Mumbai Slum Survivors

These are the world's toughest slums.

One in four people across the planet call them home,

living side by side with poverty, pollution and disease.

But many don't just survive...

..they thrive.

To achieve success, they have to be driven, disciplined and passionate.

But can they motivate young Brits

who think they've really got it tough?

To find out, we're putting trainee mechanics, plumbers and chefs

to the ultimate test of a ten-day apprenticeship to see if

they've got what it takes to call themselves slum survivors.

This time, three inexperienced plumbing apprentices

are put to the test.

They'll have to be driven...

I don't know how I'm going to be able to work as hard as I did yesterday.

..keep calm under pressure...

-Stop pushing it, would you?

-I'm not!

You are, I can see you, I'm not blind!

..and passionate.

Oh, no, my finger hurt, more than all my life.

But will they rise to the challenge and master important skills

to kick-start their lives back home?

Are we done?

This is Jack.

He's unemployed, struggling to survive on benefits,

and, having applied for hundreds of jobs, still hasn't got one.

I need a job.

In fact, I don't need a job - I need a career. That's what I need.

I don't want a dead-end job,

I want something that I can work towards and progress in.

He's passed all his plumbing exams and got the support

from his girlfriend, Charlotte, so what's going wrong?

Well, Jack is, um... he's a little shit, really.

He winds me up.

I love him, though.

His best quality - he's just a really genuine, nice lad.

He's got a heart of gold. He'll do anything for anyone.

He's also got a backup plan.

I do a lot of rapping and making music, writing lyrics,

just gets it off my chest.

Yeah, big up the BBC...

It's my drug, it's my favourite drug.

Wanna be, wanna be MC. Listen, yeah.

Cos that's the job of a real MC from Eminem and Tupac to Eazy-E...

But there's one massive reason Jack's desperate to be a plumber.

In 2008, my mum was in hospital and I actually managed to get

a placement with a person who could have given me

an apprenticeship and possibly a job at the end of it, but the day

I was supposed to go to that placement

was the day that my mum passed away.

Because my mum passed away thinking I was going to be a plumber, that's why I want to be a plumber,

Cos you know, I made my mum proud that I followed through

with it and managed to accomplish it.

When 18-year-old Elisa isn't working hard at college,

she's stacking shelves.

I work at ASDA.

It's an all right job.

It gives me money at the end of the month, and it's simple,

so it's good for a teenager.

Plumbers generally are more, er, male, so how's this glamorous teen

going to cope?

Men are stronger than women,

but thank God there are tools that a woman can use

that make it just as easy.

As a female plumber, she'll need to ooze confidence.

At home she's loud, and she's really funny, like, she's... I use the word weird,

she's weird, but when she's outside, she's not as confident.

At school, I never used to be a natural leader,

I'd just be the one to, like, just be there and be quiet.

This trip is Elisa's chance to shine and prove herself,

but will she stand up and be counted?

Finally, meet Arsa. He's a man who loves chicken.

I can probably say it feels like my best friend.

When I'm lonely, I eat chicken.

When I'm happy, I eat chicken.

Pretty much always eating chicken.

He's 17, just started college and is super confident.

I'm going to make a great plumber because I'm very determined.

I'm a good listener.

But sometimes, it's all just a bit too much effort.

The whole stair thing, I find it, like, irritating.

Just give me a elevator and I'll be all right.

Arsa lives in London with his three-year-old sister

and long-suffering mum, Odile.

I am a guaranteed mummy's boy.

I have no problem with, like, being a mummy's boy.

If Arsa can sleep like he wants and eat like he wants,

you've got a happy Arsa!

For the next ten days, Jack, Elisa and Arsa will be learning plumbing

the local way, in the booming city of Mumbai.

But where do they think that is?

It's near Africa, I think.

I wouldn't say it's near like Germany or anything like that.

I'd say somewhere round this area.

Well, they're in for a shock.

It's 4,500 miles away on the west coast of India,

and for this trio, it's going to be like nothing

they've ever seen or experienced before.

My name's Arsa.

Hopefully, it'll be good, so I really can't wait.

We're all from different places,

so there's never going to be something not to talk about.

As soon as we step off that plane and we just realise

what we've got ourselves into, it's either going to be an, ah, or a...

Mumbai is a mega city.

It's the business hub of India and home to over 18 million people.

Known as the city of dreams, over 300 families come here every hour

to turn their hard work into hard cash.

So it's no surprise it's got a massive housing shortage.

Over half the population have no choice but to live in slums,

with limited access to the basics of life we take for granted,

like clean water.

Death and disease are widespread, and in a country where more people

have a mobile phone than use of a toilet, life here can be very tough.

For our three trainee plumbers,

they're about to face all this head-on.

I want to go in that!

They're heading to the largest and most notorious slum, Dharavi.

It's their first experience of India,

and, with no obvious rules of the road, it's who dares wins.

This is hard!

Oohoo! I would never ride a bike in this place.

Oh, wow, look at the sheep!

What are those sheep doing?

Whoa! Look out! There's bad rubbish everywhere.

I think it's weird, like, mad how completely different the country is to ours.

It's too obvious for comfort.

Yeah, way too obvious.

In no time at all, Jack's entertaining the locals.

Let me paint a picture pass the brush

Let me brush aside all your mistakes and take you with me

To a land far away with amazing distance with words of wisdom

Welcome to the land of tranquillity and maybe you're sane

Cos life is what you make it face it

Give your head a wobble or maybe shake it, but don't be too hasty

We've all got dreams that we're chasing

So never break your own promises or your life has been wasted

Embrace it, hold it like a lover so close you can taste it

Cos I can see the light that's within if it's only faintly.

Sweet.

Wow!

Dharavi is slap bang in the middle of the business district,

and is home to more than a million people.

I didn't expect it to be this busy but, like, everyone is everywhere.

There are so many people.

It's one unending stretch of narrow alleyways, cramped houses

and the smell of sewage.

As much as I knew it wasn't going to be the same as England,

like, I never thought it would be this bad.

From what I've seen so far, like, I've seen that raw sewage

on the floor and that, so the standards of it is not really

that high, but hopefully we can make a change to it.

But for now I'm really shocked and saddened by what I see.

You can't just turn on a tap here.

Water has to be collected from a communal supply,

and with one toilet to around 1,400 people, it's not luxurious.

In England, nobody really lives in poverty that much.

I mean, we say we do, I mean, I'm on £50 a week and Jobseeker's.

Compared to most people in England, that's peanuts, but compared

to the people that's living here, I'm pretty much a millionaire.

In India, there's no Jobseeker's allowance or state benefits.

It's quite simple - if you don't work, you have no money to live.

One slum plumber who knows all too well

how tough life can be here is Moshin.

He is 23 years old, has been plumbing for eight years,

and has to support his mum and sister on next to nothing.

How many hours a day do you work?

Is depend upon work.

It depends.

If it's 24 hours, we work 24 hours.

What, 24 hours?

So that's like a full day, isn't it?

When we need to work 24 hours, we work.

How much money do you actually earn a day or...?

£5.

You make £5 a day?

So you started at a very young age.

How old was you when you started?

15 years.

15 years old.

Why did you leave school?

For the finance problem.

Finance? What, you have to pay to go to school here?

Yeah, of course.

Oh, in England it's free, so...

India, when you have the money you can learn, otherwise no.

There are exposed water pipes everywhere, and Moshin wants to see

if their college training is up to the challenge of slum plumbing.

So this is a pipe that has broken.

So we have to join... Another pipe is inside the water.

We have to find them.

Yeah, the pipe is somewhere in this gunk.

So, Jack, do the honours!

All right, homey.

But get a bag to put on the hand.

Want to be a plumber, I'm going to have to get used to it.

See, it wasn't so hard.

It's broken. You've just got to take it out.

They've all studied plumbing, so they should know the basics.

Let me stand on the side of you so I can step on it

so you can hold it there.

First, keep your tools out of the sewage.

Oh, flipping hell! I'm an idiot.

-Sorry about that.

-Oh, bless him!

Are you OK?

Accuracy is essential.

I don't think I've cut this straight, you know.

It's fine, it doesn't really matter that much, I don't think.

It's not going on straight.

And remember to watch what you're doing.

I didn't even... Oh, I need to stop doing that, I really do.

I don't know how I cut my finger, but safety first, eh?

I'm not putting it back in that sewage.

Make sure you get it right the first time.

Is it bent or is it curved?

-It's bent?

-Keep where I am and see what happens.

Keep mum, go on.

And finally, adopt a professional attitude at all times.

Oh, can't you do it with your hands?

It's not that, we have to use this to loosen it up.

-Oh, no!

-Shut up!

Stop arguing with the boss!

With the pipe fixed, countless residents can get water again,

but our three did have a lot of help from Moshin.

4,000 miles away from home and our first plumbing job done.

My hand smells like it just came from a horse.

It's disgusting, yeah!

Get it away from me.

Congratulations, team, huh?

But after washing away the smell of horse, Jack, Elisa and Arsa

have been called out to another area of Dharavi.

Moshin has summoned his apprentices to a local clothing factory

to deliver bad news.

By mistake, they damaged one pipe, so I had to go and repairs.

A bit winded that we messed up, really, but...

Thought we did a good job.

But, oh, well, things happen.

With lots still to learn, Moshin decides to take them back to basics,

and gives them a really simple job to do.

That's got to have to put some taps in here, replace this one

because it seems like it's leaking or something.

I am baffled, as in I don't know.

I have never fixed an actual tap before.

It doesn't look that difficult.

Phew! This should be a quick job, then.

This factory relies on a daily supply of water,

which they store in this tank.

It keeps the business running 24/7, and when it's gone, it's gone.

It's vital, therefore, none is wasted.

Keeping a close eye on their work is the factory boss.

Yo, Jack, Jack! Pass me the tape and the stuff.

All right, all right. Please!

Thanks. Sorry.

So basically I think what we have to do is wrap the tape,

wrap this with the tape, right, and then put in this one.

Is it on?

Yeah, you just have to keep screwing it. It'll tighten eventually.

They really can't mess this up - it's so simple.

-Is it straight?

-Yeah.

The second tap, though, is slightly more complicated because

it's connected to over 500 litres of precious water.

Now we're at square one again, we need to figure out how to do

this one without pissing everything through.

Wait, let's see. Let's turn it on first of all.

-I've already turned it on - it definitely works.

-Right.

Do we need to cut off the water here, like stop it from rushing out?

No, there is no way to stop the water out here.

-So how...

-How do we get that out without...

-So you mean...

-How do we replace that?

You have to do it quickly.

-Oh, all right.

-Look, you get that...

If that's the only way I'm doing it, then fair enough, suppose.

-Jacky boy, you know, one of us is going to get wet.

-I'll do it.

-Cool.

-Let the boys do it.

-I'll help you with it.

There's about a metre of head of pressure,

so it shouldn't come out that fast, probably one blast.

Elisa, if you can push this to the wall...

Can you hold it to the wall?

I'll unscrew it, and then...

Right, you unscrew that, I'll put it on quick. Ready?

Right, get ready for... Do it, quick, quick, quick, quick!

Wrong way! You're going the wrong way.

I've dropped this... Can't get it in.

This is just... Pass it here, pass it here, I've got it, I've got it.

-You got it?

-You got it?

-I've got it.

Euw!

So I turn it on!

Are you done?

All they need to do now is tighten it.

What could possibly go wrong?

Now just keep twisting it. One more turn, isn't it?

So you're going to have to hold it at the top, cos I'm twisting it.

I got it, I got it, all right.

Hold it, please, because I don't want to be...

You don't want to break it.

One more round. Go on, spin.

Well, no, I'm just... I'm breaking it.

-Oh.

-Shit!

It looks like it's leaking from here.

Oh, shit!

I told you I didn't want to break it.

-You've snapped it.

-Does it snap?

-Yeah.

-Oh, shit!

How did it even snap?

-Now that's a problem.

-Now that's a problem.

Oh, my God! See, I told you I didn't want to... Oh!

How did you? How did it snap?

I told the boys I didn't want to.

This is a problem.

They've broken the pipe connected to the tank

and the water is flooding out.

It was really tight, and I knew it was going to eventually snap,

and then the boys went, no, one more turn, and I was like, ooh,

and then I did and then it cracked.

If Elisa had been more confident, this might not have happened.

So if you try and shove these plastic pipes...

-So are we draining the water?

-It's not the plastic pipe's fault.

It is! If it was copper, it wouldn't have broke.

I think it's completely my fault.

Are you OK?

Saving the water is the priority.

If they don't stop the leak immediately, there's also

risk of electric shock if water gets into the machinery,

and the manager could lose a lot of money.

Do you think we should help them?

-I don't... No.

-They don't want our help.

To be honest, I think we've done enough.

-I don't that they really want us there now.

-No.

Oh, they must be cursing us right now.

I know. They must hate us.

We're literally in a strange place, we don't know what we're doing.

And everyone's looking at us like you guys are pricks.

Moshin is doing all he can to clear up their mess,

but the factory manager has had enough.

Well, that could have gone better.

Our three are finding out the hard way that it takes more than

just a plumbing course to be successful in the real world.

India is the second most inhabited country in the world,

and it's predicted it will become one of the most successful economies

in the 21st century.

Over six million people, though, still live in slums, without

access to any clean water, but they can see progress in other areas.

The Sea Link Bridge connects the north of Mumbai, where Moshin lives,

with the south, and is a lifeline in a city crippled with traffic.

But the toll means it's too expensive for slum dwellers

like Moshin, who's offered to show Jack how the other half live.

So, Moshin, is this your first time on this bridge?

-Yeah. It's the first time.

-The first time.

So before this bridge was built,

how long would it take you to get from that side to that side?

At the east street, two hours to...

Two hours? Is that driving?

-On the bike. Bike driving.

-Wow.

So now we can by five to ten minutes.

Five to ten minutes, yeah. That's really good, then.

This is the pride of Mumbai.

On this side of the bridge, the streets are litter-free

and there isn't an open sewer in sight.

We are going now to South Mumbai,

the capitals of finance at Mumbai.

So this is where all the money is in Mumbai?

Yes. Actually, one house is one million pound.

-One million pound for a house?

-Aye, for one.

Forget slums here. In this part of the city there are mansions,

making it one of the coolest and costliest places to live in India.

That's Ambani's House.

This palatial 27-storey home belongs to the richest man in the country,

and, obviously, it comes complete with three helipads.

So that is owned by one person?

Aye. Only five peoples live at that house.

It's not exactly a house, really, is it? It's a tower.

So this is where, like, all the famous people in Mumbai live?

Yeah.

While Jack gets a guided tour of the posh part, students Elisa

and Arsa are on their way to one of the only colleges in the city

that teaches plumbing.

And their first lesson is how to keep a straight face.

What is the name of this?

-Big cock.

-Big cock.

I'd just call it a tap.

You are right.

Plumbers like Moshin unfortunately can't afford to come here.

The only training he can get is on the job.

If Moshin didn't have to look after his family,

then there would be a slight chance that he could come to college,

but the fact that he does, he's pretty much got no chance,

especially considering he doesn't earn a lot to begin with.

Having broken the pipe in the factory,

they're now going to learn how they could have mended it.

Inside.

If Moshin gave me the chance to fix, like, what went wrong yesterday,

I think I could definitely fix it.

I have the confidence now in myself from what the teachers taught us.

It seemed fairly easy, the way he did it, so I was just like, why not?

I could do that.

In the Indian colleges, they get taught more

but more street smart, and like basically force you

to think on your feet and figure out how to put things together

that are not meant to be together, whereas England they'd be,

basically say this is meant to be with this

and everyone puts it that way.

Back on the south side, the coastline is dominated by modern

skyscrapers instead of slums, and the streets are coming to life, and

Jack and Moshin are bonding over the country's most loved sport, cricket.

I told you I'm not good!

They both face tough challenges, but only one of them has a job.

How this experience helps you when you goes to your home?

Since coming here, it's opened my mind, it's opened my eyes.

It's made me realise a lot.

It's made me realise that even if I can't find a job,

at least I don't have to completely go without any money.

At least I don't have to completely go without any food,

so I don't think I'll be complaining nowhere near as much,

if any at all, when I go back home.

I found out a lot about Moshin and his life.

I found out a lot about... a lot more about India.

I think we did connect.

I mean, we've added each other on Facebook,

so when I get back, I'm definitely going to keep in contact with him.

I think when I go back to England,

I'm going to be a completely different guy.

I'm going to be a changed man. I'm already changed.

It's the sixth year anniversary of my mum passing away,

so it's a very tough day for me.

I'm 22 years old now. It doesn't get any easier.

I mean, I had a good cry last night, and I had a good cry this morning.

Jack, Elisa and Arsa have failed both of Moshin's tasks,

so we're upping the ante.

We're sending them to a different area

to learn from the very best in the business.

This slum is cleaner than most in Mumbai, but it still has

an open sewer running through the heart of the community.

Absolutely everything is dumped in here.

Used household water, litter and the human waste of everyone who lives here.

But, although it doesn't look like much compared to British standards,

many of India's most entrepreneurial people start in places like this.

Uncle is the wealthiest man in the area and the most respected.

He's been a plumber for over 30 years and his son, Ravi,

has recently taken over the family business.

Ravi's also now the new boss of our three trainee plumbers.

Being a successful slum plumber here boils down to just one thing -

hard physical work.

So can our three succeed in a place like this?

It's very narrow, isn't it, like?

Two people, isn't it, Jack?

If you and me stood side to side I think no-one else

would probably walk through.

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm stuck at the back.

You want to go in front?

No, I'm all right.

Well, stop moaning then.

I saw a dead dog over there.

-Seriously?

-Or a sheep or something, yeah.

OK, right. We saw its body but we didn't see its head.

I'm not going to lie to you, if my clothes dropped in there, there's...

-They'd be staying.

-..no way I'm going in there.

They're staying directly where they are.

Look, it looks like everything's

just dumped into the river.

Yes, pretty much. In England, you would get fined for that.

The plumbing looks a lot more sophisticated than the last place we was in.

Yeah. I think they did a lot of, like, do-it-yourself type of work.

For the next 24 hours, this is where they're going to call home.

In the gutter?

Would they have some boots or something, some wellies?

My chest, ow!

Arsa's about to experience life in the gutter.

Come, come!

All right, got it!

Yeah, he literally has to stand in human excrement.

Oh, ugh... In the what? Oh, hell, no!

I can't put my feet in that water!

That's not legal!

Ugh.

Oh, let's go.

Jack, sewer! I'm joking.

Right, what are we doing?

Got to make a hole.

Make a hole? Ah, oh, just ram it in there? OK.

That's obviously...

The other end.

What? Oh.

Go on, use your strength!

Oh!

Yeah, actually, I definitely need you to do that.

Arsa has to break through the wall on this side, while Jack and Elisa

dig a hole to lay the waste pipe in the ground on the other.

As slum plumbers, the faster they work,

the more jobs they complete, the more money they earn.

Until I burst through the whole thing?

Forget hi-tech machinery - this is as basic as it gets.

It's not lost on Arsa that an electric drill would go through this in minutes.

Yeah.

That one's shaking.

It's kind of big, though.

Woo!

Right, um...

And so far, they're not impressing the boss.

He's used to it.

These ones?

Shall I jump over?

I can't even jump over this, but still... Huh!

Now, here I am!

Here, let me swap places with you.

OK.

Use your strength and hurry up? Wow.

Now I know what manual labour is.

This is the practical, hands-on experience

they don't get at college.

Arsa, I would be careful, because you're on the...

No, no, no, honestly, yeah, if you come from where I'm looking, it's just one rock.

Why are builders shit?

This is working in a river that I don't want to be in,

but it's all for the experience, so why not?

In college, we'll not have to break down any walls

or anything like that, we just simply stick a pipe on a wall,

connect it all to the white mains and you're laughing.

Yo!

Stop pushing it, would you?

I'm not, I'm not.

You are, I can see you, I'm not blind.

Stop pushing it!

I'm not doing nothing!

You are, I can see you!

-Ah!

-All right.

That man just told me to stop talking.

Communication is key, though.

Oh, my God! Got it.

-Oh, thanks.

-Ah!

Finally!

I've ripped my trousers. Oh!

It's not that bad, it's not that bad.

Are you kidding me? You can see straight through.

Like, I've never seen a plumber stand there with a big spear

metal thing and have to dig through rock.

I've never seen that one.

Despite all the moaning,

they are learning important tricks of the trade.

That's hard, flames are...

Hold it!

He's heating up the plastic

and putting another pipe of plastic inside to stretch it out,

and then hopefully, obviously, when it dries it will be a bigger shape.

This is not what I've learned to do.

It's already made in England, but here you actually have to make it.

But at least I know how to make it when I go back, I guess.

Is it hot?

Yeah, it's burning my fingers.

Hello!

Light is fading fast, and they still need to connect the pipe

to the house waste before it's too dark to work.

Wait, wait, wait! Arsa, stop, it won't...

What did he say? Oh, shit, can I jump over now?

I'm all right, I'm all right. Ugh!

My eyes is burning, my arm is aching,

my fingers feel like they been through hell. Oh, Lord!

All they need to do is fill in around the pipe,

but Arsa is getting tired.

That's nasty. I refuse to do that again.

Have to pay me!

No, no, no.

Uh?

What?

I'm having five minutes' break. I haven't had a break.

My foot's hurting, my back's hurting, and I'm a wreck.

Oh, damn! I need a drink.

I have never seen someone have to jump over a wall that many times

with a big poky metal long rod, busting through a wall.

In England, we got drills for that.

And that, for me right there, is effort.

Hallelujah!

-Are we done?

-Done.

Done, done.

Oh, thank God. Ravi, the boss...

I just thought he was so bossy,

and, like, bossy is fine as long as you're nice about it,

but he was like telling you what to do with a massive grin

on his face like, I own you, and I was like, mate, you don't own me.

I've seen people throw things out the door.

This is where the waste goes, isn't it?

I actually saw poo, like, flying past me when I was in this water.

Like, it's disgusting,

seeing a dog or dead sheep down the road, like, in the same river.

Honestly, the plumbing in England is completely different,

so if I can do it here, I can do it at home.

After failing their first two jobs,

they finally completed one successfully.

But life in the slums isn't all about work,

as our three plumbers are going to find out.

And as night falls, the place comes to life.

And Jack, Elisa and Arsa make their way to Ravi's house,

who has kindly invited them to dinner.

Ravi lives with his wife, parents and nine other family members.

It's a very traditional household, and if Elisa was a part of it,

she'd be doing the cooking, not the plumbing.

Uncle returns home to get an update from the boys.

Your son was like a ruthless dictator,

like, he said, I want it like this, not like that,

just pinpoint everything was... have to be like this, precise.

Oh, yeah, and he's always saying faster,

he's always going faster, faster.

Oh, damn!

So we was too slow, way too slow.

-Way.

-Way too slow. What actually makes a successful plumber in India?

So would Uncle consider employing

the first ever female plumber in India?

So would he even employ me?

Oh, OK.

But would you still pay her

the same amount as you'd pay the people doing the work?

That's OK.

So you've got it easy, you!

Finally, it's time to eat, and Elisa is allowed to stay

with the men because she's a guest.

Otherwise, she'd have to wait until they'd all been served.

Very tasty!

I really like that poppadum, I like that.

I learned a lot today. I learned a lot in perseverance.

I learned a lot in hard work.

I, like, sweat, like, proper breaking out in cold sweat,

like working hard.

I've learned that one, women sadly can't really be plumbers here

unless they're extremely strong.

Tonight, they're sleeping in the slum for the first time,

and the brutal day has taken its toll on Jack.

I don't know what's wrong with Jack.

I don't know if it's the heat.

I don't know if it's that, like,

plus the hard work on top of the heat.

Hopefully, he's fine, but I think it's all getting to him

and, like, obviously he's in India.

It's six o'clock in the morning, and Elisa's already up.

We had to sleep on the thinnest little mattress,

and my body feels all bruised.

It was horrible.

The only good thing was I was separated from the boys,

so I thank God for that.

Oh, having a sleep like that and then having to work all day...

It's how you have to be physically strong

and mentally, like, really strong, it'd be so hard, just so hard.

I've got that many blisters on my hand,

I don't know how I'm going to be able to work as hard as yesterday,

because my hands are just... my hands are going to really hurt.

I feel like...it begins with "F",

ends in "D", I'm not allowed to say it on TV, and that rhymes. Sweet!

They're all knackered, but Uncle doesn't care and drags them

around some local businesses.

There are hundreds of little factories here,

turning out everything you could possibly need.

This one solely makes a very popular Indian snack.

Sweaty, gets very sweaty and hot.

I've noticed most of these workers are women,

so it's all right for a woman to work in a factory?

I don't think Elisa likes him. She said he's so sexist.

It's not him that's sexist, it's just the culture, isn't it?

Yeah, it is sexist, cos remember, the women don't really do shit.

The women can't really make as much money as the men.

So the women can't be as independent as the men.

I'm sure they can't be getting much money for this.

They have to stop saying that!

Look, he's a dictator as well!

Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there, I'm getting there.

Do you know what,

I prefer to be, like, helping break down a wall than this.

I really don't like this.

They underestimate women, they really do.

Do you know what, he should come to England and then I'll show him.

It's a new day, a different slum, and, like everywhere in Mumbai,

people are making money to survive.

Here, at the largest open air hand laundry in the world, generations

of men have been supporting their families by beating...

..cleaning...

..drying...

..and pressing clothes from nearby hotels

for up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

There's a man in his underwear here.

That's what I'm saying, the guy is having a bath.

I don't think he's having a bath.

So have our lot taken on board Uncle's advice

that the first secret to success is to work hard?

The local plumber Prarsan is going to see just what they're made of.

OK.

Oh, love it. All right, come, let's go.

Cheers. What is the job?

-What?

-What, that's the boy's job?

But why can't I do the boy's job?

-Why can't she do the boy's job?

-Why?

What, to wash clothes?

I don't wash clothes, man. I don't wash clothes.

I really don't. I don't even do it at my house.

So, Elisa's angry she can't do it, Arsa's angry because he has

to do it, but thank God for Jack, who dives in with no moaning at all.

But he's maybe just a little bit over-enthusiastic.

Want me to do it?

Well, you said it's a test of strength, so you said put all my strength into it, so...

You can go through.

Yeah, yeah, I've got it, I've got it.

Flipping hell, this is deep!

I'm five foot three, I nearly drowned here, man.

Yeah, I'm six foot three, though.

I don't want do this!

Just get it done. It's not that hard.

Doing the laundry is something Arsa always leaves to his mum.

No, that's not legal. That should be illegal.

That's not legal!!

One, two. One, two, three. I don't want to do this.

The boys complete the test, but it's time for yet another moan.

I'm pissed off.

I'm pissed off.

I'm pissed off. I am not used to washing clothes.

Give me something to lift up heavy to prove my strength,

not to wash a bag of clothes.

I just find that a waste of time.

I don't mean to moan, but it's just a waste of time,

and if I can't use the washing machine at my house,

I've never decided to learn how to use it.

If I told my mum, "Mum, how do you use it?"

she would tell me,

and I would know how to do it and I'd wash my own clothes, no problem.

I've never decided to ask.

It's not that I can't, it's just I haven't decided to, so my mum will do it for me.

It's their last day in Mumbai, so after more failures than successes,

have they learnt enough skills to call themselves slum plumbers?

This huge washing machine needs vital repairs, and instead of

calling in the professionals, the laundry boss has agreed to

let our lot have a go at mending it.

Argh!

Yeah, man! I secretly like you.

All right, cool. Let's get cracking.

OK. We'll give it a go.

Let's see how it goes.

No problemo in the middle of the darko.

It's a big, complicated job.

They'll have to think it all through carefully

and pull together as a team.

He just said in the morning, like it has to be done for the morning,

so I'm guessing it's quite a big deal.

The livelihoods of the washer men are at risk if they don't finish

the job and the local slum plumbers will have to save the day again.

The last wash has finished,

so it's time to find out what they're made of.

47.

Throughout the job they'll each have a local plumber watching over them.

Two millimetres too short.

Get away with that, we'll get away with that.

Now we've got to cut the old pipe, remove the old pipe,

and prepare for the new one to go in.

-OK.

-Perfect.

The boys have come up with a plan, leaving Elisa...well, on her own.

I think we've actually got left with the hardest job, surprisingly,

because we basically have to cut the pipe and thread the pipe

and get it ready for them to just put it together,

and I'm quite shocked that they've just literally left me to do it.

Sweet! Step one done.

They're also working in 70 degree heat.

-88, right?

-88.

Yeah, 88, right. That looks like 88.

88, you know.

Oh, so that measures 88.

Yeah, man, sweet.

Well, we measured it, so we've just got to cut it now,

and then get it ready to be able to get threaded.

One thing they have learnt is accuracy is essential.

Six and what? Six and four is ten.

34, 34.

36.

Oh, right, I was going to say that, 36.

It's very important to cut perfectly or, like, to cut the right size.

You don't want to do it again.

It's always better to have it a little bit too long

than too short, because if you have it too short, you've got to do it again.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

I'm getting accustomed to not having all the tools to do

the right thing, so I have to improvise, so I'm getting used to it.

Arsa and Jack work together and they always leave me out.

So yeah, as you can see,

I end up just working alone or with the men, but I don't mind.

Arsa's still there, though. He takes ages.

You just said, yeah, that we leave you out.

Mm, let's go talk...

You're giving me high blood pressure, seriously.

If I was going to get high blood pressure

it's definitely from you, definitely from you.

Oh, chatting rubbish, mate.

Shut up, yo, be good.

Ay, yo, listen, listen, listen, mind the pipe near my nuts.

Yeah, well, do you know what? Be nice to me.

We is nice to you.

You've got one long pipe!

Come on, Alicia!

Arsa, help us, please.

So that will hold up for...

I think, yeah, this is the first pipe going in, definitely.

Despite their unique working practice, they've somehow

managed to get ahead of schedule.

Well, you're so tall, Arsa.

I know, it's such a good thing, isn't it?

Yeah, I think that's the only thing you...

Shut up!

A little bit.

The biggest fitting, I want one more turn.

Oh, now, wait, wait, wait!

-What?

-A little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more,

a little bit, a little bit.

Stop!

-Jacky boy?

-Yeah?

I'm just fitting this onto this part.

Ah.

Keep going.

We're doing good. We're getting it done.

Keep going.

We're going to finish this before, way before. Ah!

It's nearly midnight, still hot,

but, surprisingly, it's all coming together.

Apparently, I think we're...

we might be done, but they're

going to get the boss in to inspect our work and basically to see if

the pipes are decent enough for the water to go through and everything.

The manager of the laundry must personally inspect their work,

as his livelihood depends on this machine working.

I'm proud of that, what we've done.

They were trying to make it seem like it was going to be eight hours.

We did that in, like, at least an hour and a bit.

It took us about three hours.

-Maybe took three hours.

-Yeah, but he has to put the water...

After checking the pipes, he turns on the supply of water.

But nothing comes out.

More checks are made, and still nothing.

It's not coming through.

I'm feeling a little bit worried at the moment

because the water doesn't seem to be coming through.

I don't really know why.

I'm just hoping it's not something that we've done.

We're just going to have to wait and see.

OK, it's working.

Finally, they get the news they've been waiting for.

Woo-woo!

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

If you're happy, I'm happy.

OK!

Thank you.

Come here, you two!

I don't hug, actually.

Go on!

So I'm pretty happy we didn't mess this one up,

cos that's effort to do that again, effort.

Our three trainee plumbers have been in Mumbai for ten days.

At times, it's been tough...

Well, that could have gone better.

Oh, damn! Oh, damn!

This is stressful!

..disappointing...

Actually, it looks like it's leaking from here.

-Oh, shit! It's leaking.

-Has it snapped?

-Yeah.

Oh, shit!

..and challenging.

Well, you said it's a strength

so you said put all my strength into it, so...

It was a good experience, wasn't it?

-Pretty good.

-Enjoyed it.

They've been back in the UK for nearly two months,

but has their time in the slums actually changed their lives?

My time in India was probably the most life-changing,

eye-opening experience of my life.

I've noticed since I've come back I'm a lot more positive thinker.

I think it's because of Moshin, because of how hard he works

for so little, it inspired me a lot

for wanting to come back home and do something with my life,

and just get a job, and hopefully now that I've got that

experience that I've had in India, hopefully, touch wood, I'll get it.

I've learnt to come out of my shell and become more confident.

I've actually started revising, which I never do.

I never, I just think, oh, you know, I'll pass it.

But it's made me revise and go, do you know what?

I actually really want this.

Like, just for myself and not for anyone else,

like, not for my dad any more, it's just for myself.

I learnt a lot about myself.

I learnt a lot about education of myself.

He knows now that to achieve his goal in life,

whatever he wants to do, that he has to put hard work into it.

I was messing about for so long that now it's like a race, isn't it?

It's like a race to get to the top, but I want to get to the top

and be the best I can be in anything I do.

Arsa's gone to India a boy and he's returned a man.

I couldn't be happier.