Episode 4 The Real Marigold Hotel

India.

A country that overwhelms the senses.

The Garden of Eden must've been as beautiful as this.

With year-round warm weather and a low cost of living,

could this be the perfect place to retire?

If you'd won the Lottery, where would you choose to be?

I'm going there almost as a child, with my eyes wide open.

Thank you.

Inspired by the blockbuster film, eight well-known faces

are spending a month in Kochi in the south of India...

Oh, yes.

Oh, sorry. Oh!

..to see if living out their golden years here

could be a real alternative.

Oh, my God, I look fantastic.

Handsome.

We started to dance down the street.

I never thought I would ever do that at my age.

Whatever. It's new and exciting, I haven't done it yet, let's do it.

-And let go.

-Aargh!

Whoa!

But will the challenges of India prove a step too far?

Calm down, everybody.

Chill pill!

There's something down there that feels like it shouldn't be.

Or could this incredible country give them real food for thought?

It's like nowhere else on Earth I've ever been.

Relax all your muscles, then make a circle.

And feel the stresses going out.

The group have been living in Kochi for almost a month,

becoming increasingly immersed in the Indian way of life.

Lie on back.

India's making me calmer.

My mind has totally relaxed since I've been here

to the point where I'm not as hyper as I was.

Nowhere near.

Let loose all your muscles.

From toes...

..to head.

I've always loved India but gradually over the four weeks

I've found myself falling in love with India.

I think the main change is that I'm feeling at home.

I feel comfortable here.

Yoga teacher Raj has been introducing them

to new techniques in their regular classes.

This is excellent for all-over general health, general wellbeing.

This is a part of acupressure rings.

-This helps to relieve all your pressure and stress.

-Thank you.

So I'll introduce how to practise this.

-Please sit.

-Your pinkie?!

-Where would you wear it?

-He's going to show us where to wear it.

-I see.

If you practise putting like these rings,

this way each finger nine times.

-Yes.

-So before finishing the tenth finger, you will get a deep sleep.

Let us practise together. Close your eyes and relax.

And give slowly complete attention on your rings.

LAUGHTER

-Enjoy the process.

-Oh, she's gone.

Concentrate on your ring!

-Sorry.

-Rustie!

That's what he said!

Concentrate on your ring.

I tell you what, I'm locking my door tonight.

I'm locking my door, too!

Jeez! Send her to the dungeon.

-She's gone, mate.

-I'm being vulgar. Sorry.

So have a great day.

Thank you. Thank you very much indeed.

You were all thinking it and I said it.

Come on, especially you!

LAUGHTER

'We've laughed so much.

'Rustie could do stand-up.'

She has an infectious laugh but a wicked sense of humour.

-The laughter's just as good as the yoga.

-Exactly.

-I think so.

If I don't laugh in a day, something must be wrong.

Seriously.

Watch it. Sacred cows.

'The spiritual side does interest me

'because I don't know anything about Buddhism or Hinduism or anything.'

I like to understand what makes people think the way they do.

Sheila, Amanda and Lionel have asked driver Shekhar

to show them a local Hindu ritual

on the banks of the nearby Periyar River.

-Is this a priest?

-He's the priest, especially for this occasion,

this ceremony.

Every day, dozens of remembrance ceremonies, known as Sraddhas,

are performed here on the anniversary of a loved one's death.

So, he would be maybe the father or the son of somebody they lost

-in the family?

-Yeah.

What he's doing is, he just hold the leaf and other things on his head.

-And he just turns back and throws it away.

-Oh, wow.

Why throw it over your shoulder? Why?

He's the living one and his father is no more,

so, father, I just did the best for you and you can go.

-I think of you...?

-I'm going to live some more days.

Oh, I see. So, the future's there, the past is there.

-The past is there.

-OK.

How incredible.

'Death. I'm not looking forward to it, obviously.

'It's not high on my list of things to do.'

I was so paranoid about it earlier in my life

and it did make me so ill.

I don't seem to be as paranoid about it now.

Mind you, if you said to me, "Tomorrow, you're going",

I think I would be just as paranoid about it.

Namaste.

HE CHANTS

There are seven holy rules in India.

So, just think, the past seven generations -

your father, father's father, father's father's father.

Everybody's there in Heaven.

Just pray everybody to bless us.

Oh, I see.

That's beautiful. That's beautiful.

So they never forget the family.

All the seven past generations.

'Last year, I lost a lot of very good friends,

'so death worried me because they were all unexpected deaths.

'The first one was Cilla.'

She was found dead and that really shook me.

By losing so many close friends, it puts life into perspective.

Enjoy every moment you've got.

How beautiful. I think I'm going to ask my daughters

to do something like that when I go.

Send me off on a banana leaf and I'll be back to haunt them.

The Hindu religion views death not as an end,

but as a passage to a new life.

They're just going to offer these things to the crows

because it's a belief that their forefathers will come as a crow.

Everything has a meaning, everything is a slight ritual,

but there's a logic to it that I get.

The logic is a fluidity of life, that...

it's not over.

It's not even over when the fat lady sings. It's just not over.

-It's your father?

-My father.

-Oh, I'm so sorry.

-How long? How long?

-He died three years ago.

-And you do this every year?

-Every year.

He came from Delhi, I came from England.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. Only for this.

-Where do you live?

-A British citizen!

-I am in Hampshire.

-I was thinking how nice it is that a family

-can get together.

-That is the most important thing.

That is why in the Hindu customs, you know, in these occasions,

the whole family comes together so there is no rift in between.

'Every day I see something new and miraculous

'in India.

'This, today, is so moving.

'This is a whole ceremony of saying, "We will never forget you.

'"We love you and we know that you're up there."'

It makes dying less terrifying.

It makes dying...

You're not forgotten, you will always be remembered.

Binoculars, camera...

buh-buh-buh.

Batteries. Yes!

Having got to know Kochi, Bill, Miriam, Rustie, Dennis and Paul

are heading off to explore an alternative retirement option.

Apparently, it's going to be a bit chilly, so...

I bought a grey suit...

..so that sort of works for anything.

If one of us dies, it's a good funeral outfit!

'I remember when my kids were growing up and I said to them,'

"If I disappear when I'm older, you'll find me on a donkey

"trotting around the foothills of the Himalayas."

All set for eight hours in a bus!

They're travelling 200 miles to the hill stations of Ooty and Coonoor,

high up in the Nilgiri Mountains.

Like hill stations all over India,

these were small towns built by the British Army at a high altitude

to escape the sweltering summer heat.

The climate is as close as you will find in India to Britain.

There's no safety barrier a lot of the way. It's all broken away.

The hill stations are an eight-hour drive from Kochi,

the final stretch of which is all on mountain roads.

Whoa, that's a big...!

I better put my lippy on so if I drop dead I look nice.

Aargh!

It's amazing how they literally just miss people by inches.

Cars are passing by inches. Not feet, inches.

It's quite incredible.

Hairpin bend. Go slow.

Oh, look at this.

Oh, dear Lord.

The experience of India has been like a great adventure.

'I've learned a lot and I've explored a lot,

'but the driving, people overtaking on corners,'

my heart leaping out of my throat!

All together now, please.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy...

Please don't overtake this lorry.

Please don't overtake.

-He's going for it. He's going...

-Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Lovely. Oh, and an ambulance.

Oh, just the one?!

LAUGHTER

I don't know if my heart can take this...!

In Kochi, Three Degrees singer Sheila

is embracing India's alternative therapy treatments.

Thank you. See you later.

-Oh, hi!

-Hello, Sheila.

Local healer Megha uses a mixture of vigorous Reiki

and relaxation techniques.

I thrive on having new experiences and new adventures.

The more outrageous and exciting,

the more I might be tempted to try it.

What exactly do you do?

So, basically, there's certain points in the body

-which are the emotional storehouses.

-OK.

In this session what we're trying to do

is using body as a medium and releasing these pent-up emotions.

Interestingly, most of the emotions which get stored up in our body,

like in the form of crystals, are the painful memories.

I don't have any emotional issues that I don't deal with.

I resolve them within myself,

so I couldn't say there's anything that I need to rejig,

if you know what I mean? Something may come out, I don't know,

but at the moment I think I'm pretty...

I'm a Libran, so I try to balance everything as much as I can.

Take a deep breath in.

And breathe out.

Known as soul rebalancing,

each intense session can last up to three hours.

In...

and let go.

Be with the breath and let go. Faster.

RAPID BREATHS

In, out, in, out. In and out. In and out. In and out, in and out,

in and out. Breathe in and out. In and out, in and out, in and out.

Megha believes that by applying intense pressure to key points

on the body, she can reach into the subconscious mind

and released painful memories.

'The deeper I breathe, the more she could go deeper,

'and the deeper she went, eventually she got to the core

'and that made me able to withstand the pain.'

Be with the breath and let go.

Argh!

-Oh!

-And let go.

-Be with the breath and let go!

-Aargh!

-Be with the breath and let go!

-Aargh!

Be with the breath and let go! Keep doing it.

-Be with the breath and let go.

-Ah!

30 years ago, at the height of her success with the Three Degrees,

Sheila decided to quit the group.

And let go.

A decision that had an enormous emotional impact at the time.

SHEILA CRIES

I miss you!

SHEILA SOBS

Oh!

Why am I doing this? I'm sorry!

Oh!

'When she said, "Let it go", and I started crying and yelling,

'I saw the other two Degrees'

and I saw the day that I called to say I was leaving the group

and I saw the nervous breakdown that ensued following it.

I'm sorry.

I miss you.

'It showed me what has been eating away at me

'for the last 20 years since leaving the group.

'And I left the Three Degrees to raise my twin daughters.

'That guilt between the two girls'

and my two daughters has been like a tug-of-war.

I will let go now.

I will let go now.

'I had no idea. I really had no idea it was eating at me that much,'

so...lesson learnt.

When I felt the loss,

what I felt I was getting rid of was the pain of that separation.

It was the hardest decision I've ever made,

to leave two people that I love so much,

and we worked so hard together to make it to the top of our career.

So all of that pain, I didn't know I was carrying to this point.

Let it go.

So if that's the case, I can try to let all this go and fluff it away.

-Let it come, let it go. Let it come, let it go.

-Exactly.

You must be exhausted after a session like that.

-Let me give you a hug.

-Oh, please do.

While Bill, Rustie and Miriam are carrying on by bus to Coonoor,

Dennis and Paul are joining the steam train at Mettupalayam

to make the final leg of the journey to Ooty.

It might be electrified.

-I've got everything we need. Water for you.

-Thank you so much.

-And the absolute essential.

-You'll need that.

Despite Ooty being just 17 miles away from Mettupalayam,

the steep and winding climb will take four hours.

-Will it have a toilet onboard?

-No.

-No toilet?

While you are still here, you can use the toilet.

Where is the toilet? In there? OK, thank you.

There's a bit of a queue.

Can I go? Oh, that's very kind of you. Thank you.

'Paul and me seem to have teamed up together.

'I don't like telling Paul this, but my wife Louise,

'her and her friends, they used to watch Just Good Friends'

and they said they used to love Paul Nicholas.

He was a naughty, he had that naughty streak

and all her friends absolutely adored him.

'And he's got a wicked sense of humour.

'He's on the same wavelength.'

I thought this was going to be quiet.

-You know, like the Snowdonia train. I've been on that.

-Yeah.

-Slightly busier.

-At least we're getting on a real Indian train,

-aren't we?

-This is the proper...

-This is the real stuff.

-Do you like speed?

-How'd you mean?

Well, this gets up to nearly ten miles an hour.

A slow coach to wherever.

Ooty!

-BOTH:

-# I'd like to take you...

# On a slow train to Ooty

# All to myself, alone

# Da-be-doo-da-be-doo-oh! #

-We're on our way, Paul.

-We are.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the steepest in Asia,

climbing to over 2,000 metres.

The cooler climate could make it appealing to some of the group

as a place to retire.

Look at that. That's a drop and a half.

That is a drop and a half, isn't it?

But Ooty will also allow Dennis to fulfil a lifelong ambition.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm Paul.

-I'm Dennis.

-What's your name?

-My name is Lalitha.

-Lalitha.

-What's your name?

-Lalitha.

-Lalitha.

-Yes.

We've got to go to a very special club today.

The Ooty Club.

-It's very special.

-He's a world famous snooker player.

-Oh, wow.

-He won the world championship.

-Oh, my God!

-You tell her what you're doing.

We're going to go and play on the table where the game started

all those years ago, so I'm so excited.

'The game of snooker was invented in India.'

I'd love to see exactly where that took place

and where the first, more or less, game of snooker was played

because, well, that's been my whole life.

When I play snooker,

I've got special glasses that I have to wear

and they look like upside-down glasses.

-Do you want to try my glasses on?

-I would like to. I would love to.

-You won't see anything.

-Oh, my God!

-So, it's just like that?

-That's good, very good.

She suits them.

-Are you going to Ooty?

-Yeah, I'm going to Ooty.

I came to Ooty when I was very young, like child.

-May I ask how old you are?

-I'm 25 years old.

25? You don't look 25. Well, 25's not old anyway.

I know 25 feels old, but it's not, believe me.

Is it, Dennis? 25 is very young.

'I don't really think of myself as old, but of course I am.

'But you cannot sit and look at the telly all day long,'

saying, "I'm 70 plus", or whatever you are.

'You have to keep mobile when you're older and you have to be interested

'because just to be sedentary and not take part in life, you know,'

it's a downward spiral, I think, into real old age.

MIMICS DYING

Two hours from Ooty, Dennis and Paul have reached Hillgrove,

one of the eight hill stations en route.

Look at the monkeys over there.

They're very tame. I suppose they're waiting for something to eat.

-They're on the trees, yeah?

-Look. They look a bit frightened though.

She looks a bit frightened.

Shall I take a picture of you, Dennis?

Oh, I just got shat on by the monkey, I think.

Do you think that's good luck? That's great.

-You wouldn't find this in Euston or Waterloo, would you, Paul?

-No.

Oh! I think he's going to try and get us again.

Yeah, it's from a height. I think we'll move out the way.

For Bill, the area around Coonoor has a special draw.

It's one of the best places to spot wildlife in southern India.

Good morning. Thank you.

Do come in, please.

This might take a very long time.

With Miriam and Rustie, he's come to meet Ashish,

who runs the Parkside Tea Estate and is a local wildlife expert.

I'm going to take you around the tea estate.

-And, hopefully, we'll see some wildlife on the way.

-Wow.

The high altitude is perfect for tea growing

and the estate's been going for seven decades.

It's so high up on the hills, it's making me nauseous.

The oxygen is less here.

There is, isn't it? I thought so.

Do the tea plants need to be that high?

Tea can grow starting from 900 metres.

It can do up to 2,000 metres.

You know those big gaps between the bushes, is that for walking between?

Yes, these are footpaths and the plucking lanes

for the pluckers to walk in.

One can hear a rather naughty rhyme coming.

-Yes. I decided to keep quiet there.

-With pluckers.

It's the erudite, stately, gracious Miriam

who alludes to the dirty joke.

Is there a lavatory up here? It's shaking the crap out of me.

-Literally!

-How vulgar!

Although the tea estates have replaced much of the natural jungle,

wildlife is still drawn here as it remains largely undeveloped.

Was that a magpie of some sort just want across?

That's a common crow.

-It was just a crow, was it?

-Yeah.

Are they all jungle crows here?

-No, the common crow and the jungle crow.

-Right.

I keep on hearing this word "jungle".

I can't understand. Is there a real jungle here?

Yes.

If you see the area, you'll have the tea bushes all over.

If it's not tea bushes, it's all jungle.

Bill, there's a buffalo in the...

-There's a buffalo there.

-A buffalo?!

-Oui.

So, is this related to water buffalo at all?

No, this is more towards the American...

American bison, but it's not really like that either, is it?

Would you want to climb a bit?

-Yeah, sure.

-Come.

He's having to look at us now.

The Indian bison, known as the gaur,

is the tallest species of wild cattle.

Look at all the muscles.

This guy would be close to about two tonnes.

Originally common throughout South East Asia,

human expansion has seriously depleted their numbers,

but here, in the jungles of southern India, they're managing to survive.

'India's always had a very...'

good reputation, if I can put it that way,

erm, of reverence for,

an understanding of and care for,

and I think, most of all, enjoyment in animals in general.

Oh, my goodness.

-These are two solitary males.

-Are they jealous of each other...

-They fight.

-..over territory?

-The males fight and when they fight,

-you can hear the horns...

-Clashing?

-..clash maybe a kilometre away.

But they don't chase after people? No?

Oh, he's looking up now, he's looking up.

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

I'm dying to go... Honestly, I'm in trouble here.

I need to get back. Oh!

Dennis and Paul have finally arrived in Ooty,

the capital of the Nilgiri district.

This is my sort of climate, you know, up here.

-It's a bit cooler, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

-In my retirement I would spend all my money on sun cream.

-Yes.

So, up here I wouldn't need so much sun cream, so..

Oh, look at this. It's really is nice.

The Ooty Club is where snooker was invented almost 150 years ago.

-Paul, look at this.

-Do you think I need to tuck my shirt in?

I think you'll be OK. We'll have a word. You'll be fine.

-Dennis Taylor. So delighted.

-Dennis, it's an honour to meet you

and an honour to have you at the club.

It's a great honour for me and it's a lifetime dream to be here, I can tell you.

-And this is Paul.

-Hello.

-Hi, Jimmy. How are you?

Dennis, come.

Club Secretary Jimmy has agreed to show them where it all began.

Thank you very much.

'He looked like a '60s pop star, the way he was dressed, you know.'

He had his leathery suede beige jacket and the polo neck,

'and a real gentleman.'

-Let's have a look.

-Welcome.

-Oh, look at this.

-Both of you.

-That's lovely, isn't it?

It was a British Army officer stationed here

called Neville Chamberlain, no relation,

who is credited with coming up with the game and giving it the name snooker.

This is the table on which Sir Neville Chamberlain

invented the game and laid down the final rules.

I mean, it looks spanking new, doesn't it?

It is being well maintained.

The most important thing of all these old things,

you've got to maintain them.

I would think I'd be the first world champion

to be in the club here, I would think.

You don't know what that means to me.

-I hope I can play a few shots.

-Absolutely.

I'd better get out my snooker specs.

There we go. Well, this is a little bit of history here, Paul.

-Don't...don't fluff it.

-As long as I break them up. There we go.

-Oh, can you believe that?

-I got the white in!

'You know, without the Ooty Club and that snooker table,

'I don't know what I would've been doing.'

I might've been back in Ireland working just in the local works.

You're four down, gov'nor.

'And in my wildest dreams I didn't realise that, one day,'

I would be in India playing on the table where it all started.

'I think with anywhere that you're going to go,'

even if you've retired in England, you have to find something to do.

Come on, let's do it.

'Or you've got to have something that really interests you'

within this area that will give you a reason to get up every day.

-Oh, bravo!

-Yeah, boy!

Thank you so much.

'Ooty, it would have everything that I wanted.

'It's got the Ooty Club, the climate is beautiful,

'there's no mosquitoes up there, there's no humidity.'

It's Ooty for me all the time.

-OK, here we go.

-Right in the middle, yeah?

-Yeah.

Argh!

Wag your finger!

Thank you, mate. Fantastic.

Can I get you some tea?

Lovely tea set.

-Very pretty.

-Thank you very much.

Do you want sugar?

-This today...

-It's lovely. It's delightful, you know?

And I think the reason we've enjoyed here is that we can see the horizon.

-Yes. And your mind can go free into the hills and the valleys.

-Yeah.

'When you get up there it's like Shangri-La.

'It's like a lost kingdom

'set up in the mountains. There's mountains all around.'

You do get the feeling that this is a very special place.

This scenery is impressive

'and to actually be able to see the horizon all around you,

'you know, that was what was nice about it.'

Back in Kochi, Sheila's expecting the arrival of a special guest.

Bless her heart, she's been up since two.

-How old is she?

-35. She just turned 35.

'Family is one of the most important things in life.

'I had twin daughters.

'Because I was in Majorca, one daughter's Dubai,

'the other's in England, I miss them terribly.'

Based in Dubai, just a three-hour flight away from Kerala,

Sheila's daughter Alex has flown in for a rare chance to see her mum.

Hello!

Ah!

Hi!

Oh, don't cry, don't cry. Don't, don't, don't.

Don't, don't, don't, don't.

'I left the Three Degrees to raise my twin daughters.'

-This is beautiful!

-Hello.

-Sorry, I didn't pay any attention.

-Lionel.

-Lovely to meet.

'I came back from a six-week tour of Indonesia and I came into

'the driveway, got out with all these beautiful toys'

and my twins clung to the nanny and I thought, my heart just sank,

'so I left the Three Degrees and I was there for them.'

If I could give something like that up to be a wife and a mother,

that's what grounds me.

-Da-da!

-Oh, wow, this is huge.

I know. Don't tell anybody.

-It just reminds me a bit of Majorca.

-Oh, wow.

-This is beautiful.

-And, yes, we have yoga here a couple of mornings.

-You do yoga?

-Can you believe it? Can you believe your mother?

-What?

-I know. A changed woman.

Swapping her life in Majorca for retirement in Kerala

could offer Sheila the chance to see Alex more often.

I want to actually take you to view a property here.

-What, so you'd move here?

-I might. I'm thinking about a flat.

Because then that's only three hours away from me.

I know. That's one of the things I was thinking.

After you, darling.

'Even though they're both now married and only...

'Alex just got married,

'they still look to Mummy when there's a problem'

and that closeness is something that we will always have.

I'm just really happy that you're here.

Oh, I'm so happy you came.

I just think it's lovely to see you here.

You're very calm. It's like you've just found your inner peace.

-I have.

-And you're very Zen and I think...

-I have.

-I can pick up on that, definitely.

-Good.

Sheila's arranged to view a modern development of flats with Alex

overlooking the famous backwaters.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-My name's Sheila Ferguson.

I think we have an appointment with you.

-My name is George.

-George, this is my daughter, Alexandria.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

OK, so, let's see it.

'If I see a place that I like, I might say, I've got to live here.'

It would be tumultuous and my world would turn upside down,

but I wouldn't put it past me.

Properties here range from around £200,000 for a three-bedroom flat

to over a million for a luxury penthouse.

Sheila is heading straight for the top end.

Whoa!

This is...

amazing.

My heart's attacking me here.

-And an infinity pool, as well?

-Yeah, and a Jacuzzi.

And a Jacuzzi?

-And the views.

-And the views, yeah.

OK, George. You blew me away.

So, you're entering the living room.

It's a large, fairly large living room,

and you have five bedrooms on the next two levels.

-Just looking at that pool.

-The maid would a full-time job.

-Bedroom one?

-Bedroom one, yes.

This bedroom has a balcony for the view

and all the fittings are in Italian marble.

Would it be possible to change the fittings from silver to gold?

-That has to be done by the buyer.

-Well, I understand, but...

-Yes, that is possible.

-It would be no problem?

Clearly, if you can afford it. OK.

This is diva divadom. We're dealing with divadom here.

Someone asked me would I live in India, I said "The Taj Mahal."

They said, "No-one lives at the Taj Mahal."

I said, "Right, think one level below that, then."

-Oh, my God, look at it!

-That's got to be some serious glass.

Look at that view!

So how much is this flat... penthouse flat again with the pool?

-So, the penthouse is £1 million.

-Is that negotiable in any way?

-It is slightly negotiable.

-Slightly?

-Yes.

-That beats a blank.

'I don't owe anybody in the world money and I have no mortgage.'

I like that. I don't like bills, so that's what I'm saying,

I can move anywhere I choose to move without any ties.

I never ever thought I'd see anything like this in India.

-It's very tempting.

-And it's three hours from me.

There is that.

And I just think, you know, time is precious

and, yeah, we see each other maybe once a year,

but definitely I would hop on a flight to see you sooner.

-Hello, how are you?

-Morning, sir.

-Hello, I'm Paul. How are you? What's your name?

-Naija.

-Good morning, lovely to meet you. Amanda.

-Lionel.

Back from their travels,

the rest of the group are looking into a new phenomenon.

They've come to see a retirement complex

just half an hour from the house.

-So, how long has this been open?

-How long have you been here?

-Just two weeks since she's opened it.

-Oh, two weeks?

-So, it's absolutely brand-new?

-Yes. Everything complete.

We have 16 apartments on this floor.

-All together?

-All together it's 48 apartments in three floors.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Come on, Amanda.

-Thank you, darling.

-This is the living space.

-Oh, my goodness.

I've got to show you something. I'm going to show you something.

-Yes?

-Look at that.

-That is brilliant.

And this is the wash area.

Ah! A Western toilet and an Indian toilet.

Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India,

which means more children move abroad for work,

breaking the Indian tradition of families staying together.

Oh, look, it's wonderful!

This has led to a recent demand for retirement villages.

Is it very expensive to stay here?

An apartment like this, it's 25 lakhs.

-£25,000. What's the oldest person you have living here?

-73.

-Oh, God, that's very young.

-The youngest?

-We start by 55.

At the age of 55, anybody can move in.

Do they move in because they are ill and having problems?

No, no, no, nothing like that. They just love community living.

Living with people and neighbours.

You see! It's what we've been saying.

Look how happy we've all been living together?

This is the retirement that we have all been looking for

-if we were to come here.

-Yes!

-We have found it.

'Communal living has always been interesting to me.

'I mean, if you've got other people in your life,'

erm, friends and other people to keep you mentally going,

or tell you off or do whatever, I actually like that.

Excuse me, ladies, can I put my head in?

-Sure.

-You all seem to come in here a lot earlier,

a lot younger than we would in England.

We get married earlier, we have children earlier

and the children fly the nest earlier

and then when they have gone, we feel quite lonely.

-So, a community living like this...

-I think that's wonderful.

Yeah.

My son is in Australia. Other one is in the Indian Army.

Husband is no more.

-I am planning to come here and stay.

-And you will have friends here.

Friends here.

I think it is such a wonderful idea.

I'm seriously thinking of joining you.

-That's very nice.

-In fact, I'm 81 and I thought they were going to

sort of leave me here today. "We'll leave Amanda behind."

-We'd love to welcome you here.

-Ooh, thank you.

I would like that, I would.

-Hello, ladies. Are you nurses?

-Yes.

-Oh, I see.

-So you take care of the older people?

-Yes.

-Have you got a lot of old people here at the moment?

-In 16 rooms.

-16?

-Yes.

'I think it's probably better for old people

'to at least have other people around and not to be lonely.

'So, I think to be involved in a situation where you can'

meet other people, you know, you might even find love.

I mean, at 55, hopefully you will find love.

I'm not sure that they've accommodated that here,

but I'm sure they'll learn to.

And what happens when the residents fall in love? What do you do then?

We take care of that.

How would you deal with residents visiting each other in the rooms?

-Would that be allowed?

-That... Why do you always think like that?

-Because if I were here as an older man...

-You would be running

-backwards and forwards.

-I'd like to meet, perhaps, a lovely lady.

I don't feel... I'd like to know that that was allowed.

That's a very tricky question.

I think we'd have to turn his application down.

LAUGHTER

I can see you.

What's that? What's that?

What's that?

Not for you to eat. You're having a little game? Can I have my bag back?

Amanda's managed to find a local companion -

a stray puppy that's been hanging around outside their house.

'I'm in love with it.

'I have been since the day we got here.'

When I think of the times at home I'm going, "Shut the gate,

"mind the thing, don't let the dog out,"

'and I see this little scrap with all the road round it and...

'I called her Marigold originally and then I found out'

that she wasn't Marigold because she was extremely rude

'and he was very active. He's called Goldie.'

Goldie, you've...

Who wouldn't want that at home?

OK. Yeah.

Let's see what your mother can wear.

Making the most of the time left, tonight, Sheila is going on a date.

She met a local businessman on a night out with the group in Kochi

and he's arranged to take her out for dinner.

I think I'll go Eastern.

Daughter Alex is helping her get ready.

-I've never worn anything like this.

-I've never seen you in anything

-like this, hence the....

-I know. I'm going to look frumpy.

'Her being here to help me through my first date,'

I'm thinking, you know, it's not role reversal yet.

It shouldn't be role reversal yet, but as she quite rightly says,

well, you helped me out, I'm going to help you out.

-Alex!

-Yes?

Sheila's been single since her partner John died eight years ago.

-I look like some church elder.

-No.

-I don't dress like this.

-I don't dress like this.

-OK, right.

What do I look like? And do not lie. What do I look like?

-Look in my eyes and tell me. What do I look like?

-OK.

-Calm down.

-I am calm. This is calm. What do I look like?

-This is not showing your assets.

-Correct.

But you don't look frumpy.

58-year-old Mohan runs his own construction company.

-There's a little doggie outside.

-Hi, Mohan.

He's lived in Kerala all his life.

-How are you?

-I'm good. How are you?

-Looking forward to your big, hot date?

-Yeah.

'I am definitely ready to find a partner now.

'It's been a long time. I need to make myself more accessible.'

I can't do that if I'm closed off in a lovely house in Majorca

like Miss Havisham. I need to get out where there's life.

-Hi, Sheila. Mohan's here for you.

-OK.

Right, where is he?

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Oh, hi, Sheila.

-How are you?

-Wow!

-Pleasure to see you again.

-Namaskara...

-Namaskaram.

-This is my daughter, Alexandria.

-Oh, hello. You're the who's in Dubai?

-Yes, I am, yes.

-OK. She's already told us about you.

-OK. Very good.

-Sheila...

-Oh!

Yeah. This is about the best I could get today.

Thank you.

-ALL:

-Bye.

Enjoy.

-Not too late.

-Not too late!

She looks very nice, your mum. She looks lovely.

-She looks like a queen.

-What time has she got to get back?

It started a bit late, so, you know, 11.30pm would be good.

Hello. Hey, look what you've got. Look what you've got here.

No, no, look, it's there.

Have your chicken dinner. A little bit there.

Whoops! Sorry. There's a big bit.

'Ever since I've been here, I've ordered chicken and rice'

every single night because I thought, "Well, that will be

"quite good for a puppy, a bit of chicken and a bit of rice,"

'so I haven't eaten anything else and I know how good the food is.'

I'll see you in the morning. Stay there.

Have a safe night and don't get in a fight.

This is a new experience for me. I'm not used to being taken out.

I'm used to taking people out. Also, I haven't gone out in eight years.

Eight? I've not gone out for 40 years on a date?

-For 40?

-40, yeah.

-No, no, no, don't be ridiculous.

-I'm telling you.

-Cheers.

-Cheers to you.

-To new friends.

-Thank you.

-So, do you have children?

-Yeah. I have two.

-OK.

-I have a daughter. Married.

-How old?

-She is 32 now, but she's been married for eight years.

Oh, wow. Great.

-She lives in the US.

-Oh, really? Where?

-In Charlotte, North Carolina.

You're joking?

My grandparents are from Charlotte, North Carolina. What a coincidence.

-It was an arranged marriage.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

In fact, most people here, it's that way.

-Arranged marriage?

-Even mine was an arranged marriage, but not my son.

-Really? It's a love marriage?

-Yeah. He chose his own bride.

Really? How are you with that?

-Perfectly OK.

-Really?

-Yeah. Absolutely.

-That's lovely.

'It's interesting that all that chatter about finding a partner'

led to my first date

'and that shows me that, yeah, there are guys out there.'

So, what made you say to me,

would you consider spending the rest of your life

with an Indian companion?

-Do you remember saying that or was that the whisky talking?

-Yep, I...

-It was the whisky talking?

-Maybe half-half.

OK. Well, you shocked the hell out of me, I'm telling you.

I was speechless. It's very difficult to make me speechless

-because I can natter.

-Let me tell you what you did. You laughed.

-I blushed.

-You laughed.

I did laugh, but I was in shock.

Thank you. Wow, that's big.

Just get us two small plates so that we can just take this and put it...

-Thanks.

-That's a better thing.

You're so good. I normally do all that organising.

That's lovely.

'I enjoyed the company.

'He's a lovely man and he's actually invited me back.

'I realised, since being here, that I have been living

'with a veil of a facade for many, many years'

and now I can drop that facade and be myself.

'It doesn't mean I have to be this, that or the other,

'I can just be more... I feel more complete.

'I feel whole, like I can throw the leaf over the back of my shoulder'

and not cry about it.

I can smile.

How are you this morning?

Whatever you do, go home with that dress.

You looked amazing, by the way, when you walked in.

Didn't she? When she walked in, I went...

She's not listening. I'm giving you compliments here and you're not...

-You're...

-Oh, sorry.

-You're used to it.

-You got me through with that dress, OK?

Anyway, we had a lovely time.

The group's time in India is drawing to a close.

I was telling Hilary last night, I said, "I'm longing to come home

"but, oh, I am so going to miss the silliness."

It's the silliness.

I never expected to laugh so much.

You know what they say, children laugh 300 times a day.

We've laughed more than that, I think,

-and probably behaved like children.

-Oh, we have laughed a lot.

Some people, not looking at anybody in particular.

Lionel Blair!

'The best thing here has been the people.'

I've had so many laughs that I actually,

I think I've laughed my bags up.

I need even more. I need major surgery.

I've laughed till I've cried.

-Hello.

-Isn't she just a little doll?

For Raj's final yoga session,

he's brought along his five-year-old daughter Asha.

She's so girlie, isn't she?

She is girlie. She's a big girlie, aren't you?

-Is she going to do some yoga?

-Yeah.

She started practising at two and a half years old.

Watching my technique. I didn't instruct her.

-She practises.

-Are you going to show us?

Oh!

Next, full cobra.

Full cobra, yes.

-Wow!

-That is a full cobra!

So good!

-I could never do that.

-That totally puts us to shame.

The final one, meditation.

Oh!

Concentrate your breathing process.

She's a little guru.

All the family doing every day morning yoga practice,

so she watches every day.

-She's really breathing properly.

-And she's concentrating.

She's very good.

-Good girl.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, darling.

Raj has got one final technique to teach the group.

So, instead of stretching, you can walk like an eight pattern.

-Good for digestive.

-Can I do it with you?

-Sure.

Oh, I can walk.

Starting from here.

Mindful walking.

Slight massaging on your spine.

Mainly the length 12 to 14 feet length.

So, beginning, five minutes. Later you can increase 20 minutes.

-Doing just this?

-20 minutes.

-This improves the body balance also.

-Oh, it makes a difference.

'The way the people, their whole being and their whole...'

attitude to life has, I'm sure, lots to do with yoga.

'It's, "Good morning", and they smile at you.'

Nothing's too much trouble.

Despite early misgivings, 87-year-old Lionel

has become increasingly immersed in Kochi life.

It makes you feel...alive.

And one of his regular trips

has become a visit to local tailor Faisal.

Hello. It's nice to see you.

Is my shirt ready?

-Yeah, it's ready.

-It's ready? Oh!

For around £20, Lionel's been getting his shirts handmade.

-Look at that colour.

-It's a beautiful colour. Definitely.

It's beautiful. I love the way the buttons are.

-Yeah. I try to make it...

-You copied beautifully.

Thank you. With white trousers it'll look great!

I'll try it with white trousers.

-Would you fold it up for me?

-Yeah, sure.

-Thank you very much.

I must say that everything that I have bought here

is number one.

-Thank you very much.

-Number one.

Nice to do some business with you and make friendship with you.

-I will be waiting for you.

-Thank you.

-Anxiously waiting for you.

-Thank you very much.

Oh. Ah.

# It's a lovely day today so whatever you've got to do

# You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true

# So if you've got something that must be done

# And it can only be done by one

# There is nothing more to say...

# Except it's a lovely day for saying, it's a lovely day!

# It's a lovely, lovely day! #

Watch out for the savage pooch.

-He comes... Ooh, hello.

-No humping there.

He's got your knees.

Bill and Dennis are going for a final stroll.

Before they leave, driver Shekhar is keen to show them

the national sport he played as a youngster.

This is one of the traditional famous game in India.

The game of kabaddi.

Oh!

'When I think about it, and it is really obsessional,

'if anybody says, "What are the main things that drive your life?"'

It would be wildlife, sport and music.

Those three elements, I can't do without those.

'I don't really know why.'

Does kabaddi actually have a meaning?

So, kabaddi is a Hindi word.

The special meaning of kabaddi is "challenging".

I am just challenging you. Can you win over me?

I'm challenging you. I'm challenging you.

I can't hear anybody saying kabaddi. Are they doing it now?

Yeah. A single man has to start the game and when he starts the game,

-he has to take a breath.

-TAKES DEEP BREATH

-And he's saying that?

-Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi.

-BOTH:

-Kabaddi, kabaddi...

-Say again, say again.

-BOTH:

-Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi kabaddi...

You don't lose the breath.

You should've made a game up.

If you call this kabaddi, you could've called yours...?

Kagoodie?

WHISTLE

You look like a rugby player.

Yeah, I want you on my team.

LAUGHTER

So, we can do this, yeah? No?

What do I do?

You can start with the single breath and go, "Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi."

-Am I going to hit him?

-You have to touch them.

-All of them?

-If you can.

-OK.

Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi kabaddi...

Oh!

And, Dennis, you can try.

-No, it's better Bill. Bill's a real man.

-You can just try.

'Bill was loving every minute of it.

'It's such a friendly game, even though it's physical

'and at the end of it they're all sort of hugging each other'

and smiling, as everybody seems to do in this part of India.

Thank you all so much. Thank you, boys. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

That was really good fun.

'I truly believe

'and would wish upon every single person

'that they came to India.'

Not necessarily for any one thing or whatever.

Don't come expecting, "I'm going to be saved" or, you know,

sort of, get the spirit or something. Just go, definitely.

This is just like doing a party at home. My own party.

For their final night, the group are throwing a farewell party

for all their new friends.

The idea was that we would, if there's enough,

we were going to float them on the pool.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Don't you think that would be pretty?

-Better without so much stem.

-Then they float upright.

-Yeah.

'Tonight's the last evening and we've invited the people

'that we've met on our way through this little tour of India.'

It'll be really rather special tonight

and I'm wearing this special shirt.

It adds a bit of colour to a party, so there you go.

I'm ready to go.

-Oh, my goodness me!

-Oh, you're looking lovely.

Darling, you look gorgeous. Very nice.

The friends they've made over the last month...

Hello.

..have started to arrive.

-How nice to see you again.

-Nice to see you all.

-You've been all around Kerala?

-All over.

-This was the first time you were here?

-Yes. It's just beautiful.

It's exotic, it's very friendly. We're all in love with India.

'If you wanted to retire here,

'you could find a place here to live very happily.'

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm fine.

-Nice to see you.

I've enjoyed so much of being in India

and one of the best things is you

because the yoga has been brilliant for me.

I definitely think that India is a place that people could retire.

'They could find whatever they're looking for here.'

'Everything I would need is here.

'The people are lovely, the place is lovely.

'It actually feels like home.'

Go, Lionel.

'India is a beautiful country and they are beautiful people'

and I will never forget them.

'The people have been terrific.'

They really have been 100% delightful.

'The other thing, actually, the group, all young people take note,

'that people of this age can be bloody witty!'

APPLAUSE

'We got to see the famous Lionel Blair trouser drop,'

and not a lot of people have witnessed that.

'He claims that that was accidental but I think we know better.'

# Are we in love

# Or just friends? #

Come on, Bill.

I don't know the words.

Sheila, it's better if you just sing yourself.

# When will I see you again?

# Tell me again. When will I see you again? #

You've been a marvellous group of people.

We love it here!

Turn the lights out. Say goodbye.

Oh, you've been wonderful to us all.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much for everything.

-My pleasure.

Lovely. Thank you.

See you again, no doubt.

Thank you. Been a pleasure being here. Thank you very much.

'This last few weeks with everybody,

'it has been like a little bubble of us here in India.'

-Go on, then.

-OK.

Thank you so much, my darling.

And it has been wonderful.

I'm going to miss you.

'I'm going to miss a lot about India,'

but I say that in a happy way because I'm still taking it with me.

'It's never going to leave me. I'm always going to have the friends'

I've made here and that friendship will grow over the years

'because I would fly back here without reservation.'

'I have actually fallen in love with India.

'That's unforgettable.'

I shan't ever forget it. I shall never undo it, you know?

It's there. I'm in love with India.