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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!
01:21I'm going to be a city of India,
01:22This is a city of India, Australia.
01:23And 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.
01:41I'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
01:54and a place you might not have heard of,
01:57the 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,
02:08new 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,
02:29my 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.
02:36I can't help but imagine.
02:38Palaces shimmering in the heat,
02:41market stalls overflowing with spices,
02:44vibrant colours.
02:49How wrong could I be?
02:52Look, there's a McDonald's here,
02:54there's a KFC over there,
02:55a subway there.
02:57The question is, which am I going to go for for lunch?
03:00I mean, I just...
03:02No, this way.
03:03I think KFC...
03:04No!
03:06No!
03:07Oh, 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,
03:32and 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,
03:46and Jaipur has established itself as a prosperous city.
03:50Which is when it adopted something
03:52that I think makes it particularly special.
03:54Its distinctive pink hue.
03:57And there's an interesting story about that.
04:01In 1876, the Prince of Wales,
04:04later who would be Edward VII,
04:06was scheduled to put in an appearance here
04:08in Jaipur as part of his grand tour of the subcontinent.
04:12And to welcome him,
04:13the Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II,
04:18ordered that every building be painted pink,
04:20which is the traditional colour of hospitality and warmth.
04:23And today, these beautiful rosy buildings
04:25are 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
04:40is 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
04:51to 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
05:07run by the Kasliwal family,
05:09and it's pretty overwhelming.
05:13The first thing I've stumbled across
05:14is this display of cufflinks.
05:17All these numbers on them.
05:18Of course, not one of them is a price,
05:21but they're very shiny.
05:23The sparkling jewels here
05:25have drawn in some A-list choppers over the years.
05:28There's the Queen,
05:29Lady Di,
05:31Clinton.
05:32Oh, there's Susan Sarandon,
05:35Gwyneth Paltrow.
05:36Amazing.
05:39I mean, they're all very beautiful.
05:41I mean, some very subtle,
05:43smaller pieces,
05:44and some...
05:46Not 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.
06:03It's been around in this exact location since 1852.
06:05As far as we can trace back,
06:07we have always been jewellers.
06:08So, ninth generation is jewellers,
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
06:22for 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
06:31clock up some serious air miles to reach Jaipur,
06:34mostly coming from as far away as Zambia and Brazil.
06:38Oh, I see.
06:38So, 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
06:46for its skilled craftsmen and women.
06:49Everything from block printing, textiles,
06:52and pottery, as well as jewellery.
06:54Today, Jaipur is one of the world's leading gemstone cutting hubs.
06:59It's estimated that 90% of the world's rough emeralds
07:03pass through Jaipur to be cut,
07:06along with rubies, sapphires, aquamarine,
07:10and not forgetting, diamonds.
07:13Samoth has agreed to show me some of the valuable pieces
07:16from 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,
07:26then it loses its charm.
07:27Come.
07:28Please 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
07:42which have been set so finely together
07:44that, you know, it really feels like fabric.
07:48Oh, my word.
07:49So you could just as easily wear it that way round?
07:52You technically can, but this is just...
07:54My 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.
08:01The vulgar question that I'm trying not to ask
08:05is 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.
08:19I should think it probably does.
08:22Thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
08:24A million? I don't know.
08:26Just in case you didn't get to see enough diamonds,
08:28look at this piece.
08:31This is what we call the elephant box,
08:34and if you look at it closely,
08:35you can't even count the number of elephants there are.
08:38That's just phenomenal detail.
08:40I feel like a pirate.
08:42I now understand why they leered so much
08:46over their treasure chests.
08:50Sam Arth 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,
09:07the average rock size of a diamond engagement ring in the UK is about 0.8 carats.
09:13So, 44 is a lot of diamond.
09:16These are old-mined diamonds.
09:18What are old-mined diamonds?
09:20Old-mined diamonds are the diamonds which were found in India
09:22in the 18th century and early 19th century,
09:26and those mines are exhausted now.
09:29But French dealers, British dealers, Russians,
09:32they all came to India to collect these diamonds,
09:34and they used to buy it for pennies,
09:36and then they would sell it for a huge margin back in Europe.
09:40Our intention now is to actually collect these back.
09:43Can I ask how much these are worth?
09:47Almost £300,000.
09:49Yeah!
09:51Oops.
09:52Good thing those are diamonds.
09:53Clearly a faux pas.
09:54Diamonds are exceptionally hard,
09:56but I wouldn't recommend dropping them in your local jewellers.
09:59Let's move on quickly.
10:00So, this is a 4,000-carat pearl necklace.
10:07Hmm.
10:08Is this a look I'm going to be able to pull off?
10:12This goes like that.
10:13And you see the weight falls.
10:14The weight is fabulous.
10:17So, this is what will transform you,
10:20become the Maharaja.
10:21Of course.
10:22I wonder I ever doubt it.
10:24There's just a clip on the back,
10:25which I can pull it out from,
10:26and this becomes a choker for the weight.
10:28Ah!
10:29I haven't got anything for my wife.
10:38Well, that's very successful.
10:40I got some absolutely beautiful,
10:43exquisite cufflinks.
10:46And some earrings.
10:50Coming up.
10:51I 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 residents.
11:02What's that they say?
11:03Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.
11:15India is firmly in the modern age.
11:19Somewhat surprisingly,
11:20over 95% of households
11:22now own a mobile phone.
11:26On the same road as the iconic
11:2818th century Havamahal Palace,
11:31I've found a spot
11:32that gives a window
11:33into a bygone era.
11:36Tikam.
11:36Hello.
11:37How do you do?
11:38I'm Ben.
11:39Tikam is one of India's
11:41last working street photographers.
11:43Please may I have my photograph taken?
11:45You're okay.
11:46You're welcome.
11:47Excellent.
11:51There's nothing modern about this.
11:54Since the 1970s,
11:56Tikam has been working
11:57on this same sunny spot
11:58with his unique 1860 box camera.
12:03Don't move.
12:04An antique that has been in his family
12:06for 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.
12:22And there it is.
12:24He pulled the cap off the camera,
12:26waved it round
12:27in a beautiful,
12:27very beautiful motion
12:29and back it went on.
12:30So the exposure
12:31was about a second and a half,
12:32I'd say.
12:33Known as minute cameras,
12:35they were once widely used
12:36across India
12:37to provide on-the-spot
12:39black-and-white photography
12:40for identity cards,
12:42passports and mementos
12:44thanks to its built-in darkroom.
12:47So, I mean, even now,
12:48there is something
12:51incredibly exciting
12:52about what is going to be produced
12:53from this box.
12:55It's a bit like watching a vet
12:57with a cow.
12:58If you can imagine,
12:59175 years ago,
13:00this must have been sorcery.
13:01And there is the negative.
13:03Oh, one moment.
13:03It goes in there
13:05into the magic liquid.
13:08So the photograph's
13:10now being put upside down
13:11on this little extension thing
13:15from the end of the camera.
13:17So the photograph
13:18is going to be taken
13:19of the negative.
13:23Blimey.
13:23This is complicated, isn't it?
13:26It's your right vet.
13:29So what are you doing in there?
13:31Magic, magic.
13:32And between these are magic.
13:34Magic.
13:35I'm not impressed
13:36by digital photography.
13:37This, on the other hand,
13:39seems 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
13:49on my forehead,
13:50like Rimmer.
13:53There you go.
13:53Red Dwarf fan.
13:54And just like Rimmer
13:55from Red Dwarf,
13:56I've time-travelled.
13:58Back to a simpler,
14:00more old-fashioned India,
14:01thanks to Tikam's
14:03remarkable camera.
14:05Most of Tikam's passing trade
14:07is made up of tourists,
14:09which is big business here.
14:12The city makes up
14:13one-third of the iconic
14:15golden triangle,
14:16along with Delhi and Agra,
14:18the holy trinity
14:19of Indian tourism.
14:21And Jaipur
14:22has a lot to shout about.
14:24It's just been voted
14:25the fifth-best city
14:26in the world for tourists,
14:28ranking above Venice,
14:29would you believe?
14:30If you're craving luxury,
14:32the city has four palaces
14:34converted into hotels,
14:36and they won't disappoint.
14:38Many tourists opt
14:40to follow in the footsteps
14:41of King Charles
14:42and Jackie Kennedy
14:43by visiting the Rambach Palace.
14:48So far in India,
14:49I've discovered how Hinduism
14:51plays a role
14:52in everyday life.
14:54I'm heading to the east
14:56of the city,
14:56to an ancient pilgrimage site,
14:59to discover what happens
15:00when traditional beliefs
15:02and modern life collide.
15:18This is the Sun Temple,
15:19just one of many beautiful
15:21adornments in and around
15:23the city of Jaipur.
15:24But life in Jaipur
15:26is not without its challenges.
15:28In certain districts,
15:29the residents have to share
15:29rather more than they'd like
15:31with some very cheeky monkeys.
15:35You see, in India,
15:37monkeys are considered sacred
15:38due to the Hindu god Hanuman,
15:41who's half monkey, half man.
15:43So Jaipur's macaque monkeys
15:46are extra special around here.
15:50And no-one loves them
15:52more than this man.
15:54Vijay here has dedicated his life
15:56to feeding the monkeys.
15:58In fact, he's been here
15:59for the last 50 years.
16:01Every single day,
16:02the same spot,
16:03the same time.
16:11Vijay, hello.
16:12Hello.
16:13How are you?
16:13How are you?
16:16How are you?
16:17Can I ask,
16:18what are you shouting now?
16:19What are you calling?
16:20As in my sound.
16:21This is your sound?
16:22Yeah.
16:22Would they know if I did it?
16:23How are you?
16:24I'm the out.
16:25I'm the out.
16:26Yes, yes, very good.
16:28Will they know?
16:28Very good, very good.
16:30Oh, that's good.
16:30And why do you feed the monkeys?
16:32Hanuman gold.
16:33Hanuman, I see.
16:34Hanuman gold.
16:35In order to feed them,
16:36it means that
16:38they get peace,
16:41they get peace,
16:42they get peace.
16:44Today is extra special
16:45because it's a Saturday,
16:47the most powerful day of the week
16:49to worship Hanuman.
16:50And as a treat,
16:52Vijay has brought
16:53ice cream.
16:55Many, many monkeys.
16:56Many, many monkeys.
16:56Yes.
16:57So you have to go back
16:58and get some more food.
16:59Every day.
17:00Every day.
17:01Same time.
17:06They seem to treat you
17:08with respect.
17:09They're my total friends.
17:12And just like that,
17:14the marvellous Vijay
17:15cycled off
17:16into the distance.
17:17Oh, I'm here.
17:21Vijay's love
17:22and adoration
17:22for the monkeys
17:23reminds me
17:24of an extraordinary building
17:25I've visited in Delhi.
17:27Standing 33 metres tall,
17:29the Jandewalahan Hanuman Temple
17:31is truly something to behold.
17:34Construction began back in 2008,
17:36but it took 13 years to complete.
17:39I don't think I've ever seen
17:40anything quite like it.
17:41And that's just the outside.
17:45Nearly 80% of India's population
17:46is Hindu.
17:48And I always find it fascinating
17:48how unobtrusively
17:50their religion
17:51is woven into
17:52their everyday life.
17:53Well, I say unobtrusively.
17:54There, you see,
17:55next to the metro,
17:56there's a metro line right there.
17:57You see the train going past.
17:58That is Lord Hanuman,
17:59the monkey god.
18:00I'll try and give you
18:01a rundown of what he's good for.
18:02Protection from evil,
18:05loyalty,
18:06devotion,
18:07success in difficult tasks,
18:09mental focus and courage.
18:11They're particularly loved
18:12by athletes and students.
18:14And above all,
18:15relief from anxiety and nightmares.
18:17I mean, he offers
18:18a terrific package.
18:20His most auspicious days
18:21are Tuesdays and Saturdays.
18:22We're actually here on a Wednesday,
18:23so you might say
18:24we've got him on a quiet day.
18:26We could perhaps
18:27go and have a look.
18:30Presumably,
18:30I've got to cross the road here.
18:37Now, this is lovely.
18:38As every car
18:39and particularly
18:40every motorbike
18:40comes past,
18:41they stop and they turn
18:43and offer a little devotion,
18:44which, of course,
18:44all the traffic behind
18:45gets very cross about.
18:46And then they turn up
18:47and they also do the same.
18:48And occasionally,
18:49a bus comes by
18:51and everybody
18:53sings a great commotion
18:54from the bus.
18:56It's very lovely.
19:02Hidden within the giant monkey
19:03is a winding temple complex.
19:06You enter
19:07via a huge gaping mouth
19:09to an elaborate interior
19:10filled with dazzling
19:12Hindu iconography.
19:13There's music,
19:15incense,
19:16and prayer.
19:18Passages lead off
19:19in every direction,
19:20with a steady stream
19:22pouring in
19:22to show their devotion.
19:28There's another grotto
19:29over here,
19:29I guess,
19:30sort of.
19:32It's very exciting.
19:34Down into a...
19:36a grotto beneath the grotto,
19:38a sort of underworld
19:39here.
19:47Oh, crikey.
19:52Wow.
19:56This is terrifying.
19:58And so,
19:59lots of strange
20:00decapitations going on,
20:02spouts of blood.
20:03It's incredibly graphic.
20:04It may look gory,
20:06but I'm told that these scenes
20:07depict the cosmic struggle
20:09between good and evil,
20:10divine forces
20:11fighting to restore order.
20:13The violence isn't gratuitous,
20:15it's symbolic
20:16and meant to terrify evil spirits.
20:19Now, as I understand it,
20:21there is one godhead
20:22in Hinduism
20:23and all of these
20:25separate
20:27personifications
20:28are
20:29just other symbols,
20:32expressions
20:33of the same
20:34godhead.
20:38This is the
20:39sacred pump.
20:50Very dramatic.
20:52You know,
20:52what fun to come...
20:54I don't know,
20:55fun is the word,
20:55but it's exciting.
20:57It's an enlivening
20:58process to come.
21:00And maybe,
21:01if you're feeling
21:02properly protected,
21:03you can come down here
21:03and face the nightmares.
21:04Maybe that's the idea.
21:05And you've then
21:06kind of wrung them out
21:07of your spirit.
21:10After exploring
21:12the depths of the temple,
21:13I venture upwards
21:14to a revealing
21:15outside terrace.
21:17I am at the very top.
21:19It's interesting,
21:21I mean,
21:21this is still
21:21past the temple,
21:23but it's very much
21:24an everyday space.
21:26Someone's pants there.
21:28But above here,
21:28you get this view
21:31of the heart,
21:32the great heart cavity.
21:33And you can see
21:34the fingers there
21:35recede.
21:36The hands mechanically
21:37reveal this
21:38rather pulpy
21:40open heart.
21:41And there are these
21:42gilded characters
21:44inside, waving.
21:45Hanuman is said
21:46to have torn open
21:47his own chest
21:48to show his devotion,
21:49revealing two gods,
21:51Rama and Sita,
21:52living inside his heart.
21:54It's a real symbol
21:55of unwavering faith.
22:00Wonderful view
22:01of the metro.
22:07Coming up,
22:08I head south
22:09and meet some
22:10potential roommates.
22:11They're sort of bunk beds.
22:12And find out exactly
22:14how much money
22:14can be made
22:15from India's
22:16incredible traditional
22:17silk markets.
22:18They've outbid you.
22:19Go on,
22:20402.
22:24Back in Jaipur,
22:26I discover that
22:27these primates
22:28aren't quite as cute
22:29as they seem.
22:30In fact,
22:30they're known
22:31to terrorise the city.
22:33And every resident
22:35has a story to tell.
22:53Controlling Jaipur's
22:54menacing monkeys
22:55is a hot topic.
22:5710,000 monkeys
22:59are born in the city
23:00every year.
23:02That's where
23:02Vijay number two
23:03comes in.
23:04So Vijay,
23:05what exactly
23:06is your job?
23:07My job is
23:07to catch
23:08the nuisance monkeys.
23:09How many
23:10do you catch?
23:19Are there
23:20particular monkeys
23:21that are a nuisance
23:22or is it
23:22just the number
23:23of monkeys?
23:24The two
23:24are the
23:25two
23:26to four
23:27years.
23:29They're
23:29nuts.
23:30And then
23:31they try to
23:31catch them.
23:32When they try
23:33to catch them,
23:34they attack
23:35if I know
23:36anything about
23:37monkeys,
23:38they're fiercely
23:38intelligent.
23:39But they learn
23:39every day
23:41and they try
23:42to catch them.
23:45There are lots
23:46of wise old
23:47monkeys up there.
23:48We're watching
23:48every bit of the
23:49setup.
23:50The food is there.
23:51There's a little
23:51filament wire.
23:52What's that they
23:53say?
23:54Slowly, slowly,
23:54catchy monkey.
23:56I think goody
23:57lucky, catchy
23:58monkey.
23:59These monkeys up
24:00here have been
24:00watching everything.
24:02No monkeys were
24:03caught today, but
24:04when they are,
24:05they're relocated to
24:06forests outside the
24:07city.
24:08I'm not sure what
24:09the solution is to
24:10Jaipur's monkey
24:11problem, but this
24:12situation seems to
24:13sum up India.
24:15Well, it feels like
24:16a very Indian
24:16fudge, doesn't it?
24:17We've got VJ1 and
24:18VJ2 both doing jobs
24:20that pull in completely
24:21opposite directions.
24:22It's just a sort of
24:23beautiful, chaotic,
24:25totally dysfunctional
24:27cycle, and somehow
24:29it just keeps turning,
24:31very much like India
24:32itself.
24:43As the sun goes
24:45down and I bid
24:46farewell to the pink
24:47city, it has an
24:48entirely different
24:49feeling.
24:51one where time
24:52stands still.
24:56I can see why so
24:58many visitors fall
24:58in love with
24:59Jaipur.
25:04Jaipur feels like
25:05the India of
25:06storybooks.
25:08Do you know what I
25:08mean?
25:09With its opulent
25:10palaces, forts,
25:12and jewellery shops.
25:14It's a city that was
25:15founded on strict
25:16aesthetic principles,
25:18artisan districts and
25:19excellence, and there's
25:21a kind of majesty that
25:22still dazzles to this
25:24day.
25:26But what's interesting
25:27is that that sits
25:30seamlessly, comfortably,
25:32in the fabric of
25:33modern India.
25:34In fact, this is a
25:35country that lives in
25:36its past and its
25:37present simultaneously,
25:39all the while barrelling
25:41towards its future.
25:44Well, I'm off on my
25:45travels again, and
25:47after the beauty of
25:48Jaipur, I'm now
25:49travelling 2,000
25:50kilometres south to
25:52the tropical state of
25:53Karnataka.
25:55It's India's sixth
25:56largest state, and
25:58roughly the same size as
25:59England and Wales
26:00combined.
26:03Most people make a dash
26:05for the ancient city
26:05of Hampi, where they
26:08take a peek at the
26:09rather marvellous rock
26:10formations and
26:11magnificent temples.
26:13Or make a beeline for
26:15the famous city of
26:16Mysore, to witness the
26:18weekly illumination of
26:19Mysore Palace, one of
26:21India's most visited
26:22sites.
26:25But I'm taking a less
26:27trodden path.
26:28I'm off to somewhere
26:29you've probably never
26:30heard of, the city of
26:32Ramanagara, and I
26:33promise you, it's going
26:35to be worth it.
26:36Well, we've now
26:37arrived in a new
26:38region of India.
26:39We're down in the
26:40south, and you can see
26:42it's a very different
26:44landscape.
26:45A lot of agriculture
26:46around here.
26:48For the past 240
26:49years, this region has
26:51been a major silk
26:52producing hub.
26:54After China, India is
26:56the second largest
26:57producer of silk in the
26:58world.
26:59This region is famous
27:01for Mysore silk, which is
27:03exceptionally luxurious.
27:05All thanks to a strict
27:07diet made up exclusively of
27:09mulberry leaves.
27:10This area, thanks to its
27:12perfect blend of soil, sun,
27:14and tradition, has, in a very
27:16quiet, rural, understated
27:18way, become one of the
27:20world's greatest silk
27:21producing regions.
27:23Don't be fooled by this
27:25humble set-up.
27:26Silk is big business.
27:28Last year, the entire silk
27:30industry in India was
27:31valued at five billion
27:33pounds, employing over nine
27:35million people.
27:37Now, you can't produce silk
27:38without silkworms.
27:40But I'll let you into a
27:41little secret.
27:42They're actually caterpillars.
27:48They're sort of bunk beds.
27:51Stayed in youth hostels
27:52like this.
27:54Hundreds and hundreds of
27:55great fat caterpillars just
27:57picking out on mulberry
27:59leaves.
27:59They have a kind of yellowish
28:01tinge when they're ready,
28:03and I can see a slight
28:03yellowishness about that
28:04one.
28:06But, yeah, there's got
28:07goats downstairs.
28:09Yeah, goats living.
28:10They're very nice, very
28:12friendly neighbours.
28:14Once the silkworms are all
28:15grown up and have a belly
28:16full of mulberry leaves,
28:17they're encouraged to spin
28:19their valuable cocoons.
28:21And staggeringly, each
28:22cocoon contains nearly a
28:24mile of silk thread.
28:27They look like sort of...
28:28They look like little
28:29Easter chicks.
28:30These cocoons are then
28:32picked and taken to the
28:33nearby government cocoon
28:34market to be auctioned.
28:39The largest market of its
28:40kind in all Asia.
28:44It's an emporia of cocoons.
28:47Look at them.
28:48Just crates and crates and
28:51crates and crates.
28:52Another massive room full of
28:55these and just more over
28:56there.
28:57As far as the eye can see.
28:59I've been told to find a man
29:00named Syed.
29:02Do you know where Syed is?
29:03Syed?
29:04Hi.
29:04Are you Syed?
29:05Yes, Syed.
29:06How do you do?
29:07I've been...
29:08I've been...
29:08I've been finding a needle
29:09in a haystack.
29:11Syed visits the market daily
29:12to purchase 200 kilos of
29:14cocoons for his factory,
29:16which he then makes into
29:17silk thread.
29:19While silk farming hasn't
29:21changed for thousands of
29:22years, this market has
29:24undergone a modern revolution.
29:26All the bidding is now done
29:28on your phone, with a special
29:29app.
29:31What time does the auction
29:32open?
29:33Auction opens at 10 o'clock.
29:3410 o'clock?
29:35And ends at 10.30.
29:36Exactly.
29:37Oh, 10.30 in the morning?
29:38Yeah.
29:38So it only lasts half an
29:39hour?
29:40Half an hour.
29:40Everybody has to come before
29:4110.00.
29:42I see.
29:43And check the cocoons.
29:44This happens every single
29:45day?
29:46Every day.
29:47Around 40,000 kilograms of
29:49cocoons are sold here daily,
29:52about the weight of three
29:53London buses.
29:55And it's all done within that
29:56tiny half-hour window in the
29:58morning.
29:59So how did you end up in this
30:00business?
30:01My father used to do the
30:03same business.
30:03Were you always going to do
30:04this?
30:05My background.
30:15Actually he's saying,
30:16because of you standing
30:18here, my bid is not working
30:19on.
30:20Nobody's worried that we're
30:21affecting his trade.
30:22But this is as seen on TV,
30:25you can say.
30:25You can put that on the
30:26bottom.
30:27We'll move on.
30:28So how does it all work?
30:31Prospective buyers come
30:32around and check the quality
30:33of their lots.
30:35The aim is to find the
30:36softest cocoons because
30:37they're the easiest to
30:38unravel and so the cheapest
30:40to process into thread.
30:42Once you've chosen your
30:43cocoons, you need to find the
30:44lot number on the app.
30:47Sound easy?
30:49Well, sort of.
30:51So this is lot 84?
30:52Lot number 84.
30:53The bid is going on.
30:55366 rupees.
30:56Is that a good fair price?
30:58No, this is not 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.
31:04I mean, even I can feel
31:05that's...
31:06I can sleep in that.
31:08I can just curl down
31:09and just...
31:10Quality is good.
31:12Now we just need
31:13to win it.
31:14We've got a lot number
31:15here.
31:16273.
31:17It is going 200.
31:18200.
31:18I mean, this is a steal,
31:20isn't it?
31:20I will apply 400.
31:22Okay, there we go.
31:23400.
31:24Our bid is appearing
31:25on a board.
31:26It's just gone up now.
31:26The other person
31:27has bidded 401.
31:29They've outbid you.
31:31This is a bidding war.
31:33Go 402.
31:35Go on, 402.
31:36It'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.
31:57Look at that.
31:58You've got it.
31:59For 533.
32:01700 pounds has got Syed
32:03150 kilograms
32:05of some pretty decent cocoons.
32:07Now all he needs to do
32:08is spin them into silk thread.
32:10A real bargain,
32:11if you ask me.
32:13Probably.
32:15Coming up,
32:16I travel west
32:17and journey deep
32:18into rural Karnataka
32:19to meet a woman
32:20who shunned city life
32:22for a slice of paradise.
32:24Did you get out of this right here?
32:25They were here last night.
32:26I'd go searching
32:27for India's most elusive predator,
32:29the tiger.
32:31Oh, alarm calls.
32:32Tiger.
32:38India's population
32:40has more than tripled
32:41in the past 70 years.
32:42from 361 million
32:45to over 1.4 billion people.
32:49Despite this huge rise,
32:51India has managed to preserve
32:52pockets of wilderness.
32:56So I'm making the 100-kilometre journey west
32:59from Ramalagara
33:00to Bandipur,
33:02one of 107 national parks
33:04across the country
33:05to get a taste of India's wild side.
33:08The national parks
33:09have been so incredibly successful
33:12both from a conservation
33:13and a breeding programme point of view
33:15that they begin to run out of space.
33:18Today,
33:20India is home
33:20to more than 3,600 tigers,
33:24a figure that has doubled
33:25in the past 20 years
33:26and now amounts to 75%
33:28of the world's entire tiger population.
33:32Success, right?
33:34Well, not quite.
33:36India's tigers are still in danger
33:37and now more than ever,
33:39people and predators
33:40are beginning to feel the squeeze.
33:44Look at those beautiful deer.
33:46That, I guess,
33:47is free-range food.
33:50I'm meeting wildlife artist
33:52and accidental conservationist
33:54Sunita Dariyam,
33:56who for the past 30 years
33:58has lived on the extremes
33:59of the tiger reserve
34:00in the village of Mangala,
34:02one of 15 villages
34:03that border the reserve.
34:05Hi, Alexander!
34:06Hello!
34:06How nice to meet you.
34:08And you.
34:09Sunita runs a charity
34:11that compensates villagers
34:12who've lost valuable livestock
34:14to the reserve's predators,
34:16which makes sense
34:17when you realise
34:17just how close people
34:18are living to them.
34:20What I can't get over, Sunita,
34:21is this is the actual reserve
34:23here, isn't it?
34:24Well, this is my land
34:25and then the reserve there, yes.
34:27Look at my fence.
34:28Elephants are here every day.
34:29Oh, so hang on.
34:30Do you get elephants right here?
34:31Here.
34:33They were here last night.
34:35So what do you hear?
34:35What tells you
34:36that an elephant's there?
34:37You can hear them.
34:39Is it breathing?
34:40Taking the leaves
34:41and a few farts
34:43here and there.
34:44Elephant grass.
34:46You have elephants here.
34:47That presumably means
34:48you have tigers here.
34:49Yes.
34:50I came out of my room
34:51the other night
34:52and there was a tiger here.
34:54While this might sound romantic
34:55to have a tiger come to tea,
34:57the reality is far from it,
35:00especially if you own livestock.
35:02You know, in India,
35:03some of the poorest communities
35:05share the same space
35:06as the wildlife.
35:07The villagers started asking me
35:09to come out
35:10and take photographs
35:11of their cattle
35:12that had been killed.
35:13I realised nobody,
35:14no scientists,
35:15no big NGOs
35:16coming to help these people.
35:18So what was happening?
35:19Tiger comes,
35:20kills their cow.
35:20They go and put poison,
35:22poisoning of carcasses
35:24as revenge killing.
35:25The villagers were systematically
35:27wiping out our tiger
35:28and leopard population.
35:30But from the farmer's point of view,
35:31I suppose...
35:32They're losing their livelihood.
35:32That's their livelihood.
35:33And so they're thinking,
35:35To help put this into perspective,
35:37the average daily wage
35:38around here is 400 rupees,
35:40roughly £3.50.
35:43And prized livestock
35:44can cost upwards
35:45of £700 per animal.
35:48When I started,
35:49the Mariamar Charitable Trust,
35:51I said,
35:51we need to start paying compensation
35:53to stop poisoning.
35:54And people said,
35:54you're mad,
35:55it cannot be done.
35:56Where are you going to get the money?
35:57So your charity pays the compensation
35:59and is that sufficient
36:00to stop them poisoning?
36:02More or less,
36:02its poisoning has
36:04completely stopped.
36:06Really?
36:06It's actually worked.
36:08The Mariamar Charitable Trust
36:09works across 660 villages
36:12and pays out instant compensation
36:14to livestock owners.
36:16But before any money is exchanged,
36:18every kill is evaluated
36:20by Sunita's team.
36:21So, Alexander?
36:23Yes?
36:23These are my compensation files.
36:26These pictures
36:27aren't for the faint-hearted.
36:29This was my first kill.
36:31Goodness me.
36:31This was a huge hybrid cow.
36:35Yeah.
36:36And right near my house, actually.
36:38And that's unmistakably tiger,
36:39is it?
36:40Oh, yes, yes.
36:41So every single kill
36:42is identified
36:43or the teeth marks,
36:44claw marks.
36:45And these give all the details
36:47of how much we've given,
36:48the check number,
36:50who has killed it,
36:51whether tiger, leopard,
36:52wild dog,
36:53thumbprint,
36:54if they can't write.
36:55The data you're assembling here
36:57is extraordinary.
36:58It's years of data.
37:00Years and years.
37:02And are you seeing increases
37:03as the years go by?
37:05Yes, because there are more tigers
37:07and not enough space.
37:08This is a result of a good thing
37:10because of the success
37:11of the wildlife programs.
37:13But it's going to get
37:13more and more tigers.
37:14There are going to be more kills.
37:15You know what?
37:15We need to share the same space
37:17with all the wildlife.
37:19Ultimately,
37:20it's very difficult
37:21to farm in these areas.
37:22They have the tolerance,
37:23but when they lose something
37:24that's costing them money,
37:26these are very poor people.
37:27Yeah.
37:27And you're dealing with poverty.
37:29The whole thing
37:29is to make people
37:31financially secure.
37:33If we can help them there,
37:35people are very happy
37:36to live side by side.
37:40India's growing middle class
37:41is driving a tourism boom
37:43across the country.
37:45And safaris have now become
37:46a popular weekend getaway.
37:49Every day,
37:50around 600 people
37:51visit the Bandipur National Park.
37:54And they're all hoping
37:55for one thing,
37:56to see a tiger.
37:59I've never seen one
38:00in the wild before.
38:02Sunita has kindly agreed
38:03to let me join her
38:04on an evening safari.
38:06And there have been whispers
38:07of a tiger roaming nearby.
38:10Just a couple of hours ago,
38:12this tigress tried
38:13to catch a spotted deer.
38:15They saw her actually hunting
38:18and she missed.
38:22Oh, alarm calls.
38:24Alarm calls.
38:26Which means a tiger
38:27approached him.
38:28What animal's making
38:29the alarm call?
38:30Spotted deer.
38:31There, can you hear that?
38:32I like that.
38:38Quiet and down now.
38:40All the spotted deer
38:41were on high alert.
38:42So, the tiger's moving.
38:57Chatting with the peacocks.
38:59Peacocks.
38:59That was not bad, actually.
39:02Oh, look at that.
39:04Wild elephants.
39:05Oh, yeah, more.
39:06Come on.
39:07Wow.
39:13Indian elephants
39:14are a subspecies
39:16of the Asian elephant.
39:18They're smaller
39:19than their African cousins.
39:20And just like India's tigers,
39:22they 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.
39:30Oh, 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,
39:42that's where the tiger is from.
39:42Whatever has moved,
39:44it's moved from here
39:44and gone that side.
39:46She's hunting.
39:47She's hunting at speed.
39:52Quickly.
39:52Hold on, hold on.
39:54Something is there.
39:55That's just come through,
39:56is it?
39:56Yes.
39:57Amazing.
40:02Hang on.
40:03Hang on.
40:08Somewhere here.
40:11Tiger.
40:14Spot a deer.
40:14Alarm calls.
40:16There, there, there.
40:17But she's moving around.
40:20One sec, one 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.
40:43Alexander, 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, I can totally understand Sunita's love for this place.
41:30It's a corner of India where the air is fresh, the land is untamed, and wild animals roam free.
41:41Next time, I'm in the modern city of Bangalore, where 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, Chiswai.
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.
42:17Let's go.
42:20Let's go.
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