0:00:02 > 0:00:05This is one of the world's most dangerous borders,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09holding neighbours India and Pakistan apart.
0:00:09 > 0:00:132,000 miles long, it slices through extraordinary landscapes
0:00:13 > 0:00:18and divides millions of people who once lived alongside each other.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21I'm Babita Sharma.
0:00:21 > 0:00:2470 years ago, my family, as Hindus,
0:00:24 > 0:00:28were forced to move into newly-independent India.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Primarily I identify with being British. That's who I am -
0:00:31 > 0:00:33I was born and brought up in Britain.
0:00:33 > 0:00:39But I'm also really passionate about my culture as an Indian person.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I'm going to be travelling the border from the Indian side.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Wow! It's mind-blowing!
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I'm Adnan Sarwar and my parents, who are Muslim,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51were born in what is now Pakistan.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I've got to know what it means to be a Pakistani
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and what it means to these people here living as Pakistanis
0:00:57 > 0:01:01and what it means to my mum and dad to be Pakistanis.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I'm going to be travelling the length of the border
0:01:03 > 0:01:05on the Pakistan side.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07A country that's just 70 years old.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Have you ever seen water like this? Look at the colour of it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12When Britain gave India its independence,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15it split the nation along religious lines,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17carving out a new Muslim state.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Since then, there have been frequent conflicts along this border
0:01:22 > 0:01:25that, to this day, very few can cross.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29You can't know Pakistan unless you know partition.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30GUNFIRE
0:01:30 > 0:01:32They're just saying, "We want independence.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36"Go, India. Go, Pakistan. We just want to be free."
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Yet, after two generations apart,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43these two countries, with such strong ties to Britain,
0:01:43 > 0:01:48still have so much in common and so much to celebrate.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It's fantastic. We're going to have a great night here tonight.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52My gosh, I have just found a whole new family
0:01:52 > 0:01:54I didn't even know existed.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57We're making two journeys with the same goal -
0:01:57 > 0:01:59to discover how a line on the map
0:01:59 > 0:02:03has altered the destinies of two countries that were once one.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21For the next five weeks,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Adnan and I are going to be travelling either side
0:02:24 > 0:02:29of the 2,000-mile-long border that divides India and Pakistan
0:02:29 > 0:02:31from south to north.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37The state of Gujarat marks the start of the border here.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41I really just want to find out how India has managed to repair itself,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44or has it repaired itself after all this time?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47You know, 70 years on, where are we?
0:02:47 > 0:02:50What is life like for these people here on the border?
0:02:56 > 0:02:59My journey starts in Adipur in the south of Gujarat,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02before I head east to the Little Rann of Kutch.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I'll then be heading north towards the border
0:03:04 > 0:03:07into the mighty Thar Desert,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09covering more than 500 miles on this first leg.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The small town of Adipur is 80 miles from the border.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23It's a very special town,
0:03:23 > 0:03:28created as a home for the refugees who fled Pakistan at partition,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but it has an even greater significance for India
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and the people of Gujarat.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35On the right side is the Gandhi Samadhi,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37which has the ashes of Gandhi.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40This place has the ashes of Gandhi?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42That's quite a moment, actually, to pass somewhere
0:03:42 > 0:03:44where Gandhiji's ashes are scattered.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Deepika tells me, a son of Gujarat, Gandhi convinced the local Maharaja
0:03:51 > 0:03:57to donate land for a refugee camp which became the town of Adipur.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And amazing to think that in 70 years,
0:04:01 > 0:04:06what was once a refugee camp has now become a whole town.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We are inside Adipur right now.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10What's happening here?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Shall we go have a look? - Yeah, let's go and have a look.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14What are they doing?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It looks like some kind of Charlie Chaplin convention going on here.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39- My name's Babita.- Hi, I'm Twinkle. - Twinkle, nice to meet to you.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41So what's happening here today?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43We are celebrating Charlie Chaplin's birthday.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46VOICEOVER: And it was a local Charlie Chaplin fan
0:04:46 > 0:04:50who was the brainchild behind this wonderfully bizarre celebration
0:04:50 > 0:04:52of his birthday.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55There's an even more charming side to this story.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00In 1931, Gandhi met Chaplin at his house in London.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It was a meeting between two of the most recognised icons
0:05:03 > 0:05:05of the 20th century.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11And how fitting it is that this Charlie Chaplin festival,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14which has been celebrated here since the 1970s,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17is in the resting place of Gandhi's ashes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19You see so many Charlie Chaplins who are in the town,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22because Charlie Chaplin taught us to laugh,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24even in spite of all our problems.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I don't know what to say.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- The fact you've got a day dedicated to Charlie Chaplin...- Absolutely.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30- The whole town.- Everybody here...
0:05:30 > 0:05:33We have fun, a party, music.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35So it's going to just get crazier.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Twinkle tells me they took a British-born Hollywood icon,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44added a bit of Bollywood masala
0:05:44 > 0:05:46to create a unique festival of their own,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and it's put this former refugee town on the tourist map.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Gandhiji, who is resting just behind me,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57may well be smiling down on this parade,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and perhaps he's even proud that his own legacy
0:06:00 > 0:06:02lives on in this very unique way.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09My God. If I don't come home back to London, Mum and Dad, I love you!
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I'm 230 miles west of where Babita is in Adipur.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31My journey starts here on the south coast of Pakistan, in Karachi.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37After spending some time getting to know Karachi,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I'll be travelling as close to the Indian border as I can...
0:06:43 > 0:06:47..and follow it into the Thar Desert, a total of 300 miles.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I want to explore the side of Pakistan that very few people,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01including me, ever see.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06And Karachi, the largest and most important city in this country,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10is its beating heart and the best place to start.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Just bought some, er...Tibet Cream.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19It's a cream that my mum used to use a lot
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and I think that we've still got this in the house in Burnley.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Wow, smells like childhood.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Oh, yeah, it's fresh like snow.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Karachi did pretty well out of partition.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Almost one million Muslims from all over India came here.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Intellectuals, artists and entrepreneurs arrived,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46determined to build a new nation.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49And this creative energy
0:07:49 > 0:07:53has turned a town of around half a million into this -
0:07:53 > 0:07:57a vibrant metropolis of over 20 million people.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59This guy's got no petrol in his motorbike.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02He's just hitching rides with rickshaws. Brilliant!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Like London, Karachi is diverse
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and, even though it's a bit of a bubble,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13everything that happens here has a ripple effect
0:08:13 > 0:08:15on the rest of the country.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I think one of the best ways to understand a society
0:08:18 > 0:08:20is through its cultural expression.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So I'm on my way to Clifton, the upmarket part of town.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Abid Merchant, a former banker, established this public art gallery
0:08:32 > 0:08:33three years ago.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- This is, you know, contemporary art from Pakistan.- Yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42It's basically the emerging artists whom we believe have the potential
0:08:42 > 0:08:45to make it big in the international market.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Lots of people will see a different side of Pakistan.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- VOICEOVER:- 23-year-old Amina Rahman is one of Abid's rising stars
0:08:54 > 0:08:55who is showing her work here.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Oh, wow.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01- Would this be seen as controversial in Pakistan?- To some, yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The more you're covered, the more you're playing safe.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- You're acceptable if you're covered?- Yeah.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Actually, there are other works which are more explicit.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Oh, wow.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Are those pictures on your Instagram?
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Um, not on my Instagram cos we can't...
0:09:16 > 0:09:18You can't what? You can't...?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Exhibit it very openly.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23It's not even safe for me.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26So the art you're making is...
0:09:26 > 0:09:28It's making the situation unsafe for you?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Yeah.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32But you're going to keep doing it?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Till I'm here, yes.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41You have to create because, you know, that's how this place is.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- VOICEOVER:- I reckon Amina's pretty brave
0:09:43 > 0:09:46to be taking risks for her art, and she's certainly not alone
0:09:46 > 0:09:51in challenging the conservative culture around her.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52For the last ten years,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Abid has been supporting artists with a similar rebellious streak,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59and I've just talked myself into being invited back to his apartment
0:09:59 > 0:10:01to see his private collection.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Come on, Adnan.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Oh, wow.- The apartment.- Wow!
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Oh, my God!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16This is a lot better than my flat.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Walking in, you'd see just another apartment.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21So that's Karachi.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26I live in Notting Hill and I've got a flat which is about this size.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28OK, you have a studio apartment?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- It's basically a bedroom. - OK, it's a bedroom.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33That means you can't hang art in your apartment.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I've got limited wall space, yeah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Well, I've got limited wall space also, so that's where you see.
0:10:39 > 0:10:40It's huge, mate.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44That is REALLY great.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Sexuality and freedom has always been a part of Pakistani art,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53right if you go back to the '40s and the '50s.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Maybe five years ago, seven years ago,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59the global art market wanted to see Pakistani artists
0:10:59 > 0:11:02making violence and terrorism as a subject.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- Because it was easier for them to understand?- Understand.- Yeah.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07So anything which has a global language
0:11:07 > 0:11:08would be easy to understand.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Wow.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I know this one.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15This is Liberty Leads To Freedom?
0:11:15 > 0:11:19No, the artist has appropriated Liberty into his painting
0:11:19 > 0:11:23and he calls it Azadi Ki Devi, The Woman Of Freedom.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28That's basically Qandeel Baloch leading the people to freedom.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- VOICEOVER:- A young woman from a rural town,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Qandeel Baloch became famous
0:11:32 > 0:11:35as a controversial social media phenomenon.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39She directly challenged prudish attitudes towards women.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42She was kind of a Pakistani Kim Kardashian
0:11:42 > 0:11:46until her selfies with a religious leader was seen as a step too far...
0:11:46 > 0:11:51He's too good. He is too good. Oh, my God.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54..and so her brother killed her.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And then we have the famous ulama,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- who took selfies of her on the left, if you see.- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It is the power of art, isn't it?
0:12:02 > 0:12:06This kind of thing happened and it transmitted this feeling into people
0:12:06 > 0:12:10and somebody needed to do this, to put it out there
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and then hopefully this will be seen.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15By art, you can change the entire community.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And it's not just artists in galleries who are doing it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26This creative expression is spilling out on to the streets...
0:12:28 > 0:12:31..and it starts right here on the catwalks of Karachi.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50As a Pakistan,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53it's all about the media telling bad stuff about the country.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57So this is very, very important for us to portray ourself in a way
0:12:57 > 0:12:59so people can like us.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04The way I'm dressed right now,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- I just won't go anywhere in Karachi dressed like this.- Yeah, OK.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So, what, you'd cover your arms?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12I will cover my arms, yes, which is fine,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15because we live in an Islamic state.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Living in an Islamic state, it says to cover yourself, right,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20so there's nothing bad in that.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I completely recognise this tensions that Pakistanis feel.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29We want to be modern but, at the same time,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32we don't want to entirely reject our Muslim heritage.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44The fashion industry here is potentially worth billions
0:13:44 > 0:13:46and what's interesting is that the biggest market
0:13:46 > 0:13:49for Pakistani designer clothes is India.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52These young models and designers
0:13:52 > 0:13:55have become sort of accidental ambassadors for their country.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01How many people have you got on Instagram?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- I think I'm going to beat you here. - Oh, definitely you would.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- Let's have a look. - Definitely would.- OK.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- How many have you got?- It's 45.8.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- 45.8?- I believe, yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- 45.8 people?- K.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- K?- Yes.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16I've got 223.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- VOICEOVER:- These shows are advertised through social media
0:14:20 > 0:14:25and they're hugely popular, but the locations are often kept secret,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28for fear of being targeted by extremists.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31There are limitations to what they can get away with here,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34but they're always finding creative ways around it.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44When this society wants to change and the women here want to change,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49and the men here want to change, they can take notes from elsewhere,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51but that's not in a patronising manner.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53It's just like people in the West
0:14:53 > 0:14:55are still trying to work out women's rights
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and other people's rights.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59The inspirational people we've met already
0:14:59 > 0:15:01are giving us hints of the future,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03of what this country's going to be like in the future,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06because they are the people who are going to make this change.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18While Adnan delves deeper into the bustling city of Karachi,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I'm still in Adipur, but I'm about to set off on my journey.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32It's 6am, very early,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and I have no idea what I'm up to today,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39because I met Twinkle last night at the Charlie Chaplin procession
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and she's invited me on an adventure and I said yes,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47but now I'm thinking, "What on earth have I got myself into?!"
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And the only people awake are the cows and me.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56No. This isn't for us?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01No.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03This is slightly strange.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Wow!
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's an all-female bike club!
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Yeah!
0:16:18 > 0:16:20It's kind of, you know, brotherhood or sisterhood.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Sisterhood.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Why should men have all the fun?
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Exactly.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28So, so cool.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29So awesome.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I mean, I just loved it and as soon as you saw these hot women
0:16:32 > 0:16:35take off their helmets, you're like, "Yes!"
0:16:35 > 0:16:38This is India. This is India today. I love it. It's amazing.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46This is going to be...awesome!
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Let's do it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Ooh!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52SHE LAUGHS
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I'm going to hitch a ride with Twinkle and her gang
0:17:01 > 0:17:03for the next part of my journey.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06The plan is to skirt along the border east of Adipur
0:17:06 > 0:17:11to the flatlands of the Little Rann of Kutch about 160 miles away.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I think the reason I'm so taken by these bikers
0:17:18 > 0:17:21is because they completely go against the stereotype
0:17:21 > 0:17:23of oppressed Asian women.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Economically independent,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27these women have the freedom to choose this lifestyle.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Ah!
0:17:30 > 0:17:32That was amazing.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Ah, my bum hurts, though. - I'm so glad.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Hey. That was amazing.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- This is your bike?- Yeah. - The dirt track bike?- Yes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47He's my boyfriend.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- He's your actual boyfriend?- Yes.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- You live and breathe the bike?- Yes.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- And how old are you?- 22.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Wow, so you are young! - She's the youngest one of us.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- Oh, you're the youngest? - We're proud of her.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01So who's...? So you're the youngest. Who's the oldest?
0:18:01 > 0:18:02Pince.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Pince!- Yeah, what?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Grandma.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- You're a grandma? - I've got a four-year-old grandson.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- Two daughters.- Wow.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- Can I ask you how young you are? - I'm just 60.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20VOICEOVER: Pince has been riding a motorbike for 30 years
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and has been a trailblazer for her younger friends.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Everybody bird wants to break free. Nobody wants to be caged.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31In India, what happens is the woman is taking care of parents,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33then she's taking care of the kids.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34- Family, yeah.- Family.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38And then when the children grow up, she's taking care of the grandkids,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41so when does she live her own life?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I'll be riding till the day I die.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50I think these women are really something.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52But this is a patriarchal society,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55and domestic abuse and violent sexual crime here
0:18:55 > 0:18:58is amongst the highest in the world,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03and these women refuse to be seen as just daughters, wives or mothers.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09The fact that these women are doing what they're doing, it surprised me,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10it's inspired me
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and I think that they are setting a trend for what's going to follow
0:19:13 > 0:19:17because the youngest is 22 years old,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21the eldest is 60 and, as one of them said,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24she wants to start a revolution and why wouldn't you?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I feel like I could take on the world now.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34What I'd love to see is women in both India and Pakistan
0:19:34 > 0:19:38feeling like these bikers, believing that anything is possible.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46It's not only the women of India who are fighting back
0:19:46 > 0:19:49against the rampant misogyny of the region.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53I'm now on my way to Lyari,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57one of the poorer districts of the city, to visit a local club
0:19:57 > 0:20:00where they're running a surprising project for women.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07This gym was set up a year ago,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10with funds from a major Pakistani clothing brand,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13to empower girls from this poor community.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Razia was brought up by a single mum.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50She's decided to leave her job
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and take up a career as a professional boxer.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Scarily, this 19-year-old lass from Lyari
0:21:06 > 0:21:08wants to take on this boy from Burnley.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Oh, she's going to kick the crap out of me, isn't she?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- All right, OK. - HE LAUGHS
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Ready? Go.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26Come on!
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Yeah.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34The fear does exist. It's existing right here.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36No, it doesn't exist.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42It's a universal truth that sport is one of the ways of escaping poverty.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And what do you want to do when... when you stop punching me?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54HE CHUCKLES
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Ah... Have you got any water?
0:22:02 > 0:22:03- That's...- Do like this...
0:22:03 > 0:22:04Do like this.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06THEY BREATH DEEPLY
0:22:06 > 0:22:07Yeah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Thank you. Thank you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- You're welcome.- It was... It's interesting.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Do you think the government of Pakistan is supporting women
0:22:15 > 0:22:16in this kind of thing?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53So I guess, in a way, Razia is fighting for change
0:22:53 > 0:22:57not just for herself but for her community.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00She's part of a minority of African Pakistanis.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Pakistan is constantly surprising me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Just look at this sign here.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17"Bumbasa Road" is not a traditional name for Pakistan.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It's just quite... It's quite fascinating.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's just like you've got a lot of people here look clearly Pakistani,
0:23:22 > 0:23:23what I think Pakistani is,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27and then there are kids who look clearly of African descent.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28It's just absolutely fascinating
0:23:28 > 0:23:31that there's such a cultural mixing pot here.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35This street is named after the coastal town of Mombasa in Kenya,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39because most of the people who live here arrived from east Africa.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42These African Pakistanis have been in the Indian subcontinent
0:23:42 > 0:23:44for hundreds of years,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and at partition, as Muslims, many left Indian Gujarat
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and joined the established community here in Karachi.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Islam forbids any form of discrimination,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55which is why there's no caste system here,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58but the fact is these people face racism.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Yaqoob Qambrani is a community leader and activist.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22He's fighting for their African heritage
0:24:22 > 0:24:24to be recognised as part of Pakistan.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57There is no consensus about how these Africans ended up here -
0:24:57 > 0:24:59some say they were slaves,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04others that they came as traders and stayed -
0:25:04 > 0:25:07but this gives us an idea of how long they've been here,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09the tomb of Mangho Pir.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15This is the final resting place of their most revered saint,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18a Sufi who died in the 13th century.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Here they offer prayers of intercession to Allah
0:25:23 > 0:25:24through their saint.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But this shrine is not the only reason people flock here.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Oh, wow.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42There's, like, 30 crocodiles down there.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44There's 200?
0:25:44 > 0:25:45- Yes.- 200?!
0:25:45 > 0:25:47MAN SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:25:47 > 0:25:52It seems these Sufi Muslims believe the crocodiles have magic powers.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Legend has it they fell as lice from the saint's shawl,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and when he stamped his feet, they turned into crocodiles,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00so he kept them as pets.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03For hundreds of years,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06devotees have brought sacrificial meat as offerings.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The keeper of the shrine is specially ordained
0:26:19 > 0:26:20and only he can feed them.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27It's a tradition that's been in his family for generations.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29That is unbelievable.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I've never seen a crocodile in real life,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and there's four just lying over there.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37SINGING IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Over the years, African Pakistanis have integrated...
0:26:44 > 0:26:46..married locals, and their vibrant culture
0:26:46 > 0:26:48has become part of Pakistani life.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54But this performance, sung in both Urdu and Swahili,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57shows that, while so much is changing in modern Pakistan,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59some traditions are too important to let go.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01CHEERING
0:27:01 > 0:27:03RHYTHMIC DRUMMING
0:27:08 > 0:27:10DRUMMING SPEEDS UP
0:27:27 > 0:27:31There's always been a pecking order on both sides of the border.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Here, too, the darker the skin colour, the lower your status,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38but India has an even stricter social hierarchy
0:27:38 > 0:27:40that keeps people in their place.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47The caste system is unique to Hinduism,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and it dictates almost everything in an Indian's life,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54from who they can marry to the job they can do.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Although it's illegal to discriminate against people
0:27:57 > 0:27:58based on their caste,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01it's almost impossible to escape those divisions,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04because it's all tied to our names.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06What's your surname, Deepika?
0:28:06 > 0:28:07Same as yours, Sharma.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- Ah, are you a Sharma?- Yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11We're the same!
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- High-five.- High-five. - THEY LAUGH
0:28:14 > 0:28:16We're of the uppermost caste in Hindus.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- The Brahmin caste? - The Brahmin caste, yeah.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I know that the Brahmin caste, obviously,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26is considered a holy caste.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- It's descendants of the priests. - Yeah.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32My great-grandfather was a priest. My grandfather was a priest.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35My entire village is a priest village.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36Like, what the hell is that about?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Is that because they're not allowed to be other castes?
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Oh, really?
0:28:39 > 0:28:43So, yeah, it's literally the priest family.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46We have not got a single priest in our family.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49We have corner shops!
0:28:49 > 0:28:50So nothing holy about that.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53Sharmas rule, though.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55We're pretty cool, I think.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58I don't know. We're pretty hated as well, so...
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Hated by who?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02By all of the other castes in the country, obviously.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05We're horrible people in that sense, because we have so much power.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07No? Don't you think so?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10We're the oppressors.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Oh, Deepika...
0:29:12 > 0:29:14We are!
0:29:14 > 0:29:18OK, now I'm thinking about my family background as the oppressors.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I'm going to break the tradition. I'm going to marry a Muslim boy.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25- That's quite a big deal. If they've never had...- It's a very big deal.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26It's not like all our families are like,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28"Oh, wow! You found this girl!"
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Or, "You found this boy!"
0:29:30 > 0:29:31They're just like, "Oh, shit."
0:29:31 > 0:29:33So it's a big problem.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40I've never given a second thought to what caste my family come from.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Being born and brought up in Britain,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44it's something I've never had to think about.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51After travelling north, I've arrived at the Little Rann of Kutch,
0:29:51 > 0:29:5270 miles from the border.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02HORSE SNORTS
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Gosh, we really are in the middle of nowhere.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15It's an incredibly hostile environment,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18but somehow people manage to carve out a living here.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24This landscape is really harsh,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26but, on the odd occasion, you see this,
0:30:26 > 0:30:30which are these huge mountains of pure white.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39Thousands of farmers make a living from this landscape,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41and what they farm is salt.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50This is part of one of the largest salt deserts in the world.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55The region contributes 20% of the nation's most-used seasoning.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00It's like we're walking on, like, a slush.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04- Can I touch it? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:31:06 > 0:31:07Oh, wow.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Wow.
0:31:12 > 0:31:13LAUGHING: Sorry...
0:31:13 > 0:31:15That is so strong!
0:31:15 > 0:31:17That's definitely salt.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19That's not snow - that's salt.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Wow.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23Yeah, yeah.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25SHE RETCHES
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Yeah, that's really... That's really salty.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Oh, my gosh.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38There's 100,000 people working on the salt farms.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41The majority are known locally as Agariyas,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43part of the low-caste Kolis.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49They've been doing this job for centuries, and the cost is high -
0:31:49 > 0:31:52they risk blindness, skin lesions and tuberculosis
0:31:52 > 0:31:56as they each move up to 17 tonnes of salt a day
0:31:56 > 0:31:58into piles ready for collection.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Devjee's saying that you have to put this on to balance it on your head,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05but, for me, I think the biggest thing
0:32:05 > 0:32:07- is just trying to lift it off the ground!- Yeah.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- Can you take a little bit out of it? - Yeah, yeah.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Oh, my God. OK.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13STRAINING: Oh, my God...
0:32:14 > 0:32:16THEY LAUGH
0:32:16 > 0:32:18OK, that didn't go... That didn't go so well.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Let's see if I can... OK. MAN SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Oh, my God.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30I... I mean, I'm laughing, but this is seriously backbreaking work.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Usually each pan would weigh 20kg,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37but I'm struggling with just half of that.
0:32:37 > 0:32:38SHE LAUGHS
0:32:46 > 0:32:48MAN LAUGHS
0:32:57 > 0:33:00They're starting work early to avoid the heat and glare
0:33:00 > 0:33:02of the afternoon sun.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04It's fierce.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Temperatures here can hit 45 degrees.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10For all of this backbreaking work,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13they'll earn just over £2 per tonne,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16and, of course, it's the age-old story -
0:33:16 > 0:33:18once it's processed and sent across India,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21this salt will fetch ten times more.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26It's a seasonal industry,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29and so, for seven months of the year,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Mr Chuturbhai and his family live here.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41One of Mr Chuturbhai's many tasks on the farm is to rake the salt
0:33:41 > 0:33:44to ensure the water is evenly evaporated.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50It's so sharp.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54This salt, it's almost like glass on the soles of your feet.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01Oh!
0:34:05 > 0:34:07SHE GRUNTS
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It looks so beautiful,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19but the reality is that it hurts a lot.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- Yeah.- That's just after a few minutes.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Can you see how red it's gone?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26CHILD BABBLES HAPPILY
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I mean, I don't know how you do that every single day.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Yeah.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45CHILD SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:34:52 > 0:34:55"The job has to be done," he said, because if he doesn't do it,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58then the kids aren't going to get fed.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00That's the reality.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11I find it pretty shocking that in the country with the fourth-largest
0:35:11 > 0:35:13number of billionaires in the world,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17there are people here like Mr Chuturbhai and his family
0:35:17 > 0:35:20who are bound by their caste to this life of hardship
0:35:20 > 0:35:23with little chance of escape.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26The grandfather did it, the father did it, the son does it.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29The girls will also do the same work,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32because every six months they have to come here into the desert
0:35:32 > 0:35:35with their mum and dad,
0:35:35 > 0:35:36and that means that they don't go to school.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Because they don't go to school, this is what they'll be born into.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44It's a never-ending cycle.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47There's no other choice.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54This is one part of the border where change is nowhere in sight.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09I've barely scratched the surface of Karachi,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11but for me and my local producer, Khalid,
0:36:11 > 0:36:13there's a long journey ahead.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Next stop, the Thar Desert.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- I think I've got, like, so much to tell to your mum.- About what?
0:36:21 > 0:36:24- About what? What? There's nothing to know.- About everything.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27What's the... What's the hidden secrets of Adnan?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Outside the city limits, Sindh province is mostly barren.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37There's no reason to stop here.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- Khalid, I've got something very important to ask you.- What's that?
0:36:41 > 0:36:42Where the hell are we?
0:36:42 > 0:36:44- Have you got a map with you? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- Mate, I was in the Army, mate. Come on.- OK.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Right, OK, so this is Karachi.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- We've just left Karachi.- Yeah. - Where's the Indian border?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54- This is the...- This green line is... - This is the Indian border here?
0:36:54 > 0:36:59That's the international border. We are about 30km east of Umerkot.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03- Wow. We're about 45 miles from the Indian border.- Yeah.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06I mean, we'd do that in less than an hour, wouldn't we?
0:37:06 > 0:37:08- We'd just be there. - Yeah, we can, but we can't.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11So, like, it's... You can say it's a hostile border.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13It's not a friendly border at all.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17It's weird, cos Babita is just over there, about, I don't know,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20a couple of hours over there, three hours or whatever she is, you know?
0:37:20 > 0:37:23It's crazy, isn't it? Are we going to keep going that way?
0:37:23 > 0:37:24Are we going to keep trying to get...?
0:37:24 > 0:37:26Let's try that, with how far we can go and...
0:37:26 > 0:37:27Let's go and see the border.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- Get as close to it as possible. - OK. Cool.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33So we're going to divert to Zero Point,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35one of the crossing points on the border.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41I mean, oh, yeah, you will need travel documents here now.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44There's only three places on the entire border
0:37:44 > 0:37:46between India and Pakistan where you can cross.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51This is going to be one of my only chances
0:37:51 > 0:37:54to stand on the border or even get close to it.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58THEY SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Security's getting tighter as we get closer.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- Hello, Captain. - ADNAN SPEAKS ANOTHER LANGUAGE
0:38:07 > 0:38:10I'm told it's much to do with the fear of local terrorists
0:38:10 > 0:38:12as cross-border attacks by Indian forces.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20SIREN WAILS
0:38:22 > 0:38:25The police are taking us up to the next checkpoint.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28That's about as big a ticket as you need, you know. We don't...
0:38:28 > 0:38:29We don't need a visa.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32We can just roll in with these guys and then just see what happens.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33Let's try and get there.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39So we're going to try and carry on.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42At the moment, we have got the permission to go as close as...
0:38:43 > 0:38:47- ..five miles short of the Indian border...- Yeah.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50..and if we are lucky, and if the permission comes through,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52we might be able to transit.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53Ha.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00Khalid is doing his best to get us permission to keep on going.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Less than ten miles from the border, he's just playing music, you know.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05It's brilliant.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09It's quiet and peaceful here.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10It doesn't feel dangerous,
0:39:10 > 0:39:15but, in 2016 alone, 28 civilians and soldiers were killed
0:39:15 > 0:39:18in border attacks between these two countries.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22Some fear one serious incident could trigger an all-out war
0:39:22 > 0:39:25between south Asia's rival states.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35We are getting closer to Khokhrapar, the last town before the border.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Twice a week, a train runs between the two countries,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41but only Indians and Pakistanis can use those trains,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44and they need visas which can take months to get.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So we are inching on and on and on towards India.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53A foreigner like me has got zero chance of getting past Zero Point...
0:39:56 > 0:39:59..but I'm really keen to see the actual border up close for myself.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05So we're about to enter Khokhrapar,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08so it means that we're about 7km to 9km inside...
0:40:08 > 0:40:09close to Indian border.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Five miles to India.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16- Are we going to try and get on the train?- We are not allowed to.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19I just... I want to see it. I want to see India. Why can't I see India?
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Well, it's... It's not, sort of, that sort of border that...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24where you can go for sightseeing.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Do you think we'll spend time in an Indian prison?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Not in an Indian prison but in a Pakistani prison.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Yeah, the Pakistani nick. All right, nice one.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34This is the last security post.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Oh! Rangers, Rangers, Rangers...
0:40:36 > 0:40:39It's controlled by the Pakistani Rangers,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and we've been ordered to stop filming.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43What's that?
0:40:43 > 0:40:44Disappointing.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53I hope to see the border on my journey,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56but, miles from anywhere, there's no chance of a hotel here.
0:40:56 > 0:40:57Morning.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Good sleep?
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Oh, really good sleep.
0:41:07 > 0:41:13It was beautiful because you could lie here and look at the stars,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17but I'm sad today because we're actually leaving Gujarat.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18But we've got to move on.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23It's about, what, 100 miles from the India-Pakistan border?
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- 100, 120 miles.- Wow.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29So we are so close to the border where we are now,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33and the landscape is completely changing yet again.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36We're hugging the border and travelling 400 miles north
0:41:36 > 0:41:39through Rajasthan and the Thar Desert,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42just across the border from where Adnan is.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Unable to get to Zero Point,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49I've moved over 100 miles north into the Thar Desert
0:41:49 > 0:41:52that straddles the border between Pakistan and India.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57In a remote part of this strange landscape,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01I'm meeting the Bhil tribe, who have lived here for hundreds of years.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07They're Hindus and, while many left at the time of partition,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10around 450,000 of them are still here.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19What I find fascinating is the reason why they stayed.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23The fact is, these Hindus feel they face less discrimination here,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27because in India they're amongst the lowest caste.
0:42:27 > 0:42:28It's like a different world.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31It's a completely different world, but it's still...
0:42:31 > 0:42:32It's Pakistan, you know?
0:42:32 > 0:42:35There's so many Pakistans and this is one of them.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39It may look idyllic, but life here is a struggle.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43They get very little support or attention from anyone.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- Sit close to it. - Yeah, and then pull like that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:48Ah, OK, OK, OK.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53This has meant that they've continued to live much the same way
0:42:53 > 0:42:55as they did before partition,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58side-by-side with Muslims from the region.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03They live and work together, and even intermarry.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I'm quite proud of that, actually. There's quite a lot there, I think.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Is that enough?
0:43:16 > 0:43:17I thought I'd done all right.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21He's got loads. Where has he got that from?
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- He got it - one goat.- One goat?
0:43:23 > 0:43:26- Yeah.- Right, nice one.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32Hasu is the matriarch of this family and lives with her son, Ganji,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34his wife and their eight children.
0:43:34 > 0:43:35- Ram-ram.- Ram-ram.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37LAUGHTER
0:43:37 > 0:43:38Ram-ram, Babu.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40How old is Babu?
0:43:40 > 0:43:43THEY SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE
0:43:43 > 0:43:44Three. Three years.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46- He's three years old?- Yes. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49- So he'll be five when he can touch his ears.- Uh-huh.- Yeah.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50Babu, how old am I?
0:43:52 > 0:43:53THEY LAUGH
0:43:55 > 0:43:57ADNAN EXHALES, THEY LAUGH
0:43:57 > 0:44:00This is five, then this...
0:44:00 > 0:44:02- Six. Seven.- Six. Seven.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06Bhil children are formally promised in marriage at a young age,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10but the wedding doesn't happen until the girl reaches puberty.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Women showed their marital status by the number of bangles on their arms.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19A full arm means a wife, a bare arm, a widow,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and half an arm for a respected elder.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26I've been invited by Ganji's mother into the women's hut.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29This is a rare privilege for a nonfamily bloke.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33Traditionally, Bhil women aren't allowed to mix with men.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36They even eat separately from their husbands.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37Hasu, er...
0:44:37 > 0:44:40HE SPEAKS THEIR LANGUAGE
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Has your marriage been successful?
0:44:55 > 0:44:58My...my mum's been trying to get me married for a long time,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00and I'm going to be 39 this year,
0:45:00 > 0:45:04and I just need some advice about getting married.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Am I respectable in my area?
0:45:21 > 0:45:22I'm big in Burnley.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07BHIL MUSIC PLAYS
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Maybe my luck's in.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27My mum will be so pleased.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30I may just have found that special someone.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40I'm also heading to the Thar Desert, but on the Indian side.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43We can't meet up because of the fence that's in place
0:46:43 > 0:46:46due to the fear and suspicion the two countries' governments
0:46:46 > 0:46:48have of each other.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55The only way to travel on from here is on the back of a camel.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58- Namaste.- Namaste.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02Moti Singh has lived here for over 20 years,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04and he's going to be my guide.
0:47:04 > 0:47:05That's Babloo and that's...
0:47:05 > 0:47:07CAMEL GROANS
0:47:10 > 0:47:12I think I should go for Babloo, not Pintu.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13Pintu doesn't sound too happy.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17Yeah, Pintu is a little unhappy with the morning.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Sounds like me.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22Yeah, and that's the front. Yeah, that's it.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24- OK.- All up.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27- OK.- That's pretty high up.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29- That is pretty high up.- Yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Please don't run away, Babloo.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39At 120,000 square miles,
0:47:39 > 0:47:44the Thar Desert spans four Indian and two Pakistani states.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49This is so beautiful.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53And even here, the border is a reality.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59And so here we can see, you said, the Pakistan border...
0:47:59 > 0:48:00- Yes. Yes.- ..from this side.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Well, there's a whole lot of border security and the army now.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08There has been a tension for almost now 10, 15, 20 years.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10It's really hard to think about that tension
0:48:10 > 0:48:13- when it's so calm and peaceful here.- Yes. Yeah, yeah.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- Is it a different atmosphere there? - No, it's the same.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Same desert landscape, same people, same language...
0:48:19 > 0:48:21When there is no war, it's the same.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Everybody just doing their work in all the villages,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25just going around doing their bit.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30The only thing that separates India and Pakistan in this region...
0:48:30 > 0:48:32..is the fence.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Since the British left 70 years ago,
0:48:34 > 0:48:38the Thar border has seen many skirmishes and military stand-offs.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Fearing Pakistani infiltration,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47in the 1990s, the Indians put a fence on the border.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51It must have destroyed lives.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54It did. That's what happens when you have a partition
0:48:54 > 0:48:55and we have two different nations,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57and these are things which will happen.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59I mean, the first statement of Churchill, I think,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02after when India got independent in 1947,
0:49:02 > 0:49:03the first statement of Churchill was
0:49:03 > 0:49:05that this country's not going to survive,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07because there's nothing which unifies this country.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09- Which, India?- Yeah.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11You've got Hindus, you've got Muslims,
0:49:11 > 0:49:12you've got Christians, you've got Sikhs...
0:49:12 > 0:49:14You've got everybody here.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16But the partition could have been avoided.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19A normal common man does not get affected,
0:49:19 > 0:49:22but then, when the security of the nation comes in,
0:49:22 > 0:49:24when there is the element of...the matter of Kashmir,
0:49:24 > 0:49:26then everybody wants to...
0:49:26 > 0:49:28wants his country to...
0:49:28 > 0:49:32I mean, nationalism is there in every Indian.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Moti's pride in his identity has
0:49:36 > 0:49:40made me question my own country's part in creating the border.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44Knowing that Britain was the orchestrator, I suppose,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47the mastermind of what happened between these two countries...
0:49:47 > 0:49:50- Yes, yes. - ..and I am a product of that...
0:49:50 > 0:49:52- Yes, yes.- ..I'm still trying to settle it in my head.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54I've met a lot of British who come here,
0:49:54 > 0:49:55they ask me the same question,
0:49:55 > 0:49:57"Do you feel that we were responsible for this?"
0:49:57 > 0:49:59I said, "Yes." You...
0:49:59 > 0:50:01When you were ruling in this place, and if you left...
0:50:01 > 0:50:04If you leave a country which is divided,
0:50:04 > 0:50:06the ruler has to take the onus on.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10You cannot say that "We were not responsible." You were.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Do you think you will ever see a day where there will be no fence,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16no security forces, no army patrolling the region?
0:50:16 > 0:50:17I don't see it.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20They are both countries which have moved into different directions.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- The fence will never come down? - Yeah, it'll never come down.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40There are dangers on both sides of the fence,
0:50:40 > 0:50:43but, for the Bhils, the biggest threat is water -
0:50:43 > 0:50:45or a lack of it.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52The elders are using traditional methods to predict the rains.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56It's not an exact science, but it's what they've always done,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58and it's all they've got to rely on.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21The circle in the middle is to predict how much crops
0:51:21 > 0:51:25they will get, depending on which month the rains will come,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27and I think the first month's winning at the moment,
0:51:27 > 0:51:29so it looks like the first month's going to rain,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31because it's just leaking out.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:51:37 > 0:51:39BELLS CHIME
0:52:29 > 0:52:32They are desperate to stay on their ancestral land,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35but climate change and scarcity of water
0:52:35 > 0:52:37is threatening their way of life.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40It's really sad.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42I think Pakistan would just be a lesser place
0:52:42 > 0:52:45if this unique culture died out.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Like the Hindu Bhils in Pakistan, this Muslim shepherd
0:52:53 > 0:52:56has found himself on the wrong side of the border.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Ghafoor is one of the 200 million Muslims who've carried on
0:53:01 > 0:53:04living in India just as they've done for centuries.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11200.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12Wow.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16For generations, his family have been shepherds.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19This is a whole family business. Everyone's involved.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25Until partition, their flock grazed freely without borders.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Now the family is split in two.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30SHEEP BLEAT
0:53:35 > 0:53:37His mother is from Pakistan.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45But his father told him that, "There are two countries now,
0:53:45 > 0:53:47"and the country where your mother is from,
0:53:47 > 0:53:49"now that's a different country,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52"and neither can you go there, nor can your mother go there."
0:53:52 > 0:53:54He's not even been there even once.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05He doesn't consider himself Pakistani whatsoever.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07You are 100% Indian.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Proud Indian!
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Proud Indian.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Like him! He's saying, "We are the same."
0:54:14 > 0:54:15We are the same.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17- He's so happy.- Yeah.
0:54:17 > 0:54:22I would hope that I have the same positivity for life as he does.
0:54:30 > 0:54:31He says...
0:54:34 > 0:54:37SHE SPEAKS HIS LANGUAGE
0:54:37 > 0:54:38Thank you.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Sorry for keeping you from the sheep.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50Yes, well, I got to meet you, too.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57That's so nice. Thank you. That's made me feel emotional.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00- This is a very interesting place. Very interesting.- Thank you.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03It's really nice to meet you too.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05- Can I hug you?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07- Thank you. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19Talking to him, Ghafoor, was amazing, because he...
0:55:19 > 0:55:22He just said towards the end,
0:55:22 > 0:55:25"Your grandfather was from Pakistan and your dad was from Pakistan,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29"and it was fate that you would go to England and then finally
0:55:29 > 0:55:31"do the whole circle and come back here."
0:55:31 > 0:55:35And it's the first time I've felt this way that
0:55:35 > 0:55:37it is like a full-circle journey.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39There's me from Reading in Berkshire,
0:55:39 > 0:55:44coming here into this desert in Rajasthan,
0:55:44 > 0:55:45and meeting a man like that,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48who is just a few years younger than my dad.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50They were both born at the time of partition, and...
0:55:50 > 0:55:52yet he is saying to me that,
0:55:52 > 0:55:56"We're welcoming you here with open arms, and we are the same."
0:55:59 > 0:56:00Which is really lovely.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05Just like the Bhils in Pakistan,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09Ghafoor believes this is his ancestral homeland.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14And for both, land is central to their identity.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Neither of them have a reason to leave it,
0:56:16 > 0:56:19just because 70 years ago a border was drawn through their country.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25Pakistan is so diverse.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29These beautiful, beautiful, cool people who are just teaching me more
0:56:29 > 0:56:33about what it is to be human and how to just get on when things are hard.
0:56:38 > 0:56:39Look at him.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46That's Ganji, whose family I stayed with last night.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Ganji's family have shown me love,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53and I keep thinking about when I grew up and we used to have
0:56:53 > 0:56:57this division between Hindus and Muslims, or Indians and Pakistanis.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03I'm not supposed to get on with him, but last night we were sharing
0:57:03 > 0:57:06food and chai and chaat and music and everything, and it was just...
0:57:08 > 0:57:10It was everything.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14I'd stay here, you know? I'd just stay here for a bit.
0:57:16 > 0:57:17But the journey's not over -
0:57:17 > 0:57:19I'm going to go over to the Punjab now, which is my home,
0:57:19 > 0:57:22with a different view of...of who I am.
0:57:24 > 0:57:25Pakistani.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37Next time...
0:57:37 > 0:57:39- HORN HONKS - Welcome to the Punjab.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41..we both enter the mighty Punjab.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46I'm coming home!
0:57:46 > 0:57:49From this spectacular modern solar farm...
0:57:49 > 0:57:52I've never been on a Pakistani train before.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56..we head to the Sufis in Lahore...
0:57:58 > 0:58:01..and meet my mum in my family home of Kharian.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07I travel from the futuristic state capital of Chandigarh...
0:58:07 > 0:58:12In my head, Punjab has always been about farms and haystacks.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14..meet women in the grip of addiction...
0:58:14 > 0:58:18I was addicted to weed, hash and brown sugar.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22..ending on the Pakistan border.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26My first glimpse of Pakistan from the India border,
0:58:26 > 0:58:29but I don't think this is a place that either of us have been.
0:58:33 > 0:58:36Would you like to find out more about why India was partitioned
0:58:36 > 0:58:37and Pakistan created?
0:58:37 > 0:58:39Delve deeper into the history and psychology
0:58:39 > 0:58:41with our academic experts at...
0:58:46 > 0:58:48..and follow the links to the Open University.