0:00:00 > 0:00:01joining us for the papers. Coming up next it is the Travel Show.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12In the. -- India.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14In the. -- India.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20In the. -- India. A vast country and to over at 1 billion people,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24birthplace of the luscious civilisations and today, a fast
0:00:24 > 0:00:30emerging global power. That illustrious. And 70 years after
0:00:30 > 0:00:35independence, India is still a diverse, every evolving assortment
0:00:35 > 0:00:41of cultures, creeds and languages. -- ever evolving. Heading off the
0:00:41 > 0:00:46well worn tourist path, we are on a journey that spans this vast
0:00:46 > 0:00:50subcontinent from east to west. I am on a quest to find out how history,
0:00:50 > 0:00:55religion and politics have shaped India. Is going to be an amazing
0:00:55 > 0:01:04journey. -- it is.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06For thousands of years, India found its riches and influence
0:01:06 > 0:01:15through international trade.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And at the heart of this enterprise was the sea.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21And the state of Gujarat, with 1,000 miles of coastline,
0:01:21 > 0:01:31served as a shipping gateway to Africa, Arabia and beyond.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35This is as far west as you can get in India, and it's the mingling
0:01:35 > 0:01:38of all the influences from overseas that have helped make
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Gujarat what it is today.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The region is known as Kutch, and its beaches,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46like here in Mandvi, are a popular domestic
0:01:46 > 0:01:52tourist attraction.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56But this ancient port town's economy is still anchored in a much
0:01:56 > 0:02:03older maritime tradition.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04This is genuinely incredible.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I'm in heaven.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10A huge shipyard with boats and ships at various
0:02:10 > 0:02:15stages of construction, all made from wood.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18In an industry dominated by bulky and expensive container ships,
0:02:18 > 0:02:25these smaller, more agile vessels are still in huge demand.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28So here are, really close up to these incredible hulks.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32This one is in mid-construction.
0:02:32 > 0:02:39We can actually go inside.
0:02:39 > 0:02:46I'm going to see how they make these things.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Apparently, each of these dhows takes two and a half years to make.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56For many of the workers, shipbuilding is a family tradition.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21And this ancient craft is now attracting unexpected new admirers.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The region of Kutch was home to one of the world's
0:04:09 > 0:04:10earliest civilisations, and can be traced back
0:04:10 > 0:04:16to prehistoric times.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Its old royal capital is the city of Bhuj.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24Its glory days are kind of over.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30It was badly hit by the 2001 earthquake.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33There's a kind of melancholy about this area, because obviously,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36this was once the real, opulent centre of a rich empire,
0:04:36 > 0:04:50trading empire anyway, and the hub was here.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53But what is still flourishing is Bhuj's 450-year-old market
0:04:53 > 0:04:55just a few minutes away, where the trading
0:04:55 > 0:05:00tradition continues.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01What do they sell here?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03They sell everything.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Fruit, vegetables, fabric, groceries.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11All cultural backgrounds can be seen in the marketplace.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Here, as you can see, all different communities
0:05:13 > 0:05:23and ethnic groups come here.
0:05:23 > 0:05:30But Kutch's natural harmony was disrupted 70
0:05:30 > 0:05:32years ago, when the British left.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34The country was divided on religious grounds,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36with Muslims partitioned to the north in Pakistan,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40and Hindus to the south in India.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43We drove out of the city towards the border with Pakistan,
0:05:43 > 0:05:48along the way encountering some Kutch herdsmen.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51They've been living here for 400 or 500 years.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Since, they migrated down south into Kutch from Sindh,
0:05:53 > 0:05:58which is now part of Pakistan.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Ever since the split, there's been tension
0:06:02 > 0:06:05between the two governments, but to these herdsmen, national
0:06:05 > 0:06:09borders and religious differences mean little.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10For the people of Kutch,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14India and Pakistan or Hindu/Muslim is not that important.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17People are religious, of course, but they're living in harmony
0:06:17 > 0:06:29and the relationship between these two different groups is brotherly.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32When two countries were created from one, indelible scars were left
0:06:32 > 0:06:33on the psyche of the subcontinent.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36ARCHIVE: Independence has not yet brought them peace.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Rejoicing turned quickly into horror and mourning.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41In dramatic scenes, more than a million people died
0:06:41 > 0:06:42in religious rioting, and many millions
0:06:42 > 0:06:50more were displaced.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54This all used to be one, but now it's divided in two.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56And now the border itself has become a tourist attraction.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02That way is Pakistan?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04That way is Pakistan, about 70 kilometres up north.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07That is where the India-Pakistan border is, which lies along
0:07:07 > 0:07:14the middle of Kutch, which is a geographical valley.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17At nearly 500 metres above sea level, the highest point,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Kalo Dungar hill, allows us a dramatic view of this
0:07:20 > 0:07:22geological phenomenon, the Rann, or desert of Kutch,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26which continues into Pakistan.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I wanted to get up closer to this natural wonder.
0:07:29 > 0:07:40It's quite incredible, the sand.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I mean, it's just hard crystals, white salt.
0:07:42 > 0:07:52You can probably taste it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Really unusual to see something like this.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57The further out I walked, the less lovely it became.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59It's actually quite incredible.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It's more like snow or sludge than white sand or white crystals
0:08:02 > 0:08:12when it gets wet around here.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13I'm getting really deep into it.
0:08:13 > 0:08:13Whoa!
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Today, this shimmering wilderness is a healthy source
0:08:16 > 0:08:19of income for the region, thanks mainly to a three-month long
0:08:19 > 0:08:35festival throughout the winter.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36It is amazing.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38What was a vast, barren landscape has been transformed
0:08:38 > 0:08:41into this colourful complex, whereby at night, there's live music
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and other performances and by day, there's plenty of other activities.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Just here is what you might call the glamping quarters.
0:08:47 > 0:08:5050,000 people have come here in the last couple of months alone.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53I guess this is a cross between a weekend festival
0:08:53 > 0:08:58and a holiday resort.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00It's basically a honeypot for the booming middle classes
0:09:00 > 0:09:03of India in what has been one of the fastest-growing
0:09:03 > 0:09:15economies in the world.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18The revival of interest in Kutch culture, boosted by the festival,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21has been a lifeline for one group of locals in particular,
0:09:21 > 0:09:22folk musicians.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27Music in particular is very rich over here.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32Previously, they used to perform with their cattles, the shepherds.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Then afterwards, when they came home, they'd get together
0:09:34 > 0:09:36and their speech and songs are being performed.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41It's a day-to-day practice.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44One person plays two flutes of the same time?
0:09:44 > 0:09:51Yes.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Now, for example, 500 cattles are there and only one
0:09:53 > 0:09:54shepherd is there.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58So he'll sit and start playing this and whatever musical reach this has,
0:09:58 > 0:10:03the cattles will not go out of that range.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04Wow.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07And they enjoy the music, so the digestive system,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10the milk output increases.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So this is the beauty of it.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15So it's almost like meditation.
0:10:15 > 0:10:25Yeah.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Things are changing, definitely.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29As you say, tourism, so many music festivals are there,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32so they are invited in various parts of India and abroad.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38And of course, they are very well paid.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And not only do I get a demonstration, but also
0:10:41 > 0:10:43the privilege of playing along...
0:10:43 > 0:10:49as lead tinkler.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53And yet again, I'm made aware that Kutch culture is all about a sense
0:10:53 > 0:10:58of community and certainly not about religious segregation.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01From the bottom of my heart, I am telling you till today,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04in spiritual and music forms, Hindus and Muslims sit together
0:11:04 > 0:11:16and perform till today.