:20:47 > 0:20:49But it feels that something's not quite right.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Rakhi's not the same engaged little girl she was last time I saw her.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58She seems subdued, distracted.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I've seen how tough life on the streets can be,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04so I ask Geeta what's going on.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08So...Geeta, it doesn't take a genius to work out
0:21:08 > 0:21:11that Rakhi is a very different kid...
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- Yeah.- A very different kid from the one I met two years ago.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18And I'm not an expert, but her body language, she's very nervous.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21She's agitated by things around her. She's easily distracted.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- She keeps looking behind, to see if anyone is behind.- Hmm.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Can you fill me in as to why that might be?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30There are some constant boys,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33you know, who are calling her at night,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36to come with her, and that scared her.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40She has now come to know that she has to protect her body.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- Yeah...- But reality has started hitting her heart,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47so that is reflected in her face.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I could tell from the way she is, particularly around men.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54When she came into the computer room, very stressed and suspicious
0:21:54 > 0:21:56and incredibly vulnerable,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and I think that's really hit me and really upset me, obviously,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- because...- Yeah, it is true. - Because I'm an idiot,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and because I only get the context for a second and I leave.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And that snapshot stays with me and, of course, things change.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11You can't live, as you say, you can't live on the street.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Your older sister is good, yes?
0:22:13 > 0:22:14She takes care of you?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Yes...!
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Do you think anybody can take care of you, Rakhi?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Geeta tells me the girls could have a place in a boarding school,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35but Rakhi is scared and doesn't want to leave her father.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41That's scary.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43That's a scary thing.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49So now you think that all boarding schools will have ghosts?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- Yes.- Yes.- Yeah?
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I think in my head I had a
0:22:59 > 0:23:02very defined idea of how seeing Rakhi again would be.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08I thought that I would run up to her and this bubbly, sparkling,
0:23:08 > 0:23:13sort of, effervescent little human that I met would just
0:23:13 > 0:23:14rush to greet me.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I think I had no real understanding of the complexities of Rakhi's life
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and the reason that she didn't go to school wasn't actually because the
0:23:22 > 0:23:24opportunities weren't there.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27She didn't go to school because she didn't want to leave her dad.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28Her dad who, you know,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33was widowed and earning what he could by selling utensils,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37and who has focused his entire life on bringing up his family.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40It's such a hard decision for those kids - do we go to boarding school?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Do we get to become doctors and teachers? When, actually,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48really all we want to do is be around our only surviving parent,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and to give them something of what they've given us.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53And I'm just such an idiot because...
0:23:54 > 0:23:58..fun doesn't exist on the streets when you're an adolescent kid.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Danger does. And, as Geeta said, that child that I met doesn't...
0:24:04 > 0:24:07..doesn't exist any more, and that's...
0:24:07 > 0:24:11very, you know, very hard to think about that life.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But these are useless. You have to not be upset.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18You have to do. So Geeta is the person to do
0:24:18 > 0:24:20and she is the person that...
0:24:21 > 0:24:22..I'll talk to about...
0:24:24 > 0:24:25..trying to make a difference.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Can I come and see you again?
0:24:29 > 0:24:30Can I come and see you again?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- OK.- Yeah?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- When you're a bit taller?- Yes.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38When you're in school, whichever school you choose.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Yeah? I will come and see you.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42All right? Deal?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47All right. I will think of you.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52And I want you to be safe, and I trust that Geeta will help,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and your dad will help you make the good decisions.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Bye-bye.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Life in the city can be cruel
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and yet all the locals call Kolkata the City Of Joy.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17All life is here, crammed into its teeming streets.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20It's a tolerant, extrovert, exuberant city,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23on the banks of the mighty Ganges.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29And I'm on my way to meet one of its most extraordinary communities.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33In the UK, if you have a baby shower, then I guess you invite family,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35great aunties, a couple of grandmas.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39This is India and things are just a little bit more colourful.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42So here, top of your invite list would be the Hijra,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44part of the country's transgender community.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48I think this is one blessing that I'm going to really enjoy.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Namaste! Namaste!
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Namaste! Hello.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Nice to see you. Are you Aparna?
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Yeah.- I'm Sue. It's really nice to meet you.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58This is Aparna Banerjee and her merry band of Hijra.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Now, what's going on up there?
0:26:00 > 0:26:02There's a lot of looking up here.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03There's a baby, a newborn,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05so we are going to give blessings.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09And, as usual, the traditional badhai.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11So we are going to dance, we're going to sing,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13we are going to have a chat. You can come down.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14I would love to.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Oh, I have lucked out.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The Hijra tradition goes back thousands of years to the palaces
0:26:19 > 0:26:22of the great maharajas.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25They're sort of Bengali transgender fairy godmothers,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27if you can imagine such a thing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29They go to christenings and weddings,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30and dispense blessings for cash.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Already, this beats a dry bit of Victoria sponge
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and having to chat to your Auntie Mabel.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Namaste.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Are you Mr Roy? Namaste.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Thank you so much. Mr and Mrs Roy have invited the Hijra
0:26:44 > 0:26:46in to bless their newborn baby.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47All my family.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49- Where is the baby?- Come here.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I was going to say, is she sleeping? Not for long!
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- Here is...- Aw!
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- She's a girl.- How old is she?
0:26:57 > 0:26:58Six days only.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I'm terribly sorry, I've given her a really bad sort of side parting for her blessing!
0:27:05 > 0:27:06She's so beautiful.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09She is the grandmother, OK?
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- She is the grandmother. - A very proud grandmother.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13DRUMS BANG
0:27:13 > 0:27:16HIJRA SING
0:27:25 > 0:27:26All christenings should be like this.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I'm loving the end of that.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Loving that.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Congratulations.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Thank you.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Can I hold her? Is that OK?
0:27:40 > 0:27:41I'm in love.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Although I'm slightly worried that this baby might have hearing issues
0:27:46 > 0:27:49because any other child would have woken up to this din.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56She's going to wake up in about three hours thinking,
0:27:56 > 0:27:57"I had the weirdest dream."
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Wow.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13What she said!
0:28:14 > 0:28:19The blessing cost 51,000 rupees, that's about 600 quid.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23For a lifetime of prosperity with all the singing and dancing
0:28:23 > 0:28:26thrown in, I think it's money pretty well spent.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30This is the blessings they are doing, they are giving us.
0:28:54 > 0:29:00The Ganges is never far away from life's most important moments.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06It's like a cross between a, sort of, gate-crashing and a party,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08a spiritual event
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and a business transaction.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12It's really fascinating.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15People believe that welcoming a new baby by us...
0:29:16 > 0:29:19..is very meaningful for their future life,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22for their career, for their ambitions,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25and for their life prospects to live with.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28And do you believe that? Do you believe when you are come
0:29:28 > 0:29:31- you are giving the baby a special energy?- I believe that.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37Aparna is 35. She was born a boy to a good family in Kolkata.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Like many of the Hijra, she no longer has contact with her parents.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46We really don't have anyone of our family to bless.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48So none of you have family that you still see
0:29:48 > 0:29:50because they have rejected you or...?
0:29:50 > 0:29:51So these are our family.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55- I understand. - So our blessings really works.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58So all your heart and your soul that would go into telling your
0:29:58 > 0:29:59family that you love them
0:29:59 > 0:30:01go to a stranger's child, or to a new wedding.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Yeah, this is a spiritual kind of a thing,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07kind of a belief, and if I think economically,
0:30:07 > 0:30:08this is our only source of income.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10So if a baby survives well...
0:30:11 > 0:30:15..that's actually a repute to my own custom, tradition...
0:30:15 > 0:30:20I guess. And they'll pass the word on, saying, "Our baby is thriving.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21"You need to get the Hijra to come."
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- It's good business. - No, we keep on coming, actually.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27We keep on, we have a follow-up system, actually.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Do you? How often do you turn up now?
0:30:29 > 0:30:30You keep an eye on the baby?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Come on, baby. Flourish!
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Every time you come, do they have to pay?
0:30:37 > 0:30:39But, you're right, it's one of the best ways to earn money.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Imagine earning money from giving blessings and joy.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43You brought a lot of joy.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46This baby is the best behaved baby in the whole of India.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Thank you, thank you very much.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51She is the calmest... Look at the little...
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Little first going, "Please make the tambourine stop."
0:30:54 > 0:30:55Look at her.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Very proud. Nice to see you, sir.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01Namaste.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04Thank you. Thank you.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Top Gun, very good, I'm loving it.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Loving it.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15He's the Tom Cruise of Kolkata.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Tom Cruise! Tom Cruise!
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Thank you. Thank you, nice to see you.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22Mwah, mwah, mwah!
0:31:22 > 0:31:23SHE PURRS
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Stay hot.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Chai? I think we're having tea. Chai? Why not?
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Do you want tea?
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- Do you want tea?- I don't like tea.
0:31:36 > 0:31:37You don't like tea?!
0:31:37 > 0:31:39You're Kolkatan and you don't like tea?
0:31:39 > 0:31:41This is terrible.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- Cheers.- Cheers to the tea. - Cheers to the tea.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47Another great blessing.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51I don't think it's going to take too long to play a game
0:31:51 > 0:31:53of which house is the Hijra house.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Is it this custard one, the yellow one?
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- Yeah.- You see? First time.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01The Hijra all live together in a big yellow house in the west of Kolkata,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03about 40 of them in all.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Their temple is a vision in gold.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Oh, my word.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12This is Trumpian in its blingtasticness.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13This is amazing.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17This is our room where we actually pay offering in the morning, every day.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22So after that we can move to our own house, wherefrom we start, we work,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24we gather together, and we have fun.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27So we can move there. Please come.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30I wasn't expecting it to be so metallic.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33The Hijra have a complex place in Indian society.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Beautiful!
0:32:34 > 0:32:38In ancient times, they were revered in royal palaces as magical beings.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Then, inevitably, under the British, they were criminalised.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46- Namaste.- Finally, in 2014,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49the courts gave them legal status as a third gender,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51offering them protection under the law.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Namaste! Namaste.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57Now some people accept them, but many still despise and fear them.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02She is my guru. She is my guru, she is also my guru.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03You're surrounded by gurus.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Look at all this. Granny guru, guru, guru.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11The gurus, or older Hijra, are the heads of the house.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It works a little bit like a co-operative,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17with the younger Hijra paying their gurus for guidance.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Communities like this are a place of safety.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Being a transgender, being a Hijra by profession,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25being an activist in this community,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28I found this is the only place
0:33:28 > 0:33:32where I actually get the oxygen to survive.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33People don't discriminate.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39People tell me every day, "Oh, you are looking awesome."
0:33:39 > 0:33:44So, this compliment is something which I need every day to breathe.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- I understand.- To dream for tomorrow.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49This is something... This compliment.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53But in public places, from the mainstream society,
0:33:53 > 0:34:00we always get discriminative words, slang, abusive languages,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03so if we just keep on pondering on those words,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05we're just going to die.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08You have created a family here,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11you know, because some of you have lost your biological family.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14You've managed to create something really wonderful, which is tolerant,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and open, that accepts everybody without labels,
0:34:17 > 0:34:18without religious labels,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20without sexual labels...
0:34:22 > 0:34:25It's a perfect commune, as far as I can see.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Definitely.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29THEY SING
0:34:29 > 0:34:31DRUMS BANG
0:34:35 > 0:34:38To welcome me to this extraordinary family,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40we break out the dressing up box.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43I'll get you a sari.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46- Is it sari time? - Yeah! It's sari time!
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Sari time, OK.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59Oh, yes.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09This is one of the most joyful, beautiful,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12heartbreaking communities I've ever visited.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13I love the Hijra,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16but I can't help but feel that all the dancing
0:35:16 > 0:35:20and singing and glamour are there to mask the sadness of being rejected
0:35:20 > 0:35:22by their families and their loved ones.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25All I can say is, it's their loss.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28I'd love to have these girls in my family any day of the week.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30THEY CHANT
0:35:32 > 0:35:34I hope you enjoyed, had fun.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36You know I did.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38You know I did, so much.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Thank you so much for everything.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I'm not a member of Hijra, so I can give no blessings other than
0:35:44 > 0:35:46thank you, thank you. You are all marvellous.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49This is much more valuable than any other blessings.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Bless you. Good luck.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52Thank you.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55I still can't get over the fact that someone is called Julie Walters here.
0:35:55 > 0:35:56You're called Julie Walters?
0:36:01 > 0:36:03HORN BEEPS
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I'm leaving the glorious chaos of Kolkata
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and travelling south - to where the Ganges meets the sea.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I'm heading to the Sundarbans, near the Bangladeshi border,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17which is one of the world's richest and most fragile ecosystems.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22It's also home to India's most dangerous theme park,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Tigerland.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26It certainly beats a mouse in Florida.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Thankfully, they've made it easier for me to know which boat to get on,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36although I did nearly hop on the real housewives of Chelsea.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47South of Kolkata, the Ganges flows into the Sundarbans,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50the world's largest river delta.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52It stretches across the Bay of Bengal.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01The Sundarbans reserve is one of the most important and protected nature
0:37:01 > 0:37:06reserves on earth, 10,000 square kilometres of mangrove forests,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09tidal creeks and low-lying islands.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12In India's overcrowded landscape,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15it's a vital sanctuary for all sorts of wildlife
0:37:15 > 0:37:18and a popular ecotourism destination.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22That was the biggest cat I've ever seen!
0:37:22 > 0:37:25That was a cross between a cat and a tiger.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27That was a tat! It was huge!
0:37:28 > 0:37:32But the most important of all, behind that fence,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36a population of endangered Royal Bengal tigers.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42I'm heading out with the forest department's tiger patrol
0:37:42 > 0:37:45to see what it takes to protect one of the world's most endangered cats
0:37:45 > 0:37:48in a country with so many people.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53If you want to know what tiger protection looks like,
0:37:53 > 0:37:54check out that suit.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I'm not sure how I pictured the Elite Tiger Force,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06but Dad's Army is what I'm getting.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09But there's not much Dad's Army about what they have to do.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Every day, they head into the
0:38:12 > 0:38:14reserve to maintain the perimeter fence that
0:38:14 > 0:38:17keeps the tigers in and the people out.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Much as I'd love to help, I've been advised to stay on the boat.
0:38:22 > 0:38:2496 kilometres of fencing?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26- Yeah.- That's a lot of fencing to maintain.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- Yeah.- Because if there's a breach in any part of that...
0:38:29 > 0:38:30- Yeah.- Straight through.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- Up to your hip? - Yeah. It's very risky.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41Very risky.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Let's face it, if you're up to your midriff in mud...
0:38:46 > 0:38:48You're not going to run anywhere, are you?
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Any breaches to the tiger fence must be repaired immediately.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19If I were to get through the net,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22and walk into the forest,
0:39:22 > 0:39:23how long do you think I would last?
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- That's good to know.- If it is there.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32I want you to know, I'm not going to do that.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34The wardens fix remote cameras to
0:39:34 > 0:39:37the trees to monitor the health of the tiger population.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51It's extraordinary to me
0:39:51 > 0:39:52that they're going out into one of
0:39:52 > 0:39:55the most dangerous places in the entire world,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and one of them just has a... You know, a little scythe.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Strong guys. I've got a lot of respect for them.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07For all its simplicity, the reserve
0:40:07 > 0:40:11is a remarkable conservation success.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15It's now home to a stable population of around 100 tigers.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18And that's not all.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21By protecting the tigers at the top of the food chain,
0:40:21 > 0:40:25they have repaired an entire ecosystem.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27The tigers keep the deer population in check,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29allowing the trees to grow
0:40:29 > 0:40:32and providing a habitat for all the other species.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37The tigers are the guardians of the forest once again.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39The natural order of things has been restored.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43There's no doubt that I'm feeling
0:40:43 > 0:40:46there's a sense of joy, actually,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48that there exists on earth, still,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50a place where the tiger holds sway,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53where nature is left as it should be.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Quite frankly, we should get as far
0:40:55 > 0:40:57away from the Sundarbans as possible.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02If only life were so simple.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06The Sundarbans, on the Indian side alone,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09is home to more than four million people.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13I'm staying on Bali, one of the bigger islands,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15where the people have to live and
0:41:15 > 0:41:19work right next door to a thriving wild tiger population.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24I tell you, it's not a trip for the braless, this.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Ooh!
0:41:29 > 0:41:33This feels like a million miles from the chaos of Kolkata.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Life here is slow. People farm,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38collect honey in the forest,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41and fish in the tidal creeks that ebb and flow through the mangroves.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45It looks beautiful.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47But what's the betting there's a catch?
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I'm joining Kalpana and Dinunda on a fishing trip.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01They used to be farmers, but the land is poor, so,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05like many people here, they now make a living from the sea.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Before we start, Dinunda blesses the boat
0:42:08 > 0:42:12and asks for protection from the goddess of the forest, Bonbibi.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14She's neither Hindu nor Muslim,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17but watches over everyone who ventures into the forest.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Can Bonbibi protect you from tigers, do you think?
0:42:27 > 0:42:28Does she save you?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36The tigers are fearsome hunters.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39They hide in the thick mangroves and leap onto the boats.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Like many of the local families,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Dinunda and Kalpana have a permit
0:42:44 > 0:42:47that allows them to fish inside the tiger reserve.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51But it's too dangerous for us, so we'll try our luck outside.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54So when you have been fishing, have you ever seen tigers?
0:42:57 > 0:42:58Many times?
0:43:00 > 0:43:02What? On the boat?
0:43:02 > 0:43:03On this boat?
0:43:08 > 0:43:09Missed you?
0:43:11 > 0:43:13And then it just... It came out, did it?
0:43:14 > 0:43:16From the water?
0:43:16 > 0:43:18And missed you by this much?
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Did you? You did?
0:43:26 > 0:43:27You saved the day!
0:43:30 > 0:43:31Massive.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Does it put you off fishing? Does it make you think, "I want to do
0:43:45 > 0:43:48"something else with my life"? Because it's so dangerous?
0:43:55 > 0:43:59I think it's a combination of Bonbibi
0:43:59 > 0:44:02and you being very quick with a paddle to the tiger's face.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05I can see why they want to fish in the reserve.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08The rewards are good, but the risks are enormous.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12On a good day, 40 crabs. Really bad day, ten crabs.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Today, no crabs. There's no crabs.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24They had a very lucky escape.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27But there are more tiger attacks here than anywhere else in India.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33No-one knows exactly how many people are killed by tigers each year
0:44:33 > 0:44:35because many of the deaths go unreported.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40But there's at least one fatal tiger attack here every week.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42HE SINGS
0:44:42 > 0:44:46PERCUSSION
0:44:50 > 0:44:53So here in the village, Friday night is theatre night
0:44:53 > 0:44:55and even the entertainment is tiger-themed.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01That's the best response I've ever had for a piece to camera.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03PERCUSSION
0:45:06 > 0:45:07ROARING
0:45:10 > 0:45:15So the subject matter of this play is a tiger god, who,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18when you enter the forest, demands a tax or payment of a human life.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21So the villagers pray to the benign goddess, Bonbibi,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23who will offer them protection.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28It might seem like a myth, it might
0:45:28 > 0:45:30seem irrelevant to modern day living,
0:45:30 > 0:45:34and yet I was supposed to meet Kalpana and her husband tonight,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and their niece has died because she was bitten by a king cobra.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40So this isn't the stuff of fairy tales -
0:45:40 > 0:45:43this is the stuff of real life here on the island.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48I don't think I've been anywhere in
0:45:48 > 0:45:51the world where man's relationship to nature is more tenuous,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54where man's foothold is more shaky,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57and that's, perhaps, why Hindus and Muslims join together to worship
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Bonbibi, because her message is simple, clear.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Take only what you need and you'll thrive.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Take too much - you won't survive.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Today is a very special day.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29Tom Selleck of Sagar Island there.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Yeah, I'm in.
0:46:31 > 0:46:32I'm in. Look at me go. I'm in.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34SHE GROWLS
0:46:34 > 0:46:35Hi. Namaste.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Namaste.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44On Sagar Island, in the mouth of the river,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46millions of people are gathering to
0:46:46 > 0:46:48bathe in the cleansing waters of the Ganges.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59I've never fully understood the phrase sea of humanity,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01but you get this incredible feeling
0:47:01 > 0:47:03that you need to wade with your hands through it.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Hello, charmer.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07You all right? Good? I could tell
0:47:07 > 0:47:08what he had for dinner last night,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12let alone breakfast this morning. That was very close.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Very loud. Very loud.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21This is Ganga Sagar Mela, the annual Hindu festival,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24which takes place here on Sagar Island.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27This is the point where the mighty Ganges meets the sea.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29With six million people coming here,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33it's the second largest human gathering anywhere on the planet -
0:47:33 > 0:47:36just pipped to the post by the melee you get on Oxford Street when
0:47:36 > 0:47:39they're discounting televisions on Black Friday.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42I say six million - it's six million and one now this numpty's arrived!
0:47:45 > 0:47:49The pilgrimage here is one of the most important in all of Hinduism.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55People travel from across India for this mass cleansing.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59To bathe in these waters not only
0:47:59 > 0:48:01cleanses you of a lifetime's sins,
0:48:01 > 0:48:06but also sorts out the previous 14 generations of your family.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Now that's what I call a deep clean!
0:48:17 > 0:48:19If you want to know what true devotion feels like,
0:48:19 > 0:48:21and if you want to know what it's
0:48:21 > 0:48:24like to experience the full gamut of the Hindu religion,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27if you want to know how important this incredible river is
0:48:27 > 0:48:32to these millions upon millions of people, then you should come here.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33But do bring earplugs.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40As well as being one of the world's most sacred rivers,
0:48:40 > 0:48:43the Ganges is one of the most polluted,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46flooded with human and industrial waste.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51India's government have promised to clean up the Ganges,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55so this year there's a strong environmental message,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58imploring people to worship the river in a new way.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05This year is a very special mela. It's an environmental, green mela,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08and you can hear the loudspeakers blaring.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10They're basically sending the message out for people
0:49:10 > 0:49:13not to put plastic bags in the water, not to burn fires,
0:49:13 > 0:49:15not to defecate in its waters,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17and it's a really important message
0:49:17 > 0:49:20because, without that in future years to come,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23they won't be praying to Ganga, they'll be praying for it.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27Is this the queue for the toilet?
0:49:27 > 0:49:29It is? God, I've got a wait on me.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32To provide relief for the river and the people,
0:49:32 > 0:49:35they've built 12,000 toilets.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38Yup, I know exactly how he feels!
0:49:41 > 0:49:43At night, Koushik, my guide,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45tries to explain the complex
0:49:45 > 0:49:49relationship between Mother Ganges and her many children.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54What is interesting as an outsider is how this river can be so revered
0:49:54 > 0:49:56and yet so abused at the same time.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00So it can be worshipped, and yet people will treat it like a toilet,
0:50:00 > 0:50:02like a waste bin.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04The Ganges is our mother. Mother takes away everything.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06That was the basic idea -
0:50:06 > 0:50:09that I can do anything in sight and the river takes it
0:50:09 > 0:50:12from me and cleans me.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17I understand. So the idea, basically, is that anything goes
0:50:17 > 0:50:21because she can't be damaged, she can't be hurt, she can't be angry.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23- It's just love.- It's love, yeah.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26Yeah, it's pure love and slowly, like,
0:50:26 > 0:50:28we have started to misuse that love.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32It's like taking advantage of the Sweet Mother Ganga.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35I'm here from dusk till dawn on the biggest night of the week.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38Two million people are expected to
0:50:38 > 0:50:41bathe in the Ganges as the sun comes up.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44So, Koushik, can you explain the significance,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46particularly, of tonight?
0:50:46 > 0:50:51Tonight is one night where the full moon goes into the next day
0:50:51 > 0:50:55and Saturn crosses into the next room.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- The next house?- Next house.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02And that makes changes to the destiny of people.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04So this is a particularly auspicious full moon.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07- Yeah.- So that's why we've got millions of people congregating to
0:51:07 > 0:51:11- take their dip at first light, I guess?- Yes.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14The festival is like an epic Hindu Glastonbury,
0:51:14 > 0:51:16full of the most extraordinary people.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22We've had Coronation Street, Sesame Street - this is Baba Street.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25Sort of like an Indian version of Naked Attraction.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I think I'm going to go for the one in box C.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31These are the Naga Babas,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34or naked holy men. They have rejected the physical world,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38including clothes, to be closer to the great Lord Shiva,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40one of the most powerful gods.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48They live in the Himalayas and smoke mountains of weed.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52For a small offering, they'll bless you
0:51:52 > 0:51:54with a whack of a peacock feather wand.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58They seem to be getting bashed on the head.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00I'm going to see how long it takes
0:52:00 > 0:52:02for me to get full spiritual concussion.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Good.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13I feel I should know your name, I've seen your winky, but there you go.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Thank you so much. Thank you.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19From the intense aroma that's going on,
0:52:19 > 0:52:23I think Baba is Hindi for really stoned nude man.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26- Your country money give. - Yes, you want money?
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Your country money give.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31My country gives money. How much money?
0:52:31 > 0:52:33Your country's money.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34No, your country's money.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Yeah, your country's money.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39He wants your country's money.
0:52:39 > 0:52:40No, I don't have my country...
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Pfft!
0:52:42 > 0:52:44That was a full... That was a beating!
0:52:44 > 0:52:45That was actually a beating.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48There was a lot of colonial angst he needed to get out there.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52Hello. That's an open stance in my world.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54That's a very... That's a posture.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Yes. Yes.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59All of it. All of it for you because that...
0:52:59 > 0:53:02- Hundred, hundred.- No hundreds left. Gone, gone.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Some of the most expansive testicles I've ever seen.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15It feels like half of India is here, waiting for the sun to rise.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19Whole villages have made the pilgrimage here en masse.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22I think, normally, amongst this volume of people,
0:53:22 > 0:53:24half of whom seem to be in a semicircle around me,
0:53:24 > 0:53:27I'd feel maybe a bit intimidated, but the atmosphere's very mellow.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31This is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,
0:53:31 > 0:53:35more importantly, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
0:53:35 > 0:53:39for these people, who've come from miles away with little or no money.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43This is an extremely unique devotional experience,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45so it's a total privilege.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48It's mental, but it's a total privilege.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Namaste, ladies. Namaste.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Can I ask where you're from?
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Around 70?
0:54:06 > 0:54:07I'm around 40.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10I like this. I like this estimation of ages, it works for me.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12I wish you a happy dip.
0:54:12 > 0:54:13Happy dipping.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21As dawn approaches,
0:54:21 > 0:54:23you're swept along in a tide of
0:54:23 > 0:54:26humanity towards the beach and the sea.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35It strikes me that the Ganges is the victim of the cruellest irony,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37that the reverence of all these people,
0:54:37 > 0:54:38and the devotion that you see at
0:54:38 > 0:54:42its banks is the very thing that is killing it.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44And yet, here, there's real hope.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46This green mela has started to
0:54:46 > 0:54:48really introduce the idea to the devout
0:54:48 > 0:54:50that you can worship at its waters,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52but be environmentally respectful.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13I first met this river 1,500 miles away,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15in the highest mountains on earth.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18Just me, some donkeys, and a very grumpy baba.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26It has led me through the lives of some truly wonderful people.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37So nice.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49And it ends here, under a rising sun on a brand-new day,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53and two million people sharing this extraordinary communion with an
0:55:53 > 0:55:58immortal goddess and a sacred, filthy, amazing river.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13The Ganges is at such a crucial, pivotal point in its history.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17For those who've come here, the believers, this is the mother river.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19There is nothing that the mother
0:56:19 > 0:56:21can't accept, no amount of pollution,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23garbage and ill-treatment.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26But the other school of thought is, of course,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29this river is a living thing that is being damaged by commerce,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32by industry, by the rapid expansion of India.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34And that's where the choice lies -
0:56:34 > 0:56:36which version of the Ganges do you want?
0:56:36 > 0:56:39The mythology or the reality?
0:56:39 > 0:56:41And that's a decision India has to make.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53But while I ponder that, it's time I got my feet wet.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57That is poo there, isn't it?
0:57:05 > 0:57:08I think in the West we get trapped in our thoughts
0:57:08 > 0:57:09and I think the joyful,
0:57:09 > 0:57:11extraordinary thing about a
0:57:11 > 0:57:13pilgrimage is you walk through pain,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16and you walk through feelings,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19and each step that you take moves your consciousness on.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23And I've understood that before, as a theoretical concept,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27but standing here in these quite dirty waters,
0:57:27 > 0:57:29I'm proud. What a long way I've come.