0:00:02 > 0:00:05'The Tropic of Cancer marks the northern border of the tropics,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10'the most beautiful, brilliant, and blighted region of the world.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'My previous tropical adventures have already taken me
0:00:13 > 0:00:16'around the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'but this journey will be my toughest yet.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25'I'm following the Tropic of Cancer through Mexico, the Caribbean,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27'North Africa, India
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'and on through Asia to finish in Hawaii.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36'It's 23,000 miles across deserts, rivers, and mountains.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40'I encounter extraordinary people,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44'forgotten conflicts and some of the most stunning landscapes on our planet.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48'This fourth leg of my journey will take me across northern India.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54'I'm travelling almost 1,500 miles
0:00:54 > 0:00:56'across rarely visited areas of this vast country.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'It's a land of deep religious faiths...
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'...but also violent political insurgency.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08'I experience the chaos of India's teeming cities.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15'I take a dip with a national treasure.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Aaaargh!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'And of course, I sample a few local delicacies.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23- So I've got to suck out the eye? - Yeah.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I've arrived on the west coast of India,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46and I'm starting another leg of my journey around the Tropic of Cancer.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I've never been to India before, I'm hugely excited about being here,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and one thing's already becoming clear to me - in a country this size,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56with a population of more than a billion people,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58it's going to be an exciting journey.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Just looking at the dark clouds up there.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10We've arrived in India just as the monsoon rains are about to break.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Haven't yet, but any day now.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23'The Tropic of Cancer hits India in the northwestern state of Gujarat.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28'I headed inland with my local guide, Amit Vachharajani.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:30We're on the road, racing to catch a train
0:02:30 > 0:02:35that hopefully is going to take us into one of India's two deserts.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41Only problem is, we're running quite late and we haven't got any tickets.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50'We arrived at the station just as the train was due to depart.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55HE SPEAKS IN DIALECT
0:02:58 > 0:02:59Thank you very much!
0:03:00 > 0:03:06ANNOUNCEMENT OVER TANNOY
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Thank you.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15'We'd made it with seconds to spare.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21'Like everything in India, the national rail network can be a little crowded.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'Each year it carries more than six billion passengers,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'roughly equivalent to the population of the entire world.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:32So, Amit, we're heading towards the Little Rann now.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34What exactly is the Little Rann?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Rann is the word for "desert" in India.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It's not like a sandy desert, like in Africa.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43It's a dry, marshy land, which once used to be green
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and it's now very hard and marshy.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- But the monsoon is expected... - Any day now.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53And how is that going to affect us on our journey across the north of India?
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Traffic jams, waterlogging, floods.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Have you brought your umbrella? - Yes.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- You have?- Yeah, yeah.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Don't travel without one.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- At this time of year?- Yeah.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13'The Rann of Kutch is a salty clay desert right on the Tropic of Cancer.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16'Covering 10,000 square miles, it's a threatened wilderness.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23'We were hoping to make it to the Rann and see some of its unique wildlife...
0:04:25 > 0:04:31'...before monsoon rains transform the whole area into a vast muddy swamp.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46'We stopped on the edge of the desert
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'to meet the Maliks, who were once the local royal family
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'and the rulers of this area until just a few decades ago.'
0:04:52 > 0:04:54ENGINE STARTS
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Ah!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01'Dhanraj Malik now manages his family's land
0:05:01 > 0:05:03'and has become a passionate conservationist.'
0:05:10 > 0:05:14So we're heading out to explore with Dhanraj here.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Dhanraj, who is a local... What would you...?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18You look like a desert warrior.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- Desert warrior! - But an ecowarrior as well.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Yes.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27'We'd come here hoping to see one of the rarest creatures in the world -
0:05:27 > 0:05:32'the Indian wild ass, close relative of the horse.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'They're a gravely endangered animal
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'and this desert is home to the last viable population.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'They're shy creatures and well camouflaged,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43'but a practised eye can spot them.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- Asses? - Yes, yes. No, not these.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Further down.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Oh, my goodness! Right, yes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56So they're about 500 metres away, in the distance,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00so we'll see if we can creep up on them and get a little bit closer.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19(So they're only about 25... 25 metres in front of us.)
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'It was a privilege to be so close to such a rare and beautiful creature.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28'They've never been domesticated and they don't thrive in captivity,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'so there are none in any zoos.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36'The small herds in this desert are the last hope for the survival of this animal.'
0:06:36 > 0:06:42If you see, there is a stallion there, on the extreme right.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46He's very, very distinguishable because you see he's become very chocolaty brown.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Stallion could have anything between, like, 20 females -
0:06:51 > 0:06:54mares, as they are known - to 80 mares.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59So... But at some times, then, he'll have a harem?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00A harem, like this one.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02This is a harem.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Last year there was a stallion that had 82 mares with him,
0:07:07 > 0:07:08but for a short time,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10for about 15, 20 days,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14and then most of the mares left and then he was left with about 30 mares.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Well, I'm sure he was still happy with that, but...!
0:07:18 > 0:07:20DHANRAJ CHUCKLES
0:07:25 > 0:07:29'But the wild ass is under attack from all sides.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31'Commercial salt farms are eating away at the desert,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'and pollution is damaging their habitat.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36'Poachers also kill them for food.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38'But at the root of the problem
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'is India's enormous and rapidly growing population.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:49TRAIN HORN BLARES
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'We were leaving the quiet of the desert and heading along the Tropic of Cancer
0:07:59 > 0:08:03'towards busy Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16'This city of more than five million people is where Mahatma Gandhi
0:08:16 > 0:08:22'led his campaign against the British, resulting in independence in 1947.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30'For most of the following half century, India's economy stagnated
0:08:30 > 0:08:33'and its giant population was locked in poverty.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37'But in the last 20 years, things have started to change.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'The economy's taken off, and across India,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44'there's been an explosion of consumer culture.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'Yet despite images of booming India,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52'hundreds of millions here still live in abject poverty.'
0:08:57 > 0:09:03So we're now on a bridge in the middle of busy Ahmedabad,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and just down here, this...
0:09:05 > 0:09:11I mean, this strikes me as the contradictions of modern India.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15You've got people living in a proper slum, really,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and then just over here, you've got a fairly fancy hotel.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I don't know how you square these two,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26because this is a country with a space programme,
0:09:26 > 0:09:32and yet you've still got so many people living in extreme poverty.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36I wonder what... I wonder what Gandhi would make of it?
0:09:36 > 0:09:41He would like that everybody had the same levels of progress, but this is how...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43The extremities are too much.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46There's too much disparity of wealth.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It's just starting to rain now.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Not too heavily yet, but do you think this is it?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Do you think this is the start of the monsoon?
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Yes, yes, yes.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04So it begins now. The downpour begins!
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Just wait!
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Uh-oh... - Oh, dear, and at the same time
0:10:08 > 0:10:11there's just been a crash on the other side of the road.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Two people have come off their motorcycles. Honestly, I'm...
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- TYRES SCREECH - Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
0:10:18 > 0:10:19Oh, my God!
0:10:22 > 0:10:24What the hell?
0:10:26 > 0:10:28This is absolute chaos.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I've never seen anything like that.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It's like the rain arrives...
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Bizarrest sight I've seen in my life.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It doesn't look as though people have been badly injured.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48They've come off their bikes but they were travelling at a fairly slow speed.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55This is such a frenetic city that life just goes on.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'The monsoon hadn't yet started in earnest,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08'and the next day, we took a local taxi to explore a bit more of the city.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'Gandhi's vision for India was based on tolerance,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15'but since independence,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19'India has been wracked by religious conflict and violence,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22'particularly between Hindus and India's 160 million Muslims.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27'Gandhi's home city has not been spared, even in the last few years.'
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Can you explain to us what happened here in 2002, I think it was?
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Not very far from here, there was a train going with a lot of Hindu pilgrims,
0:11:36 > 0:11:42and a compartment was set on fire, allegedly by a group of Muslim people,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44and as a form of revenge,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47there were attacks on all the Muslims in Ahmedabad.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51A lot of people got killed - arson, rape, murders. It was horrible here.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56'In rioting and horrific massacres that followed the train fire,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'more than 1,000 people - mostly Muslims - were killed,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02'and up to 200,000 were made homeless.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10'Not surprisingly, there's still tension between the Hindu majority
0:12:10 > 0:12:12'and the Muslim minority in Ahmedabad.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16'But there are also organisations working to build bridges
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'between the communities and prevent further violence.'
0:12:20 > 0:12:23So, Amit, where have you brought us to now?
0:12:23 > 0:12:27We're going to the office of SEWA, that's the organisation
0:12:27 > 0:12:30which is doing a lot of work for communal harmony in this area.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33OK. Bringing the communities together?
0:12:35 > 0:12:37'SEWA is a national women's rights organisation.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41'It runs courses here to bring children from the two communities together.'
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Welcome. Hello. Salaam alaikum.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47CHILDREN OFFER GREETING
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Aw, hello, everybody! So what's happening?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Drawing competition, OK!
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'Many of these children had parents who were killed during the riots.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02'Ten-year-old Arbaz Bani, on the left here, lost his father, a rickshaw driver.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07'He's become quiet, withdrawn, and suffers from nightmares and insomnia.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Hello, sir.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Hello, sir.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17You have to hold your hand out and I have to go...like that, and then you go...
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Yay!
0:13:21 > 0:13:25'Manali Shah is one of the senior organisers of SEWA in Ahmedabad.'
0:13:27 > 0:13:30So Manali, what's the purpose of getting the children here
0:13:30 > 0:13:32together for the... for the art class?
0:13:32 > 0:13:37We don't want to isolate them in the society,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39so this is the peace centre
0:13:39 > 0:13:44where all the children come, from different community,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49they sit together, they learn, they laugh, they enjoy,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53they do this type of paintings and they come out from this trauma.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Do you really think that's possible?
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Do you think you can draw them out from the trauma that they're living in?
0:13:59 > 0:14:05Yes, yes, this is our... This is our experience, so yeah.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Look at this!
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- What are you drawing? - Elephant!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Elephant! It's very good, sir.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Very well done.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19And Arbaz, you've drawn... That's a beautiful house.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Very impressive. Well done!
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'Arbaz is still traumatised by his father's violent death,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'and despite the efforts of organisations like SEWA,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35'tensions between the different religious groups remain a major problem in India.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:43So we're just leaving the city of Ahmedabad now, and we're heading east.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45We're leaving the state of Gujarat, actually,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and we're going to...
0:14:48 > 0:14:50The next place we're going to is Madhya Pradesh,
0:14:50 > 0:14:56and we're aiming for a city... a Hindu holy city called Ujjain.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03'It was a drive of about 200 miles from Ahmedabad,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'through India's rural heartland, to Ujjain,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'which lies right on the Tropic of Cancer.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20'Throughout the state,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23'farmers were busy preparing for the arrival of the monsoon rains.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26'Nearly three-quarters of India's population
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'is entirely dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32'Despite its recent economic boom,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35'I was surprised that India still has little in the way
0:15:35 > 0:15:39'of modern infrastructure, like irrigation projects.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43'Most farmers are totally reliant on the seasonal rains.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47'If the monsoon is even a few days late, the effects can be disastrous.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53'And the monsoon was running late,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55'but at least it was raining in fits and starts.'
0:15:55 > 0:15:58The farmers here will be relieved.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00HE CHUCKLES
0:16:00 > 0:16:04We don't really think twice about it in Britain, do we?
0:16:05 > 0:16:10But when you live in a dry, parched land, every drop matters.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24'Most Indians are Hindus, and this is one of their seven holiest cities.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29'Ujjain draws pilgrims from across the country,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33'a reminder of how fundamental religion is to Indian life.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40'My guide on this leg of the journey was Tania Sohal.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:45You know, there's a saying about Ujjain -
0:16:45 > 0:16:50if you're carrying a sack of rice, and even if you give one rice at each temple,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52you'll still fall short of the amount of rice to give,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54because there's just so much here,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58I mean, there's just so many places of worship and so many shrines, and it's...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- So many temples in this town? - Yeah.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03We're heading towards the Mahakal temple,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07which is one of the most, er, hugest, largest,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10most important temples of Ujjain.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Mahakal is basically another manifestation of Shiva...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- Shiva? OK. - Yeah, Lord of Destruction.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- So, one of the several Hindu gods. - Yeah, one of the...
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- But one of the main... - Yeah, one of the main.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25He is like one of the main among the trinity.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Wow.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37What an... What an... What a haven.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's beautiful.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42What a fantastic place.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Is that where we're going?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Yeah, that's where we're going to be going.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50There's a general air of expectation
0:17:50 > 0:17:55and we think we're going to be allowed into the holiest area,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58closest to the...to the deity,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02that's at the front of the temple.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10BELL RINGING
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Tania, what is it that's being venerated, do you know?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19That's the Shivalingam.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Among the 12 most sacred lingams.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25There's lingams everywhere, but this is among the 12 most sacred ones.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27OK.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33'The origin and symbolic meaning of the lingam is a matter of debate,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'but it's central to Hindu worship.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45'There are nearly a billion Hindus in India alone,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'making Hinduism the world's third-largest religion.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51'And in India, at least,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55'Hinduism has become one of the most powerful political forces.'
0:19:21 > 0:19:24In the last couple of decades, there's been a rise in, um,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Hindu nationalism, really,
0:19:27 > 0:19:33and generally it's been quite harmless, but there's a dark side to it as well.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40'I wanted to meet members of one of the most powerful
0:19:40 > 0:19:44'and secretive Hindu nationalist organisations - the RSS.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51'They might look harmless enough,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'even a bit like Boy Scouts in their baggy shorts,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56'but the RSS has been notorious
0:19:56 > 0:19:59'since a former member assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:04THEY SING
0:20:12 > 0:20:17'Since Gandhi's murder, the RSS has been accused of involvement
0:20:17 > 0:20:19'in some of the bloodiest religious violence to afflict India,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22'though its leaders deny this.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26'Currently thought to have anything up to ten million members,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29'it's one of the largest organisations in the world,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32'with increasing influence and power across India.'
0:20:57 > 0:20:59WHISTLE BLOWS
0:21:03 > 0:21:07'RSS leaders only allowed us to film part of the meeting,
0:21:07 > 0:21:12'but seeing religious nationalism combined with paramilitary-style organisation
0:21:12 > 0:21:14'left me feeling uneasy
0:21:14 > 0:21:18'about future relations between India's different religions.'
0:21:20 > 0:21:21After you.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Following the Tropic of Cancer east from Ujjain,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34'Tania and I made our way towards a place
0:21:34 > 0:21:37'that was etched into my memory when I was young -
0:21:37 > 0:21:38'the city of Bhopal.'
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Sorry.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41OK.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46So we're just rolling out of the station now.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It's 12 minutes past two, we're bang on...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- bang on schedule, very impressive. - I know, miracles do happen!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59TRAIN HORN BLARES
0:22:07 > 0:22:09'For me, like most people,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14'this place will be forever associated with just one terrible event.'
0:22:17 > 0:22:21So we're just driving through the very congested and polluted streets of Bhopal.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25We're on our way to the factory, the pesticide factory,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30that was the scene of one of the world's worst industrial accidents.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31HORN BLARES
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'In December 1984, I vividly remember hearing the dreadful news
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'that a cloud of poisonous gas had leaked from a factory here,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47'blanketing this city and killing between four and ten thousand people.'
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Yeah, this is the factory right here.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'Union Carbide, the American owners of the factory,
0:22:54 > 0:22:55'were blamed for the disaster,
0:22:55 > 0:23:01'and Indian courts ordered the firm to pay compensation.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03'The amount was a fraction of what they'd have paid
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'if the victims had been Americans.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11'The company has since been bought by another US firm, Dow Chemicals.'
0:23:11 > 0:23:13My God, look at this.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'I was amazed to discover that the factory is still largely intact
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'and the site has never been properly cleaned up.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33'Tota Ram Chauhan used to work at the factory,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38'but he now campaigns on behalf of the victims of the disaster.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'He told me that, even before the gas leak,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45'toxic waste used to be routinely dumped in the factory grounds.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:51You say this is where they dumped a lot of the waste.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Is it still... Is it still hazardous, is it still dangerous today?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Yes, yes. Still it is highly dangerous for our underground water.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03For the underground water supply of the people in the area?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- Of this area. - Oh, my God.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09There's... There's goats grazing here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21This is where about 93% of benzene hexachloride...
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- It's what, sorry? - Benzene hexachloride, like DDT.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- DDT?- Yeah, like DDT.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30You got the smell?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33You can actually smell a chemic...
0:24:33 > 0:24:37the chemical smell leaching off what appears to be rock,
0:24:37 > 0:24:38what appears to be rocky ground.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Oh, God, it's really... It's actually really strong. Can you smell it?
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Yeah, I can. Extraordinary. SIMON COUGHS
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- IN TRANSLATION:- You see those houses over there?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53This is their back yard. It's all contaminated.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58When it rains, these pools overflow and all the water gets contaminated.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- SIMON:- So you're saying that the toxic waste has seeped...
0:25:02 > 0:25:06into the ground here, it's seeped into the ground water?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14'Several studies have found high levels of mercury
0:25:14 > 0:25:17'and other toxic substances in the ground water here,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20'which is the main source of drinking water for local people.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23'As a result, toxins have worked their way into people's bodies,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27'and even been found in the breast milk of local mothers.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32'More than 25 years after the Bhopal gas leak,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34'this is still a disaster area.'
0:25:38 > 0:25:42I mean, one thing that does really surprise me about the site here
0:25:42 > 0:25:49is just how close people are living to the contaminated area,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52the proximity of the... the slum, basically.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I mean, you can see the kids behind us here.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59For them, this is their... this is their local park.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08'There's a well-trodden path from the contaminated site into the slum.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:12So we've been told about a, um...
0:26:12 > 0:26:16a young...well, teenage girl around here
0:26:16 > 0:26:22who's become quite an active campaigner on behalf of the people who live here.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24We're just trying to find out where she is.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30'The sad reality is that people here are still suffering.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33'Campaigners believe the contamination of the water supply
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'has created a whole new second generation of victims.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- And this is where Sarita lives. - Just here?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Yeah. Hello!
0:26:43 > 0:26:47THEY SPEAK IN DIALECT
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Hi, Sarita. Hi. Namaste. Simon.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51- Simon, this is Sarita. - Lovely to meet you.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Hello. - Hello, hello.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54Nice to meet you.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'Sarita Malviya, who is just 16,
0:26:56 > 0:27:01'wasn't even born at the time of the original Bhopal disaster.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'But now she travels the world,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07'campaigning on behalf of the new victims of Bhopal.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:10How did you come to be... How did your family come to be living here?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14SPEAKS IN DIALECT
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- IN TRANSLATION: - My family weren't directly affected by the Bhopal disaster.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21We only moved here eight years ago.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27When we came here,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30we weren't aware that the water had been polluted by Union Carbide.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Within a year, we realised that people here had all sorts of illnesses -
0:27:39 > 0:27:43headaches and nausea, irritation of the skin and eyes.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And there were children being born with all sorts of deformities,
0:27:54 > 0:27:59with their fingers stuck together, with harelips and completely bald.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05So I wondered why all this was happening here
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and not where we used to live.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14What do you want the Indian government to do? What do you want to happen?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21What I want is for the government
0:28:21 > 0:28:24to bring the companies who are responsible for this to justice.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Union Carbide and Dow Chemicals
0:28:31 > 0:28:35must be forced to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38for the sake of future generations in Bhopal.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46'Union Carbide says it found no evidence of ground-water pollution
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'when the site was handed over to the Indian state in 1998,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53'and that it now has no responsibility for what happens here.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'But it's incredible that, 25 years since the disaster,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00'neither the chemical firms nor the Indian government have cleaned up this site
0:29:00 > 0:29:02'to protect future generations.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12'The monsoon still hadn't arrived,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16'and Bhopal's main lake had shrunk to a quarter of its normal size.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22'But the next morning, the monsoon clouds were gathering in earnest.'
0:29:36 > 0:29:38Guess what.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40It's the monsoon!
0:29:44 > 0:29:49It's like somebody's up there pouring buckets of water over the soil.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59'The rain poured down, but only for a few hours.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01'We set off from Bhopal,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05'out into some of the most beautiful countryside in India.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08'This state, Madhya Pradesh, is home to the forest
0:30:08 > 0:30:11'where Rudyard Kipling set The Jungle Book.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14'To enter the world of Mowgli and Shere Khan,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16'we headed for Satpura National Park.'
0:30:30 > 0:30:31It's a beautiful morning.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36'Tania and I were up at dawn the next day, the best time to see wildlife
0:30:36 > 0:30:40'before the heat builds up and the animals retreat into the shade of the forest.'
0:30:40 > 0:30:41- Morning.- Good morning.
0:30:41 > 0:30:47This is Aditya, who'll be taking us into the, er... into the national park.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- Welcome to Satpura. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02'The Tawa River forms a natural border around the park...
0:31:06 > 0:31:08'..where our forest transport was waiting for us.'
0:31:08 > 0:31:13- Have you ridden on elephants before? - Yes. Long time ago, though.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Long, long time ago? - Long, long time ago.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18- Morning.- Hello.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Look at you.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23You're amazing.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Can't quite believe we're going to get to do this.
0:31:27 > 0:31:28So we go up here, I think.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35'Travelling on an elephant offers the best chance of spotting wildlife in the park.'
0:31:35 > 0:31:39- Yeah.- OK. Here we go.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'Out here in this 200-square-mile park
0:31:49 > 0:31:55'are tigers, leopards, four-horned antelope and wild boar.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59'But I was content just to be carried around by the real king of the jungle.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14'Just 20 minutes out of the camp, we spotted something moving among the trees.'
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- What's that over there, Aditya? - Those are sambas,
0:32:17 > 0:32:24the biggest deers in this country and tigers' favourite food.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30(So there could be a tiger lurking around,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32(ready to...ready to snaffle one?
0:32:32 > 0:32:35(That would be... That will be our luck.)
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Such thick forest gives to tiger an opportunity to come close
0:32:39 > 0:32:43but it is not actually very easy for it to...
0:32:43 > 0:32:45for the tiger to rush through and...
0:32:47 > 0:32:49'The Bengal tiger has traditionally been
0:32:49 > 0:32:52'the major wildlife draw for tourists in India,
0:32:52 > 0:32:56'but they've become increasingly difficult to spot,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59'and during our time searching in the park, we didn't even get a fleeting glimpse.'
0:32:59 > 0:33:02We're speeding up a bit now.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05'After carrying us around on her back on a fruitless tiger hunt,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08'it was time for Upkali the elephant to cool off.'
0:33:08 > 0:33:13God! Looks like a submarine going into the water.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Yes!
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Yeah, but you're supposed to scrub hard, by the way.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27You have to use your...
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- SIMON:- Look, you! If you want to come and teach us, you get in the water.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35OK. I'm not sure who's enjoying this most, actually.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Us or her.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I think it's probably us.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Ooooh!
0:33:52 > 0:33:53That was uncalled for.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02I think this is one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06'For me, the elephants are the real attraction here,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08'yet even these wonderful creatures
0:34:08 > 0:34:12'are now seriously endangered as their habitat shrinks.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13'As we were leaving the park,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16'Aditya spotted some telltale marks on the road.'
0:34:16 > 0:34:22So we're just driving along and Aditya spotted these pug marks here,
0:34:22 > 0:34:27which are fresh marks as a tiger has padded this way.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31The whole thing is well soaked in water, so it's...
0:34:31 > 0:34:33But it has happened in the night,
0:34:33 > 0:34:38because it had rained in the night, and so it's happened after it had rained.
0:34:38 > 0:34:43'This paw print was the closest I would get to a tiger in the wild.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45'They've become frighteningly rare.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48'A recent census revealed that India's national parks
0:34:48 > 0:34:52'had been overestimating the number of wild tigers for years.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57'There are now thought to be just 1,400 left in the entire country.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02'Tiger numbers have been decimated by relentless poaching
0:35:02 > 0:35:06'and the destruction of their habitat by India's ever-increasing human population.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10'India's now close to losing its national icon.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16'We travelled on along the Tropic from Satpura
0:35:16 > 0:35:19'to Ranchi in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24'From there, we would drive across the state border into West Bengal.'
0:35:31 > 0:35:34HORN BLARES
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Oh, they're coming up the wrong side of the road. What the hell?
0:35:43 > 0:35:44It's raining.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49And we're out dodging cars, trucks, buses and death on India's highways.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58We're heading into something called the Red Corridor,
0:35:58 > 0:36:03so-called because there's a major Maoist, or Communist, insurgency
0:36:03 > 0:36:07raging in India's central states,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11and this journey is going to take us into the heart of it.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18'To take us into what has become a dangerous area,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22'I'd arranged to meet a new local guide at a guesthouse
0:36:22 > 0:36:25'just outside the town of Lalgarh, in West Bengal.'
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Well driven, well driven.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34Let's see...if Abhra is here for us.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- Abhra?- Yeah.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- Abhra, hello! - Hello. How are you?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- Hello, very nice to meet you. - Nice meeting you...
0:36:40 > 0:36:43Thanks for coming all the way out here to see us.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45No, it's a pleasure.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49'The conflict here is little known in the outside world,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52'but there's been a recent upsurge in violence,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56'as Maoist guerrillas have fought to capture this area.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59'In response, the government has sent in thousands of soldiers
0:36:59 > 0:37:01'to try to retake control.'
0:37:04 > 0:37:07So, Abhra, what's really happening here? Is it...
0:37:07 > 0:37:12Is it a revolt, is it a rebellion, or is it some sort of civil war?
0:37:12 > 0:37:17I should give it a name as a civil war rather than calling it a revolt.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20- It's as serious as that? - Yeah, it's serious as that.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27This side of the river is under government's control
0:37:27 > 0:37:32and the other side is under the control of Maoist.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37Now government have taken control of the villages just after the bridge,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- very recently. - What, the last few days, then?
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- Yeah, by last week. - Good Lord.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48'The Maoist rebels target the police and armed forces.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53'They say they're fighting corruption on behalf of India's rural poor,
0:37:53 > 0:37:55'but they've also killed innocent civilians.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57'The Prime Minister has called them
0:37:57 > 0:38:01'the biggest threat to India's internal security.'
0:38:01 > 0:38:04So we're just coming up to a heavily armed roadblock.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12THEY SPEAK IN DIALECT
0:38:16 > 0:38:18- OK.- OK.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21'We'd arranged to meet some of the advance troops
0:38:21 > 0:38:24'who'd just moved into the area to retake it for the government.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28'Soldiers from the Border Security Force are clearing bombs,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31'mines and booby traps,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34'and opening up the roads for other troops who will follow.'
0:38:34 > 0:38:36So, those are the vests we have to wear?
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Yeah, because we are going in the front line with them.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50'We were allowed to accompany a detachment on patrol,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54'Indian soldiers ready for war in the Indian countryside.'
0:38:54 > 0:38:58From what we can tell, they've found some sort of suspicious package
0:38:58 > 0:39:01or they're suspicious of something by the side of the...of the track,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and this is one of the weapons
0:39:04 > 0:39:07that the Maoists have used against the authorities here,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09against the police and the... the army.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12They've used, basically, roadside bombs, um...
0:39:12 > 0:39:16to kill members of the security services.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19DOG BARKS
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- Abhra...- You have to stop.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32'Just days before, these men had uncovered and safely defused
0:39:32 > 0:39:34'two large roadside bombs.'
0:39:34 > 0:39:36(What's he saying?
0:39:36 > 0:39:38(He must have spotted something suspicious.)
0:39:38 > 0:39:40INDISTINCT
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Anything can go wrong at any moment.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58'It was a false alarm, but the threat can come from any direction.
0:39:58 > 0:40:04They don't know which villager is a part of Maoist troop and which is not.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07They don't know who's the fighter and who's the farmer.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08Yeah.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'With every villager a possible rebel, the police and army
0:40:13 > 0:40:16'mount constant operations to search surrounding villages,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19'creating huge resentment among locals.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27'Human rights groups have criticised the government reaction to the insurgency,
0:40:27 > 0:40:28'and identified numerous cases
0:40:28 > 0:40:31'where the police have beaten and even killed suspects.'
0:40:31 > 0:40:34I don't know if we're going to fit down there.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38'We'd been advised to visit a place called Madhapur
0:40:38 > 0:40:41'to get the view of locals caught in the middle.'
0:40:41 > 0:40:44We're certainly not going to fit down there!
0:40:46 > 0:40:49'The road runs out about a mile before the village.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57'So we walked into a world where wooden ploughs are made by hand...
0:40:59 > 0:41:01'..and I met one of the village elders.'
0:41:03 > 0:41:05I was trying to understand what's happened here.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Everybody seems to be living here now,
0:41:07 > 0:41:12but our understanding is that you all left the village for a period of time.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13What happened here?
0:41:13 > 0:41:17SPEAKS IN DIALECT
0:41:19 > 0:41:22- IN TRANSLATION:- When we saw the police coming the first time,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24we locked up our houses and ran away.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28When we heard they'd left, we came back.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31But gradually things got worse.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39The police would raid our houses in the middle of the night,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42break down the door, wake up us at 4am and ask,
0:41:42 > 0:41:47"Who's in charge?" "Who are you?" "What are you doing?"
0:41:47 > 0:41:52They would also turn our houses upside down. This is what they did.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54It scared us, so we left the village again.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00'There's no evidence anyone here is helping the Maoists.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05'But with little help from the government and harassment by the local police,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07'it's perhaps not entirely surprising
0:42:07 > 0:42:10'some villagers in this area are supporting the rebels.'
0:42:10 > 0:42:12What does the government do for you?
0:42:12 > 0:42:16Where... Where do your little ones go to school?
0:42:16 > 0:42:18Where's your... Where's your nearest health care?
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Are there any health care centres around here?
0:42:24 > 0:42:27We're not getting anything from the government.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30There are two health centres about five miles away,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33but there are no doctors there.
0:42:33 > 0:42:39There's no public water supply in our village, only private wells.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45The road is only half-built, and not by the government.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48The village council had to raise the money
0:42:48 > 0:42:50and the villagers did all the work themselves.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01'More than 600 million Indians still live in this type of rural poverty.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05'These are the people who have been left behind by India's economic boom.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08'Life here has hardly changed for centuries.'
0:43:11 > 0:43:13It's very depressing, I think, because what...
0:43:13 > 0:43:17The problems you see played out in that village
0:43:17 > 0:43:21are really the problems of India as a whole.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24You know, the state, sadly,
0:43:24 > 0:43:29does not provide so many of the basic things that people need -
0:43:29 > 0:43:34primary education, primary school education, health care and fresh water.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36They've got none of this.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50'It was time for the final leg of my Indian journey along the Tropic of Cancer...
0:43:51 > 0:43:53'..to the city of Kolkata.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58'We took India's biggest and newest road -
0:43:58 > 0:44:00'the rather grandly named Golden Quadrilateral highway.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08'Designed to push India's economy into overdrive,
0:44:08 > 0:44:13'the 3,500-mile-long dual carriageway links the country's major cities.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18'It was the first really impressive bit of government-provided infrastructure
0:44:18 > 0:44:19'I'd seen in the country.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22'But, for a motorway, it had some unusual travellers.'
0:44:24 > 0:44:27There's a bloke up ahead just strolling across the motorway,
0:44:27 > 0:44:28there's another guy on a cycle
0:44:28 > 0:44:32carrying some... maybe sacks of potatoes or something, I don't know.
0:44:32 > 0:44:38Just here there are some goats and cattle in the middle of the motorway.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44But you can see, look, people getting onto the bus here on the motorway
0:44:44 > 0:44:46and they're climbing onto the roof of it.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06'Kolkata, Abhra's home town, is one of the biggest cities in the entire tropics,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09'with a population of more than 15 million.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20- So, Abhra, we've arrived in your city.- Exactly.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22I love Kolkata.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Kolkata has a character, you'll see.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27'Under British rule,
0:45:27 > 0:45:31'this was called Calcutta, and was the capital of India.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37'For years, the city was notorious for its poverty and slums,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40'but now it feels like a place on the up.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45'Where else would Abhra take me after a long drive,
0:45:45 > 0:45:50'but to a car showroom to see a new vehicle set to transform road travel in India.'
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Here we are.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Ah! Let's hop out, go and take a look.
0:45:59 > 0:46:06I wanted to show you one of the revolutionary cars that has come up.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10It's the cheapest car of India, at the price of a motorbike,
0:46:10 > 0:46:15which is going to take the road for millions of people together.
0:46:15 > 0:46:16- Really?- Yeah.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- This is the car. - It's got a lot of interest already!
0:46:20 > 0:46:21Yeah, of course.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24So it's called a Na... It's the Nano, is that right?
0:46:24 > 0:46:25Yeah, that's the Nano.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29There's a gentleman here, he's trying it out. Let's look through the window.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33What did you think? It's good?
0:46:33 > 0:46:34- Very good.- Very good?
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Unmatched.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41'Demand for this little vehicle has been astronomical.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44'The manufacturers, Tata, actually held a lottery
0:46:44 > 0:46:47'to see which of the many eager customers
0:46:47 > 0:46:51'will be allowed to buy one of the first 100,000 cars off the production line.'
0:46:53 > 0:46:57Can I just interrupt? Very sorry. You... You've won the lottery...
0:46:57 > 0:46:59- Yes.- ..To buy the car?
0:46:59 > 0:47:05So, normally a car is 500,000 or 600,000, and this is 100,000.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09- So, you can afford this car? - I am low-income group.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12How will it change things in your family?
0:47:12 > 0:47:15- IN TRANSLATION: - It's a status symbol.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Before, I could never have afforded a car. Now I can.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20It's a dream come true.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Congratulations!
0:47:24 > 0:47:27All right, so let's have a look at the car.
0:47:27 > 0:47:28Let's see.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Well, the seat goes back plenty.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37I'll tell you what, it's not bad.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40- Go on, Abhra, jump in. - You're going to drive me out?
0:47:40 > 0:47:43We're busting out of here.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46It's Thelma & Louise all over again.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50- So, it has air-con as well. - Are you tempted?
0:47:50 > 0:47:52I would rather drive my motorbike,
0:47:52 > 0:47:56because I know what it's going to be like outside!
0:47:56 > 0:47:59You're saying that it's going to be easier to get around on the motorbike?
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Of course. With these cars on the road,
0:48:01 > 0:48:07the streets are not prepared for that number of cars!
0:48:07 > 0:48:11That is the factor they haven't all considered, perhaps.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13No.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17'Tata, which also owns Jaguar and Land Rover,
0:48:17 > 0:48:21'plans to produce at least a quarter of a million of these cars every year.'
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Well, it's all very well,
0:48:23 > 0:48:27producing hundreds of thousands, or even millions of these, but...
0:48:31 > 0:48:33..where are they going to put them?!
0:48:33 > 0:48:37It's chaos on the roads of India at the best of times.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39HORNS BLARE
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Can you imagine what these streets will be like
0:48:42 > 0:48:46with millions more cars on them?
0:48:47 > 0:48:49'Experts are warning that over the next 20 years,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53'another 160 million vehicles will flood onto India's streets,
0:48:53 > 0:48:58'but I find it hard to see how this kind of economic growth can be sustained
0:48:58 > 0:49:02'without a huge investment in roads and other basic infrastructure.'
0:49:03 > 0:49:08Well, it's Sunday, so we're off to the fish market to buy lunch.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Abhra's very kindly volunteered to cook for us.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14Thank you, mate.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Actually, my wife will do the cooking.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20It's outrageous. Actually, what you've done is volunteer your wife.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26'Fish is central to Bengali culture and cuisine,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29'and the Gariahat fish market is one of the biggest in Kolkata.'
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Wow! That'll feed us for the next week.
0:49:35 > 0:49:36Er...
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Oh, it looks very good.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53SPEAKS IN DIALECT
0:49:54 > 0:49:57This is a good fish, actually.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59- Fresh, fresh? - Fresh, fresh, fresh.
0:49:59 > 0:50:00Fresh?
0:50:05 > 0:50:07What are you doing?
0:50:07 > 0:50:10'Abhra picked out a huge carp for our lunch.
0:50:10 > 0:50:17- SPEAKS IN DIALECT - 'First, he wanted it properly prepared.'
0:50:18 > 0:50:20He seems to be cutting the head off now.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24- He's really getting into the head there. - Yeah, he is cleaning it.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35- Abhra, this is your neighbourhood? - Yeah.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37And soon we shall park the car,
0:50:37 > 0:50:41because the car can't go... can't go to the door of my house.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44Oh, right, so you live in a pedestrianised area?
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Yeah.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51- Wonderful. It's a nice neighbourhood.- Yeah, very peaceful.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Full of teachers and lawyers.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57- Middle-class Indians! - Middle-class Indians.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02This is all very nice.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07'A home-cooked meal was a final treat
0:51:07 > 0:51:11'as I was coming to the end of my journey across India.'
0:51:11 > 0:51:13- So, here we are.- Here we are.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- The house of Abhra.- Yeah!
0:51:16 > 0:51:18DOORBELL RINGS
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- Hello, hello.- Hello.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25How come...? Babita's already got her cooking apron on.
0:51:25 > 0:51:26Exactly!
0:51:26 > 0:51:29This is Sunday, she starts cooking from the morning.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32He's forcing you to cook for us, I'm very sorry about this.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34But thank you for inviting us in.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37Dirt of the city into your... into your home.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Thank you very much.
0:51:39 > 0:51:45It's customary that in our Bengali meals we definitely have something fried.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49- And that's... - And here comes the fish.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Yeah.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53- Yeah.- What is this?
0:51:53 > 0:51:57This is the... You are the guest of honour today,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00so the guest of honour is given the head of the fish.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02- No!- Yeah.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06- The head of the fish?- Yeah.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08And there's the rest of it.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10That looks fantastic.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12I mean, this looks fantastic as well,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14I'm not disputing it.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18But I get to eat the fish head
0:52:18 > 0:52:20and you get to eat the rest of the fish?
0:52:20 > 0:52:22- Yeah.- Right, all right.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24How am I supposed to eat the fish head? We must give it a try.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27- You have to use the hands?- Yeah.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30It takes a lot of time to cook that.
0:52:30 > 0:52:36- Look, its eye is looking at me. - It has to be cooked for the guests.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38So what should... What bit should I eat, then?
0:52:38 > 0:52:41- I've got to suck out the eye? - Yeah.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45All right, Abhra, but if I find out later you're winding me up,
0:52:45 > 0:52:46I'm coming back for you.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53- It's all right actually.- Yeah.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57- It's quite fatty and fishy.- Yeah.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Where's the brain here?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01Why are you giggling away, Bobby?
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Can you help us? How can he get to the brain?
0:53:03 > 0:53:06- Oh, look, that must be the brain. - Yeah, that's the brain.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10Oh, my God! OK, look, here goes the brain.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12Goodbye, fish brain.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17- That's all right.- Yeah.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20It tastes very...fishy.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Thank you for a lovely meal.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29'Before I finally left India, Abhra took me across town on his motorbike
0:53:29 > 0:53:32'to show me one of the great landmarks of Kolkata.'
0:53:32 > 0:53:37- So we're heading out to the wetlands?- Yeah.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40You were saying they're on the eastern side of the city.
0:53:40 > 0:53:41Yes.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44That's why they are called East Kolkata Wetlands.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46SIMON LAUGHS
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Careful, cows.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49HONKING
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Oh!
0:53:52 > 0:53:53Minding the rickshaw.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01'The East Kolkata Wetlands
0:54:01 > 0:54:06'are a vast area of natural and man-made ponds covering 50 square miles.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09'Much of the wetlands are a wildlife haven,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12'but they also play a vital role in the ecology of the city.'
0:54:13 > 0:54:15- We're here?- Yeah.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20This is a terrible smell.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23- Come. You shall see more. - So, why...?
0:54:23 > 0:54:24- Not only smell. - Look at this.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29This little river
0:54:29 > 0:54:33is actually bringing in all the sewage
0:54:33 > 0:54:37as well as industrial waste from the city.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40This is, what, raw sewage?
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Yes. And industrial waste.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- Oh, my God, it is. You can see. - And what you see here burning
0:54:46 > 0:54:53is actually plastics that have been drawn out of this drain up there,
0:54:53 > 0:54:56and it's carbon monoxide.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59It's disgusting, is what it is.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04I would prefer you to hold your breath.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- MUFFLED:- Yeah, cover my mouth.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Get past this.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11SIMON COUGHS
0:55:11 > 0:55:13The smell is just, ugh!
0:55:19 > 0:55:24Abhra, it sounds like a bit of a... of an environmental disaster
0:55:24 > 0:55:26to have a river - a small river, anyway -
0:55:26 > 0:55:31of raw sewage coming into the... into the wetlands here.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34You see, it's not that big a disaster.
0:55:34 > 0:55:41Rather, this wetlands act as the natural sieve or natural filter for this,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45so you have huge vegetable gardens all around the edges,
0:55:45 > 0:55:50because they pick up just the mud from this and use it as a manure.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55Then again, this entire wetland is the largest fishery base of Kolkata.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00So not even just to filter the sewage, but you need it for...
0:56:00 > 0:56:03to grow vegetables and you need it for fishing as well?
0:56:03 > 0:56:05- Yeah. Even the fish...- Fish farms.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09..we ate today for dinner must have come from one of these fisheries.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11- Really?- Yeah!
0:56:11 > 0:56:13I didn't tell you before.
0:56:13 > 0:56:19You didn't tell me that! This is where I put a sharp knee in your groin area!
0:56:21 > 0:56:24'As well as providing the only major sewage treatment facility
0:56:24 > 0:56:26'for the entire city of Kolkata,
0:56:26 > 0:56:31'the wetlands also produce a staggering 13,000 tonnes of fish each year,
0:56:31 > 0:56:36'and 150 tonnes of vegetables every day from small market gardens.'
0:56:40 > 0:56:44I mean, that sounds as though it's... it's nature working very kindly
0:56:44 > 0:56:47in harmony with one of the big...
0:56:47 > 0:56:50one of the fastest-growing cities in the developing world.
0:56:50 > 0:56:56Yeah, but nature is not at all incapable of retaining its area.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01The city is infiltrating inside. The huge building there you see...
0:57:01 > 0:57:02- Yeah.- That entire area
0:57:02 > 0:57:08is what we call the software park, or the electronic city of Kolkata.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Most of the call centres you might be calling to from your country
0:57:12 > 0:57:15are situated there.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18'The expansion of Kolkata and the city's growing population
0:57:18 > 0:57:22'is the single biggest threat to the vital ecosystem of the wetlands.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26'I've seen evidence of this population crisis across India
0:57:26 > 0:57:27'and around the tropics.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29'With the population of this country predicted to rise
0:57:29 > 0:57:33'to up to 1.9 billion by 2050,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36'it's the most serious issue confronting India.'
0:57:36 > 0:57:40There's no disputing that this country faces huge challenges and problems.
0:57:40 > 0:57:45But for me, the best thing about India is the Indians.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48They're a wonderfully good-natured and tolerant people,
0:57:48 > 0:57:52and I've loved travelling across this vast country.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56East from here is Bangladesh and Burma, or Myanmar as it's known,
0:57:56 > 0:58:00and that's where I'll be travelling on the next leg of my journey
0:58:00 > 0:58:01around the Tropic of Cancer.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08'Next time, I cross the water world that is Bangladesh...
0:58:10 > 0:58:13'..where I witness the shocking effects of climate change...'
0:58:13 > 0:58:14Oh, my God!
0:58:14 > 0:58:19'..before I make a covert journey deep into the Burmese jungle,
0:58:19 > 0:58:22'to find out what life is like under the country's brutal regime.'