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00:00Welcome to India.
00:02If you think you know this incredible country,
00:05I urge you to think again.
00:06In this series, I'm going on a journey.
00:09It's the closest I'll ever get to being in the Hell's Angels.
00:12To explore this ancient, vibrant, complex,
00:16and sometimes bewildering land.
00:17And to experience how old India is rubbing up against the new.
00:21This is a land of staggering contrasts.
00:241.4 billion people.
00:26Extreme poverty, spectacular wealth,
00:29all jostle alongside each other
00:31in a full-on riot of colourful chaos.
00:35From the Taj Mahal, the bustling markets,
00:38the slums and Bollywood movies,
00:41to million-pound homes and exotic palaces.
00:44And why would it be madness to miss out on all this?
00:48Every step, so impressive.
00:52How are you?
00:53Hello, I'm you!
00:54So join me, as I get a glimpse of traditional and modern India.
00:59A journey to feel the pulse of a nation and a people
01:02on the verge of something big.
01:05Hello, I'm you!
01:07Hello, I'm you!
01:20So join me in India, the world's most popular
01:21A city where deep-rooted history and old traditions
01:24sit alongside new money.
01:27And Delhi, the most populated city in India.
01:31The country's vibrant capital.
01:34Now, I'm following in the footsteps of the 20 million international tourists
01:39that visit India every year.
01:40India, I'm heading to one of its most popular destinations.
01:45Timeless Rajasthan.
01:48Rajasthan is India's most regal state.
01:51Home to camels, spectacular ancient forts and a place you might not have heard of,
01:56the impressive Tar Desert.
01:59But first, I need to get there.
02:01And my journey's not quite what I was expecting.
02:06Everywhere you go in India, you see construction,
02:09new flyovers, new metro lines, new blocks of flats.
02:13And now I am on a brand new road.
02:18This 300-kilometre journey from Delhi to Rajasthan's capital, Jaipur,
02:23used to take visitors five hours.
02:26But thanks to this freshly laid tarmac, my journey time has been halved.
02:31And there's not a tuk-tuk or a cow in sight.
02:34This will be my first time in Rajasthan.
02:37I can't help but imagine palaces shimmering in the heat,
02:40market stalls overflowing with spices, vibrant colours.
02:49How wrong could I be?
02:52Look, there's a McDonald's here, there's a KFC over there, a subway there.
02:57The question is, which am I going to go for for lunch?
03:00I mean, I just... No, this way, I think KFC... No!
03:06No! Oh, it's too hot for this indecision.
03:08I'm just going to go for a sandwich over here.
03:11This is what I'm learning about India.
03:13The new and the old sit side by side.
03:16But I'd like some of its old-world charm.
03:21Ah, Jaipur, that's more like it.
03:24Jaipur is home to four million people.
03:28It was founded all the way back in 1727,
03:31and it's known as India's first planned city.
03:35Laid out in a grid system, a bit like New York.
03:39It's all centred around the grand city palace.
03:43Fast forward to the 19th century,
03:45and Jaipur has established itself as a prosperous city.
03:50Which is when it adopted something that I think makes it particularly special.
03:54It's distinctive pink hue.
03:57And there's an interesting story about that.
04:01In 1876, the Prince of Wales, later who would be Edward VII,
04:06was scheduled to put in an appearance here in Jaipur as part of his grand tour of the subcontinent.
04:12And to welcome him, the Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, ordered that every building be painted pink,
04:20which is the traditional colour of hospitality and warmth.
04:23And today, these beautiful rosy buildings are as much a part of Jaipur's heritage
04:28as its glittering palaces and its gems.
04:32And gems, this city has aplenty.
04:36Beyond all the forts and palaces,
04:39I was surprised to find that Jaipur is actually famous for something else.
04:43It's the gemstone capital of the entire world.
04:47Now, it's Mrs A's birthday soon,
04:49so I thought I'd pay a visit to the most famous rock shop in all Rajasthan,
04:54if not all India.
04:59So I've got to be able to find something here.
05:03Hi.
05:04Hi.
05:05The Gem Palace is a jewellery shop run by the Kasliwal family.
05:09And it's pretty overwhelming.
05:13First thing I've stumbled across is this display of cufflinks.
05:16All these numbers on them, of course, not one of them is a price.
05:21But they're very shiny.
05:23The sparkling jewels here have drawn in some A-list choppers over the years.
05:28There's the Queen, Lady Di, Clinton.
05:32All it has is Susan Sarandon, Gwyneth Paltrow.
05:36They're amazing.
05:39I mean, they're all very beautiful.
05:41I mean, some very subtle, smaller pieces.
05:44And some...
05:46I'm not sure Mrs A wants a...
05:49I don't know, maybe that's where I've been going wrong.
05:54Slightly overwhelming.
05:55Excuse me.
05:56Hi.
05:56How do you do? I'm Alexander.
05:57I'm Samarth.
05:58Lovely to meet you.
05:59Very nice to meet you.
06:00This is a very famous place.
06:02It's been around in this exact location since 1852.
06:06As far as we can trace back, we have always been jewelers.
06:08So, ninth generation is jewelers.
06:11And even before, stone cutters, goldsmiths.
06:14It's my wife's birthday in about two weeks' time.
06:18I need to find something.
06:19So, Jaipur itself is really well known for having the most excellent emerald cutters in the world.
06:25So, we also end up having some of the nicest emeralds.
06:29These precious green gemstones clock up some serious air miles to reach Jaipur,
06:34mostly coming from as far away as Zambia and Brazil.
06:38Oh, I see. So, they're not from Jaipur or Rajasthan.
06:41They just come through because of the craft.
06:43It turns out that Jaipur is a city known for its skilled craftsmen and women.
06:49Everything from block printing, textiles, and pottery, as well as jewelry.
06:55Today, Jaipur is one of the world's leading gemstone cutting hubs.
06:59It's estimated that 90% of the world's rough emeralds pass through Jaipur to be cut,
07:05along with rubies, sapphires, aquamarine, and not forgetting, diamonds.
07:13Samoth has agreed to show me some of the valuable pieces from the family's personal collection.
07:19And boy, am I in for a treat.
07:21Each and every piece is unique.
07:23If you start repeating, if you start a factory out of anything, then it loses its charm.
07:27Come. Please have a seat.
07:29For centuries, India was the world's only known source of diamonds.
07:34This piece truly shows you the workmanship of India.
07:38You have 370 carats of rose-cut diamonds which have been set so finely together
07:44that, you know, it really feels like fabric.
07:48Oh, my word. So you could just as easily wear it that way round?
07:52You technically can, but this is just, my father used to call it the wearer's pleasure.
07:56So it's only for the person wearing it.
07:58The wearer's pleasure. That's beautiful.
08:00I mean, it's staggering.
08:02The vulgar question that I'm trying not to ask is, what is the value of something like this?
08:10So, because we're never planning to sell it,
08:12so I'm going to keep that a secret.
08:14Yes.
08:15But you can kind of imagine it has a few zeros in there.
08:20I should think it probably does.
08:22Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? A million? I don't know.
08:26Just in case you didn't get to see enough diamonds, look at this piece.
08:31This is what we call the elephant box, and if you look at it closely,
08:35you can't even count the number of elephants there are.
08:38That's just phenomenal detail. I feel like a pirate.
08:42I now understand why they leered so much over their treasure chests.
08:50Samarth and his family are on a mission to reclaim some of India's heritage jewels.
08:55So, from this blue little pouch,
08:58you're going to see something special.
09:01What you're about to see is 44-carat diamond earrings.
09:05And if that doesn't mean much, the average rock size of a diamond engagement ring in the UK is about
09:110.8 carats.
09:13So 44 is a lot of diamond.
09:16These are old mine diamonds.
09:18What are old mine diamonds?
09:20Old mine diamonds are the diamonds which were found in India in the 18th century and early 19th century.
09:26And those mines are exhausted now.
09:29But French dealers, British dealers, Russians, they all came to India to collect these diamonds.
09:34And they used to buy it for pennies and then they would sell it for a huge margin back in
09:40Europe.
09:40Our intention now is to actually collect these back.
09:43Can I ask how much these are worth?
09:47Almost £300,000.
09:50Oops.
09:52Good thing those are diamonds.
09:53Clearly a faux pas.
09:54Diamonds are exceptionally hard, but I wouldn't recommend dropping them in your local jewelers.
09:59Let's move on quickly.
10:00So, this is a 4,000-carat pearl necklace.
10:07Is this a look I'm going to be able to pull off?
10:12This goes like that and you see the way it falls.
10:14The weight is fabulous.
10:17So, this is what will transform you and become the Maharaja.
10:21Of course.
10:22I wonder I ever doubt it.
10:24There's just a clip on the back which I can pull it out from and this becomes a choker for
10:27the weight.
10:28Ah! I haven't got anything for my wife.
10:37Well, that's very successful.
10:40I got some absolutely beautiful, exquisite cufflinks.
10:46And some earrings.
10:50Coming up.
10:52I explore the pink city in all its glory.
10:55Get a very special photograph taken.
10:57It is magic.
10:59It's magic.
10:59And meet Jaipur's most menacing residence.
11:02What's that they say?
11:03Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.
11:15India is firmly in the modern age.
11:19Somewhat surprisingly, over 95% of households now own a mobile phone.
11:26On the same road as the iconic 18th century Havamahal Palace,
11:31I've found a spot that gives a window into a bygone era.
11:36Tikam.
11:36Hello.
11:37How do you do?
11:38I'm well.
11:39Tikam is one of India's last working street photographers.
11:43Please may I have my photograph taken?
11:45Yes, okay.
11:46You're welcome.
11:47Excellent.
11:51There's nothing modern about this.
11:54Since the 1970s, Tikam has been working on this same sunny spot
11:58with his unique 1860 box camera.
12:04An antique that has been in his family for three generations.
12:08I don't move my head at all.
12:10It's been very precisely positioned.
12:12Perhaps I shouldn't talk.
12:14I don't know if it's been taken yet.
12:19Amazing.
12:20So that was his shutter.
12:23He pulled the cap off the camera, waved it round in a beautiful, very beautiful motion,
12:29and back it went on.
12:30So the exposure was about a second and a half, I'd say.
12:33Known as minute cameras, they were once widely used across India.
12:38To provide on-the-spot black and white photography for identity cards, passports and mementos.
12:44Thanks to its built-in darkroom.
12:47So, I mean, even now, there is something incredibly exciting about what is going to be produced from this box.
12:55It's a bit like watching a vet with a cow.
12:58If you can imagine, 175 years ago, this must have been sorcery.
13:02And there is the negative.
13:03Oh, one moment.
13:03It goes in there, into the magic liquid.
13:08So the photograph's now being put upside down on this little extension thing from the end of the camera.
13:17So the photograph is going to be taken of the negative.
13:23Blimey, this is complicated, isn't it?
13:26It's your right vet.
13:29So what are you doing in there?
13:31Magic, magic.
13:35I'm not impressed by digital photography.
13:37This, on the other hand, seems to come out of the air.
13:41Amazing.
13:42This is skilled photography.
13:45And here it is.
13:46Good.
13:47I think it's absolutely wonderful.
13:48I've got a sort of H on my forehead, like Rimmer.
13:53There you are, a red dwarf fan.
13:54And just like Rimmer from Red Dwarf, I've time-travelled.
13:58Back to a simpler, more old-fashioned India, thanks to Tikam's remarkable camera.
14:05Most of Tikam's passing trade is made up of tourists, which is big business here.
14:12The city makes up one third of the iconic golden triangle, along with Delhi and Agra,
14:18the holy trinity of Indian tourism.
14:21And Jaipur has a lot to shout about.
14:24It's just been voted the fifth best city in the world for tourists, ranking above Venice,
14:29would you believe?
14:30If you're craving luxury, the city has four palaces converted into hotels.
14:36And they won't disappoint.
14:38Many tourists opt to follow in the footsteps of King Charles and Jackie Kennedy,
14:43by visiting the Rambar Palace.
14:48So far in India, I've discovered how Hinduism plays a role in everyday life.
14:54I'm heading to the east of the city, to an ancient pilgrimage site,
14:58to discover what happens when traditional beliefs and modern life collide.
15:18This is the Sun Temple, just one of many beautiful adornments in and around the city of Jaipur.
15:24But life in Jaipur is not without its challenges.
15:27In certain districts, the residents have to share rather more than they'd like with some very cheeky monkeys.
15:35You see, in India, monkeys are considered sacred due to the Hindu god Hanuman, who's half monkey, half man.
15:44So Jaipur's macaque monkeys are extra special around here.
15:51And no-one loves them more than this man.
15:54BJ here has dedicated his life to feeding the monkeys.
15:58In fact, he's been here for the last 50 years.
16:01Every single day, the same spot, the same time.
16:11BJ, hello.
16:12Hello.
16:13How are you?
16:17Can I ask, what are you shouting now? What are you calling?
16:20This is my sound.
16:21This is your sound?
16:22Yeah.
16:22Would they know if I did it?
16:26Yes, yes, very good.
16:28Will they know?
16:28Very good, very good.
16:30Oh, this is good. And why do you feed the monkeys?
16:32The Hanuman gold.
16:33The Hanuman, I see.
16:34The Hanuman gold.
16:35The Hanuman gold.
16:36They say that they get peace of mind, they get the soul, they get the soul, they get the soul.
16:44Today is extra special because it's a Saturday, the most powerful day of the week to worship Hanuman.
16:50And as a treat, BJ has brought ice cream.
16:55Many, many monkeys.
16:56Many, many monkeys.
16:56Yes.
16:57So you have to go back and get some more food.
16:59Every day.
17:00Every day.
17:01Same time.
17:06They seem to treat you with respect.
17:09They are my total friends.
17:12And just like that, the marvellous Vijay cycled off into the distance.
17:21Vijay's love and adoration for the monkeys reminds
17:23me of an extraordinary building I visited in Delhi.
17:27Standing 33 metres tall, the Jandewalahan Hanuman Temple is truly something to behold.
17:34Construction began back in 2008, but it took 13 years to complete.
17:39I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it, and that's just the outside.
17:45Nearly 80% of India's population is Hindu, and I always find it fascinating how unobtrusively
17:50their religion is woven into their everyday life.
17:53Well, I say unobtrusively.
17:54There, you see, next to the metro, there's a metro line right there.
17:57You see the train going past.
17:58That is Lord Hanuman, the monkey god.
18:00I'll try and give you a rundown of what he's good for.
18:02Protection from evil, loyalty, devotion, success in difficult tasks, mental focus and courage.
18:11They're particularly loved by athletes and students.
18:14And above all, relief from anxiety and nightmares.
18:17I mean, he offers a terrific package.
18:20His most auspicious days are Tuesdays and Saturdays.
18:22We're actually here on a Wednesday, so you might say we've got him on a quiet day.
18:26We could perhaps go and have a look.
18:30Presumably I've got to cross the road here.
18:37Now this is lovely.
18:38As every car and particularly every motorbike comes past, they stop and they turn and offer
18:43a little devotion, which of course all the traffic behind gets very gross about.
18:46And then they turn up and they also do the same.
18:49And occasionally a bus comes by and everybody sings a great commotion, ah, from the bus.
18:56It's very lovely.
19:01Hidden within the giant monkey is a winding temple complex.
19:06You enter via a huge gaping mouth to an elaborate interior filled with dazzling Hindu iconography.
19:14There's music, incense and prayer.
19:18Passages lead off in every direction, with a steady stream pouring in to show their devotion.
19:28There's another grotto over here, I guess, sort of.
19:32It's very exciting, down into a grotto beneath the grotto.
19:38A sort of underworld here.
19:46Oh, crikey.
19:52Wow.
19:56This is terrifying.
19:58And so lots of strange decapitations going on, spouts of blood.
20:03It's incredibly graphic.
20:05It may look gory, but I'm told that these scenes depict the cosmic struggle between good and evil.
20:10Divine forces fighting to restore order.
20:14The violence isn't gratuitous, it's symbolic and meant to terrify evil spirits.
20:19Now, as I understand it, there is one godhead in Hinduism.
20:23And all of these separate personifications are just other symbols, expressions of the same godhead.
20:38This is the sacred pump.
20:50Very dramatic.
20:52You know, what fun to come.
20:54I don't know what fun is the word, but it's exciting.
20:57It's an enlivening process to come.
21:00And maybe if you're feeling properly protected, you can come down here and face the nightmares.
21:04Maybe that's the idea.
21:06And you've then kind of wrung them out of your spirit.
21:10After exploring the depths of the temple, I venture upwards to a revealing outside terrace.
21:17I am at the very top.
21:20It's interesting.
21:21I mean, this is still part of the temple, but it's very much an everyday space.
21:25It's someone's pants there.
21:27But above here, you get this view of the heart, the great heart cavity.
21:33And you can see the fingers there receded back.
21:36The hands mechanically reveal this rather pulpy, open heart.
21:41And there are these gilded characters inside, waving.
21:45Hanuman is said to have torn open his own chest to show his devotion, revealing two gods,
21:51Rama and Sita, living inside his heart.
21:54It's a real symbol of unwavering faith.
22:00Wonderful view of the match.
22:07Coming up, I head south and meet some potential roommates.
22:11They're sort of bunk beds.
22:12And find out exactly how much money can be made from India's incredible traditional silk markets.
22:18They've outbid you.
22:19Go on, 402.
22:25Back in Jaipur, I discover that these primates aren't quite as cute as they seem.
22:30In fact, they're known to terrorise the city.
22:33And every resident has a story to tell.
22:53Controlling Jaipur's menacing monkeys is a hot topic.
22:5710,000 monkeys are born in the city every year.
23:02That's where Vijay number two comes in.
23:04So, Vijay, what exactly is your job?
23:07My job is to catch the nuisance monkeys.
23:09How many do you catch?
23:19Are there particular monkeys that are
23:21a nuisance or is it just the number of monkeys?
23:35If I know anything about monkeys, they're fiercely intelligent.
23:45There are lots of wise old monkeys up there.
23:48We're watching every bit of the set up.
23:50The food is there.
23:51There's a little filament wire.
23:52What's that they say?
23:54Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.
23:56I think goody lucky, catchy monkey.
23:59These monkeys up here have been watching everything.
24:02No monkeys were caught today, but when they are,
24:05they're relocated to forests outside the city.
24:08I'm not sure what the solution is to Jaipur's monkey problem,
24:11but this situation seems to sum up India.
24:15Well, it feels like a very Indian fudge, this, doesn't it?
24:17We've got Vijay one and Vijay two,
24:19both doing jobs that pull in completely opposite directions.
24:22It's just a sort of beautiful, chaotic, totally dysfunctional cycle.
24:28And somehow it just keeps turning.
24:31Very much like India itself.
24:44As the sun goes down and I bid farewell to the pink city,
24:47it has an entirely different feel.
24:51One where time stands still.
24:56I can see why so many visitors fall in love with Jaipur.
25:04Jaipur feels like the India of storybooks.
25:08Do you know what I mean?
25:09With its opulent palaces, forts and jewellery shops.
25:14It's a city that was founded on strict aesthetic principles,
25:18artisan districts and excellence.
25:20And there's a kind of majesty that still dazzles to this day.
25:26But what's interesting is that that sits seamlessly,
25:31comfortably, in the fabric of modern India.
25:35In fact, this is a country that lives in its past and its present
25:38simultaneously, all the while barrelling towards its future.
25:44Well, I'm off on my travels again.
25:46And after the beauty of Jaipur,
25:48I'm now travelling 2,000 kilometres south to the tropical state of Karnataka.
25:55It's India's sixth largest state and roughly the same size as England and Wales combined.
26:03Most people make a dash for the ancient city of Hampi, where they take a peek at the rather
26:09marvellous rock formations and magnificent temples.
26:13Or make a beeline for the famous city of Mysore to witness the weekly illumination of Mysore Palace,
26:20one of India's most visited sites.
26:25But I'm taking a less trodden path.
26:28I'm off to somewhere you've probably never heard of.
26:31The city of Ramanagara.
26:33And I promise you, it's going to be worth it.
26:36Well, we've now arrived in a new region of India.
26:39We're down in the south.
26:41And you can see it's a very different landscape.
26:45A lot of agriculture around here.
26:48For the past 240 years, this region has been a major silk producing hub.
26:54After China, India is the second largest producer of silk in the world.
26:59This region is famous for Mysore silk, which is exceptionally luxurious.
27:05All thanks to a strict diet made up exclusively of mulberry leaves.
27:10This area, thanks to its perfect blend of soil, sun and tradition, has, in a very quiet,
27:17rural, understated way, become one of the world's greatest silk producing regions.
27:23Don't be fooled by this humble set-up.
27:26Silk is big business.
27:28Last year, the entire silk industry in India was valued at five billion pounds,
27:34employing over nine million people.
27:37Now, you can't produce silk without silkworms.
27:40But I'll let you into a little secret.
27:42They're actually caterpillars.
27:48They're sort of bunk beds.
27:50I've stayed in youth hostels like this.
27:54Hundreds and hundreds of great fat caterpillars just picking out on mulberry leaves.
27:59They have a kind of yellowish tinge when they're ready, and I can see a slight yellowishness about that one.
28:06But yeah, there's got goats downstairs.
28:09Yeah, goats living.
28:10They're very nice, very friendly neighbours.
28:14Once the silkworms are all grown up and have a belly full of mulberry leaves,
28:17they're encouraged to spin their valuable cocoons.
28:21And staggeringly, each cocoon contains nearly a mile of silk thread.
28:27They look like, sort of, they look like little Easter chicks.
28:31These cocoons are then picked and taken to the nearby government cocoon market to be auctioned.
28:39The largest market of its kind in all Asia.
28:44It's an emporia of cocoons.
28:47Look at them.
28:48Just crates and crates and crates and crates.
28:52Another massive room full of these.
28:55And just more over there, as far as the eye can see.
28:59I've been told to find a man named Syed.
29:02Do you know where Syed is?
29:03Syed?
29:04Are you Syed?
29:05Yes, Syed.
29:06How do you do?
29:07I'm very nice.
29:08I'm duck fighting against the needle in a haystack.
29:10Syed visits the market daily to purchase 200 kilos of cocoons for his factory,
29:16which he then makes into silk thread.
29:20While silk farming hasn't changed for thousands of years,
29:23this market has undergone a modern revolution.
29:26All the bidding is now done on your phone, with a special app.
29:31What time does the auction open?
29:33The auction opens at 10 o'clock and ends at 10.30, exactly.
29:37Oh, 10.30 in the morning?
29:38Yeah.
29:38So it only lasts half an hour?
29:39Half an hour.
29:40Everybody has to come before 10 and check the cocoons.
29:44This happens every single day?
29:46Every day.
29:47Around 40,000 kilograms of cocoons are sold here daily.
29:52About the weight of three London buses.
29:55And it's all done within that tiny half-hour window in the morning.
29:59So how did you end up in this business?
30:01My father used to do the same business.
30:03Were you always going to do this?
30:05My background.
30:15He's saying because of you standing here,
30:18my bid is not working on it.
30:20Nobody's worried that we're affecting his trade.
30:23But this is as seen on TV, you can say.
30:25You can put that on the bottom.
30:27We'll move on.
30:28So how does it all work?
30:31Prospective buyers come around and check the quality of their lots.
30:35The aim is to find the softest cocoons because they're the easiest to unravel,
30:39and so the cheapest to process into thread.
30:42Once you've chosen your cocoons, you need to find the lot number on the app.
30:47Sound easy?
30:48Well, sort of.
30:50So this is lot 84.
30:52Lot number 84.
30:53The bid is going on.
30:55Rs. 366.
30:56Is that a good fair price?
30:58No, this is not a good one.
31:00And what about over here?
31:01What are these like?
31:02Is this a good...
31:03This one is a good one.
31:05I mean, even I can feel that.
31:06I can sleep in that.
31:07I can just curl down and just...
31:10Well, it is a good one.
31:12Now we just need to win it.
31:14We've got a lot number here.
31:16273.
31:17It is going 200.
31:18200.
31:18I mean, this is a steal, isn't it?
31:20I will apply 400.
31:22Okay, there we go.
31:23400.
31:24Our bid is appearing on a board.
31:26It's just gone up now.
31:26The another person has bidded 401.
31:29They've outbid you?
31:31This is a bidding war.
31:34Go 402.
31:35Go on, 402.
31:36He's gone 402.
31:37That's hilarious.
31:38So the current bid is what?
31:39525.
31:40I will bid at last five seconds.
31:42What are you going to put in?
31:445 to 10 rupees extra.
31:46There are 15 seconds left.
31:50Five seconds left.
31:52You bid.
31:53I bid it.
31:54533.
31:54And bid is over.
31:57It is done.
31:58Look at that.
31:58You've got it for 533.
32:01700 pounds has got Syed 150 kilograms of some pretty decent cocoons.
32:07Now all he needs to do is spin them into silk thread.
32:10A real bargain, if you ask me.
32:13Probably.
32:15Coming up, I travel west and journey deep into rural Carnatica to meet a woman who shunned
32:21city life for a slice of paradise.
32:23Did you get out of this right here?
32:25They were here last night.
32:26And go searching for India's most elusive predator, the tiger.
32:31Oh, alarm calls.
32:32Tiger.
32:38India's population has more than tripled in the past 70 years.
32:43From 361 million to over 1.4 billion people.
32:49Despite this huge rise, India has managed to preserve pockets of wilderness.
32:56So I'm making the 100-kilometre journey west from Ramalagara to Bandipur, one of 107 national
33:03parks across the country, to get a taste of India's wild side.
33:08The national parks have been so incredibly successful, both from a conservation and a
33:13breeding programme point of view, that they begin to run out of space.
33:18Today, India is home to more than 3,600 tigers, a figure that has doubled in the past 20 years,
33:26and now amounts to 75% of the world's entire tiger population.
33:32Success, right?
33:34Well, not quite.
33:36India's tigers are still in danger, and now more than ever,
33:39people and predators are beginning to feel the squeeze.
33:44Look at those beautiful deer.
33:46That, I guess, is free-range food.
33:50I'm meeting wildlife artist and accidental conservationist Sunita Daryam,
33:56who for the past 30 years has lived on the extremes of the tiger reserve in the village of Mangala,
34:02one of 15 villages that border the reserve.
34:04Hi, Alexander.
34:06Hello.
34:07How nice to meet you.
34:08And you.
34:09Sunita runs a charity that compensates villagers who've lost valuable livestock to the reserve's
34:15predators, which makes sense when you realise just how close people are living to them.
34:20What I can't get over, Sunita, is this is the actual reserve here, isn't it?
34:24Well, this is my land and then the reserve there, yes.
34:27Look at my fence. Elephants are here every day.
34:29Oh, so, hang on. Do you get elephants right here?
34:31Here. Here.
34:33They were here last night.
34:35So, what do you hear? What tells you that an elephant's there?
34:37You can hear them.
34:39Is it breathing?
34:40Taking the bleeds and a few farts here and there.
34:44Elephant grass.
34:45Sorry, but it's...
34:46If you have elephants here, that presumably means you have tigers here.
34:49Yes. I came out my room the other night and there was a tiger here.
34:54While this might sound romantic to have a tiger come to tea,
34:57the reality is far from it, especially if you own livestock.
35:02You know, in India, some of the poorest communities share the same space as the wildlife.
35:07The villagers started asking me to come out and take photographs of their cattle that had been
35:12killed. I realised nobody, no scientists, no big NGOs coming to help these people.
35:18So, and what was happening?
35:19Tiger comes, kills their cow. They go and put poison, poisoning of carcasses as revenge killing.
35:25The villagers were systematically wiping out our tiger and leopard population.
35:30But from the farmer's point of view...
35:31They're using their livelihood.
35:32That's their livelihood.
35:33Yeah.
35:33And so they're thinking...
35:35To help put this into perspective, the average daily wage around here is 400 rupees,
35:40roughly £3.50.
35:43And prized livestock can cost upwards of £700 per animal.
35:48When I started, the Mariama Charitable Trust, I said,
35:51we need to start paying compensation to stop poisoning.
35:54And people said, you're mad. It cannot be done. Where are you going to get the money?
35:57So your charity pays the compensation. And is that sufficient to stop them poisoning?
36:02More or less, it's poisoning has completely stopped.
36:06Really?
36:06It's actually worked.
36:07The Mariama Charitable Trust works across 660 villages and pays out instant compensation to
36:14livestock owners. But before any money is exchanged, every kill is evaluated by Sunita's team.
36:22So, Alexander, these are my compensation files.
36:26These pictures aren't for the faint-hearted.
36:29This was my first kill.
36:30Goodness me.
36:32This was a huge hybrid cow.
36:36Yeah.
36:36And right near my house, actually.
36:38And that's unmistakably tiger, is it?
36:40Oh, yes, yes. So every single kill is identified.
36:43Or the teeth marks, claw marks.
36:45And these give all the details of how much we've given, the check number,
36:50who has killed it, whether tiger, leopard, wild dog, thumbprint, if they can't write.
36:56The data you're assembling here is extraordinary.
36:58It's years of data.
37:00Yeah.
37:00Years and years.
37:02And are you seeing increases as the years go by?
37:05Yes. Because there are more tigers and not enough space.
37:08This is a result of a good thing, because of the success of the wildlife programs.
37:13But it's going to get more and more tigers.
37:14There are going to be more kills.
37:15You know what? We need to share the same space with all the wildlife.
37:19Ultimately, it's very difficult to farm in these areas.
37:22They have the tolerance, but when they lose something that's costing them money,
37:26these are very poor people.
37:27Yeah.
37:27And you're dealing with poverty.
37:29The whole thing is to make people financially secure.
37:32If we can help them there, people are very happy to live side by side.
37:40India's growing middle class is driving a tourism boom across the country.
37:45And safaris have now become a popular weekend getaway.
37:49Every day, around 600 people visit the Bandipur National Park, and they're all hoping for one thing, to see a
37:57tiger.
37:58I've never seen one in the wild before.
38:02Sunita has kindly agreed to let me join her on an evening safari, and there have been whispers of a
38:08tiger roaming nearby.
38:10Just a couple of hours ago, this tigress tried to catch a spotted deer.
38:15They saw her actually hunting, and she missed.
38:22Oh, alarm calls.
38:24Alarm calls.
38:25Alarm calls.
38:26Which means a tiger approached him.
38:28What animal's making the alarm call when he's heard?
38:30Spotted deer.
38:31There, can you hear that?
38:32I like that.
38:38Quieting down now, all the spotted deer were on high alert.
38:42So, the tiger's moving.
38:57Chatting with the peacocks.
38:59Peacocks?
38:59That was not bad, actually.
39:02Ah, look at that.
39:04Wild elephants.
39:05Oh, here are more.
39:06Look at all.
39:07Wow.
39:13Indian elephants are a subspecies of the Asian elephant.
39:18They're smaller than their African cousins, and just like India's tigers, they are an endangered species.
39:24They're part of the same herd.
39:26Yeah, yeah.
39:27Look at that little boy.
39:28He's got tusks.
39:29Oh, yes, here he has.
39:32It's very precocious.
39:34Yes.
39:36That was an alarm call.
39:38Did you hear it?
39:39So, that's over there.
39:40That's, yeah.
39:41So, I mean, that's where the tiger is from.
39:42Whatever has moved, it's moved from here and gone that side.
39:46She's hunting.
39:47She's hunting.
39:48She's hunting at speed.
39:52Quickly.
39:52Hold on.
39:53Hold on.
39:54Something is there.
39:55That's just come through, is it?
39:56Yes.
39:57Amazing.
40:02Hang on.
40:03Hang on.
40:09Somewhere here.
40:12Tiger.
40:13Spot a deer.
40:14Alarm calls.
40:16There, there, there.
40:17But she's moving around.
40:20One sec.
40:21One sec.
40:22All the deer are coming this way.
40:26They are mighty nervous.
40:29They can sense something.
40:33She's that side somewhere.
40:36The ever-elusive tiger.
40:38You know?
40:42Oh, Alexander, you have to see this.
40:45There is a leopard sitting on a fork of the tree.
40:50Oh, there.
40:51Can you see it?
40:52It's got a kill also.
40:54It's quite high up.
40:55It's safe from other scavengers.
40:57Right.
40:57You know?
40:58It looks terribly relaxed up there, I must say.
41:01Very relaxed.
41:01He has no, he has no time for us.
41:03So, he's like, bugger off everybody.
41:05Oh, look, turning to look at us.
41:07Oh.
41:08Oh, my.
41:12Now the sun's going down.
41:14It's so picturesque.
41:15It's so beautiful.
41:18I love it with a passion that's beyond reason.
41:24Spending just a short while here in the park,
41:27I can totally understand Sunita's love for this place.
41:30It's a corner of India where the air is fresh,
41:33the land is untamed, and wild animals roam free.
41:41Next time, I'm in the modern city of Bangalore,
41:45where the future is galloping towards us.
41:48But the luxury of the past still very much lingers.
41:51Would I be thrown out?
41:53These shoes would not be allowed.
41:56And I discover plenty of surprises.
41:59I haven't even heard of it, Jizwan.
42:01Yeah.
42:02In a city that's bursting at the seams.
42:05It's the closest I'll ever get to being in the Hell's Angels.
42:08Next time we're in now in.
42:09.
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