0:00:02 > 0:00:05From the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south,
0:00:05 > 0:00:11for a hundred years, these little trains have climbed through the clouds
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and into the wonderful world of Indian hill railways.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41TRAIN WHISTLES BLOW
0:00:53 > 0:00:59The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the very first hill railway in India.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10Referred to as the DHR, for the last 125 years
0:01:10 > 0:01:13it's ferried passengers on an improbably narrow two-feet-wide track
0:01:13 > 0:01:17into the Himalayas and to Darjeeling.
0:01:21 > 0:01:27In the brisk climate of the Himalayas, the British built a home away from home,
0:01:27 > 0:01:32where the stress of colonial rule could be filed away for the summer.
0:01:32 > 0:01:40Like the tea and the Gurkhas, the train has become an indelible part of the identity of these hills,
0:01:40 > 0:01:46and it touches the lives of everyone it meets on its narrow, twisting climb.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51This is the story of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
0:02:04 > 0:02:11Once an old Gurkha military outpost, Darjeeling was purchased by the East India Company in 1835
0:02:11 > 0:02:17from the rulers of Sikkim, a small Buddhist kingdom sandwiched between India and Nepal.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28The British established a sanatorium here for its soldiers to recuperate from the duties of empire.
0:02:31 > 0:02:38The climate of these hills was not only good for soldiers but also perfect for growing tea.
0:02:38 > 0:02:44And it was tea which finally put Darjeeling on the world map.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48The new British settlement attracted clerks from Bengal,
0:02:48 > 0:02:54traders from Tibet and, most conspicuously, porters from Nepal.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Today, the most common language in Darjeeling is Nepali,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and the migration from Nepal has never stopped.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15Fifteen years ago, Sita Chettri made a three-day-long journey from Western Nepal to Darjeeling.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19She came to be with her husband, a migrant station porter.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35With five sons to feed and educate, Sita decided to take over
0:03:35 > 0:03:38her husband's work as a porter on Darjeeling station.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Even though the work is back-breaking,
0:03:56 > 0:04:02she has plans to give a better life to her children and is grateful to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Each morning, she offers prayers to the gods, to the train
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and to the station, especially when times are hard.
0:04:25 > 0:04:31Although it's the beginning of the tourist season, in two weeks India is going to the polls.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Based on previous experience, the fear is that election fever
0:04:36 > 0:04:41might bring trouble, so many tourists are staying away.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46The residents of these hills don't want to be part of the Indian state of Bengal.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50They want their own independent state of Gorkhaland.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58And in this election, they want a candidate who will fight for a Gorkhaland in the Indian parliament.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17At NJP Junction, at the bottom of the hill, the inter-city Darjeeling Mail arrives from Calcutta.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22It connects to the narrow-gauge train going to Darjeeling.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24But today, the narrow-gauge train is half-empty.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41Before the hill railway was built, British box-wallahs faced an arduous journey from Calcutta -
0:05:41 > 0:05:47first an overnight rail trip, then two river crossings by steam boat.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50And when they finally arrived here at Siliguri
0:05:50 > 0:05:54at the bottom of the mountain, they went up by bullock cart.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58From Calcutta to Darjeeling, the whole journey took five days.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09Although the railway has cut the journey time up the hill to Darjeeling to just eight hours,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12at election time there are bound to be delays.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24Halfway up the line in Kurseong, a Gorkhaland election rally is converging at the station.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Furtemba Sherpa is the pointsman at Kurseong station,
0:06:36 > 0:06:43and he's responsible for the safe passage of both the train and the public through the town.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Furtemba is the first in his family to join the railway.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52It gives him security, a regular income and the prospect of a pension.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57And although he loves his job on the DHR, his dream was to be a professional musician.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Pointsman Furtemba Sherpa is a committed supporter
0:07:24 > 0:07:28of the Gorkhaland movement, but with the election rally converging on the station
0:07:28 > 0:07:33and two diesel and two steam trains to guide through the crowded streets,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Furtemba has a lot on his plate.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Gurkhas, both from neighbouring Nepal and this corner of India,
0:07:41 > 0:07:48historically are famous for their bravery, both in the Indian army and the British army.
0:07:48 > 0:07:56The Raj categorised the Gurkhas as a martial race, naturally warlike, courageous and loyal.
0:07:56 > 0:08:03But in a modern Indian democracy, the new weapon is the vote and the war is about representation.
0:08:11 > 0:08:18As the rally gets going, and despite Furtemba's endeavours, the train to Darjeeling is delayed.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Major Malla is a retired British Gurkha,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29many times decorated and veteran of a dozen or more campaigns.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35But now, with only time to kill, the train provides the opportunity to keep his memories alive.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08SINGING:
0:09:17 > 0:09:20CHILDREN SING
0:09:33 > 0:09:38The railway line is like an artery running through the main streets of each and every village and town
0:09:38 > 0:09:45along the route, so it's the only place in the world where a train can be stuck in a traffic jam.
0:09:51 > 0:09:59The train is already more than an hour late, and in Darjeeling, Sita is becoming anxious.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04She needs to earn enough money every day to support herself and her five children.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Every rupee counts,
0:10:12 > 0:10:19But with the train being so delayed, the DHR passengers are not in a generous mood.
0:10:56 > 0:11:02On his world tour, Mark Twain wrote in his journal that the women porters in Darjeeling
0:11:02 > 0:11:05could carry a piano right to the top of the hill.
0:11:08 > 0:11:15Sita's load may be lighter than a piano, but it's still a heavy burden for a 45-year-old mother of five.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Darjeeling is no longer the place which Mark Twain encountered on his travels.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Quaint cottages have given way to concrete hotels and apartments.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38The upper town,
0:11:38 > 0:11:45which was once exclusively white, has now democratically merged with the native lower town.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55But for many hill people, life has hardly changed.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16MAN:
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Sita Chettri lives in a rented, one-room, wooden house.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51She and her five sons share a room 15 feet square.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Her eldest son, Madhu, is 18, and he's just finished his schooling.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Sita wants him to continue his education and go to college,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06but he's not sure whether he should go or not.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12As the eldest son, Madhu doesn't want to be a burden on the family and their finances.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16But his mother is having none of it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22Like most Indians, she's determined her son will be educated, no matter what it costs.
0:13:39 > 0:13:45Sita not only wants Madhu to go to college, she wants him to go to the best -
0:13:45 > 0:13:48St Joseph's, Darjeeling's most prestigious graduate college.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08In a fast-changing modern India, respect is no longer just simply a question of caste.
0:14:08 > 0:14:15Respect may be acquired through education or commerce or duty or even through music.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24After work, at his railway house in Kurseong, pointsman and musician
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Furtemba Sherpa enjoys playing Nepali folk songs with his sons.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34The eldest son, Sapan, accompanies him on keyboard.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39But Sapan also plays in a Nepali rock band, and they're planning to
0:14:39 > 0:14:43release their debut single shortly and shoot a music video, too.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52Sapan may not share his father's taste in music, but he shares his dreams.
0:15:20 > 0:15:26Sapan's quest for stardom is typical of today's young Gurkhas.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29He doesn't want to follow his father onto the railway, but, like most
0:15:29 > 0:15:34eldest sons in India, he knows his first duty is to the family.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40But even here in the hills, Sapan's generation knows
0:15:40 > 0:15:43there is the promise of great opportunity in the modern world,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46opportunities that his father never had.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway came into service in 1881.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Since then, it's managed to retain most of its original features,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and it still runs six steam trains every day.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Bishnu Pradhan is the second fireman on today's steam locomotive.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19Chief fireman is Hari Chettri, his mentor.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It's Bishnu's job to break the coal,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27and it is Hari who stokes it into the 80-year-old boiler.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Working on a steam engine involves a particular set of skills
0:16:33 > 0:16:36that can only be learnt from your elders while on the job.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08These steam engines certainly evoke the romance of a bygone age,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13but they're extremely temperamental and highly labour-intensive.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Still, Hari and Bishnu feel proud driving their steam train.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41It's the spirit of steam which gives an identity both to the DHR and to Darjeeling.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18For the residents along the track, the railway is not some exotic antique
0:18:18 > 0:18:23but a noisy family member to whom they turn for small favours.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Whether it's hot water for a bath...
0:18:36 > 0:18:39..or a quick ride up to a friend's house...
0:18:42 > 0:18:46..or even to solve the water crisis which plagues these hills,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49trackside residents turn to the DHR.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Its water points along the route provide an emergency water resource,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01a century-old lifeline for the common people
0:19:01 > 0:19:07with the added benefit of a 52-mile-long adventure playground.
0:19:16 > 0:19:23As well as the train, Darjeeling has kept its other lifeline intact: Buddhism.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31India was where the Buddha gained enlightenment.
0:19:34 > 0:19:41But today, Buddhism as a religion has almost vanished from the land of its birth.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46It only survives as a living religion in a few isolated areas, like Darjeeling.
0:19:49 > 0:19:5553-year-old Neema Yelmo is the chief ticket inspector at Kurseong station.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59He also trained as a Buddhist monk until he graduated.
0:20:40 > 0:20:46As the eldest son, Neema Yelmo had to leave his spiritual pursuits and work to support the family.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Although he's a chief ticket inspector,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07he's not let his work interfere with his spiritual vocation.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15He continues to keep all his vows, including that of celibacy.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38The family pressures mean that Neema, the eldest son,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42has to support the family, so he can't be a full-time monk.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Nevertheless, he still approaches his job as a true Buddhist.
0:22:08 > 0:22:14In India, traditionally the eldest son has to become the breadwinner of the family.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Madhu wants to work,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20but Sita's dream is more aspirational.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25She wants him to take the entrance exam to St Joseph's College.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39And today is the day.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41The entrance exam starts at ten o'clock.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00Madhu knows that if he's successful in the college exam, it will put him
0:23:00 > 0:23:02in a different class.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Sita is happy.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21Her son listened to her, and he's going to take the entrance exam.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26But Bishnu and Hari are not so happy.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Their engine has decided to misbehave today.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59This may be a heritage line, but keeping these B-class steam engines running
0:23:59 > 0:24:05sometimes calls for skills which can only be called "unorthodox".
0:24:05 > 0:24:09When the train breaks down, emergency repairs have to be made
0:24:09 > 0:24:14based on a century of experience and a pragmatic DIY approach.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20They can't call for expensive spares, so sometimes a rag
0:24:20 > 0:24:25or even a crisp packet serves as an effective temporary solution.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32And if this doesn't work, Hari will have to drive the engine
0:24:32 > 0:24:38down the hill to Tindharia, DHR's very own dedicated loco workshop.
0:24:44 > 0:24:50Once upon a time, this workshop could manufacture a complete steam engine.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54But now cost cutting has reduced its workforce of skilled mechanics,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and it can only service the engines periodically.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05But without this workshop and its resourceful team of engineers,
0:25:05 > 0:25:12these old steam locos would soon become redundant, the old skills would simply dwindle and die.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27Loco 788 was made in Glasgow 112 years ago.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29It's been in the workshop for two months,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and it takes almost three months to overhaul an engine completely.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43In these days of cost-cutting efficiencies, the workshop is under pressure
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and so is the track.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Landslides, traffic damage and vegetation on this 52-mile line
0:25:53 > 0:25:56means that it also requires constant maintenance.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05Pemba Lama is one of a dozen or so track-mates responsible for the maintenance of the lines.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Each man is allocated to one stretch between two stations.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19But because of the freeze on local recruitment, Pemba has only one trackman working under him.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Once upon a time, there would have been six.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42The DHR, like most of the Indian railway, was once a family affair.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Jobs passed down from father to son.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49It was a family tradition, secure and respected.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53But now recruitment has been centralised, and with all the
0:26:53 > 0:26:59cutbacks, Pemba's son has little chance of joining his father on DHR.
0:26:59 > 0:27:07The next most secure and coveted job is in the army, and in Darjeeling, that means the Gurkhas.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29But the Gurkhas will only take the best.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31The odds are fifty to one.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35So every day, Pemba's son is training hard.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51There was a time when Bachan would have been able to try
0:27:51 > 0:27:54for both the British Gurkha and the Indian Gurkha regiments,
0:27:54 > 0:28:00but the Indian government has now stopped the Brits from recruiting here in Darjeeling.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Today, if you want to join the British Gurkhas, you have to travel to Nepal.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16Fifty years ago, Major Malla joined the British Gurkhas.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19He was recruited right here in Darjeeling.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26Today, Major Malla's regiment, the Princess Mary's Own 10th Gurkha Rifles,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28is celebrating its regimental birthday.
0:28:28 > 0:28:35It's an opportunity to reminisce about military service under the British crown,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37the good times
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and the bad times.
0:29:18 > 0:29:24So although the rules have changed, the attractions of a secure army job are the same.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29Life in the army has always been an escape from the harsh reality of life in the hills.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55Apart from the railway and the army, there are few other job opportunities for unqualified
0:29:55 > 0:30:00young Gurkhas and certainly none which promise job security.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06The alternatives were low-paid portering or tea plucking or common labouring.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Furtemba wanted to be a musician.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14But his railway job has given his family security and allowed
0:30:14 > 0:30:19his son Sapan to get an education and to think beyond the railways.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42Over the last year, Darjeeling has developed a vibrant music scene,
0:30:42 > 0:30:48thanks to a local boy winning the national TV talent contest Indian Idol.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53Sapan and his band Ardra, named after a constellation,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58have their sights set on stardom with their soft-rock ballad I Don't Like You.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21Sapan wants to establish his Gurkha identity through his band and his music.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26But as the eldest son, he has to think about his duty to the family, too.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52In the mist-covered hills of Darjeeling,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56isolated from the rest of the world, the elections are imminent.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04At a time of great changes, even life on the railway is no longer the great constant.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Neema was forced to compromise his spiritual calling,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22but at least the railway has allowed him to fulfil his duties as the eldest son.
0:32:26 > 0:32:32Trackmate Pemba's eldest son, Bachan, is trying for a place in the Gurkha regiment.
0:32:32 > 0:32:38With jobs on the railway harder than ever to find, he believes the army is his best bet.
0:32:44 > 0:32:50As dusk falls at Darjeeling station, Sita is waiting for the last train.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54But she's also waiting for Madhu's exam results.
0:32:58 > 0:33:05The majority of Gurkhas believe an independent state of Gorkhaland would give them a better future,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08and tomorrow they vote.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21Darjeeling is a constituency of over a million voters,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25and they're expecting an 80% turnout in the hills today.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Indian elections have been called the biggest exercise in democratic franchise
0:33:32 > 0:33:35ever held in world history.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43More than seven hundred million voters will vote in a million polling stations,
0:33:43 > 0:33:50and up and down the DHR, even railway stations are pressed into election service.
0:33:55 > 0:34:01Hari is voting early because he has to be on duty today,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05and as a person running an essential service he's allowed to jump the long queue.
0:34:07 > 0:34:15Every voter has to have an election photo identity card, and every name and photo is on the electoral list.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38To ensure that everyone gets just one vote,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41one finger is painted with indelible ink.
0:34:41 > 0:34:48But behind a screen, India employs the very latest voting technology to cast and count the votes.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51SHRILL BEEPING
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Although it will take a month for all 700 million voters in India to cast their votes,
0:34:57 > 0:35:00they can all be counted in a single day.
0:35:14 > 0:35:20Once voting is over, Darjeeling gets back to its main interest, tourism.
0:35:33 > 0:35:39In the tourist season, Hari and Bishnu have two extra trains to fire up,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43and it's an opportunity to bring the DHR much-needed cash.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48THEY SING
0:36:08 > 0:36:15DHR was the engineering prototype for the other Indian hill railways in Ooty and Shimla.
0:36:15 > 0:36:22But everybody's come here to enjoy the romance and the excitement of a real steam train,
0:36:22 > 0:36:28a train which climbs 7,000 feet in 52 miles.
0:36:35 > 0:36:43The DHR, like all Indian railways, is state owned, and its passenger services are heavily subsidised.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Yet it still loses money.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50Today, the DHR faces an uncertain future.
0:36:50 > 0:36:57The worry is that, to survive, the train will simply become an amusement ride.
0:36:57 > 0:37:03And if that happens, it may lose its place at the heart of this community.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16There was a time when authorities planned to scrap the DHR.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27But thanks to a vociferous local protest and petitions by train enthusiasts around the globe,
0:37:27 > 0:37:35it was formally declared a world heritage site in 1999, and its future seemed assured.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45While the overhauling of engine 788 is almost complete,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48there are worrying developments on the shop floor.
0:37:48 > 0:37:54The authorities have decided to turn some part of the workshop into a diorama for the tourists,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and not everyone is happy.
0:38:57 > 0:39:04Trackmate Pemba Lama and his family live beside the railway track in subsidised railway quarters.
0:39:04 > 0:39:12They're up at dawn every day, Pemba to the railway and eldest son Bachan for training in the hills.
0:39:18 > 0:39:25Breakfast for Bachan is a protein drink of milk and raw eggs dutifully made by his mother.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27But today is different.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30It's recruitment day in Darjeeling.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32The Indian army is screening for admission
0:39:32 > 0:39:42to India's own Gurkha regiment, and Bachan will be just one of 10,000 hopefuls chasing 200 places.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50The entry test for the Gurkha regiment is a demanding process.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54You must prove that you are between 17 and 21 years old.
0:39:54 > 0:40:02Then you're expected to pass a timed series of physical fitness tests: pull-ups, sit-ups, a mile-long run
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and a nine-foot long jump over a ditch...
0:40:09 > 0:40:15..a selection of well-tried tortuous feats to sort out the men from the boys.
0:40:18 > 0:40:25If you pass these tests, you must then take a medical and a written general-knowledge exam.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37But the first test that everyone has to pass is the height test.
0:40:37 > 0:40:44Unlike other army regiments, the Gurkha height requirement is 1.6 metres or five foot three.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Bachan fails the height test.
0:41:12 > 0:41:18He's disappointed, but he's still growing and young enough to try again.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48There's a note of disappointment at the railway institute as well.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53Sapan's band were hoping to audition girls for their new video,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55and so far no-one's turned up.
0:42:06 > 0:42:11Eventually, three local girls arrive for audition, and the mood changes.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Now that the cast are in place...
0:42:26 > 0:42:30- Action!- ..Sapan's band can finally begin their shoot at the station.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Music!
0:42:35 > 0:42:39The word on the street is that rock ballads are in at the moment.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43A successful video could propel their song into the charts.
0:42:46 > 0:42:53In the storyline, Sapan plays a photographer whose girl is stolen from him by his best friend.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Cut!
0:43:00 > 0:43:12- Action!- It's a classic story and a universal story of unrequited love, set in the hills.
0:43:12 > 0:43:20- Cut!- And like many Indian movies, it's the DHR which provides the film's perfect romantic location.
0:43:28 > 0:43:33Every day, after the last train has left, Neema Yelmo leaves his worldly
0:43:33 > 0:43:39life behind on Kurseong station to return to his real love, the Buddha.
0:43:44 > 0:43:50Even after a full day's work, he spends hours in prayer and meditation at his monastery.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56For twenty years, Neema has struggled to balance the job
0:43:56 > 0:44:01of a ticket inspector on the railway with the religious duties of a monk.
0:44:19 > 0:44:25Neema knows that the solution to his dilemma would be a complete renunciation of his worldly life.
0:44:25 > 0:44:31But only his sense of duty has prevented him from taking that final step.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Today in Darjeeling, St Joseph's College is publishing
0:44:41 > 0:44:47the results of the entrance exam, so Madhu and Sita are excited
0:44:47 > 0:44:50and also a little apprehensive.
0:45:00 > 0:45:08With a thousand students trying for a place at St Joseph's, Madhu needs to be in the top five per cent.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13And if he's been successful, his roll number will be somewhere on this list.
0:45:22 > 0:45:28His number is there. Madhu has passed the entrance exam and been
0:45:28 > 0:45:32offered a place at St Joseph's College, Darjeeling.
0:46:24 > 0:46:31Sita's joy is tempered by the fact that now she has to find the money for the fees.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33But she has a plan.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37She's going to ask the college principal to waive them.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42But the college is closed.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46The building has been requisitioned for the counting of the votes.
0:46:49 > 0:46:56In Darjeeling, two weeks after they voted, supporters of Gorkhaland have gathered for the result.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01They remain confident their Gurkha candidate is going to win.
0:47:09 > 0:47:17Gorkhaland candidate Mr Jaswant Singh has won by a quarter of a million votes.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20However, in fighting for an independent Gorkhaland,
0:47:20 > 0:47:25he'll find himself a lone voice in the Indian parliament.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Now is a time to savour victory, and that wouldn't be complete
0:47:29 > 0:47:32without a photo of the winning candidate and the steam train.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Sita has an appointment with the principal.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09She's going to ask him to waive Madhu's fees...
0:48:11 > 0:48:15..although her son is not so enthusiastic about asking for charity.
0:48:27 > 0:48:33If Sita doesn't get the fees waived, it means that half of her annual income will have to go towards
0:48:33 > 0:48:38Madhu's education, and then she would have almost nothing left for her other four sons.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Against all the odds, Sita's done it.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33The principal agrees to waive Madhu's fees.
0:49:33 > 0:49:39Her eldest son, a student at St Joseph's College - she can hardly believe it.
0:49:39 > 0:49:45And she can't wait to share the news with her friends on Darjeeling station.
0:49:46 > 0:49:53As tradition dictates, she hands out sweets so that others can share
0:49:53 > 0:49:55in her happiness.
0:50:27 > 0:50:32In Kurseong, Furtemba Sherpa's son and his band have gathered at the house
0:50:32 > 0:50:36for a family premiere of the band's new music video.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Sapan's music and video may have made his father proud,
0:51:26 > 0:51:33but now he and his band have to get the video onto local TV channels, and they need a recording contract.
0:51:44 > 0:51:51This young Gurkha's journey into adulthood and responsibility has only just begun.
0:52:01 > 0:52:08Today is Saga Dawa, the day when Buddha was born, finally died and attained nirvana.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13For the Buddhists of Darjeeling, it's like Christmas.
0:52:13 > 0:52:20Neema Yelmo always takes leave from his railway duties to participate in this annual ritual.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33By getting a job in the railway and suppressing his religious vocation,
0:52:33 > 0:52:38Neema was able to pull his family out of poverty.
0:52:38 > 0:52:44And now that's happened, he's hardening his plans to take early retirement from the railways
0:52:44 > 0:52:50and leave his family and go into retreat as a full-time Buddhist monk.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54CHANTING
0:53:00 > 0:53:05Leaving mother and family is not going to be easy.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Even the Buddha himself found it difficult.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48In India, breaking with the family is serious,
0:54:48 > 0:54:53and turning one's back on family duties is considered a tragedy.
0:54:55 > 0:55:01Neema's desire for a religious life means the breaking of family ties forever.
0:55:06 > 0:55:13Buddha had said that "all know the way, but few actually walk it".
0:55:13 > 0:55:18Neema has finally decided to embark on that journey,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20the journey of his lifetime.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46The music video of I Don't Like You was broadcast
0:55:46 > 0:55:52on the local cable network, but Sapan and his band still haven't got a recording contract.
0:55:54 > 0:56:01Being the eldest son in a railway family, pursuing a life in music means a job without security.
0:56:03 > 0:56:10Now, just like his father before him, Sapan faces a choice between duty and dreams.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25Sita Chettri fulfilled her duty to her eldest son.
0:56:25 > 0:56:31He's now an undergraduate studying for a literature degree at Darjeeling's finest college.
0:56:31 > 0:56:37He's also taken a part-time job in a shop to help his mother with growing family expenses.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46Bachan Lama continues his morning exercises.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49He checks his height every week
0:56:49 > 0:56:52and is eagerly awaiting the next Gurkha recruitment rally.
0:56:58 > 0:57:05Neema is still waiting for the railway authorities to process his application for an early retirement
0:57:05 > 0:57:08so that he can finally retreat from the railway and the modern world.
0:57:08 > 0:57:15Until then, he's still a chief ticket inspector and still on duty on the DHR.
0:57:17 > 0:57:23After three months in the Tindharia workshop, the mechanics and the engineers,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27the fitters and the welders and the rest of the team
0:57:27 > 0:57:32have managed once more to breathe new life into engine 788.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37This fine old engine is back on the line,
0:57:37 > 0:57:43and Hari and Bishnu are happy to be back with their favourite loco.
0:57:43 > 0:57:50But their hopes for an independent Gorkhaland, meanwhile, remain just a dream.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00HE WHISTLES
0:58:00 > 0:58:04CHILDREN SING
0:58:05 > 0:58:12The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the story of a railway so close to the people
0:58:12 > 0:58:15that it flows like a river through their lives.
0:58:17 > 0:58:23It's a century-old partnership of mutual respect, tolerance and survival,
0:58:23 > 0:58:28together on a journey that's still not reached its end.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Email: subtitling@bbc.co.uk