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00:12Some say the best way to live life is to reach out and grab it with both hands.
00:24Yes, well done.
00:26That's exactly what we did on our grand tour of Italy.
00:30And it changed our lives.
00:33I gave Rylan a crash course in art appreciation.
00:37And I showed Rob how to let what's left of his hair down.
00:41Our cultural odyssey taught us new things about ourselves and each other.
00:46I have been looking at a painting for half an hour.
00:49The experiment is working.
00:52Now we want to take it to the next level.
00:55You're stunning.
00:56We're getting out of the galleries and right to the heart of the art.
01:00It's like Banksy on crack.
01:02And culture of one of the oldest civilizations on the planet.
01:07Just walk, just walk.
01:08We're in India.
01:09We have no taboo.
01:11You know, our gods make love.
01:13You can't get to me.
01:14Oh, that's a big one, isn't it?
01:16Don't go for me.
01:17Hello.
01:18We're following in the footsteps of E.M. Forster, who a century ago changed the way the world saw this
01:23country in his dazzling novel, A Passage to India.
01:27That's here.
01:28That's exactly it.
01:29That's literally here.
01:34You have a slightly psychotic problem.
01:37Psychiatric problem.
01:40Yeah, we're on our own passage to India.
01:42Oliver, come on, come on.
01:45Through India.
01:46You know what?
01:47I think I've got diarrhea.
01:49And out the other side.
01:51To see if the art and culture of this amazing country.
01:54Look at the detail.
01:55Can show us how to live our best lives.
01:58This is incredible.
02:00Why am I doing, do you know, I do anything stupid that, what?
02:05That is the most beautiful art that I've ever seen.
02:09Whoa.
02:09What a huge clock.
02:11I feel like as the trip's going on, it's getting better and better.
02:14I don't know what's coming next.
02:18Don't read it.
02:19Do it.
02:34So this is Delhi?
02:36It's Delhi.
02:38Oh, my God.
02:39We are in the middle of the road, Robert.
02:44Win, Lax.
02:45Ryan, take a breath.
02:46The middle of the road.
02:46There's oncoming traffic.
02:51Sorry, why are we not in a car with air con?
02:54Because I wanted you to see it properly.
02:56You know when a parent might teach someone to swim
02:58and just throws you into the water?
02:59This is this.
03:00That's what it's like.
03:01This is India.
03:02This is Delhi.
03:03You know there are 33 million people in this city.
03:05I know it's authentic.
03:08Yeah.
03:09But literally, you could have put me on the M25 at 5 o'clock
03:11because all I'm in is a traffic jam.
03:16I've travelled in all sorts of places in the world.
03:18I've been to India many times and I love this country.
03:24It's got its own special brand of human magic.
03:29This is horrendous.
03:32Horrendous.
03:33How does anyone get anywhere?
03:34Stop bibbing!
03:38I've never, ever been to Asia apart from Maldives.
03:44There's a client!
03:46And the Maldives was basically like Basildon with a beach.
03:51The only deli I've ever been to is at the Ice Street.
03:56This is not fun.
04:00Oh!
04:02Because he hasn't travelled outside of a zone of Rylan's safety.
04:08Why are you pipping?
04:09I want him to feel safer around the unexpected and he isn't at the moment.
04:13Something's in my eye.
04:14Just relax.
04:14Oh my God, no, I'm panicking.
04:16He's a little bit worried about, well, all the stuff that India is.
04:21No, we ain't getting through there.
04:23The stuff that it can throw at you which you don't necessarily want.
04:27But, you know, who cares?
04:29There's a modem for that sort of thing.
04:32Armed only with a rubber bung and a sense of adventure,
04:36my literary hero E.M. Forster came to India in 1912
04:39and created A Passage to India.
04:42His revolutionary novel which transformed the way Brits thought about this country.
04:47At least, most of them.
04:51E.M.
04:53The letter E and the letter M.
04:55Oh, E.M.
04:56Yeah.
04:57Who said E.M.?
04:59Okay, E.M. Forster.
05:01Forster.
05:01Forster.
05:02You a big fan?
05:03Big fan!
05:05Have you read A Passage to India yet?
05:07No.
05:08Why didn't you read the book? I sent it to you.
05:10I was in LA with Mariah Carey.
05:15A Passage to India is set against the backdrop of a crumbling British Empire.
05:20It's about friendship across the divide, cultural difference
05:23and discovering what really matters in life.
05:27I've wanted to follow in Forster's footsteps ever since I read it in my 20s.
05:32Soon after arriving in Delhi, Forster came here to the market of Chandni Chalk.
05:40Just walk, just walk.
05:41Just walk, just walk.
05:43Look at dead pigeon, dead pigeon!
05:46Right, okay, we can go, we can go, we can go.
05:48Jenny, just relax.
05:49I mean, like, I thought I knew roughly what I might be getting into, but I didn't see it being
05:57this chaotic.
06:00There is a lot to see here, be aware of.
06:07Like, my eyes hurt from, like, sensory overload.
06:14There's a man pissing on a roof.
06:17It's all going on.
06:19There's just so much colour and smell and bustle.
06:24And instead of allowing it to wash over you, I've got him in my ear going,
06:29Oh my God, oh my God, get out of my way!
06:32I feel like the benevolent headmistress of a school for excluded children.
06:38Here in Chandni Chalk, Forster would sit for hours and watch the world go by from his balcony.
06:44Rob says, in a passage to India, Forster describes India as a mysterious, confusing muddle.
06:51Oh my God.
06:53And I don't do muddles.
07:01Are you hungry?
07:02No.
07:03I, believe it or not, I'm very, um, not good with big crowds of people.
07:09Oh, it's very busy.
07:10I love being in control of everything.
07:12This is the food market here.
07:14I just like all my ducks in a row.
07:16But then I've become very rigid in what I do and sort of blinkered.
07:22There's a wheelie bin.
07:23I just want to chill out a bit.
07:25There's a wheelie bin.
07:26I'm touching the wheelie bin.
07:27Oh my God.
07:28So there's no zebra crossings here.
07:30Well, let's weave in and out of moving traffic.
07:33Some rickshaws.
07:33Robert, I'm stuck.
07:35There's two way traffic now.
07:37I just want to experience new things and feel things that I didn't think I could feel.
07:43Thank you very much.
07:44Do you like the spice of it?
07:46Mmm.
07:47Love it.
07:48I like spice, but I don't know what's in it.
07:50Are you nervous about eating a bit?
07:52I'm really nervous about deli belly.
07:54Rylan might be petrified, but this trip is an eye-opener for me too.
07:59I normally stay in my safe space of galleries and museums.
08:02But Forster was all about finding culture in the real world.
08:06What I'm really hoping for is that the people, the art, the encounters that I have will help me be
08:15a little bit more connected to the world, to myself and to others, which is what I need really.
08:22Oh, there's a dog.
08:24Pull yourself together.
08:26Stray dogs.
08:28Well, Rob, there's a lot of dogs about.
08:30Just ignore them, Johnny.
08:32No, no.
08:35But Indians, 40 rupees.
08:37Foreign tourists, 600 rupees.
08:39Do we go to the window?
08:41Yeah.
08:43Two please.
08:47Hi.
08:48I've got a token.
08:51Oh, thank you.
08:53It's like Thorpe Park.
08:56Don't you feel how calm this is?
08:58Yeah, it is calm.
08:59I mean, once you're away from the road, it's a bit more chill.
09:03Rylan's escape from chaos normally involves a sunbed, a pool and a porn star martini.
09:09But when Brits like Forster found India overwhelming, this was their escape.
09:15Are these dogs all right?
09:16They're fine, Johnny.
09:17Don't call them over.
09:20If you ignore the dogs, you can enter an oasis of calm in the heart of Delhi.
09:25As Forster wrote to his aunt, he couldn't imagine anywhere that would be more amazing.
09:32Oh, this is incredible.
09:35Oh, my God.
09:38This is beautiful.
09:44This is Hermione's tomb.
09:47Back in the 1500s, the Mughals, a Muslim dynasty from Central Asia, swept eastward into India, creating a mighty empire.
10:00Hermione was a second emperor.
10:05He died after accidentally falling down the stairs whilst trying to pray.
10:12His favourite wife commissioned this mausoleum as his burial chamber.
10:17That's a tomb.
10:19That's a tomb.
10:19Yes.
10:19All of this for a place to be buried.
10:24I know there's some school kids there.
10:27Hi.
10:29Today, Hermione's tomb attracts school trips and anyone with a smartphone.
10:34In the old days, they had to rely on postcards.
10:37Do you want to show you something like that?
10:39What?
10:41So, that's here.
10:43Right.
10:44And who collected this postcard after he'd been here?
10:47Forster.
10:48Yeah.
10:48That is crazy that we're standing in that picture now.
10:51Like me, Forster was a bit of an architecture groupie.
10:55He even said that the great art of India has always been in its architecture.
11:00She's so pretty.
11:01Yeah.
11:02And even though Rob thinks he can teach me all I need to know about India, I think he
11:07sometimes makes it up to sound clever.
11:09So, I've found us a local expert, Anish.
11:12So, this is the OG mausoleum that set off the mausoleum craze across the Mughal Empire.
11:19Oh, I love that. OG malls.
11:20OG malls.
11:21OG malls.
11:22You've been to the Taj?
11:23I have, yes.
11:24The Taj is also a mausoleum inspired in some ways by this one.
11:27But this is the sort of mausoleum for Humayun.
11:30So, he's the emperor of the Mughal dynasty, which rules India up until the 19th century.
11:35They're like the royals.
11:36They're the royals.
11:37Of course, Humayun was Muslim.
11:39But he was the Muslim emperor of a largely Hindu country.
11:43Right.
11:43But in that, you also had...
11:45Fairly well, actually.
11:47With certain amounts of conflict, as is expected.
11:50So, they've been a part of creating a country that's diverse culturally, religiously, ethnically,
11:56and a country that celebrated diversity.
12:00Why build something so grand in death?
12:02I love it.
12:03Well, this is probably the grave you'd have.
12:06Yeah.
12:06Is this kind of like, as he would say, a kind of bling headstone?
12:11It is a bling headstone.
12:12It's almost like a stamp of authority in a strange way to say, this is what we're doing.
12:18This is how important we are.
12:19And this is how grand we are.
12:21Yeah.
12:21But this is architecture unlike any other.
12:25So, you're seeing, of course, a lot of Persian elements.
12:29Yeah.
12:29The domes, the sort of arches.
12:31The arches.
12:32You're seeing the little grills that are very Persian.
12:35Now, the one thing to remember here is you not see any humans or animals.
12:40No.
12:40You cannot depict any living form under Islam.
12:44Right.
12:44So, this becomes the golden age for geometry and geometric designs.
12:49Majorly, yeah.
12:49So, you'll see these beautiful geometric designs.
12:51Yeah.
12:52But it mixes with incredible Indian architectural forms.
12:55So, you'll see those little domes, the blue ones.
12:57Yeah.
12:57And motifs that span every religion you can think of.
13:01This architecture really speaks to blending all the different identities together.
13:05But this is a blending that's not intentional.
13:07This is what happens when multiple communities live together in coexistence or cohabitation.
13:12So, basically, this wasn't an intentional building to be multicultural.
13:18It just was because people were multicultural.
13:22Absolutely.
13:23You know, in a strange way, it was the hotbed of cosmopolitanism back in the day.
13:28Because you could come to Delhi and escape where you came from.
13:33E.M. Forster also came here to escape where he came from.
13:37He was a closeted gay man trying to get away from buttoned-up Edwardian society.
13:42He was seduced by the romance of India.
13:47Hermione's tomb inspired the Taj Mahal
13:49and, therefore, indirectly inspired one of my mum's favourite photographs,
13:54Lady Di acting all coy on a bench.
13:58I want to get a little photo on the bench.
14:00What do you mean?
14:00I know it's not the Taj Mahal, but I want to do a little Diana.
14:03Just for mummy. Do you mind?
14:05No!
14:06I'm going to go and have a little photo on the bench.
14:08You'll be the Lady Di of the Hermione's tomb.
14:09I think I'll love it.
14:11This is what I want to get. Lady Di.
14:14Yes.
14:14Do you know why this photograph was iconic?
14:17Because she was alone. Because of all the drama.
14:19Not just the drama, but because of what that mausoleum represented.
14:21Yeah, it was all, like, romance and stuff.
14:23Right, built for his great love of his life.
14:25It's like a photo, Robert.
14:26I'm going to think of Lady Di.
14:28Hell have no fury like a lady's gone.
14:30Yeah.
14:31Okay.
14:32Come on, Lady Di.
14:37Ready?
14:39There we go.
14:41I'm sure this counts for blasphemy on multiple counts.
14:43The royal family.
14:45This royal family.
14:46I know.
14:46Every royal family.
14:47He loves it.
14:49It just feels very sedate in the midst of this storm of noise and traffic.
14:56But I think there's a part of me that's going to have to learn to love the chaos.
15:00You know, I can't be in a walled garden for this entire trip.
15:16How many countries have you visited?
15:17I'd say, like, 20?
15:19America.
15:20Yeah.
15:20South America.
15:21What's South America like?
15:23So, a few countries in South America.
15:24Oh, okay.
15:25So, America, Colombia.
15:27Uh-huh.
15:27Did you actually go to...
15:28Didn't you just go to a five-star resort?
15:30Well, I was filming a show, but I saw Cartagena for a day.
15:34Yeah.
15:34So, America, Colombia, Ireland, UK, France, Germany, Spain.
15:39UK doesn't count.
15:39You live in the UK.
15:40All right.
15:41Take the UK off.
15:42Spain.
15:43Then go through Eurovision.
15:45So, Israel.
15:45Yeah.
15:47Elizabeth, Portugal.
15:48So, Eurovision.
15:49Holland.
15:49Eurovision.
15:50The Netherlands.
15:50That's the same thing as Holland?
15:52Italy.
15:53Sardinia.
15:54Sardinia's part of Italy.
15:55Right.
15:55So, that counts as one.
15:58How many countries have you been?
16:00Probably about the same number as men you've slept with.
16:03Didn't realise there was that many countries.
16:06All right.
16:07So, I might not be as well-travelled as Rob,
16:09but there's something about the mix of people and culture here
16:12that's really familiar.
16:14You know, I grew up in Stepney Green in East London,
16:16and sort of the community that I grew up in was white,
16:21Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, an amalgamation of people
16:25just all together at school playing out.
16:28It was just quite normal for me.
16:32But I don't really know loads about India.
16:35I know there's something historical with the British being here
16:39and stuff like that.
16:42It all just feels a little bit surreal still at the minute for me,
16:45because I genuinely have no idea.
16:48The British-India thing really began in the 17th century
16:52with the East India Company.
16:54They were a small London firm who came to trade and made so much money,
16:59they decided they might as well take over the whole place.
17:03Eventually, India became part of the British Empire,
17:06and for 200 years, we ruled the country for our own benefit.
17:12The British thought the way to enjoy India was to make it as British as possible.
17:17So we brought cricket and trains, which proved useful for taking our treasure back home.
17:23Along with tea, curry and words such as pyjamas, bungalow and pucker.
17:29It's now three quarters of a century since Britain left India,
17:33after having apparently pocketed 36 trillion pounds.
17:38But we did leave them with a legal system, democracy
17:41and an enduring memory of us in the buildings we left behind.
17:49It's very Regent Street-y.
17:51I mean, it could be, couldn't it?
17:53All of that architecture looks like...
17:54Oh, no, this is so London.
17:55What's really interesting is all of these columns...
17:58Roman.
17:58Exactly.
17:59That sort of backward-looking architecture to project power.
18:03Who did design all this?
18:05So a lot of it is designed by an architect called Lutyens.
18:09So he's invited to come and design a lot of New Delhi, like 1911.
18:14It hadn't even been here before.
18:16You just turned it up and done it.
18:18Right.
18:21Lutyens' most prominent design is India Gate,
18:24which has become one of the most popular destinations in the city.
18:30Oh, it's warm today.
18:32It's gorgeous.
18:33Right, let's go and have a little look, what we can see.
18:37This is nice.
18:38Look at that.
18:39I know, right?
18:41Wow.
18:42Look at that.
18:43What's it look like?
18:44Looks like marble arch.
18:45It's like a copy of the Mall.
18:48And then we look that way, and then you just see, like, these domes.
18:50It's like St Paul's Cathedral.
18:52Almost like the royal red Buckingham Palace, the Mall.
18:55I mean, it feels beautiful, but as gorgeous as it is,
18:59it doesn't feel like it belongs.
19:01Yeah.
19:01It just feels like I'm in central London, but someone turned the sun up.
19:09Lutyens had a deep disdain for the subjects of the British Empire,
19:13saying,
19:13The very low intellect of the natives spoils much.
19:16I do not think it possible for Indians and whites to mix freely.
19:20Views which are really troubling.
19:24My question, I guess, is,
19:25can you divorce the fact something's beautiful from its past,
19:30from its history?
19:31I think we do.
19:33And I'm looking around here.
19:35No one's throwing eggs at it.
19:37Pulling it down.
19:38No one's pulling it down.
19:39People are here loving it.
19:44Are you a tourist in Delhi?
19:46Yeah.
19:47But what do you think when you see this big imperial British architecture here?
19:50What do you think about it?
19:51I think that's classic.
19:53Yeah.
19:53It's vintage.
19:55Timeless.
19:56It's such a great place to be.
19:57Are you proud of these buildings?
19:58Definitely.
19:59All Indians should be proud.
20:02What's so fascinating to me is they're not troubled by what this means.
20:09There's me kind of thinking about the history and all the rest of it.
20:12But at its core, I asked Rylan, what do you think?
20:15And he says, well, it's beautiful.
20:17Whatever its problematic past, to say the least,
20:20ultimately, it's just beautiful.
20:24Today, without the Brits, India's thriving
20:27and is the fastest growing economy in the world.
20:33What's this?
20:33Entry into main colony.
20:36It's a gated community.
20:38A gated community in Delhi.
20:40The gated communities that once housed the British elite
20:43are now owned by Indians.
20:46Bit of money here, babe.
20:47There are now 185 billionaires in this country.
20:52And many of this new generation of up-and-coming Indians
20:54like to display their status through art.
20:58This is a gaff, isn't it?
20:59While Rob's been busy reading E.M. Forster,
21:02I've got us access to one of the biggest private art collections
21:05in the whole of Delhi.
21:08Yeah.
21:12Gosh.
21:12Oh, wow, it's...
21:13It opens on its own.
21:14Shall we?
21:15Yes, help you.
21:17Hi.
21:18Just look at this house.
21:20Oh, that's beautiful.
21:21This is stunning.
21:23Oh, my goodness, hi.
21:24Hi.
21:26Yep, my reality TV addiction has come in handy.
21:30I'm obsessed with Shalini Pasi,
21:32one of the stars of a crazy Netflix show
21:34about the extravagant lives of India's uber rich.
21:37And a woman I just had to meet.
21:41Shalini's the wife of a billionaire businessman
21:43and owner of a spectacular house
21:45that doubles as her own personal gallery.
21:48Honestly, your house is beautiful.
21:50And you look a vision yourself.
21:52Thank you so much.
21:53We'd love to have a look around if possible.
21:54Come on, so, yeah.
21:55This is a painting by an Indian contemporary artist,
21:58Jithish Kalat.
21:58He came over, saw the space,
22:00and I said, you know,
22:02I would want the sky to reflect inside
22:04because this home is all about indoor-outdoor.
22:06And also, I definitely wanted blue
22:08because blue is a colour which I love.
22:10I have to say, when I walked in,
22:12I got goosebumps a little bit.
22:13I'm so happy.
22:14That was the idea.
22:16Let's go see more.
22:17Yes.
22:18How much art do you actually know?
22:20I've never really, like, counted the pieces,
22:22but I think that it's a fairly large collection
22:24and we do rotate.
22:26Yeah.
22:29I will need a pin.
22:30Amita!
22:33Amita, you have to be behind the camera,
22:36not hiding there.
22:37There's a lot of people here.
22:39Yeah.
22:40Is this your staff?
22:41Yeah.
22:41Yeah.
22:42How many staff have you got?
22:43Many, I don't know.
22:45I don't know.
22:46But you know their names?
22:47Yeah, of course.
22:48They're family to me.
22:49They're family, okay.
22:50They're family to me, yeah.
22:51This is the first time you've ever been present
22:53in an imperious clique.
22:55Oh, I have literally seen the clique.
22:58When you go to a house like this,
23:00you normally have a little rob.
23:01Like, if you go to Buckingham Palace,
23:02you take a loo roll.
23:03Do you know what I mean?
23:03But I think she'd put the hair out of me.
23:07I find this quite, well,
23:11a sort of branch of the erotic.
23:13Yes, absolutely.
23:14You're right.
23:15It's titled Theatre of Saad.
23:17She's taken mundane objects
23:18and given them a new lease of life.
23:20So it's about sadomasochism.
23:22Yes.
23:23And you brought my teeth out as well.
23:26That is so funny.
23:28This is, for me,
23:29one of the most powerful works in my collection.
23:31I just wondered how you negotiated for it,
23:33because when you were speaking to...
23:34No, I didn't.
23:35I just had to call up the person
23:36and say, you know,
23:37I'm obsessed with this work
23:38and I want it.
23:39They said, what,
23:40it's a million pounds
23:41or a million dollars far.
23:42Whatever, so I was like,
23:43I don't care.
23:44Whatever it costs,
23:45it has to be mine.
23:46Yeah.
23:46Because you loved it.
23:47Yeah, I loved it so much.
23:51She's killing me
23:52that like every five minutes
23:54there might be like a clique or something
23:55and like 500 people
23:56come out of a cupboard.
23:57I mean, what a life.
23:58She's very eccentric,
24:00which I love.
24:00The artwork is off the chain.
24:04I mean, she said the amount of art
24:06that she's got,
24:06she doesn't even know
24:07because some of it's on rotation.
24:11That is status.
24:14I have a question, sorry.
24:16I am fascinated by this Art Deco piece you have.
24:20Would Ryle and I be able to try some on later ourselves?
24:23Yeah, of course, you know.
24:25I have never, ever been more embarrassed.
24:28Jesse, it's not right.
24:30It's India.
24:31It's a land of excess.
24:32Let him be.
24:33This is real.
24:35I'm sorry, darling.
24:36That was incredibly...
24:36I'm offended now.
24:38Sorry, I didn't mean to be, sorry.
24:39They are gorgeous.
24:40They are very gorgeous.
24:41Please make sure they don't fall.
24:42Yeah.
24:42And it's crass,
24:43but it's important for people to understand.
24:45My hands are now worth millions.
24:46Yeah.
24:48When a country has been colonized,
24:50lots of places in the world
24:52find that very, very difficult.
24:53Yeah.
24:53To take whatever darkness of the past
24:56Yeah.
24:57And like your artwork...
24:58Yeah.
24:59Move on.
25:00Move on.
25:00Yeah.
25:00There were, you know, so many things
25:03which are very sad, which happened,
25:04which cannot be turned back.
25:06But like UK that is now
25:07is not those people.
25:10You've got George V and Queen Mary.
25:13Yes, yes.
25:13Emperor and Empress of India.
25:15Can you see why I'm a bit surprised?
25:17Nobody else has ever questioned it,
25:18except the British themselves.
25:21Anyway, now Indians rule Britain.
25:25All the top, like the top industrials,
25:27the business people are of Indian origin.
25:29You're so right.
25:31The status of it all
25:33is what I find really fascinating
25:35because you walk through this gate
25:37and the walls are dripping
25:40with multi-million pounds worth of art.
25:42There's something in her buying it
25:44speaks to her and her power.
25:46She wouldn't have it otherwise.
25:48What art have you got, Lionel?
25:50I wouldn't say I've got like traditional art.
25:52I've got three diary room chairs
25:54from Big Brother.
25:57The second diary room chair
25:58I did actually buy in an auction.
26:00A few thousand, I paid for that.
26:02Yeah.
26:02And the third diary room chair
26:04was when I was hosting Big Brother
26:05and I stole it
26:06because it was my ex-husband's diary room chair.
26:08Yeah.
26:09And now that sits outside in the garage.
26:14I still can't get rid of it though.
26:15It's history.
26:19I love that.
26:28In a passage to India, Forster suggests
26:31if you want to see the real India,
26:34try meeting Indians.
26:36Well, we've met a billionaire.
26:39But what about the Indians
26:41who live below the poverty line?
26:44I don't have any money.
26:46I'm sorry.
26:47That's really tragic, right?
26:48No, I can't look though.
26:49I can't look.
26:49It's the road.
26:50Be careful.
26:51Here, it's not your class that matters,
26:54but your caste.
26:56For the past 3,000 years,
26:59the caste system has divided Hindus
27:01into four rigid groups.
27:05At the top are the Brahmins.
27:07Traditionally, they were priests.
27:09Today, they're often politicians or lawyers.
27:13At the bottom are shudras,
27:15responsible for labouring jobs.
27:17But a quarter of the population
27:19are in a group that's not even allowed
27:21in the caste system,
27:23the Dalits.
27:24Traditionally responsible for street sweeping
27:27and toilet cleaning,
27:28they used to be known as the untouchables.
27:31But the Dalits are starting to have a voice.
27:38This is Naveen Kumar, an up-and-coming rapper.
27:41I found him online,
27:42and not just because he likes to walk around shirtless,
27:45but because he's a Dalit,
27:46who uses his music to call out the injustice
27:48of the caste system.
27:50Naveen, how are you, man?
27:51Silent, nice to see you.
27:53Naveen.
27:53You well?
27:53Good to meet you.
27:54Naveen.
27:54Yeah, Naveen.
27:55Naveen Kumar.
27:58You consider a house where there are four floors.
28:01Yeah.
28:01These four floors are actually the four casks,
28:04and now imagine there is no staircase.
28:07So there's no way you can...
28:08No way you can go up or down.
28:10So you're in the basement?
28:11We are...
28:12This house.
28:12We are not in this house.
28:13You're not even in the house.
28:14We are below.
28:17So in whatever capacity I can,
28:19I bring my people up,
28:21and this pedestal goes so high
28:23that you don't need this building.
28:26In 1950, the caste system was technically abolished,
28:29but today, Dalits still suffer from social exclusion
28:33and violence.
28:35Do you feel that people treat you differently
28:38because of your caste?
28:39Yeah.
28:40They make you realise that you are nothing.
28:42A lot of people have died by suicide
28:44because of discrimination at workplace.
28:47When you perform,
28:49do you ever feel unsafe?
28:52Once I was performing,
28:54and there was a gunshot,
28:56I was kind of scared
28:57because that area
28:58has the most reported crimes
29:01against Dalits.
29:02They're killed.
29:02They're lynched.
29:03But I am putting my fist up
29:06and talking about it.
29:07By the end of my performance,
29:09they were all with me.
29:11This, for me,
29:12is the change that I can bring through my art.
29:16I had no idea about this caste system
29:18before I came to this country.
29:19That's literally, like,
29:20all of the people that I know growing up
29:22and my family
29:24wouldn't have any opportunity in life.
29:27There was no way I could have been
29:29doing the job that I'm doing now
29:30or earn the money that I've earned over the years
29:33because of where I've come from.
29:34I come out of a council house.
29:35And that's crazy.
29:36I really, really didn't realize
29:38it was like that here.
29:39But, you know,
29:40there's a bit of hope out there, I think.
29:43You know, with Naveed
29:43and being proud of who he is
29:45and taking those sort of knocks
29:47and making him stronger
29:49and putting it into his art.
29:53The rap I can't stand
29:54is when the artist will stand up
29:57and talk about bitches
29:58and watches and cars
30:00and some idea about the world
30:01that's not real.
30:02But when they stand up
30:03and talk about their lived experience,
30:05you can listen for hours.
30:07It's real poetry.
30:09Let us do something exciting.
30:11We could probably freestyle together
30:14and...
30:14Well, like a little R&R collab.
30:16Yeah, yeah, like a collab.
30:18Yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:18Come on, let's go, team.
30:20Let's go, let's do this.
30:21Naveed takes his rap out onto Delhi's streets
30:24where he believes words of music
30:25can bring about real change.
30:27He wants us to join him
30:29in an impromptu performance tonight.
30:31But first, we need to fuel up
30:33with some truly authentic Indian food.
30:37One of my favourite things
30:39is to look through foreign McDonald's,
30:40wouldn't you?
30:41Really?
30:42I'm having a fillet of fish.
30:44Double fillet of fish.
30:44Fillet of fish?
30:45Yeah.
30:46Fillet of fish is my absolute food porn.
30:48See, for me, I'm getting a spicy paneer
30:51because I'm in India.
30:54This takes me back to my childhood.
30:56Yeah.
30:57When this opened in Southgate,
30:58this would be the only place
31:00that I'd go and hang out with my dad in.
31:03If you were to ask most people about Rob,
31:05they'd probably say he was a right posho.
31:08Not from a single parent family
31:09where you just see your dad
31:11at weekends for fast food.
31:13But a bit like Naveen,
31:15Rob has mastered the art of using culture
31:17to forge his own way in the world
31:19and not letting his background define him.
31:22I am somebody without question
31:24who has invented an artifice.
31:27My voice,
31:28the things that I've determined myself
31:31to be interested in.
31:33So growing up,
31:34the type of class that I aspired for
31:37was the type that had art and books,
31:40whereas I still walk round my mum's house now
31:42and they go,
31:43telly, telly, book?
31:45Anywhere?
31:46Anywhere?
31:46Book?
31:47I wanted to be the real deal.
31:49You know, you may be poor in money,
31:52but you have impeccable manners.
31:54Or you have a library of poetry in your brain
31:57and so consequently you're never poor, really.
32:00Right, so we've got to write lyrics.
32:01OK, well, I don't think we should do it together.
32:03No, we can't do it together.
32:04No, we won't work.
32:04We are not Elton and Bernie, you know.
32:08I've got my phone, hang on.
32:17It helps the juices flow when you're creating it.
32:19Like Hemingway.
32:19Just run the lyrics, you know.
32:21Yeah.
32:21Thank you so much.
32:26For us, success can almost buy your way out of your class.
32:31And we've been able to do that.
32:32Yeah.
32:33Despite...
32:33We're lucky.
32:34Right.
32:34Dad's a taxi driver, you know, single mum.
32:37Yeah.
32:37But the idea that you can never do that,
32:39and what's more, your children can't either.
32:42No.
32:43It's frightening.
32:45But we need to, you know, be mindful of the fact that it does go on in our own society.
32:51No, I don't think it doesn't.
32:53It's not as a verb, but, you know, it's like now,
32:55where some people, you know, you bring your husband home,
32:58and people are like, what's he do for a living?
33:00That is probably one of the first things that people ask.
33:02Right.
33:03Yeah.
33:03And why the fuck does it matter?
33:05Well, that's Navi.
33:06You OK?
33:07Yeah, yeah, yeah.
33:07I can't believe we're going to be performing in a market.
33:10What?
33:11I can't believe we're going to be performing in a market.
33:12We're busking.
33:13Yeah, I suppose.
33:14I wonder why I didn't get changed.
33:15Yeah, I'm not getting changed.
33:16I'm in a market.
33:17We're just spitting our bars for the people of Delhi.
33:20I'm absolutely not doing that.
33:22You are.
33:23I'm not.
33:24You are.
33:25When in Delhi.
33:26When in Delhi did you slam poetry?
33:29Yeah.
33:31Naveen, do you want to sit on this one?
33:32Because you're the, like, main...
33:33Yeah, yeah.
33:33You're the star.
33:35Naveen wants us to start out like he did,
33:37on a street corner for anyone who'll stop work to listen.
33:42Let's go.
33:43I'm scared.
33:45No, no, don't be pleased.
33:45OK.
33:46Let's hear the beat.
33:49Here we go.
33:50Here we go.
33:51Shall I go first?
33:51Yeah, sure.
33:53I'm living in a crisis and I don't know who I am.
33:55My cast was so low but I couldn't give a damn.
33:58Constantly reminded that I'll never really make.
34:01Emotions that are mine I will never let you take.
34:03I push and push the barriers until my eyes sweep.
34:06Push hard like a trolley on supermarket sweep.
34:08When I reached my goal, it was then I realised that my cast was the passion that was dripping from
34:12my eyes.
34:13The parties and the fame, it was all such fun.
34:15I guess it's how it feels when it's only just begun.
34:18But the days got long, the nights felt cold.
34:21Is this the life I dream of really?
34:22What have I been sold?
34:23They all say to me that I should be so grateful.
34:26Resentment in their gaze that just feels so hateful.
34:28I know how lucky some say I should be.
34:31At the end of the day, I just miss me.
34:34That is beautiful.
34:35It made me cry.
34:36That has some meaning to it.
34:38Yeah.
34:39It moved me.
34:41It's just like with my job, like there's two me's.
34:44So there's work me and then home me.
34:46And sometimes I just miss normal.
34:49You bring me in.
34:50You're not clicking.
34:51Let's go.
34:52Bang.
34:52The name is Rinda.
34:54Won't find me on Tinder.
34:55Ain't gonna bang any Tom or Rapinda.
34:57Need dating advice, I just go to Linda.
35:00See, empty sex burns my soul to a cinder.
35:02Emerge to the world on a day that was gay.
35:05Gaga, Tommy, baby, you were born this way.
35:07But I pray for the day when we don't have to say.
35:10Where to love who we love is the price that we pay.
35:12Haters may hate, they may stand in our way.
35:15But light winds over dark, we forever disobey.
35:17Yes.
35:18Yo, Rob.
35:20Let me take over, yeah?
35:25Yeah.
35:33Do you know what?
35:43I think Naveen brought us here to see, like, his people, really.
35:49Like, people are coming here to grab their food, get a photocopy.
35:54This isn't on the tourist trail.
35:56This is real Delhi and I like it.
36:00Obviously, I've got Rylan into art galleries and that's great.
36:04But also, it's about art coming out onto the street as well.
36:07That's just as important.
36:10My work isn't good.
36:12That doesn't matter.
36:14It's precisely what poetry should be, where it should be heard.
36:19Yes, Naveen!
36:21Yes!
36:23Give him a little props, man.
36:24Good job.
36:25So good.
36:25We have just performed in the market in Delhi with Naveen.
36:30See, it wasn't all bad.
36:32Did you enjoy it?
36:33No, I loved it.
36:33I knew you did.
36:35What was the verdict over there?
36:36So they were like, we loved it.
36:39Oh, good.
36:39They said, nice.
36:41We'll take that.
36:41Quote, unquote, yeah.
36:42Yeah, we'll take that.
36:43Nice is good.
36:43Not very poetic.
36:45No, but we'll take that.
36:45No, no, but in Hindi they said that we had a lot of fun.
36:49So I'm actually equally proud of you too.
36:53I can see Rylan is beginning to really get Delhi.
36:56But today is a big test for him.
36:59It's his 36th birthday and he always celebrates a big day with his mum, Linda.
37:06Morning.
37:06Morning.
37:07What are you doing?
37:07It's Rylan's birthday.
37:10It's down to me to make it special.
37:17Do you want to sing happy birthday with me?
37:20You do have time for this shit.
37:21You do have time for this shit.
37:22I have to do my wedding show big tour.
37:24Oh, it'll be two seconds.
37:25Are you getting married?
37:26Oh, congratulations.
37:27Hello.
37:29I bought friends.
37:31Happy birthday to you.
37:34Happy birthday to you.
37:38Happy birthday to you.
37:39Happy birthday dear Rylan.
37:42Happy birthday to you.
37:45I just met them outside.
37:47I thought it would add to the chorus.
37:49OK.
37:49Because you're not a home of your family, so I thought I'd add more people.
37:52Is that people from the left or...?
37:53Yes, people from the left.
37:54Yeah.
37:56Oh, thank you for saying.
37:58Mwah.
37:59Oh, they're nice.
38:00Just pull it.
38:01No, the other way.
38:03Oh, God, it's like a party.
38:07Oh, look at that pollution.
38:10So, yesterday, I went to the market and I wanted to get you something Indian.
38:12Did you go to the market?
38:14Is that where you went?
38:14Yeah, I went to the market.
38:15No, thank you, my friend.
38:16I wanted to get you something that I knew was going to be a tiny bit bling, but also be
38:20a bit profound.
38:20The first thing I looked up was, you know, what's a Hindu sign for luck?
38:25What?
38:26And that's what it was.
38:29I just don't think he can have this in Brentwood.
38:31Well, I can't have that.
38:32No, I can't walk around with that.
38:34Especially with you hanging about.
38:38I think that's a problem.
38:39But I'm going to ask for a Lakshmi.
38:41It is not...
38:41You're going to give me it?
38:42I'm saying...
38:43All right, all right.
38:44I don't think it's cheap.
38:46Oh, oh, I like it.
38:49That's Lakshmi.
38:50She's a goddess of wealth, prosperity, good fortune and luck.
38:55That's everything I wish for you on your birthday.
38:56I love it so much.
38:59What's your hopes for this year?
39:01Just be happy.
39:02I feel like the last few years...
39:05I think when we were in Italy, I was still sort of trying to find myself.
39:10And I feel like a year's passed.
39:13And I know who I am.
39:14I know what I want.
39:15Yeah.
39:16And I know I'm...
39:17Good enough.
39:19I thought I wanted a scaffolder who could read Proust, as you know.
39:24Basically, all I want is someone who can just make me laugh.
39:28You are never touching me.
39:29No.
39:30What are you talking about?
39:31I'm just saying...
39:32I'm a bit drunk on the champagne.
39:34Somebody that can make me laugh.
39:35No, that's the one thing that I've learned.
39:39The only thing that matters is if a Sunday night, shit TV on,
39:44is if that person makes you laugh, wants to know how your day's been,
39:49and wants to be lame with you.
39:51That's all that matters.
39:53But I think it's hard, because when you find somebody like you
39:55that makes you genuine belly laugh from your soul,
39:58you've got me anyway.
39:59That's a fair point.
40:00So I could have my...
40:01You can have your cake, and then you can sleep with someone else.
40:08OK.
40:09Fine.
40:10To that.
40:11To cake and sleeping with other people.
40:14Before we do at least the cake part of that at a small party,
40:18I've made some extra arrangements.
40:21Hi.
40:21My friend Rob sent me?
40:23Yeah.
40:24I sent Rylan for some Ayurvedic treatments.
40:28It's a mind relaxation therapy.
40:30Clothes?
40:31Yeah.
40:31Off?
40:32OK.
40:33I'm prepared to let go of some inhibitions,
40:40but contrary to, I suppose, popular belief,
40:43I don't really like getting my kit off.
40:45And I actually really don't like being touched by strange men.
40:48Although there was this one night down the port in Marbella
40:51that was quite eventful, shall we say?
40:53I wanted him to have an Indian spa day,
40:57pushing the boundaries somewhat.
41:00What's happening?
41:01Yeah.
41:02They're going to put all sorts of heavenly oils on his head.
41:06Mm.
41:10I'm hoping he's going to leave feeling refreshed, renewed,
41:13and ready for his greatest year ever.
41:16Mm.
41:19It feels like hot, warm, liquid on my face.
41:28I mean, I do feel relaxed, but I can still hear the road.
41:34There are so many different experiences of thinking inwardly here,
41:40that maybe this is a place that offers the opportunity
41:44to think outside of the Western box and find something new.
41:52What will he feels warm?
41:54I want him to be sufficiently comfortable that he delights in it all.
42:00I mean, you can't see my hands, but I've definitely found myself.
42:07I think I've just got to learn to take little moments like this and just stop,
42:12and then I'll be all right.
42:19I'll be all right.
42:31Bye.
42:33Look, there's just dirt everywhere.
42:37Come on, cows, come on.
42:39Some time ago, he was getting freaked out by the whole thing.
42:42Now he's walking up the street with a herd of cattle.
42:45Don't go for me.
42:47He's finally had the serenity to accept the delight of a city
42:50that you can't control.
42:53Sometimes you don't want to be in control.
42:55You can't control a city.
42:57Its layers control you,
42:58and what you need to do is just surrender into it.
43:02Mind the cows.
43:06Oh, this is interesting.
43:08Gosh.
43:10There's bananas, but the ends of hands holding each other.
43:14Sort of surreal, don't you think, like dahlias?
43:16Surrealist.
43:16It's like Banksy on crack.
43:20Once upon a time, I had to force this man to talk about art.
43:24Now I can't shut him up.
43:26Look at that.
43:28Isn't that beautiful?
43:30It's really lovely, actually.
43:32Imagine that was your ass.
43:33We're in the Lodi colony.
43:35This is India's first open-air art district.
43:38Here, art isn't kept behind gates in a billionaire's mansion.
43:42It's on show to the average person on the street,
43:45or the average cow.
43:46Although, strictly speaking, cows aren't average.
43:50They're holy.
43:51Oh, hello.
43:53You all right?
43:55Let's come to look at the art.
43:59Oh, there's a lady on her smartphone.
44:01They're all on their smartphones.
44:03Right.
44:03But they're all taking photos of nature.
44:05Are they, though?
44:06Are they taking photos of themselves?
44:07Actually, yeah, because the glare's on the face there,
44:10and they're missing nature.
44:12Exactly.
44:13Right.
44:13Oh, this is a lot more like gamer.
44:16I don't like this.
44:17What I do, it's very striking.
44:20So, well, who decides what's good and what's bad art?
44:23You decide.
44:24People get really opinionated.
44:25I know Rob does.
44:26Rob gets really opinionated on, like, what's good and bad, didn't you?
44:29Yes.
44:29They get snobby about it.
44:31It's not snobby, though.
44:32Didn't say snobby.
44:32You said snobby.
44:33I heard you say snobby.
44:34All right.
44:35You said snobby.
44:36I did not say snobby.
44:38Oh, that's wonderful.
44:39I know what this is.
44:41This is the picture that's in the title sequence for Desperate Housewives.
44:46That's right.
44:46Called American Gothic.
44:48For anyone who doesn't normally go to galleries, like I never did,
44:52how lovely is this?
44:53Just to be able to, like, walk down the street, you know,
44:56see, like, a couple of cows running about,
44:59and then just be greeted with these, like, installations.
45:02It just feels very inclusive.
45:04You know, you could be the lowest cast.
45:06But this is here for you.
45:08Right.
45:08There's a place where you can come, whoever you are.
45:10This is true classless art.
45:12Yeah.
45:13It's not locked away behind a posh house or in a gallery store.
45:21All right, Mum.
45:23Yeah, I've just had a bar.
45:25Oh, you're all right?
45:26Well, happy birthday.
45:27You're having a nice time.
45:29Do you know what?
45:29I'm getting used to it.
45:30Like, there's just cows walking about.
45:32Look, there's a cow up here.
45:34Thanks for my card.
45:35I've just opened it.
45:36Oh, nice, yeah.
45:38Yeah, look, here's one.
45:39Just wandering about.
45:40Oh, my God.
45:41Yeah, it's just there.
45:43Where are you off to, Nick?
45:45I've got a birthday party tonight at someone's house, like, on the roof.
45:49You don't fall off.
45:50I won't fall off.
45:50Love you.
45:52Bye, Mum.
45:54Whenever I'm away, actually, that's the only thing I feel.
45:56It's like, oh, I'm not round the corner from my mum.
45:58Just in case she needs me.
46:00Yeah.
46:01Got you now, though, haven't I?
46:03From one old cow to another.
46:08What's the best party you've ever been to?
46:09I mean, Gerry's 50th was special.
46:12Gerry from the Spice Girls?
46:13Yeah, so I'm on a table with Gerry, Hugh Grant, Mel C, Shirley Bassey, directly opposite me.
46:23And then I made Shirley Bassey sing Gerry, happy birthday.
46:27She was like, happy birthday, darling.
46:29Happy birthday, darling.
46:31It was amazing.
46:33Vicky was there.
46:33Emma was there.
46:34It was lovely.
46:35Who was Vicky and Emma?
46:35Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, like the Spice Girls, darling.
46:39That was an amazing party.
46:40And I had this small reality check whilst I was there that, oh, my goodness, I am sat in a
46:46room with all these people that, growing up, I idolised and look up to.
46:50And I'm part of that.
46:53And it was just a really lovely moment.
46:55OK, so I couldn't get the Spice Girls, and I couldn't get his mum, but I have arranged the sort
47:01of party I like.
47:02After you.
47:03Why do you keep putting me in?
47:04Because if you fall, then I know where not to stand.
47:08One with proper conversation, with clever local people.
47:14Anish, our tour guide at Hermione's tomb, is hosting a soiree.
47:19Oh, thank you.
47:20Gosh, this is amazing.
47:22Happy birthday.
47:23Thank you, baby.
47:24He's invited some of his most interesting friends, one of whom happens to be a Ryland super fan.
47:31Alex.
47:32Why am I going first?
47:33Come, come, come, come, come, come.
47:35Hello.
47:35Hello.
47:36Hi.
47:36How are you, guys?
47:37This is Alex.
47:38So nice to see you.
47:39I'm a 4G fan.
47:40Thank you so much.
47:41I'll take that.
47:41I will take that.
47:42So when Anish messaged saying Ryland is going to be there, I was like, wait, are my eyes, like, tricking
47:46me?
47:46Ryland?
47:49Anish is more than just a tour guide and convivial host.
47:52He's also India's leading, openly gay politician.
47:58What's being gay like now for you?
48:01We have a precarious, yet firmly established understanding that you have to have the freedom to be who you want.
48:08Were your parents cool about it?
48:09My parents were very cool about it.
48:11Very surprisingly, I came out to my entire family.
48:13Oh, God.
48:14Jesus.
48:14I later was told that everyone thought I'd got a girl pregnant.
48:17And I was like, that's nothing.
48:17That's exactly what happened to me.
48:19No way.
48:20Yes.
48:21That's hilarious.
48:21My mum thought I'd got a girl pregnant.
48:23And was she so relieved after?
48:25Well, yeah.
48:25I mean, you couldn't be further from the truth.
48:27Exactly.
48:27And I think that was the heave of relief.
48:29And then my uncle went and said something that I'll never forget.
48:33He said, we're a family that'll stand up against the world to protect our own.
48:38And then my father gave me a kiss on my forehead, which my father has never done after.
48:43And it was the most beautiful thing.
48:45Well, that's lovely.
48:47I mean, we've been learning about the caste system.
48:49For me to even talk about this is difficult because I'm from a privileged caste.
48:54So it's difficult for me to speak for someone.
48:57I think it would be easier for a lot of people to bring home someone who's queer than it would
49:00be to bring home someone who's from another caste, particularly in a person.
49:04Yeah, yeah.
49:05The problem with caste is not that it's going to prevent someone from being rich.
49:08That's the least problematic part of it.
49:10Because there are a thousand other things preventing you from being rich.
49:12But the bigger problem is it's preventing you from being the vibrant society that you've been.
49:17When you keep people separate, when you say that someone is more worthy of having an idea
49:21than someone who isn't, you're killing art.
49:24You're killing innovation.
49:25You're killing culture.
49:26We're deeply, mind my language, this is the BBC, but fucked up.
49:30I've got to say, for a birthday party, things have got to be.
49:33This is, I know.
49:34Oh my God.
49:37Woo!
49:37This is so fun.
49:39How are you?
49:40Oh my God, I love it.
49:41Woo!
49:43The tradition is that we do have to smash it on your face.
49:46If that happens, then you'll get smashed in your face.
49:51What we will do is a little bit.
49:53Oh, okay.
49:54Okay, on the side of your face.
49:56There we go.
49:57There we go.
49:58There we go.
49:59That's you and now.
50:00That's it.
50:00Anointed.
50:01Don't you dare.
50:09I can't talk.
50:10It's so funny, isn't it?
50:12It's so funny.
50:13Don't be a prick.
50:15You're such a dickhead.
50:17You flip anyway.
50:18Happy birthday to me.
50:22It's our last day in Delhi, and I've fallen in love with this city and its people.
50:27As far as I can see, Rob's love of art and literature might have helped him find himself,
50:32but where he's tended to find himself is in his bedroom with a book on his own.
50:40There's moments in a sentence or in a phrase where it's like somehow someone can see into
50:45your soul, or more importantly, you know precisely at that moment you're not alone.
50:49They're talking to you.
50:50Right.
50:50You're not alone.
50:52It's like a metaphysical friend.
50:54I get it.
50:57As E.M. Forster once said, you have to let go of the life you planned if you want to
51:02live the life that's waiting for you.
51:04I want to get Rob away from the books and into the heart of a bustling community of people
51:10who live for their art.
51:12Hi, guys.
51:13Hey, guys.
51:15Namaskar.
51:15This temporary camp on the outskirts of Delhi is Kaputli Colony.
51:20Kaputli means puppets.
51:25Over 2,000 people live here, handing their skills down through generations.
51:31It's the world's largest community of street performers, including acrobats, snake charmers
51:37and puppeteers.
51:38And the master puppeteer is Puran.
51:41Thank you so much.
51:44Thank you for the lovely welcome.
51:45Ah, beautiful welcome.
51:48This is your home?
51:49Yeah, this is my room.
51:51This is my house.
51:52This is my workshop.
51:53This is my everything.
51:55We are traditional puppeteer.
51:56My grandfather, my whole family is a puppeteer.
51:59May I touch?
52:00Yes, yes.
52:01Why not?
52:01They are so beautiful.
52:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
52:03This is crazy.
52:04Look at the pictures as well.
52:06Who are these people?
52:07For me.
52:08This is you?
52:08Yes.
52:09Oh, he's got the headshot done.
52:15So this is an artist colony?
52:17Yeah.
52:18How come you guys live here?
52:19This is a transit camp, temporary, temporary house.
52:23How long have you been here?
52:24Eight years?
52:25Eight years.
52:25Eight years.
52:26Eight years.
52:27It's temporary.
52:29In 2017, developers forced this community out of their homes so they could build luxury flats
52:35for Delhi's elite, and they moved them here, next to a rubbish dump.
52:41Here they are in transit precariously, but they continue to survive because at the heart
52:46of it is the art.
52:49Wow.
52:49Hello.
52:50Hello.
52:51Nice to meet you.
52:53Wow, this is so cool.
52:57Oh, Robby, look.
53:02That's really cute.
53:04That's so cool.
53:06It reconnects you with all of the things that I've lost.
53:11And the hand itself on the mouth.
53:14You know, I spend all of my time being totally cynical, but here they find that critical thing
53:21that you want from art that you want from human interaction, connection surrounded by these
53:25kids.
53:29Yeah, the accommodation's not great, and I'm sure that these people are missing a lot of
53:32things that they would want around them.
53:33But the sense of community here is so strong.
53:38I just don't...
53:40I don't feel that in my life.
53:42Like, this.
53:44Hello.
53:46Hello.
53:49That community spirit, you forget how important that actually is.
53:52I remember it growing up so well.
53:54My street, you knew everyone.
53:56Everyone's door was open.
53:57You'd be in and out of everyone's houses.
53:58Here, it's exactly the same.
54:00People are passing babies around, because that's all right here.
54:04Everyone trusts each other here.
54:05Come see the puppets.
54:06Would you like kids?
54:07I'd love to have kids, yeah.
54:09Literally, I nearly took one just now.
54:11Come see, lads.
54:12But yeah, I'd love to have kids one day, 100%.
54:15Why?
54:16Because I know I'd be a great dad, and I've got a lot of love to give.
54:22The puppeteers believe their art is nothing if it's not shared.
54:27At the heart of the camp, they're building a stage.
54:30And tonight, centre stage will be us.
54:37So, the plan is, we're going to get to grips with our people,
54:41and then we're going to get married, on stage, in front of the whole community,
54:46and then this one is going to, I spy a dancer, and jilt me.
54:51That's right.
54:53Look at them.
54:54They're delighted.
54:57Wobbly.
54:57Hold on, hold on.
54:58Oh, I held my back.
55:02You ready?
55:03Ready.
55:03Ready.
55:04That's good.
55:04Let's do it.
55:12Stand up for a puppet.
55:43I've done a couple of years
55:44I've done a couple of weird performances in my time
55:46but that one was the most surreal
55:49but they loved it
55:51Like, look how much joy that has brought
55:54That's the thing about the arts
55:55Yeah, it might educate us
55:58Fundamentally, it's about inviting us to think about
56:01what's the purpose of being alive
56:02and if that is the answer, joy
56:06That was one of the most transcendental experiences of my life
56:11It was absolutely beautiful
56:14I'm full of love
56:18We both came to India
56:20hoping the amazing art and culture
56:22would teach us something quite profound about life
56:24I don't think anyone would have predicted
56:27it would have come via the medium of puppetry
56:30But then India is turning out to be full of surprises
56:41I know I can be a little bit of a princess at times
56:44Maybe a lot at times
56:47And when I first got to Delhi, you know, getting on the tuk-tuk
56:50and hating every second of it
56:52But actually, I'm a little bit more resilient than I thought I was
56:56I feel like as the days have gone on
56:57I've just thrown myself into it
56:58and gone, well, this is where I am
57:00let's just live it
57:02And I'm living it well
57:04The British have been coming to India for a very long time
57:08thinking perhaps they'll find enlightenment
57:10And it wasn't for me
57:12In front of the magnificent architecture
57:14It's right here
57:16There's nothing here but love
57:18and joy
57:19and positivity
57:19and optimism
57:21and above all else
57:22a thirst to create art
57:24to teach it to your children
57:26your children's children
57:27and to gift it to the world
57:31what they do matters
57:33it really matters
57:34and you have to come here to feel it
57:39that's all
58:09a nice dream
58:12It's the best one
58:14that's always been to you
58:15a great character
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