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Alexander Armstrong In India - Season 1 - Episode 03
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00:00Welcome to India.
00:02If you think you know this incredible country, I 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 and sometimes bewildering land.
00:17And to experience how old India is rubbing up against the new.
00:21This is a land of staggering contrast.
00:241.4 billion people.
00:26Extreme poverty, spectacular wealth.
00:29All jostle alongside each other in a full-on riot of colourful chaos.
00:35From the Taj Mahal, the bustling markets, the slums and Bollywood movies.
00:41To million-pound homes and exotic palaces.
00:44And why will it be madness to miss out on all this?
00:48Every step. So impressive.
00:51Oh, and this.
00:55And maybe this.
00:58So join me as I get a glimpse of traditional and modern India.
01:02A journey to feel the pulse of a nation and a people on the verge of something big.
01:21So far on my Indian adventure, I've delivered lunches across a monsoon-soaked Mumbai.
01:28Okay, doesn't get any worse.
01:30I've marvelled at the pink city of Jaipur.
01:34This astonishing building.
01:37And dipped my toe into Mumbai's millionaire housing market.
01:41Can we close the deal?
01:42Yeah, come on. Done.
01:44And for this final chapter of my Indian odyssey, I'll be discovering what Indian wine really tastes like.
01:51I haven't even heard of Indian wine.
01:52No.
01:53Have a cocktail at a bar that Churchill used to frequent.
01:57That's made with orange squash.
01:59How hilarious. I haven't had that since the 70s.
02:03But I'm starting back in the city of dreams, where I'm hopping on the city's phenomenal new metro line.
02:11I'm on my way to see something, well, rather unexpected.
02:16Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, and its transport network has been groaning under the
02:22strain for years.
02:23But over the past decade, more than $4 billion have been spent on a brand new metro, designed to make
02:31the daily commute a little less hectic.
02:35Well, it's very nice.
02:37Lovely wide carriages.
02:39But I'm not just commuting.
02:41I'm actually travelling somewhere I didn't even know existed until today.
02:45Array Forest, which is part of this vast 18,000 acre area of old woodland that's part of Mumbai.
02:54You can be travelling through what looks like ancient jungle there, and then the ancients of teetering slums on this
03:02side.
03:04Spread across 1,100 acres, Array Forest is known as Mumbai's Green Lung.
03:10Not only does it absorb a substantial quantity of the city's pollution, it also supports an extraordinary diversity of mammals,
03:19reptiles, birds, and insects.
03:26Step into the forest, and the contrast is immediate.
03:30Silence and calm.
03:32And still just a stone's throw from the city's noise and chaos.
03:39You can hear birds singing, gentle patter of rain.
03:45And then if you listen very, very carefully, you can hear a Bollywood film studio, which is just over there.
03:52Film City is just right on the edge of this primeval forest.
03:55So you get this lovely clash of the very, very ancient and the very shiny, loud and new.
04:03And incredibly, Array Forest and the surrounding national park have the highest density of leopards to be found anywhere in
04:11the world.
04:14Numbers have risen sharply over the past decade.
04:17A testament to both conservation success and the species' remarkable ability to live alongside an urban centre.
04:26I'm here to meet Rajesh Sanapuaz.
04:30Are you Rajesh?
04:32Yeah.
04:32How do you do? I'm Zander. Very nice to meet you.
04:34A biologist who was first drawn here to study the elusive cats.
04:38I mean, so within urban Mumbai, why is there such a density of leopards?
04:43They can eat anything. Dogs. That's the easy food for the leopards.
04:47Oh, really?
04:47Yeah.
04:48Leopards survive on dogs, rats, goats and sadly, sometimes people.
04:52In this state alone, there are around 20 human fatalities a year.
04:57But lately, Rajesh has turned his focus to something even scarier.
05:02So I start with the leopard and then end with spiders.
05:05So how come? You just suddenly realised leopards are interesting, but they're nothing on spiders.
05:10Yeah. So obviously, it's very important to work on lesser known species like spiders, because it's equally important.
05:16So in Mumbai, we have around five to six different species of tarantula.
05:19Really? What's the biggest?
05:21The tree-dwelling spiders, like this big, including the legs, they generally are canopy-dwelling spiders.
05:27Absolutely terrible.
05:29So are you okay with spiders?
05:31Well, that's a very good question, Rajesh.
05:33Rajesh, you kind of learn to pretend to be okay with spiders.
05:36Oh, right.
05:37Because you're forever having to take them out of children's rooms.
05:40And it doesn't do if I'm scared.
05:42We need to respect the subject that you are working on.
05:45Well, indeed. That's a nice way of putting it.
05:47Maybe I'm not scared of spiders.
05:48I just have a very ingrained respect.
05:51Yeah, respect.
05:52Rajesh loves to photograph these elusive wee beasties.
05:55And today, our quarry is the sinister-sounding trapdoor spider.
06:00So this is a perfect spot for trapdoor spider.
06:03Yeah.
06:04So let's see if we find one.
06:06A master of disguise that lives in a burrow sealed with its own hinged hatch.
06:11I found one.
06:13Have you?
06:13Yes.
06:14Is it in here?
06:17Try more, no.
06:18It's not in here?
06:19No.
06:19No?
06:20I'm not seeing it.
06:22I mean...
06:23I know it's very difficult.
06:24Is it there?
06:25No.
06:27Oh, there?
06:28Yeah.
06:29This is a burrow.
06:30This is how they make.
06:31And this is a door.
06:33Yes.
06:33I'll just try to open it.
06:35Yeah.
06:35Oh, yeah.
06:36Open.
06:37There it is.
06:37There's the burrow.
06:38So that's the lid.
06:39That's the lid, yeah.
06:40Fashioned out of bits of leaf.
06:41And they're actually holding the door.
06:43Oh, they're holding it?
06:44Yeah, yeah.
06:44So that if any insects come close to the door, they get vibrations.
06:47They'll come out, they'll grab the prey, and they'll go inside.
06:50Sometimes we have to use stick.
06:52Do you want me to do the small stick?
06:55Yeah.
06:56Just do it for a minute.
06:57And she's coming out.
07:00She's coming out.
07:01The early monsoon has meant that the trapdoor spiders have retreated deep into their lairs.
07:06Here's a shot Rajesh did earlier.
07:13It's a really fascinating subject.
07:14It really is.
07:15I'm quite glad she's gone down into the burrow.
07:17I was a little bit scared she was going to appear.
07:19I was going to jump out of my skin.
07:20Do you like spiders or not?
07:21Well, I mean, I think now I understand spiders.
07:26Maybe if I can persuade myself to understand spiders, I can pretend to tolerate them a little
07:33bit better.
07:34It's very important to understand their behavior, to understand their biological role.
07:38There is an amazing called spider, called jumping spider.
07:41So they have a particular behavior called courtship behavior.
07:44That's a fascinating area, isn't it?
07:46The courtship rituals of spiders.
07:55Some of Rajesh's best work, I think, has been to record the mating dances of the jumping
08:00spider.
08:07Yes, very Ibiza.
08:11Coming up, I travel south to Bangalore, India's fastest growing city, where I nearly get thrown
08:18out of a club.
08:19Well, these shoes would not be allowed right here.
08:22And cause a humanoid teacher meltdown.
08:25Oh, Lord.
08:27Oh, crikey.
08:38My dizzying journey through India has brought me to the city that offers the clearest glimpse
08:42of the country's future.
08:45Bangalore, or Bengaluru, as it's officially, if rarely, known.
08:50Once a sleepy colonial outpost, it's exploded into a sprawling metropolis, alive with ideas,
08:57energy, and innovation.
08:59It's now India's fastest growing city.
09:02It's hard to imagine the transformation of Bangalore.
09:06Just a generation ago, it was famously a quiet, green city, beloved by pensioners for
09:12its cool climate and its gentle pace of life.
09:15Now, it's a global powerhouse, where billions have been made through ambition, innovation,
09:21and, above all, by attracting some of the greatest brains on the planet back to India.
09:26But all of this progress has come at a cost.
09:29The population of the city has exploded to over 14 million.
09:33The roads are choked, and the city's fast running out of water.
09:46But let's rewind 150-odd years to 1896, when Bangalore was a quiet outpost of the British Raj.
09:54And after a long day running the empire, officers came here to the Bangalore Club to relax and
10:00unwind.
10:01Thank you very much.
10:03Lovely to be here.
10:06Now it's the sort of venue where the well-heeled play tennis and meet for lunch.
10:12So it's pretty elite here.
10:15But they've clearly made an exception for me.
10:21Ashwin Shetty is the current president of this 157-year-old institution.
10:27So, Ashwin, when did the club start?
10:30So, a group of officers in 1863 got together and started an informal club.
10:35Mm.
10:36It was only formalized in 1868 when the club was established as the Bangalore United Services
10:42Club.
10:42And these chandeliers, they're beautiful.
10:44Yeah.
10:44I mean, it's very elegant, very high ceilings, and it has this wonderful calm right in the
10:49middle of the madness of Bangalore out there.
10:51So, in Hindi, there's a word called kaspa, which basically means an oasis.
10:55So, in the maddening city of Bangalore, this is an oasis right in the middle.
11:00And I notice you're wearing a jacket and very smart shoes.
11:03I'm a bit of a scruff comparatively.
11:05Would I be thrown out if I turned up like this?
11:07Well, these shoes would not be allowed right here.
11:09Quite right too.
11:10But otherwise, you'd be perfect.
11:11Quite right too.
11:12How long does it take to become a member?
11:14Is there a long waiting list?
11:15There is.
11:16Approximately to become a permanent member of the club, you'd need somewhere between 18
11:20to 20 years as the waiting PV.
11:21Oh, it's like joining the MCC.
11:23Probably.
11:24Probably, sir.
11:25What are the criteria for membership?
11:27Well, honestly, the only criteria is that you need to be clubbable.
11:32But I suppose in the early British era, it probably meant a gentleman who could hold a drink.
11:39Right, yes, I see what you're saying.
11:41But now, of course, you have to be affable, social, gracious, and that's good enough.
11:48Well, I may not be wearing the right shoes, but now I'm here, I'm dying to try the club's signature
11:53cocktail.
11:55Something called a ghost.
11:57Besides, I've got a juicy bit of history for you.
12:00Now, between 1896 and 1898, Winston Churchill was stationed in Bangalore as a young cavalry officer in the British Army.
12:10And famously, he left an unpaid bar bill of 13 rupees here at the Bangalore Club.
12:18I think it's fair to say Churchill's feelings on Bangalore were mixed.
12:23He delighted in the cool climate and wrote at length about the colourful flora and fauna.
12:28On the social scene, he was rather less complimentary.
12:32He wrote to his mother that Bangalore was a third-rate watering place.
12:36I think he particularly felt the lack of stimulating company.
12:40And so he threw himself into reading and self-improvement.
12:44Perhaps you might say laying the foundations for his future career as both politician and author.
12:50Even so, that's no excuse for not paying your bar bill.
12:59That's made with orange squash.
13:01They haven't had that since the 70s.
13:03Do you know what I'm going to do?
13:04I'm going to pay his bill for him.
13:06I'm going to settle up right now.
13:08What's that?
13:0820 rupees.
13:10Well, that covers interest, I should have thought.
13:13Horrific.
13:15Having seen how the privileged few still enjoy some of the luxuries of the British Raj,
13:21you only have to step outside to be reminded that for the vast majority, wealth is a distant dream.
13:28In 2021, the World Bank estimated that 90% of the population, that's 1.3 billion people, lived on less
13:37than $10 a day.
13:39India seems today to stand at a crossroads, a rising global power still grappling with entrenched poverty.
13:49I mean, the flyover is a pretty good symbol for modern India, I feel.
13:54They've just sort of built them over the, in many cases, over the slums.
13:59So you have these sort of super metro systems, you have these new roads, people fly along.
14:05And it's like a sort of superstructure, and one sort of gets the feeling of this new India, sort of
14:11being built over old India.
14:16I'm heading out to see firsthand the daily struggles faced by those at the very bottom of the social ladder.
14:26India's caste system is a millennia-old social hierarchy that divides people into strict hereditary groups.
14:33And traditionally, this would determine what their status was, what their occupation would be, and what their social interactions would
14:40be.
14:43The system of castes is like a pyramid.
14:46At the very top are the Brahmins, traditionally priests and teachers, followed by the warrior class.
14:53Then the merchants and business people.
14:56Finally, at the bottom, and of course the largest in number, are farmers, workers and labourers.
15:06But outside the caste system, there is a huge group of people who used to be called the untouchables.
15:14Today, they're known as the Dalits.
15:17There are more than 200 million Dalits in India.
15:21That's about one in every seven people.
15:23And they do all the dirty work those inside the caste system won't do.
15:28Although discrimination is officially outlawed, its effects are still felt deeply throughout many aspects of Indian life today.
15:39This is one of Bangalore's meat markets.
15:43Tucked away behind the aptly named Slaughterhouse Street is a small corner where Dalits work,
15:49segregated from the other butchers, earning less than 10p for every four goat's heads they prepare.
16:00Photographer Asha Thadani has spent years building a relationship with these Dalit men,
16:05who work here day in, day out, in appalling conditions.
16:11What actually, what's going on here? What are they doing?
16:14What these guys are doing is that they're burning goat heads to rid it of the fur.
16:20And then the butcher collects it and slaughters it for the brain.
16:25The heads and the hooves are considered taboo by many cultures.
16:30It's so strange, they're preparing the most expensive part of the animal.
16:34And it's valued at the highest and it's being processed by the lowest caste.
16:39Wow.
16:40It does strike me that this is not only dirty work, it's extremely unhealthy work.
16:45Yeah.
16:45If you're doing this seven days a week in very poorly ventilated...
16:50Yeah.
16:51I don't know what they're burning here, but it's incredibly hot.
16:55When you look at the furnaces, they use the lowest grade of cooking coal.
16:59It's like what is used in the railways. It's very, very toxic.
17:03And a lot of them die at the age of 40, 45 is the average age.
17:09It strikes me that you cannot leave your caste.
17:13There's no mobility between the castes.
17:15No, it's not like the class system.
17:17So caste is something that you're born into.
17:20It's this rigid system of social hierarchy and ranking that cannot be reversed.
17:32The stigma of untouchability is one of India's most uncomfortable truths.
17:37And still today, few dare to talk about it.
17:41Although his family are educated and have escaped poverty,
17:45this Dalit man has never spoken publicly about his background.
17:49Now, for the first time, he's agreed to talk, on condition of his remaining anonymous.
17:56At what age were you made aware of your Dalit heritage?
18:02You know, back when I was in school, I went to a friend's house.
18:06And then his mother offered me tea.
18:09And then she asked me, who's my surname?
18:12See, the surnames give it away.
18:14Yeah.
18:14The mother's face came down.
18:17You know, that's when I first time felt the jolt of it.
18:20You can go to their house, but as soon as they identify that you are a Dalit,
18:24they'll give you a separate glass of water, a separate plate to eat in,
18:28because they don't want impurity.
18:30It's the worst thing.
18:32Oh, it's the worst thing imaginable on anyone, but particularly on a child.
18:36It's such a, I mean, there are so many wonderful parts of Indian culture,
18:41but this is one part of it that I just can't get my head around.
18:46I can't, it's, it's beyond cruel.
18:49The stigma of impurity, the cesspool of discrimination,
18:55it's, it's really a fight, honestly.
18:57There is a lot of discrimination in terms of the villagers, they kill them.
19:03So there are a lot of cases of that, or they ostracize them.
19:06They will not allow you to enter the temple.
19:09They will, there are no human dignity.
19:11There is no escape from it, because that's how the system is.
19:14And then the people who are basically privileged and educated,
19:18they will also not kind of go against it or raise their voice,
19:24because that will upset their own status quo.
19:26It really is a fight for survival, for identity, for acceptance.
19:29The thing that is just inhumane about this is the rigidity of it.
19:38Yes.
19:38And that nobody has given any chance to, there's no redemption.
19:42Yes.
19:42I mean, that, that feels just unendingly cruel.
19:48Yeah, that's what is, yeah, sometimes painful.
19:53So what, what, what are the options for you?
19:55I mean, do you think maybe, do you ever think you might go and live abroad?
19:58No, I don't want to live abroad.
19:59I mean, like, I, I love this country.
20:01I mean, like, with all its discrimination that I go through,
20:04yeah, I mean, we'll fight it.
20:07Yeah, future for this country, I think I'm very excited, uh, for it.
20:11Uh, with, yeah, with all its problems and all that.
20:13I think I'm very hopeful that, you know, things will change.
20:15And they are changing, to be honest.
20:17It's, it's happening in the cities, for sure.
20:18Good.
20:19The age-old traditions, which are, like, you know, very regressive,
20:24that has to be broken.
20:25And I think that it, I feel it will be broken,
20:28because for a survival of a good life, you need that.
20:32Absolutely.
20:35Thank you so, so much for speaking.
20:38I can't believe this is the first time you've, you've spoken about it,
20:40but it's, I feel greatly honoured.
20:42And thank you for your honesty.
20:44This is always the first time, I think.
20:45I'm glad I did it.
20:49Coming up, I'm pitting my wine-tasting wits against a full-on expert.
20:54Wrong.
20:56And I meet the scariest teacher on earth.
20:58You're going to be in my nightmares, I think.
21:07I'm in Bangalore, my last stop in India.
21:11And this city is a living, breathing contradiction,
21:14where 25 million pound penthouses tower above overcrowded shacks.
21:20Nowhere in India is the gap between rich and poor more stark than in education.
21:25At one end, you have a state system that is in crisis.
21:29Over a million teaching posts unfilled, crumbling classrooms and falling attendance.
21:34At the other end of the spectrum, it's rather a different story.
21:40This school in Bangalore, the Indus International, boasts riding stables, two orchestras, activity rooms,
21:47a fitness centre, art, dance and music studios, libraries, expansive playing fields, sprawling gardens, playgrounds and a swimming pool.
21:57Teatama Das, please pay attention in classroom.
22:01Oh, yes, and robot teachers.
22:04Fascinating, Morgan.
22:05And all this can be yours, or rather your child's, if you have a spare £7,500 a year.
22:11There is no greater scientific mystery than the human brain.
22:15The big idea is that robots like this can teach literally any subject, in any language, to anyone.
22:23Whilst the human teacher pays more attention to individual students.
22:27And they can be adapted to suit all age groups.
22:32Vignesh Rao is in charge of producing these animatronic educators.
22:36We started five years ago, and we've come now to the seventh generation of our humanoid.
22:41And this is where we manufacture all of them, with our tech team, all our software and hardware engineers.
22:47Now, obviously, this is one of the most elite schools in the country.
22:52Are you hoping that this model will then be extended to the rest of India?
22:57Absolutely.
22:58And this is...
23:01You're going to be in my nightmares, I think.
23:03I'm just looking at those eyes.
23:06Sorry, no offence, but there we are. Goodness.
23:08Yes. The future models we are going for will have human-like expressions.
23:12So they will smile, they will frown, they will react to your emotions...
23:15...and build that emotional connect between the student and the machine.
23:19When they're teaching French, they can go, ah! Like this.
23:21Absolutely, absolutely.
23:24Well, I think it's about time I experienced one of these robo-teachers in action.
23:30Hello, everyone.
23:34Dr. Sarajini Rao is the head teacher at the school and wants me to see firsthand how the Eagle 7
23:40interacts with the students and how they can interact with it.
23:45I will be projecting certain words for you, for example, red or blue.
23:51But you must ignore what the word says and must instead see the colour of the text.
23:59Red.
24:01Green.
24:04Blue.
24:06I'm confused.
24:07I'm not quite seeing the educational breakthrough here.
24:10Students, what we did is a psychological test where your brain automatically read the words instead of focusing on their
24:18colours.
24:20I mean, we've all endured monotone teachers, but Eagle here, she takes the biscuit, and it's a very dry one.
24:30What a fascinating half hour that has been. I mean, absolutely extraordinary.
24:34It may just be that I'm just of a generation that doesn't get this, but I'm sightly scared by this.
24:40I feel awful speaking ill of Eagle while she's sitting blinking at me in the corner there.
24:44She's listening, and she's going, I don't like that Alexander Armstrong character. My card's been marked.
24:51It's so far from my experience of education.
24:56The humanoid takes away the mundane tasks of a teacher and gives the teacher the time to connect with the
25:05students.
25:05So we turn to the great oracle in the corner for our factual information, and then we have the sort
25:13of softer-edged mentoring and help from the teacher.
25:17Absolutely.
25:17Yes, I remain a little bit cynical, just because I believe so much in humanity, and I fear particularly as
25:27we sort of get whisked down into a world of AI, the one thing we really have to treasure is
25:34very genuine human contact.
25:37Watching all this, I've been dying to have a bit of a chat with Eagle myself.
25:41Eagle, it seems wrong to be chatting about you in the corner there without bringing you into the conversation.
25:47When it comes to subjects where it requires a more nuanced approach, and there isn't one clear and simple answer,
25:56how will AI approach that?
26:02It appears that there may have been some errors or misinterpretations in your recent inputs.
26:11I've encountered this in call centers before. I think we've met.
26:15It appears you have a mix of text fragments in your messages.
26:20Feel free to provide more context or clarify your questions or comments so that I can assist you effectively.
26:31Oh, Lord. Oh, crikey.
26:35Oh, dear. Looks like Eagle's had a bit of a meltdown. Quite literally.
26:41I mean, at least Mr MacLeod would nip out for a smoke.
26:47Well, it's obviously not quite there yet. A few teething problems.
26:51But despite my fuddy-duddy views on education, I think we laugh at the idea of robots teaching in millions
26:58of classrooms in the not-too-distant future at our peril.
27:04Just 30 miles outside Bangalore, on the final leg of my journey across India, I've reached the lush Nandi Hills.
27:12Fertile ground for an industry few would expect to find here.
27:18Now, this is fun. I've come to the Grover Wine Estate, just outside Bangalore, and the clever people here are
27:25trying to convert not just India, but the rest of the world to the delights of Indian wine.
27:31In the UK, one in five adults don't drink. In India, it's kind of the opposite. Only around 14%
27:40do.
27:41The people at Grover Wines want to persuade more Indians to drink wine. The potential market is huge.
27:48My guide to this exciting new world of Indian wines is international wine expert and sommelier, Manuela Le Conte.
27:55She's Italian and knows her stuff.
27:59Now, I rather love wine, so I'm relishing the challenge.
28:03Hi, Alex. Welcome to India.
28:05Thank you very much.
28:06And I heard that you are a wine lover, isn't it?
28:09I am. I do like wine.
28:10And I guess that you haven't tried any Indian wine before, right?
28:14Do you know, I haven't. I haven't even heard of Indian wine.
28:16Yes, but India is a leading winemaker right now.
28:20So, I would like you to taste these two glass of sparkling wine.
28:24One is from India and one is from South Africa.
28:28And you want me to guess which is South African and which is Indian?
28:31Yes, exactly. I want to focus first on the aroma, on the flavour, and then see.
28:39Let's try this one.
28:47I'm tempted, just because of the comparative climates, to suggest that might be the Indian one.
28:54What do we say to that, Manuela?
28:57Wrong.
28:58I'm sorry.
29:03It's a blend of Shiraz and Morved, with a little bit of Viognier, that is a white grape variety.
29:16I can smell the richness of this bouquet from here.
29:19I would have no idea. I'm going to just say which one I prefer.
29:24Okay, go for it.
29:25I prefer this one.
29:26No, you're wrong.
29:27No, I've got it completely wrong.
29:29Are you finding that Indian people like drinking wine?
29:32So, red wine are the most sold wine in India.
29:37They like it bold, they like it very defined in terms of, you know, flavour and even colour.
29:44So, red is considered an auspicious colour here.
29:47Excellent. Should we try another?
29:52It's a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlboro, so cool climate, a lot of bright fruit.
29:59So, now, Alex, I'm challenging you again.
30:02This time, we have a Sauvignon Blanc.
30:06Interesting.
30:11I think that is a slightly purer one.
30:13I think that is yours.
30:16Okay. In this case, it's wrong?
30:18No, it's wrong.
30:19Oh, well.
30:19Should we try another?
30:22So, what do you got here?
30:24So, we are still into white.
30:27India's wine industry is still in its infancy, producing around 20 million litres a year.
30:33Australia, by contrast, bottles over a billion.
30:37I think this one is the Indian one.
30:38Please say I'm right.
30:40No, I've got it completely wrong.
30:42I think you need to come again for some wine tasting here in India.
30:47I was anticipating that this was going to be quite easy.
30:50Indians drink over six billion litres of alcohol a year.
30:53But the market for wine is still tiny at only 1% of that.
30:57It's growing steadily, and I'm having no problem whatsoever enjoying these local vintages.
31:03So, the left-hand one, I think, is yours.
31:05Round of applause for you.
31:07Oh, you made it.
31:08You made it.
31:09I'm delighted to hear that.
31:09Great, great.
31:11Well, I guessed one right.
31:12So, I might as well tuck in.
31:14What have we here?
31:18That's delicious.
31:19I know.
31:21We have a mission to turn India into a winemaking country.
31:25We look forward to the future.
31:27So do I.
31:28I think it's going to be amazing.
31:29Thank you very much indeed, Manuel.
31:30I've really enjoyed that.
31:31Thank you very much for being here.
31:32Cheers to you.
31:33I'm now quite drunk.
31:34Coming up, I go sari shopping in downtown Bangalore.
31:38The place to buy silk.
31:39Yes.
31:39Where I stumble upon a band of brothers.
31:42And we have two more brothers.
31:43This is incredible.
31:44So, we're on number nine.
31:45And get whisked off to meet the whole family.
31:47Look how beautiful.
31:48Good job.
31:55It's my last day in Bangalore, and indeed in India.
31:59And I'm off to visit the Qatari Silk Palace.
32:02They've been selling traditional pure silk saris here in the Cub and Pate market district of Bangalore for 70 years.
32:10And who knows?
32:11I might even find another present for the lovely Mrs. A.
32:15Ah, hello.
32:16Welcome.
32:17Thank you very much indeed.
32:18I'm Alexander.
32:19Now, I was told I had to come here.
32:21This is the place to buy silk.
32:23Yes, yes.
32:24Oh, I sit, do I?
32:26Ah, goodness.
32:27So, what have you got?
32:29Show me your wares.
32:31On my Indian travels, I've already seen how silkworms spin their elaborate cocoons.
32:36Hundreds and hundreds of great fat caterpillars.
32:40And how they're sold at market and sent off to be wound into silk threads.
32:44And here at the Qatari Silk Palace, I'm seeing the luxurious end product.
32:48Beautiful.
32:49India makes around 20 million meters of saris every year.
32:53That's enough to stretch halfway around the world.
32:56And it looks like the Qatari's are going to show me most of it.
33:00This is your shop, is it?
33:01Yes, yes, yes.
33:02My name is Mukesh.
33:03Mukesh.
33:04Yeah.
33:04And your name is?
33:05My name is Kanak.
33:06Kanak.
33:07Yes.
33:08We are all 10 brothers.
33:09There are 10 brothers?
33:1010 brothers.
33:11All 10 brothers.
33:12And your number?
33:13Eight.
33:14So, seven and eight.
33:15Eight, yes.
33:16So, yes, I'm looking for something for my wife.
33:18Yeah.
33:1870 years ago, the Qatari family left Rajasthan for Bangalore.
33:22And ever since, silk has been their lifeblood.
33:26Very soft, isn't it?
33:27Three generations on, and between them, they run six sari shops.
33:32He's also my brother.
33:33Oh, he's another brother?
33:34What number are you?
33:35He's the 10th number.
33:36I'm dashed on 10th.
33:37Oh, you're number 10?
33:38Yeah.
33:38He's number four.
33:39Number four.
33:40Excellent.
33:40You're going to have to get your go and put you in order, I think.
33:42You've all been shuffled.
33:44They're amazing colours.
33:45This is beautiful.
33:46I like this.
33:48Now, the hologram, that mark there, see, that is how you tell it's real silk.
33:54Apart from this label of authenticity, there is another simple test to prove it's the genuine article.
33:59Someone told me that you have to burn it.
34:01Yes.
34:02And the smell of real silk is like the burning, burning hair.
34:07There we are.
34:09It did not burn.
34:10Just smell it.
34:11Just smell it.
34:12Smell it.
34:14I can confirm.
34:15It smells like hair.
34:18Oh, we have two more brothers.
34:20Can I see if I can guess your number?
34:22Um, number one.
34:23Number one.
34:23Number one.
34:24And number two?
34:25Number three.
34:27Oh, wonderful.
34:27Welcome.
34:28It's lovely to meet you all.
34:29So what, if I can ask such a vulgar question, what is the, uh, what is the price of one
34:35of these?
34:36This is around 28,000.
34:3828,000?
34:3828,000 rupees.
34:39So that's about, that's about 250 pounds, I think.
34:42And, uh, oh, look.
34:44Is that...
34:45What have we here?
34:47Oh, that's very lovely.
34:49This is two gram gold in this.
34:50Two grams of gold.
34:52Silk wedding saris started around 150 pounds, but introduce a bit of silver or gold and prices can soar.
34:59Back in 2008, one sold for 50 grand.
35:02Oh, we have two more brothers.
35:04Hang on.
35:05This is incredible.
35:06So we are on number nine.
35:07Nine and six.
35:08And number six.
35:10One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
35:11Right.
35:11And you're, you're all in the sari business.
35:13Sari, only sari business.
35:15This is extraordinary.
35:17What a, what a, what an empire.
35:19But there's a whole other lair to the Qatari family.
35:22First brother.
35:22First brother's son.
35:23Oh, first brother's son.
35:24Ah, he's a grandson.
35:26That's wonderful.
35:27And there's more.
35:28And there's another grandson.
35:30He's another grandson.
35:30Ah, he's your son.
35:31Son of number four.
35:32Number four.
35:33There we are.
35:33There's another grandson as well.
35:36And you all work in silk as well.
35:38Yeah.
35:38Ah, girls.
35:40So who are you?
35:41I'm sixth mama's daughter.
35:43So daughter of sixth son.
35:45Very good.
35:46I'm, I'm the daughter of the third son.
35:48Daughter of the third son.
35:50Excellent.
35:50So are you involved in the sari business?
35:52No, no.
35:52We would prefer wearing saris instead of selling.
35:56I see what you mean.
35:57Yeah, exactly.
35:57Get one out of the box.
35:58You go, actually, this is too good.
36:00No, you can't have that.
36:01That one's going in my fault.
36:03Yeah.
36:04So how many are you in total?
36:06Ten brothers.
36:0741.
36:0830.
36:0938.
36:0938.
36:10So when you have parties, it must be massive.
36:13Massive.
36:13Massive.
36:15Should we have a party now?
36:16Yeah.
36:19I've only just met these lovely people.
36:21And already I'm off to an impromptu house party.
36:25This is just great.
36:30I mean, this is very exciting.
36:32I mean, this is very exciting.
36:32It's the closest I'll ever get to being in the Hell's Angels.
36:35Come on, we ride, we ride.
36:40It seems the Qatari family share an obsession with electric scooters.
36:44They own 20 of these machines between them.
36:48It's their way of being green and staying sane in the atrocious Bangalore traffic.
36:53It's the best way to see the city.
36:55Not only is it fast and beautifully ventilated, it's great fun.
37:01You know, a little bit of adrenaline just to keep things turning.
37:11Just ten minutes' scoot and we're in the suburb of Binnie Pate.
37:15Greener, quieter and with great views across the city.
37:19Well, this is very grand.
37:20The whole family used to live in the busy, crowded district above the sari shops.
37:25But a few of them have moved out to a new, more airy, high-rise development.
37:31Wow!
37:33Look at this!
37:34You have beautiful air flowing through.
37:37It turns out I've been invited to meet the whole Qatari clan en masse.
37:46Oh, look how beautiful.
37:50This is wonderful.
37:52All this is very flattering, but I've come empty-handed.
37:55Not even some flowers from the garage.
37:57Ah, Jaijanindra.
37:58Now, one might imagine this kind of reception would feel uncomfortable, very un-British.
38:03But this family are all so welcoming.
38:05But I'm just running with it.
38:07And it feels good.
38:09And it looks like they're sorted for flowers.
38:11Ah, lovely.
38:13Thank you so much, Jaijanindra.
38:16Ah.
38:16I was told there would be a few snacks and refreshments.
38:20But this feels like a state banquet.
38:23Ah, yes.
38:25Packet in there.
38:27These are all from Gujarat, Jodhpur, and Ghat.
38:30As an hour it comes.
38:32How amazing.
38:32This is basically a mixture of all the states.
38:35Mmm.
38:36Mmm.
38:38Mmm.
38:38Mmm.
38:38That's a lady size.
38:40Mmm.
38:41Mmm.
38:41That's homemade.
38:42Yeah.
38:43That's homemade.
38:44Yeah.
38:45Let's have a bite.
38:46Then I'll tell you.
38:47It's a slightly bit on the spicier side.
38:51Mmm.
38:52Mmm.
38:52It's delicious.
38:53Mmm.
38:54Mmm.
38:54What is that?
38:54Mmm.
38:55It's called for the laddu, in simpler words.
38:58Laddu.
38:59So it's basically on a sweeter side.
39:02Do you know what it tastes like?
39:03Mmm.
39:04Short bread.
39:04Have you ever had short bread before?
39:05Uh, I have not yet.
39:07Not yet.
39:07That's what this tastes like.
39:09It's very good.
39:10Mmm.
39:12Mmm.
39:14It's been a joy to spend time with this extraordinary family.
39:18The youngest.
39:20You're the youngest, where generations mix effortlessly, and there's a constant sense
39:24of warmth and harmony.
39:26Do you think there'll be any more cousins, or are you hoping you'll be the youngest?
39:30You'll be the youngest.
39:32Yeah.
39:32You'll keep that title.
39:35Excellent.
39:36I mean, the thing I really love is how close-knit you all are.
39:40You all get on really, really well.
39:42You're so friendly, and, uh, and you take such pleasure in each other's company.
39:46Yeah.
39:47Such warmth and good humor.
39:48But what, I wonder, do you make of modern India?
39:53You know, where is, where is India going?
39:55It is developing.
39:56It is developing on a high rate.
39:58Also, additionally, I feel there are a lot more youngsters now.
40:01Yeah.
40:02That are getting into different streams, right?
40:04So they want to do some, something out of the box.
40:06Some students that actually wish to take a business, right?
40:09Some are into music, there are some are into a design, some are into entrepreneurship, some
40:14are into food.
40:16So are you optimistic about modern India?
40:17Absolutely, yes.
40:18About modern India?
40:19100%.
40:19Good.
40:20Well, um, I would just love to thank you all.
40:24This is hilarious.
40:25I came to buy a sari, and I've, I've made, I've lost count of how many friends, but it's
40:30really, it's lovely, it's lovely to meet you all.
40:3338 friends, 38 friends to be exact.
40:34Yeah.
40:34How many?
40:3538 friends.
40:36I've made 38 new friends.
40:37There we are.
40:38Well, thank you very, very much indeed.
40:39Thank you all.
40:40What a great treat it is to meet you.
40:43Thank you so much.
40:54Thank you so much.
41:13All those young children with their dreams and ambitions.
41:16It's been, it's been such a treat to spend time with them.
41:25Whatever I expected when I arrived in India, whether it was towering palaces, this astonishing
41:32building, elaborate temples, teeming cities, and striving past you, incredible food.
41:42It's a festival of starch.
41:45Immense poverty.
41:47Astonishing wealth.
41:49370 carats of rose-cut diamond.
41:52Well, I have indeed experienced every drop of all that.
41:56And so much more.
41:58I'm now quite drunk.
41:59The wildlife.
42:00Alexander, you have to see this.
42:04The sheer scale of this vast subcontinent, all of it here in super-saturated color.
42:14But more than the astonishing energy of a country on the cusp of something exceptional, I've
42:20been deeply moved by the warmth and humanity.
42:23So, here are all your family.
42:25Of everyone I've met here.
42:27I was expecting so far.
42:33And by the extraordinary belief they carry, whatever their circumstances.
42:39As India's past and present wrestle to shape its future, one thing feels certain.
42:45This is the Indian century.
42:48And somehow, we're all part of it.
43:04Keeping boats safe in waters dubbed the M25 of the high seas, Rob Bell explores lighthouses
43:10in building the impossible brand new tomorrow at 8.
43:13And coming up, can Alex Polizzi prevent an airport B&B from crash landing and see their profits
43:19soar?
43:19The Hotel Inspector is new next.
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