1 00:00:00,180 --> 00:00:03,380 I'm going on a series of astonishing adventures. 2 00:00:05,180 --> 00:00:08,179 Whoa! Absolutely stunning! 3 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:11,740 Travelling along three of the mightiest rivers on the planet. 4 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:20,018 These rivers have given rise 5 00:00:20,019 --> 00:00:22,500 to some of the world's greatest civilisations. 6 00:00:25,300 --> 00:00:28,540 For centuries, we've worshipped their life-giving waters... 7 00:00:30,380 --> 00:00:33,539 and feared their awesome destructive powers. 8 00:00:33,540 --> 00:00:35,620 The current is a killer! 9 00:00:38,980 --> 00:00:42,340 On these epic journeys, I'll meet some extraordinary characters. 10 00:00:48,980 --> 00:00:51,378 And experience the very different cultures, 11 00:00:51,379 --> 00:00:55,460 religions and countries that have emerged along our sacred rivers. 12 00:00:58,260 --> 00:01:01,180 In this episode, I'll be travelling more than 1,000 miles 13 00:01:01,181 --> 00:01:04,699 along the Ganges, the great artery of India, 14 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:08,100 from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. 15 00:01:08,101 --> 00:01:09,900 We're on the beach! 16 00:01:11,100 --> 00:01:14,020 For centuries, Indians have worshipped the river 17 00:01:14,021 --> 00:01:16,340 and believed it has sacred powers. 18 00:01:20,340 --> 00:01:24,018 But in the last few decades, India's economy has boomed, 19 00:01:24,019 --> 00:01:27,900 its population has doubled and the river has paid a heavy price. 20 00:01:29,100 --> 00:01:34,459 Hindus... they take mouthful... of Ganges water. 21 00:01:34,460 --> 00:01:38,900 - Urgh! - Can you imagining taking this water? 22 00:01:41,900 --> 00:01:46,459 Can India's great river and a culture more than 3,500 years old 23 00:01:46,460 --> 00:01:49,580 survive the pressures of the 21st century? 24 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,531 Sync and corrections by n17t01 www.addic7ed.com 25 00:02:00,820 --> 00:02:03,379 And there it is! 26 00:02:03,380 --> 00:02:05,699 The holy Ganges! 27 00:02:05,700 --> 00:02:09,140 It's a river that is revered as a goddess! 28 00:02:13,980 --> 00:02:17,778 The reason I'm starting my journey here is because above this point 29 00:02:17,779 --> 00:02:20,218 these two rivers are known by their local names. 30 00:02:20,219 --> 00:02:23,460 It's at the town of Devprayag where they converge 31 00:02:23,461 --> 00:02:29,100 that this officially becomes the mighty, sacred Ganges. 32 00:02:38,100 --> 00:02:41,139 Central to my desire to make this journey, 33 00:02:41,140 --> 00:02:45,060 in fact to make this series of journeys along sacred rivers, 34 00:02:45,061 --> 00:02:50,659 is a realisation that if I want to really understand a country, 35 00:02:50,660 --> 00:02:54,499 then I have to understand the faith and the beliefs 36 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:56,859 of the people who live there. 37 00:02:56,860 --> 00:02:59,739 India is an emerging economic superpower, 38 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:02,380 it's going to be the most populous country in the world, 39 00:03:02,381 --> 00:03:05,980 and what do its people really think and believe? 40 00:03:12,380 --> 00:03:15,698 The Ganges is not the longest river on the planet, 41 00:03:15,699 --> 00:03:19,978 but from this spot in Devprayag it flows down onto the plains of India, 42 00:03:19,979 --> 00:03:23,220 watering the lands of around half a billion people. 43 00:03:25,220 --> 00:03:29,379 The Ganges river basin covers nearly a third of India 44 00:03:29,380 --> 00:03:33,100 and has one of the largest populations of any river basin on earth. 45 00:03:33,101 --> 00:03:37,900 No other river is so important to India and none are as holy. 46 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:43,419 A billion Hindus worship the Ganges. 47 00:03:43,420 --> 00:03:46,700 It's also known as Ganga as a Goddess. 48 00:03:50,420 --> 00:03:53,940 At the point where the river begins, I'm meeting a Baba, a holy man, 49 00:03:53,941 --> 00:03:56,500 who provides blessings for pilgrims. 50 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:02,020 This is astonishing. 51 00:04:10,620 --> 00:04:12,499 - Baba Gee. - Baba Gee? 52 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:14,940 Yes. Baba Gee. 53 00:04:14,941 --> 00:04:17,260 - Namaste. - Namaste. Welcome. 54 00:04:19,100 --> 00:04:22,418 Ganesh Maharaj says he has renounced worldly goods 55 00:04:22,419 --> 00:04:25,700 to live a simple life of contemplation close to the river. 56 00:04:28,220 --> 00:04:29,379 Oh! 57 00:04:29,380 --> 00:04:32,538 Ganesh meditates next to the river for hours every day 58 00:04:32,539 --> 00:04:35,138 and says he draws power from the water. 59 00:04:35,139 --> 00:04:37,306 - Very powerful. - Very powerful. 60 00:04:37,307 --> 00:04:39,455 - This is my guru. - I feel the power. 61 00:04:39,540 --> 00:04:42,620 My guru is the River Ganges. 62 00:04:44,260 --> 00:04:47,858 Baba Gee became a holy man soon after leaving school, 63 00:04:47,859 --> 00:04:51,780 eventually his devotion to the river brought him here to this cave. 64 00:04:53,340 --> 00:04:57,260 So, Baba Gee, do you actually sleep in here, then? Do you stay here? 65 00:04:57,261 --> 00:05:00,019 Yes, for 12 years. 66 00:05:00,020 --> 00:05:02,898 You've been here in the cave for 12 years? 67 00:05:02,899 --> 00:05:06,860 Yes. We are holy men, we just have the clothes on our back. 68 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:10,019 All year round? 69 00:05:10,020 --> 00:05:14,579 For the rest of our lives, we are holy men. 70 00:05:14,580 --> 00:05:18,460 We never again do any job, any work. 71 00:05:20,340 --> 00:05:25,699 We just have a simple fire, good food, good sleep, good smoke. 72 00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:28,259 This is our life. 73 00:05:28,260 --> 00:05:31,219 It sounds... it sounds very appealing. 74 00:05:31,220 --> 00:05:33,139 OK. 75 00:05:33,140 --> 00:05:35,540 So you like it? 76 00:05:36,940 --> 00:05:39,698 Baba Gee's one of many who choose this life. 77 00:05:39,699 --> 00:05:42,058 In their final years, millions of Hindus 78 00:05:42,059 --> 00:05:45,498 give up their homes to wander India with few possessions. 79 00:05:45,499 --> 00:05:48,580 I think I'm about to get a blessing for my journey. 80 00:05:48,581 --> 00:05:50,500 Whoa! 81 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:57,260 Stop hiding behind that camera! 82 00:05:59,420 --> 00:06:01,180 Thank you, Baba Gee. 83 00:06:15,220 --> 00:06:18,018 From Devprayag, I travelled south west along the river 84 00:06:18,019 --> 00:06:19,820 towards the city of Rishikesh. 85 00:06:22,140 --> 00:06:25,458 From their origins at a melting glacier in the high Himalayas, 86 00:06:25,459 --> 00:06:28,700 the waters of the Ganges descend more than 12,000 feet, 87 00:06:28,701 --> 00:06:32,059 carving their way through precipitous gorges. 88 00:06:32,060 --> 00:06:34,220 A good half a mile drop. 89 00:06:39,780 --> 00:06:43,498 Although the Ganges is steeped in history and religious tradition, 90 00:06:43,499 --> 00:06:46,700 in modern India it's not just seen as something to be worshipped. 91 00:06:51,460 --> 00:06:53,235 - Simon? - Diplan? 92 00:06:53,236 --> 00:06:55,979 - Diplan. - Very nice to meet you. 93 00:06:55,980 --> 00:06:58,539 Look at you with your trendy shades. 94 00:06:58,540 --> 00:07:00,658 - Welcome to... - Thank you very much. 95 00:07:00,659 --> 00:07:03,540 - The Land of the Lords. - Thank you. 96 00:07:08,340 --> 00:07:11,259 Diplan is a Ganges river guide. 97 00:07:11,260 --> 00:07:14,580 40 years ago, few Indians could afford to go on holiday, 98 00:07:14,581 --> 00:07:19,139 now there are around 250 million middle-class Indians. 99 00:07:19,140 --> 00:07:21,058 On their holidays, they're finding new ways 100 00:07:21,059 --> 00:07:23,418 of celebrating and enjoying the river. 101 00:07:23,419 --> 00:07:26,660 We're going in the water. Rafting on the Ganges! 102 00:07:28,140 --> 00:07:30,379 Looks fairly calm here. 103 00:07:30,380 --> 00:07:32,859 I suspect it isn't all like that. 104 00:07:40,941 --> 00:07:42,891 _ 105 00:07:50,540 --> 00:07:53,659 Paddle a little harder. Harder! 106 00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:56,419 Harder! Come on! Fast! 107 00:07:56,420 --> 00:07:58,379 Fast! Ah! 108 00:07:58,380 --> 00:08:02,220 The first rapid on this stretch of the river was relatively gentle. 109 00:08:02,221 --> 00:08:05,459 Good morning! Good morning! 110 00:08:05,460 --> 00:08:07,860 It's nicknamed "Good morning." 111 00:08:09,380 --> 00:08:11,339 Whoo! 112 00:08:13,980 --> 00:08:17,379 Go! Hard! Hard! 113 00:08:17,380 --> 00:08:19,459 Good! 114 00:08:19,460 --> 00:08:23,260 But downriver the rapids are a bit more energetic. 115 00:08:26,620 --> 00:08:28,540 Wow! 116 00:08:36,140 --> 00:08:37,540 Whoa! 117 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:52,099 White-water rafting is fairly new to India, 118 00:08:52,100 --> 00:08:54,618 but the tourist industry is growing rapidly 119 00:08:54,619 --> 00:08:57,140 along this beautiful section of the Ganges. 120 00:08:58,420 --> 00:09:00,999 - That was fantastic! - Yeah, really. 121 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:01,970 - Thank you. - Really. 122 00:09:03,820 --> 00:09:05,698 You... you did it really well. 123 00:09:05,699 --> 00:09:08,658 - And if you're happy, we're happy. - Ah, that's a lovely thing to say. 124 00:09:08,659 --> 00:09:10,138 Mother Ganga is full happy. 125 00:09:10,139 --> 00:09:12,298 Tell us about the camps that we can see 126 00:09:12,299 --> 00:09:13,778 along the bank of the river here. 127 00:09:13,779 --> 00:09:16,378 We've seen them the whole way down, there's dozens of them. 128 00:09:16,379 --> 00:09:19,018 Who's staying in these tented encampments? 129 00:09:19,019 --> 00:09:22,220 Adventurers. Indians. They're really freaking out. 130 00:09:22,221 --> 00:09:25,419 These days they are... they are, like, 90%. 131 00:09:25,420 --> 00:09:27,940 Is this quite an important change, then? 132 00:09:27,941 --> 00:09:32,259 This is Indians enjoying the river not just worshipping it? 133 00:09:32,260 --> 00:09:35,699 This is still Mother Ganga, the holy Ganga, 134 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:39,259 but nowadays it is more adventurous like. 135 00:09:39,260 --> 00:09:41,500 They are freaking out in adventures. 136 00:09:46,700 --> 00:09:48,378 Just down river is a community 137 00:09:48,379 --> 00:09:51,218 that's long been a beacon for western visitors 138 00:09:51,219 --> 00:09:54,700 wanting meaning, eastern wisdom and a bit of enlightenment, 139 00:09:54,701 --> 00:09:56,580 the town of Rishikesh. 140 00:10:00,220 --> 00:10:04,179 In 1968, the Beatles visited a religious retreat here 141 00:10:04,180 --> 00:10:07,940 known as an "ashram" for some soul searching and chanting. 142 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,654 Like them and hundreds of thousands of travellers 143 00:10:15,655 --> 00:10:17,135 who've since followed in their footsteps, 144 00:10:17,140 --> 00:10:20,019 I was going to be staying at an ashram. 145 00:10:20,020 --> 00:10:23,140 Goodness me! Look where we're going now. 146 00:10:24,180 --> 00:10:27,260 There's been a few illustrious visitors before. 147 00:10:29,220 --> 00:10:31,220 - Thank you. - OK. 148 00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:40,767 - Sadfi? - Yes, welcome. 149 00:10:40,768 --> 00:10:42,007 - Namaste. - How are you? 150 00:10:42,008 --> 00:10:44,778 - Very well thank you. Simon. - So nice to meet you. 151 00:10:44,779 --> 00:10:46,316 Lovely to meet you. Sorry to keep you waiting. 152 00:10:46,317 --> 00:10:47,321 No problem at all. 153 00:10:47,322 --> 00:10:48,853 - Welcome home. - Welcome home? 154 00:10:48,940 --> 00:10:50,218 - Of course. - Goodness me! 155 00:10:50,219 --> 00:10:52,938 Sadfi, a Californian who came here ten years ago 156 00:10:52,939 --> 00:10:55,658 is now a leader of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram. 157 00:10:55,659 --> 00:10:58,300 It's the largest ashram in all of Rishikesh. 158 00:10:58,301 --> 00:11:00,659 It's actually one of the largest 159 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:04,299 spiritual institutions in all of India. 160 00:11:07,860 --> 00:11:10,858 Each evening the residents of the ashram and visitors 161 00:11:10,859 --> 00:11:13,980 gather on the banks of the Ganges to chant and pray. 162 00:11:17,940 --> 00:11:20,620 The president and spiritual leader of the ashram 163 00:11:20,621 --> 00:11:25,180 is His Holiness Swami Chidanand Saraswati Maharajah. 164 00:11:29,340 --> 00:11:32,940 Swami Gee also heads a foundation sponsoring free schools, 165 00:11:32,941 --> 00:11:36,419 a clinic, orphanages, and he's trying to organise 166 00:11:36,420 --> 00:11:37,818 a clean up of the River Ganges. 167 00:11:37,819 --> 00:11:40,580 - How are you? - I'm very well, thank you. Sorry to keep you waiting. 168 00:11:40,581 --> 00:11:42,739 - Simon. - Welcome home. 169 00:11:42,740 --> 00:11:45,060 Thank you very much indeed. 170 00:11:49,900 --> 00:11:52,300 - You can take. - The whole thing? 171 00:11:52,301 --> 00:11:53,301 - Everything? - Yes. 172 00:11:59,100 --> 00:12:02,418 There are often hundreds of foreign visitors staying at the ashram, 173 00:12:02,419 --> 00:12:04,698 paying just a few pounds for a simple room 174 00:12:04,699 --> 00:12:08,260 and a chance to experience a completely different way of life. 175 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:18,658 The ashram is also home to 200 local boys from disadvantaged backgrounds 176 00:12:18,659 --> 00:12:21,298 who receive academic and spiritual education 177 00:12:21,299 --> 00:12:23,100 as well as food and shelter. 178 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:36,538 I'd been presented with a tree, watered by the Ganges. 179 00:12:36,539 --> 00:12:39,618 I was told it symbolised the life-giving power of the water 180 00:12:39,619 --> 00:12:41,658 and the need to protect the river. 181 00:12:41,659 --> 00:12:44,060 This is an audience with the Swami Gee now. 182 00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:50,100 I'm going to put my sacred tree here. Nobody take this. 183 00:12:57,380 --> 00:13:00,258 We're travelling along the Ganges, travelling down the Ganges, 184 00:13:00,259 --> 00:13:03,420 and I just wondered if you could perhaps help us to understand, 185 00:13:03,421 --> 00:13:07,580 why is the Ganges so sacred to Indians? 186 00:13:10,780 --> 00:13:16,259 Ganga... and me has a very special relation. 187 00:13:16,260 --> 00:13:19,860 When I was on the banks of Ganga, I could feel the power. 188 00:13:19,861 --> 00:13:21,540 Eyes are closed... 189 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:26,099 and in those moments 190 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:30,659 that charging which I needed every day. 191 00:13:30,660 --> 00:13:33,020 Our mobile today needs charging. 192 00:13:34,380 --> 00:13:36,259 Cellphones need charging. 193 00:13:36,260 --> 00:13:40,339 That charging was also available immediately 194 00:13:40,340 --> 00:13:43,540 - whenever I need it for that reason. - From the river? 195 00:13:43,541 --> 00:13:47,339 From the river. And I can tell you, not only me, 196 00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:51,539 this is experience of many who left their families, 197 00:13:51,540 --> 00:13:53,939 came to the Himalayas, were there, 198 00:13:53,940 --> 00:13:59,619 they were not all just came just for they had nothing and they came to find peace. 199 00:13:59,620 --> 00:14:02,299 They were judges, they were doctors, 200 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:04,580 they were engineers, they were professionals. 201 00:14:04,581 --> 00:14:06,980 This place specially... 202 00:14:08,980 --> 00:14:12,619 has... has become a powerhouse. 203 00:14:15,660 --> 00:14:18,379 Hinduism is a set of ancient beliefs 204 00:14:18,380 --> 00:14:20,980 allowing followers to create their own relationship 205 00:14:20,981 --> 00:14:22,979 with a multiplicity of gods. 206 00:14:22,980 --> 00:14:27,979 There's no central authority in Hinduism, no single founding text. 207 00:14:27,980 --> 00:14:31,578 Most foreign visitors to ashrams don't come looking to convert, 208 00:14:31,579 --> 00:14:34,540 but instead to find time to think and unwind 209 00:14:34,541 --> 00:14:37,179 with the help of practices like yoga. 210 00:14:37,180 --> 00:14:39,700 "Yoga and meditation." Oh, that's where were going. 211 00:14:43,180 --> 00:14:44,538 It was a chilly morning 212 00:14:44,539 --> 00:14:47,740 and I'd been asked to wear what felt like a giant nappy. 213 00:15:16,260 --> 00:15:19,378 The emphasis in this class was on meditation and prayer 214 00:15:19,379 --> 00:15:22,020 as well as the correct physical posture. 215 00:15:23,300 --> 00:15:25,180 I was a natural. 216 00:15:49,620 --> 00:15:51,587 - How was that for you? - Huh? 217 00:15:51,588 --> 00:15:53,475 - How was that for you? - Good. 218 00:15:53,510 --> 00:15:56,780 - Why are you here? - Oh, I'm here for the yoga. 219 00:15:56,781 --> 00:16:01,659 Right. But why have you come...? You could do yoga in America, surely? 220 00:16:01,660 --> 00:16:06,459 Well, it was... it was much better to get away. 221 00:16:06,460 --> 00:16:10,349 - It took me five months to close my law practice... - Wow. 222 00:16:10,350 --> 00:16:12,403 ...to sell and give away everything I owned. 223 00:16:12,438 --> 00:16:15,538 To say goodbye to my children and my parents. 224 00:16:15,539 --> 00:16:19,098 - And I've been here for a year and a half. - My goodness! 225 00:16:19,099 --> 00:16:21,420 That's not just coming for a little trip, is it? 226 00:16:21,421 --> 00:16:25,019 - I'm here. - You're here now. 227 00:16:25,020 --> 00:16:27,739 Why... why here, though? 228 00:16:27,740 --> 00:16:31,220 Do you feel there's something special about this place? 229 00:16:31,221 --> 00:16:34,299 - About the country even? - Yes, absolutely. 230 00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:36,699 This place is very special. 231 00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:38,979 It's like a big energy vortex. 232 00:16:38,980 --> 00:16:41,499 As well as attending yoga classes, 233 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:44,858 some residents here volunteer to take part in service, 234 00:16:44,859 --> 00:16:47,620 including helping out with cleaning and cooking. 235 00:16:47,621 --> 00:16:49,659 Hello, ladies. 236 00:16:49,660 --> 00:16:53,260 - Hello. - What brought you here? Are you resident or are you...? 237 00:16:53,261 --> 00:16:55,499 Guest. I'm a resident here. 238 00:16:55,500 --> 00:16:58,978 - How long have you been here? - I've been here for three years. 239 00:16:58,979 --> 00:17:01,218 Three years? And you live here as well? 240 00:17:01,219 --> 00:17:04,500 - No, I've just come for five weeks. - And you've been here for? 241 00:17:04,501 --> 00:17:06,659 I'm here from six months. 242 00:17:06,660 --> 00:17:09,460 Six months? And what drew you all here? 243 00:17:10,700 --> 00:17:14,058 We all are doing sava. Doing... performing service? 244 00:17:14,059 --> 00:17:16,858 - Selfless service. - Are you from Rishikesh? 245 00:17:16,859 --> 00:17:19,620 I'm not from Rishikesh, I'm from Gujarat. 246 00:17:19,621 --> 00:17:21,629 - From Gujarat? OK. - Yeah. 247 00:17:21,630 --> 00:17:23,037 - And you're from? - London. 248 00:17:23,072 --> 00:17:27,058 I was thinking that sounded like a remarkably clear accent there. 249 00:17:27,059 --> 00:17:29,580 And whereabouts in London are your from? 250 00:17:29,581 --> 00:17:31,502 - Harrow. - From Harrow? 251 00:17:31,503 --> 00:17:33,491 - Yes. - OK. And why have you come here?! 252 00:17:33,526 --> 00:17:37,380 I've met Swami Gee a few times and he's come to London as well. 253 00:17:37,381 --> 00:17:39,939 And I've been here with family 254 00:17:39,940 --> 00:17:42,980 and I just want to keep coming back. 255 00:17:42,981 --> 00:17:47,539 I think to your question of what drew you here, it's... 256 00:17:47,540 --> 00:17:51,899 I don't think it was a decision that we took, you know? 257 00:17:51,900 --> 00:17:55,579 I was born and raised in America, in California, 258 00:17:55,580 --> 00:17:57,739 I didn't know about the Ganga. 259 00:17:57,740 --> 00:18:03,378 I mean, yes, my family is of Indian origin, I must have heard Ganga in a movie or something, 260 00:18:03,379 --> 00:18:07,940 but it's not like American textbooks teach you about a river called Ganga. 261 00:18:07,941 --> 00:18:13,299 And something brought me to Rishikesh and I never left. 262 00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:17,899 How does your... how does your old American self, as it were, 263 00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:21,019 differ from your new self? 264 00:18:21,020 --> 00:18:24,500 You know, in America it's always like you're working and you're going to school 265 00:18:24,501 --> 00:18:28,539 and there's stress and there's energy being expended... 266 00:18:28,540 --> 00:18:31,378 - You're just being and existing in the day? - It's the next thing. 267 00:18:31,379 --> 00:18:33,020 It's always the next thing. 268 00:18:33,021 --> 00:18:38,540 And here it's just you are and you just... be. 269 00:18:43,420 --> 00:18:46,778 Alternative spiritual practices obviously have an immense appeal 270 00:18:46,779 --> 00:18:49,418 to the many western visitors who come here, 271 00:18:49,419 --> 00:18:52,420 as was clearly evident in downtown Rishikesh. 272 00:18:52,421 --> 00:18:55,060 It felt a bit like Glastonbury. 273 00:19:04,620 --> 00:19:06,780 Lots of lovely New Age stuff going on here. 274 00:19:06,781 --> 00:19:10,739 Look, the Ganga Astrology and Palmistry Centre. 275 00:19:10,740 --> 00:19:12,780 Yoga teacher training here. 276 00:19:15,460 --> 00:19:18,620 Look, the Himalayan Yoga Retreat, Breath of Bliss. 277 00:19:18,621 --> 00:19:21,259 "Emotional blockage treatment." 278 00:19:21,260 --> 00:19:24,979 Goodness me! This is the self bodyworks. 279 00:19:24,980 --> 00:19:28,939 This is a real spiritual supermarket. 280 00:19:28,940 --> 00:19:31,579 Something for everyone. 281 00:19:31,580 --> 00:19:35,498 Then when you've done your yoga, you can come to the German bakery here, 282 00:19:35,499 --> 00:19:39,378 step in for continental, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Mexican foods. 283 00:19:39,379 --> 00:19:43,020 You can get an English breakfast... or a Greek salad. 284 00:19:44,260 --> 00:19:47,780 I've had a difficult relationship with India on my travels. 285 00:19:47,781 --> 00:19:50,699 Oh, mind the thieving little monkeys. 286 00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:52,978 Don't chuck that plastic in the river. 287 00:19:52,979 --> 00:19:55,538 A third of the world's poorest people live here 288 00:19:55,539 --> 00:19:58,620 and I've always found the poverty desperately upsetting. 289 00:19:58,621 --> 00:20:00,499 Look at this! 290 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:03,898 This is the India that I have been wanting to see 291 00:20:03,899 --> 00:20:06,180 that... I have been waiting to see. 292 00:20:09,620 --> 00:20:11,819 It does feel... quite spiritual. 293 00:20:11,820 --> 00:20:15,020 I think that's partly because we're so connected with nature here, 294 00:20:15,021 --> 00:20:17,260 it's all around us. 295 00:20:26,460 --> 00:20:30,458 While Rishikesh is a particular magnet for visitors from the west, 296 00:20:30,459 --> 00:20:33,780 where I headed next is a major draw for Indian tourists. 297 00:20:44,460 --> 00:20:47,460 The beautiful Ganges. Look how low it is here! 298 00:20:51,300 --> 00:20:54,540 I'm meeting a friend who's guided me around India before. 299 00:20:54,541 --> 00:20:58,259 He's suggested we meet at a statue of the god Shiva. 300 00:20:58,260 --> 00:21:00,700 He says, "You won't miss it." 301 00:21:07,380 --> 00:21:10,779 OK... he was right! 302 00:21:10,780 --> 00:21:15,220 I've travelled in other parts of India on a couple of previous trips with Abhra Bhattacharya. 303 00:21:17,220 --> 00:21:20,579 - Abhra! - Hello, Simon! 304 00:21:20,580 --> 00:21:22,700 Hello, mate! Come on. Hi. 305 00:21:24,340 --> 00:21:27,398 - And you said we wouldn't miss Shiva! - Yeah. 306 00:21:27,399 --> 00:21:28,399 Look at the size of him! 307 00:21:28,620 --> 00:21:32,580 - Colossal! He's one of the central gods of Hinduism. - Yeah. 308 00:21:32,581 --> 00:21:37,139 Shiva is most revered and most feared, 309 00:21:37,140 --> 00:21:42,739 because he's the Lord of Destruction and he's also the Creator, 310 00:21:42,740 --> 00:21:47,539 because we believe every creation begins from destruction, 311 00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:50,419 so he destroys before he creates. 312 00:21:50,420 --> 00:21:52,820 - It's a powerful role. - Yeah. 313 00:21:55,020 --> 00:21:58,700 Abhra is there any connection between Shiva and the Ganges? 314 00:21:58,701 --> 00:22:03,059 Well, you see the huge dreadlock that Shiva has? 315 00:22:03,060 --> 00:22:10,259 In that he is supposed to have tamed the untameable Ganges. 316 00:22:10,260 --> 00:22:12,740 - In his... in his dreadlocks? - Yeah. 317 00:22:12,741 --> 00:22:16,019 So the Ganges flows through his dreadlocks 318 00:22:16,020 --> 00:22:20,619 like the hills you must have not missed on your way, you know? 319 00:22:20,620 --> 00:22:24,539 So it tames the Ganges and its force. 320 00:22:24,540 --> 00:22:30,139 So the river has flowed through his dreadlocks and out across India? 321 00:22:30,140 --> 00:22:32,540 - Yeah. - Wow! 322 00:22:35,420 --> 00:22:38,739 Shiva has hundreds of millions of followers. 323 00:22:38,740 --> 00:22:41,379 He's one of the most popular gods, 324 00:22:41,380 --> 00:22:45,820 but all Indians can revere the Ganges for what it gifts the country. 325 00:22:48,260 --> 00:22:51,778 Haridwar is where the river enters the plains of northern India 326 00:22:51,779 --> 00:22:55,060 and brings life to almost half the country's population. 327 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:02,218 Every 12 years, the city plays host 328 00:23:02,219 --> 00:23:04,700 to the religious festival of the Kumbh Mela, 329 00:23:04,701 --> 00:23:07,940 the biggest human gathering on earth. 330 00:23:11,940 --> 00:23:14,980 But every evening, travellers come from all across India 331 00:23:14,981 --> 00:23:18,060 to pay homage to the great goddess Ganga. 332 00:23:20,620 --> 00:23:23,100 And this evening Abhra and I were joining them. 333 00:23:23,101 --> 00:23:27,859 You must offer flower and fire to Ganga. 334 00:23:27,860 --> 00:23:30,299 - Flowers and fire? - Yeah. 335 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:33,300 - Flowers? - Yes. Those are meant for that. 336 00:23:35,060 --> 00:23:37,128 - So do we get one of these? - Yes. 337 00:23:37,129 --> 00:23:38,129 There are a bit ornate, aren't they? 338 00:23:41,700 --> 00:23:43,979 - And there's the fire. - Yeah. 339 00:23:43,980 --> 00:23:47,139 - OK. 100 rupees, less than a pound. - Yeah. 340 00:23:47,140 --> 00:23:49,180 - It's a bargain. - Yeah. 341 00:23:51,740 --> 00:23:53,818 He's checking carefully. Happy with that, sir? 342 00:23:53,819 --> 00:23:55,860 - Thank you very much. - Thank you. 343 00:23:59,580 --> 00:24:03,380 So today is going to be your first service to the Ganges? 344 00:24:03,381 --> 00:24:06,179 - It is, you're right! - Yeah. 345 00:24:06,180 --> 00:24:09,378 And it feels appropriate to be doing this with you, Abhra. 346 00:24:09,379 --> 00:24:11,498 For Hindus this religious service 347 00:24:11,499 --> 00:24:15,620 is an opportunity to express their gratitude to the life-giving river. 348 00:24:18,380 --> 00:24:20,579 Come, Simon. 349 00:24:20,580 --> 00:24:25,220 And to celebrate their belief that as humans we're small parts of a greater whole. 350 00:24:27,220 --> 00:24:28,900 Namaste! 351 00:24:32,860 --> 00:24:34,898 There's not a lot of western faces here. 352 00:24:34,899 --> 00:24:38,180 This is a very real place of pilgrimage for Indians. 353 00:24:38,181 --> 00:24:41,700 Tens of thousands of them come here every week. 354 00:24:52,140 --> 00:24:55,940 The priests begin by making offerings of milk to the river. 355 00:25:01,860 --> 00:25:03,699 What were they saying? 356 00:25:03,700 --> 00:25:08,779 He's translating the entire chant which were in Sanskrit into Hindi. 357 00:25:08,780 --> 00:25:11,699 - A very ancient language? - Yeah. Yeah. 358 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:16,659 And he's saying that whatever we were saying the prayers, 359 00:25:16,660 --> 00:25:20,779 say that Mother Ganges is the main source of life. 360 00:25:25,739 --> 00:25:28,826 _ 361 00:25:31,940 --> 00:25:35,620 As night falls the priests worship the river with light. 362 00:25:48,940 --> 00:25:53,220 Personal offerings are also made of flowers and candles. 363 00:26:15,820 --> 00:26:18,858 Finally, it was our turn to make an offering to the river. 364 00:26:18,859 --> 00:26:21,060 We had a bit of help from a local priest. 365 00:26:32,820 --> 00:26:35,099 Now you are easy to go? 366 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:36,980 - We go together my friend. - Yeah. 367 00:26:36,981 --> 00:26:39,750 - We have to leave it. - Put it in? 368 00:26:39,751 --> 00:26:40,751 - Yeah. - OK. 369 00:26:51,380 --> 00:26:54,197 But the most important thing a visitor can do here 370 00:26:54,198 --> 00:26:56,775 is to bathe in the sacred waters of the river. 371 00:27:02,140 --> 00:27:03,980 It's a little bit chilly. 372 00:27:06,980 --> 00:27:09,379 It's certainly refreshing. 373 00:27:09,380 --> 00:27:11,904 - Further? - Further, otherwise.... 374 00:27:11,905 --> 00:27:12,905 What are we treading down on to? 375 00:27:13,420 --> 00:27:15,179 Goodness knows! 376 00:27:15,180 --> 00:27:17,059 That's better. 377 00:27:17,060 --> 00:27:19,620 You don't want to be swept away here. 378 00:27:19,621 --> 00:27:22,779 One. Two. 379 00:27:22,780 --> 00:27:25,100 And... Three! 380 00:27:30,020 --> 00:27:32,580 I think I need to go a bit further. 381 00:27:35,140 --> 00:27:36,859 Three times. 382 00:27:36,860 --> 00:27:38,620 I'm running out of chain. 383 00:27:41,860 --> 00:27:43,780 Yeah. There you go. 384 00:27:45,540 --> 00:27:48,340 What does that mean? What does it signify what we've done? 385 00:27:48,341 --> 00:27:52,499 This signifies that, you know, our soul has been cleansed. 386 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:55,979 All our past sins have been cleansed. 387 00:27:55,980 --> 00:27:59,740 - From our previous lives even? - Even from previous lives. 388 00:27:59,741 --> 00:28:04,579 Now it's the beginning of a new life and a new journey for you. 389 00:28:04,580 --> 00:28:07,339 Thank you. For us both! 390 00:28:07,340 --> 00:28:09,020 Come on! 391 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:21,660 From Haridwar, I followed the Ganges more than 300 miles south-east 392 00:28:21,661 --> 00:28:24,180 to a major industrial city. 393 00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:33,258 India's population has more than doubled in the last 40 years. 394 00:28:33,259 --> 00:28:36,898 There's now more than 1.2 billion people in the country. 395 00:28:36,899 --> 00:28:39,658 The impact on the river has been appalling. 396 00:28:39,659 --> 00:28:41,818 We're coming into a place called Kanpur now, 397 00:28:41,819 --> 00:28:44,620 which is one of the most polluted cities in India. 398 00:28:50,180 --> 00:28:53,858 The banks of the river were knee deep with rotting rubbish. 399 00:28:53,859 --> 00:28:56,458 It was all in stark contrast to the pure water 400 00:28:56,459 --> 00:29:00,140 I'd seen flowing from the Himalayas at the start of my journey. 401 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:04,418 But in spite of the evident filth leeching into the river, 402 00:29:04,419 --> 00:29:08,340 it was a religious holiday and people were still taking a holy dip. 403 00:29:31,540 --> 00:29:33,939 They're feeding those cows! 404 00:29:33,940 --> 00:29:36,339 - Yeah. - In a ceremonial way? 405 00:29:36,340 --> 00:29:37,980 Today is a very auspicious day, 406 00:29:37,981 --> 00:29:43,179 so they are feeding the cows to gain more, you know, blessings of God. 407 00:29:43,180 --> 00:29:44,597 - More karma? - Yeah. 408 00:29:44,598 --> 00:29:46,502 - Better karma? - Better karma. 409 00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:53,300 Cows are revered in India because they give milk freely. 410 00:29:53,301 --> 00:29:56,699 It's taboo to kill or even injure them. 411 00:29:56,700 --> 00:29:58,458 So I was surprised to discover 412 00:29:58,459 --> 00:30:01,058 India's now among the biggest exporters 413 00:30:01,059 --> 00:30:03,180 of beef and leather in the world. 414 00:30:07,740 --> 00:30:13,298 Kanpur is the centre of the trade, which is worth around three billion pounds a year. 415 00:30:13,299 --> 00:30:14,498 As we drove into the city 416 00:30:14,499 --> 00:30:18,060 there were treated animal hides everywhere I looked. 417 00:30:20,740 --> 00:30:23,700 Tanneries here claim all the hides come from water buffalo, 418 00:30:23,701 --> 00:30:27,219 which aren't revered by most Hindus. 419 00:30:27,220 --> 00:30:29,978 But religious activists and animal rights campaigners 420 00:30:29,979 --> 00:30:33,140 say that most of the them actually come from an illicit trade 421 00:30:33,141 --> 00:30:35,740 in slaughtered sacred cows. 422 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:42,540 Abhra and I went to visit a sanctuary known as a cow shelter. 423 00:30:43,860 --> 00:30:45,580 We were meeting Porva Joshipura 424 00:30:45,581 --> 00:30:49,100 from the International Animal Rights Group PETA. 425 00:30:51,500 --> 00:30:53,607 - Hi, Porva! - Hi. 426 00:30:53,608 --> 00:30:55,372 Namaste. Simon. Lovely to meet you. 427 00:30:55,380 --> 00:30:57,539 Good to meet you, too. 428 00:30:57,540 --> 00:30:59,179 What is this place? 429 00:30:59,180 --> 00:31:05,179 This is a rescue centre for cows who are saved from slaughter. 430 00:31:05,180 --> 00:31:08,859 This is an area where cows are killed, 431 00:31:08,860 --> 00:31:14,459 they're transported illegally under the cover of darkness, 432 00:31:14,460 --> 00:31:18,219 you know, crammed into trucks on top of one another 433 00:31:18,220 --> 00:31:21,659 and they're taken illegally to slaughter houses. 434 00:31:21,660 --> 00:31:23,579 - Slaughter houses?! - Yes. 435 00:31:23,580 --> 00:31:25,978 I... I thought this was not something 436 00:31:25,979 --> 00:31:30,100 that was legally permissible, let alone religiously, in India. 437 00:31:30,101 --> 00:31:34,779 It's not, it's not. There's up to a seven-year imprisonment fine 438 00:31:34,780 --> 00:31:40,019 if you get caught slaughtering cows, but it happens nonetheless. 439 00:31:40,020 --> 00:31:44,979 And so when the police get a tip-off, from a caring citizen, 440 00:31:44,980 --> 00:31:48,259 that cows are being transported to slaughter, 441 00:31:48,260 --> 00:31:51,620 they catch them and they bring them here to this safe place. 442 00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:55,459 I mean, this is a land 443 00:31:55,460 --> 00:32:00,539 where compassion for animals is considered... a major value. 444 00:32:00,540 --> 00:32:02,979 I mean, it's a very basic value. 445 00:32:02,980 --> 00:32:06,300 - It's a religious code as well, isn't it? - It's a religious code as well. 446 00:32:06,301 --> 00:32:09,299 - And yet...? - And because of the religion 447 00:32:09,300 --> 00:32:11,580 it's become important just culturally. 448 00:32:11,581 --> 00:32:15,139 And yet cows are being killed in this country 449 00:32:15,140 --> 00:32:19,939 to supply people who are buying leather elsewhere. 450 00:32:19,940 --> 00:32:23,779 Who's buying the leather that India's exporting, then? 451 00:32:23,780 --> 00:32:29,579 Um... people in the UK, people in the European Union. 452 00:32:29,580 --> 00:32:33,819 The EU buys 60% of the leather that gets sold out of India. 453 00:32:33,820 --> 00:32:37,459 There's a few people who are fattening their wallets 454 00:32:37,460 --> 00:32:39,459 from the leather industry. 455 00:32:39,460 --> 00:32:43,419 Things are happening here which are not allowed to happen 456 00:32:43,420 --> 00:32:47,299 in the UK or in the EU or in some other western country. 457 00:32:47,300 --> 00:32:50,340 You know, the way that animals are treated here 458 00:32:50,341 --> 00:32:52,700 is not allowed to happen there. 459 00:32:55,300 --> 00:32:57,699 Some British and American companies 460 00:32:57,700 --> 00:33:00,860 have banned Indian leather because of production concerns, 461 00:33:00,861 --> 00:33:05,860 but it remains a huge business that has a direct impact on the Ganges. 462 00:33:07,260 --> 00:33:10,740 Many tanneries here use a toxic cocktail to treat hides 463 00:33:10,741 --> 00:33:14,859 that includes sulphuric acid and cancer-causing chemicals. 464 00:33:14,860 --> 00:33:17,978 Environmental groups say the waste water from the tanneries 465 00:33:17,979 --> 00:33:20,180 is then channelled into the river. 466 00:33:27,180 --> 00:33:31,020 We stopped at a waste-water pumping station by the side of the road. 467 00:33:34,060 --> 00:33:39,500 So this... this is some so-called treated water. 468 00:33:40,980 --> 00:33:43,578 A study by the Indian Institute of Technology 469 00:33:43,579 --> 00:33:46,338 found that even after supposedly being treated 470 00:33:46,339 --> 00:33:51,940 the waste water from the tanneries still contains dangerously high levels of poisonous chemicals 471 00:33:51,941 --> 00:33:54,260 such as arsenic and mercury. 472 00:33:56,220 --> 00:34:01,019 Apparently, the water here comes out of the pipe over there 473 00:34:01,020 --> 00:34:06,139 and it flows into these channels and then it's used for irrigation, 474 00:34:06,140 --> 00:34:10,379 for providing water for crops in the dry season. 475 00:34:10,380 --> 00:34:12,219 But in the wet season, 476 00:34:12,220 --> 00:34:15,900 it just flows from here straight into the River Ganges. 477 00:34:31,140 --> 00:34:33,778 On the river bank on the outskirts of the city, 478 00:34:33,779 --> 00:34:36,820 I met environmental campaigner, Rakesh Jaiswal. 479 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:42,259 Rakesh, thanks for meeting up with us. 480 00:34:42,260 --> 00:34:46,019 Can you tell us what is the state, the health 481 00:34:46,020 --> 00:34:49,099 of the River Ganges at this point? 482 00:34:49,100 --> 00:34:53,659 In Kanpur the river is effectively dead. 483 00:34:53,660 --> 00:34:57,540 No-one ever thought this would happen. 484 00:34:58,740 --> 00:35:03,459 All the rubbish and sewage from the city 485 00:35:03,460 --> 00:35:06,819 goes into the River Ganges. 486 00:35:06,820 --> 00:35:09,299 Kanpur has four hundred tanneries, 487 00:35:09,300 --> 00:35:13,100 they also drain their poisonous water into the Ganges. 488 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:19,580 Rakesh showed me a channel he said 489 00:35:19,581 --> 00:35:23,659 was carrying tannery effluent directly into the river. 490 00:35:23,660 --> 00:35:26,060 Oh, my God! 491 00:35:29,460 --> 00:35:33,739 So this channel here is just taking filthy water 492 00:35:33,740 --> 00:35:37,419 straight into... straight into the Ganges? 493 00:35:37,420 --> 00:35:39,339 Yes. 494 00:35:39,340 --> 00:35:45,499 This contains heavy metals, acids, dyes and other chemicals 495 00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:49,339 used by the tanneries. 496 00:35:49,340 --> 00:35:52,420 - It's all in there. - It's all in there? 497 00:35:53,860 --> 00:35:55,939 It's a poison? 498 00:35:55,940 --> 00:36:01,419 Hindus... they take mouthful of Ganges water. 499 00:36:01,420 --> 00:36:05,340 - Urgh! - Can you imagining taking this water? 500 00:36:07,140 --> 00:36:12,900 Can someone dare drink directly from Ganga at this place? 501 00:36:14,380 --> 00:36:17,339 I don't... I don't really understand. 502 00:36:17,340 --> 00:36:22,499 Hindus, the faith, teaches a respect and love for nature. 503 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:25,019 This is the sacred Ganges. 504 00:36:25,020 --> 00:36:28,579 Why are Indians doing this to the Ganges? 505 00:36:28,580 --> 00:36:31,620 Even I can't understand this. 506 00:36:32,860 --> 00:36:37,739 This is a river we worship and revere, 507 00:36:37,740 --> 00:36:43,699 and whose waters we consider holy... 508 00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:48,379 yet we remain silent about its desecration. 509 00:36:50,620 --> 00:36:52,938 Tanneries claim the pollution is caused 510 00:36:52,939 --> 00:36:56,020 by other towns and cities on the Ganges and not by them. 511 00:36:57,340 --> 00:37:01,140 Water and sanitation remains a colossal issue in India, 512 00:37:01,141 --> 00:37:05,579 up to 600 million people here don't have access to a toilet. 513 00:37:05,580 --> 00:37:09,260 One study discovered the bacteria from sewage in the Ganges 514 00:37:09,261 --> 00:37:13,459 was 12,000 times permissible levels for bathing. 515 00:37:13,460 --> 00:37:16,858 The Ganges and other Indian rivers are horrifically polluted 516 00:37:16,859 --> 00:37:20,580 and successive Indian governments have failed to clean them up. 517 00:37:25,580 --> 00:37:28,659 I travelled another 200 miles to Varanasi, 518 00:37:28,660 --> 00:37:31,660 one of the most sacred Hindu holy cities. 519 00:37:46,460 --> 00:37:50,539 And we're just coming into the city of Varanasi. 520 00:37:50,540 --> 00:37:54,218 It's one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. 521 00:37:54,219 --> 00:37:57,460 It's a place that's said to be as old as Babylon. 522 00:38:11,780 --> 00:38:15,380 The same religious rituals have been practised in the temples here 523 00:38:15,381 --> 00:38:19,460 for more than 1,00 years and remain virtually unchanged. 524 00:38:23,860 --> 00:38:26,860 At dawn each morning people come to worship the river 525 00:38:26,861 --> 00:38:29,420 and bathe in its sacred waters. 526 00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:35,858 The American writer, Mark Twain, 527 00:38:35,859 --> 00:38:40,260 who came here in the 1890s wrote that the city is older than history, 528 00:38:40,261 --> 00:38:43,620 older than tradition, older even than legend. 529 00:38:44,660 --> 00:38:47,980 Varanasi has been a place of faith for 30 centuries. 530 00:38:47,981 --> 00:38:50,499 This is absolutely stunning! 531 00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:53,380 This is one of the most amazing places I've ever been to. 532 00:38:58,780 --> 00:39:00,458 Along the banks of the river 533 00:39:00,459 --> 00:39:04,418 are dozens of gats or flights of stone steps leading up to temples, 534 00:39:04,419 --> 00:39:06,060 palaces and guest houses. 535 00:39:25,940 --> 00:39:29,618 Hindus believe that to die within the confines of this city 536 00:39:29,619 --> 00:39:32,458 or to have one's ashes scattered in the river here 537 00:39:32,459 --> 00:39:35,700 is to escape the laborious cycle of reincarnation 538 00:39:35,701 --> 00:39:39,300 and achieve Moksha or eternal liberation. 539 00:39:40,660 --> 00:39:42,699 Abhra, where are we going? 540 00:39:42,700 --> 00:39:48,139 So we are going to a very special place... a very special hotel rather. 541 00:39:48,140 --> 00:39:51,700 - OK. - It's just round the corner. 542 00:40:01,020 --> 00:40:03,578 The hotel is a rather unique retirement home 543 00:40:03,579 --> 00:40:07,100 for the elderly or sick who want to die in holy Varanasi. 544 00:40:07,101 --> 00:40:09,940 It's sometimes known as a "death hotel". 545 00:40:18,780 --> 00:40:21,538 Abhra took me to meet Manvuri Gapathi and his wife, 546 00:40:21,539 --> 00:40:25,140 who've retired from a life of farming to live out their days here. 547 00:40:28,620 --> 00:40:30,420 Namaste. 548 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:40,819 So what is this place and why are you here? 549 00:40:40,820 --> 00:40:43,498 This is the Kashi Liberation Home. 550 00:40:43,499 --> 00:40:47,098 According to the holy scriptures you can attain liberation here. 551 00:40:47,099 --> 00:40:50,138 Otherwise people like us our souls will not be liberated 552 00:40:50,139 --> 00:40:53,938 from the cycle of reincarnations, they will be restless. 553 00:40:53,939 --> 00:40:57,540 It's this desire for liberation that brings me here. 554 00:40:57,541 --> 00:41:01,979 Is everybody here... to die? Is that why people come here? 555 00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:04,299 We have come there for that, 556 00:41:04,300 --> 00:41:07,580 but we can only die here if it is written in our destiny. 557 00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:12,779 When did you come here? How long have you been here? 558 00:41:12,780 --> 00:41:16,699 It has been 18 years now. 559 00:41:16,700 --> 00:41:20,180 You've both been here for 18 years?! 560 00:41:21,980 --> 00:41:25,979 She sometimes goes back home, I don't. 561 00:41:25,980 --> 00:41:31,740 And you will never leave because you don't want to risk not dying here, is that right? 562 00:41:31,741 --> 00:41:34,379 No, I could leave but I would only go 563 00:41:34,380 --> 00:41:37,900 to other holy places like Prayag or Haridwar. 564 00:41:39,780 --> 00:41:44,900 Even if my soul leaves my body at another holy place, it would still be liberated. 565 00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:53,259 I am... I am completely terrified of death. 566 00:41:53,260 --> 00:41:56,779 I wake in the night sometimes in a cold sweat, 567 00:41:56,780 --> 00:42:01,259 but it sounds to me like you embrace it. 568 00:42:01,260 --> 00:42:05,579 No, no, you should never be scared. 569 00:42:05,580 --> 00:42:09,100 From the moment you are born death is part of life. 570 00:42:09,101 --> 00:42:12,619 They go together. 571 00:42:12,620 --> 00:42:14,779 I am not afraid. 572 00:42:14,780 --> 00:42:17,939 I can't understand it because my... 573 00:42:17,940 --> 00:42:23,139 Everything in my culture is fearful of dying 574 00:42:23,140 --> 00:42:27,379 and everything in your culture accepts it 575 00:42:27,380 --> 00:42:30,419 and to a certain extent embraces it. 576 00:42:30,420 --> 00:42:35,460 It seems... it seems an absolutely fundamental difference. 577 00:42:37,420 --> 00:42:42,060 With so many people coming to the city of Varanasi to die close to the Ganges, 578 00:42:42,061 --> 00:42:44,340 funerals are big business here. 579 00:42:52,180 --> 00:42:55,138 Families go to great lengths to ensure their loved ones 580 00:42:55,139 --> 00:42:59,420 are cremated on the river bank thus securing their eternal salvation. 581 00:43:03,420 --> 00:43:06,298 At the main cremation area next to the river, 582 00:43:06,299 --> 00:43:09,298 Abhra and I had arranged to meet the Dom Raja, 583 00:43:09,299 --> 00:43:13,060 a man who's said to have made a fortune controlling funerals here. 584 00:43:15,300 --> 00:43:16,980 Very nice to meet you, sir. 585 00:43:16,981 --> 00:43:18,819 May I sit here? 586 00:43:18,820 --> 00:43:21,500 - Is that going to be all right? - Yeah, yeah, sure. 587 00:43:25,020 --> 00:43:26,780 What an extraordinary place. 588 00:43:26,781 --> 00:43:32,019 Can you... can you tell us what is the job of the Dom Raja? 589 00:43:32,020 --> 00:43:36,380 Our job is to provide the flame for the funeral pyre. 590 00:43:36,381 --> 00:43:42,220 Our men assist in the burning of the bodies. 591 00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:47,739 How many bodies are burned here? 592 00:43:47,740 --> 00:43:50,779 We don't keep count. 593 00:43:50,780 --> 00:43:57,179 It can range from 20 to 100 bodies a day. 594 00:43:57,180 --> 00:44:00,459 How do you decide how much to charge people 595 00:44:00,460 --> 00:44:03,299 for having their relative burnt here? 596 00:44:03,300 --> 00:44:07,020 There is no fixed price. 597 00:44:09,180 --> 00:44:12,940 People give whatever they can afford. 598 00:44:15,500 --> 00:44:19,339 This sounds like a... very difficult and upsetting job. 599 00:44:19,340 --> 00:44:24,179 Is it a job and a role that you find difficult, 600 00:44:24,180 --> 00:44:26,859 or do you enjoy it? 601 00:44:26,860 --> 00:44:32,699 It is a family tradition and I see it as a duty. 602 00:44:32,700 --> 00:44:36,060 It's like a family business. 603 00:44:39,260 --> 00:44:42,419 It doesn't upset me. 604 00:44:42,420 --> 00:44:46,220 It's my way of practising my faith as a Hindu. 605 00:44:50,780 --> 00:44:55,139 Why does religion dictate that you and your family do this job? 606 00:44:55,140 --> 00:44:59,059 A very long time ago, we were upper-caste priests, 607 00:44:59,060 --> 00:45:01,460 but then we were cursed by the gods. 608 00:45:01,461 --> 00:45:03,579 Now we do this job. 609 00:45:03,580 --> 00:45:05,979 So the legend is that your family 610 00:45:05,980 --> 00:45:11,179 were cursed and that's why you have to do this job? 611 00:45:11,180 --> 00:45:14,299 Exactly. 612 00:45:14,300 --> 00:45:16,659 In India's caste system, 613 00:45:16,660 --> 00:45:19,538 in which job or role is often determined from birth, 614 00:45:19,539 --> 00:45:22,540 the Dom Raja's family belonged to the lowest caste, 615 00:45:22,541 --> 00:45:24,579 the so-called Untouchables. 616 00:45:24,580 --> 00:45:28,739 Is the caste system still alive in India? 617 00:45:28,740 --> 00:45:31,459 Well, we are developing, 618 00:45:31,460 --> 00:45:36,819 we are growing up in the sense of more and more education, 619 00:45:36,820 --> 00:45:40,259 but the shadow is always there, you see. 620 00:45:40,260 --> 00:45:42,899 There are still people who would, 621 00:45:42,900 --> 00:45:48,539 if they even step in the shadow of an Untouchable, would go to the Ganges 622 00:45:48,540 --> 00:45:53,739 and have a bath before they get back to their home. 623 00:45:53,740 --> 00:45:56,499 If they step into their shadow? 624 00:45:56,500 --> 00:45:58,739 Yeah, it's that bad. 625 00:45:58,740 --> 00:46:02,379 It's 2014! India's got a space programme! 626 00:46:02,380 --> 00:46:04,299 Yeah. 627 00:46:04,300 --> 00:46:06,659 That's incredible. 628 00:46:06,660 --> 00:46:10,659 That's why we call it Incredible India. 629 00:46:10,660 --> 00:46:13,620 Cremations here are public but ritual events. 630 00:46:16,060 --> 00:46:19,940 The eldest son of a deceased family leads the funeral rites. 631 00:46:21,740 --> 00:46:25,700 First, the body's prepared by immersing it in the Ganges. 632 00:46:28,180 --> 00:46:31,219 Then the son circles the funeral pyre. 633 00:46:31,220 --> 00:46:34,420 This is an utterly overwhelming place. 634 00:46:36,860 --> 00:46:39,660 You can't really hope to understand this, 635 00:46:39,661 --> 00:46:44,579 but... you can't help but absorb what's going on here. 636 00:46:44,580 --> 00:46:47,539 Finally, having obtained a flame 637 00:46:47,540 --> 00:46:51,740 from a member of the Dom Raja's family, he lights the fire. 638 00:46:54,140 --> 00:46:58,018 Like millions of cremated and partially-cremated bodies each year 639 00:46:58,019 --> 00:47:00,740 the remains will be put into the Ganges. 640 00:47:11,380 --> 00:47:14,818 You lived here, didn't you? You lived in Varanasi? 641 00:47:14,819 --> 00:47:17,660 I lived in Varanasi for more than eight years. 642 00:47:17,661 --> 00:47:21,859 And, presumably, the burning of the bodies here 643 00:47:21,860 --> 00:47:24,459 is just very much part of life? 644 00:47:24,460 --> 00:47:27,620 It's part of life, but in the Ganges you can say it's special 645 00:47:27,621 --> 00:47:31,339 that I have seen what I haven't seen anywhere, 646 00:47:31,340 --> 00:47:35,859 so many bodies being burned in one place, you know. 647 00:47:35,860 --> 00:47:39,580 You can see ten bodies burning here if you count, you know. 648 00:47:39,581 --> 00:47:41,220 At any moment. 649 00:47:46,220 --> 00:47:50,378 Varanasi was the most sacred place I'd visited on the Ganges. 650 00:47:50,379 --> 00:47:53,820 There was no mistaking the power and the pull of its waters. 651 00:47:53,821 --> 00:47:56,820 It was a profoundly moving experience. 652 00:48:05,660 --> 00:48:08,338 The next morning, we followed the Ganges 653 00:48:08,339 --> 00:48:11,140 towards Patna, the state capital of Bihar. 654 00:48:26,020 --> 00:48:28,699 It's raining, we're on the road 655 00:48:28,700 --> 00:48:31,379 and we've just crossed into Bihar, 656 00:48:31,380 --> 00:48:34,939 which is the poorest state in the country. 657 00:48:34,940 --> 00:48:39,618 There's room in India for modern as well an ancient figures of worship, 658 00:48:39,619 --> 00:48:43,580 and that even includes today's movie stars or sporting heroes. 659 00:48:51,140 --> 00:48:53,458 Nowhere is this devotion more apparent 660 00:48:53,459 --> 00:48:56,018 than in India's impoverished villages, 661 00:48:56,019 --> 00:48:58,896 where movies and sport provide welcome escape 662 00:48:58,897 --> 00:49:00,709 from the desperate hardship of everyday life. 663 00:49:08,860 --> 00:49:11,179 Oh, my goodness! 664 00:49:11,180 --> 00:49:13,900 - This is what we're here for? - Yeah. 665 00:49:14,900 --> 00:49:17,539 That's Sachin Tendulkar. 666 00:49:17,540 --> 00:49:20,940 - It does look like him, that's true. - The famous cricketer. 667 00:49:20,941 --> 00:49:23,499 Sachin Tendulkar! Yes, of course. 668 00:49:23,500 --> 00:49:26,219 And that's the World Cup in his hand. 669 00:49:26,220 --> 00:49:29,019 - The cricket World Cup? - Yeah. 670 00:49:29,020 --> 00:49:31,179 He's a world-famous cricketer, 671 00:49:31,180 --> 00:49:35,739 but here it looks as though he's being revered 672 00:49:35,740 --> 00:49:37,340 as something even more than that. 673 00:49:37,341 --> 00:49:40,659 He's not just revered, here he's worshipped. 674 00:49:40,660 --> 00:49:44,540 - This is a temple they are making. - They're building a temple to him? 675 00:49:44,541 --> 00:49:45,761 - Yes. - To him? 676 00:49:45,762 --> 00:49:49,853 And they worship him every morning and evening like Lord Shiva. 677 00:49:49,980 --> 00:49:52,259 My goodness! 678 00:49:52,260 --> 00:49:55,859 So he's being turned into what, a living god? 679 00:49:55,860 --> 00:49:59,939 - Yeah. - Is that... acceptable in Hinduism? 680 00:49:59,940 --> 00:50:03,539 Here we do worship humans like religious gurus. 681 00:50:03,540 --> 00:50:08,180 And he is a cricket guru, so we can worship him. 682 00:50:11,500 --> 00:50:14,140 Everybody's gathered here. My goodness! 683 00:50:14,141 --> 00:50:17,619 - When's the temple going to be built? - One year. 684 00:50:17,620 --> 00:50:20,059 And how big will the temple be? 685 00:50:20,060 --> 00:50:22,860 How many people do you expect will be able to worship in there? 686 00:50:23,688 --> 00:50:29,612 _ 687 00:50:32,219 --> 00:50:33,219 _ 688 00:50:33,220 --> 00:50:35,819 He's going to put it in the car? 689 00:50:35,820 --> 00:50:37,939 Open... open the door. 690 00:50:37,940 --> 00:50:41,618 The villages have even composed and recorded a devotional song 691 00:50:41,619 --> 00:50:44,260 to what they say is their new demi-god. 692 00:50:49,220 --> 00:50:50,939 What's it saying? 693 00:50:50,940 --> 00:50:54,260 It's saying that, "Sachin, you are like our god. 694 00:50:54,261 --> 00:50:57,820 You have taken all of India to a different level." 695 00:51:02,580 --> 00:51:05,299 That's very catchy! 696 00:51:05,300 --> 00:51:07,659 The villagers are hoping tourists 697 00:51:07,660 --> 00:51:12,060 will stop by their new shrine and, no doubt, buy a few souvenirs. 698 00:51:37,340 --> 00:51:39,860 I was on the final leg of my journey. 699 00:51:41,060 --> 00:51:44,460 My route took me past a controversial dam on the Ganges 700 00:51:44,461 --> 00:51:47,700 that's nearly 7,500ft long. 701 00:51:58,581 --> 00:52:01,319 _ 702 00:52:03,580 --> 00:52:05,539 And there it is! 703 00:52:05,540 --> 00:52:07,819 The Farakka Barrage! 704 00:52:07,820 --> 00:52:11,219 Now, what is the Farakka Barrage? 705 00:52:11,220 --> 00:52:15,179 In the 1960s, India had a major problem, 706 00:52:15,180 --> 00:52:19,259 because from this point on the river forks, 707 00:52:19,260 --> 00:52:22,898 one part goes to Bangladesh, it becomes the River Padma, 708 00:52:22,899 --> 00:52:26,620 and another part turns right here and heads towards Kolkata 709 00:52:26,621 --> 00:52:28,939 and it becomes the River Hooghly. 710 00:52:28,940 --> 00:52:31,780 But the River Hooghly wasn't getting much water in it. 711 00:52:31,781 --> 00:52:36,899 So what did India do, it built a massive barrage across the river, 712 00:52:36,900 --> 00:52:39,260 so it could regulate the flow. 713 00:52:40,340 --> 00:52:42,779 Basically, India has the ability 714 00:52:42,780 --> 00:52:46,620 to turn off the taps on the River Ganges at this point. 715 00:52:48,820 --> 00:52:52,179 But India's neighbour has paid a high price. 716 00:52:52,180 --> 00:52:55,699 Since the barrage was completed in the 1970s, 717 00:52:55,700 --> 00:52:58,980 the Bangladeshi government says that water flowing into the country 718 00:52:58,981 --> 00:53:01,859 has been reduced and parts of Bangladesh 719 00:53:01,860 --> 00:53:04,579 have suffered drought and even famine. 720 00:53:04,580 --> 00:53:08,699 The waters of the Ganges are a life-and-death issue here. 721 00:53:08,700 --> 00:53:10,780 What I find particularly astonishing 722 00:53:10,781 --> 00:53:15,379 is that when this barrage was being built it was talked about 723 00:53:15,380 --> 00:53:19,899 and is today as part of India's religious duty to the river. 724 00:53:19,900 --> 00:53:23,340 It was a religious requirement to create this barrage 725 00:53:23,341 --> 00:53:28,739 and regulate and control the flow of the sacred River Ganges. 726 00:53:28,740 --> 00:53:32,780 The thought that the rest of the River Ganges that flows on from here 727 00:53:32,781 --> 00:53:37,659 through India could dry up was just sacrilegious. It was unthinkable! 728 00:53:37,660 --> 00:53:41,258 The holy River Ganges that flows on from here, through India, 729 00:53:41,259 --> 00:53:44,860 towards the city of Calcutta had to have enough water. 730 00:53:55,780 --> 00:53:59,539 From Farakka the river flows about 160 miles 731 00:53:59,540 --> 00:54:01,539 through the city of Kolkata 732 00:54:01,540 --> 00:54:05,180 before flowing out into the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island. 733 00:54:12,220 --> 00:54:15,740 It was an auspicious time to arrive at the end of the river. 734 00:54:24,340 --> 00:54:25,898 For a period of several weeks, 735 00:54:25,899 --> 00:54:28,738 thousands of pilgrims were travelling to the point 736 00:54:28,739 --> 00:54:32,140 where the river empties into the sea, known as Ganga Sagar. 737 00:54:38,460 --> 00:54:41,710 In a country whose population could ultimately surpass 738 00:54:41,711 --> 00:54:43,696 China's as the largest in the world, 739 00:54:43,700 --> 00:54:46,740 ferries to the island were understandably crowded. 740 00:54:50,860 --> 00:54:53,259 Oops! Bit of a rush! Bit of a push! 741 00:54:53,260 --> 00:54:55,740 An old lady is pressing against my bottom. 742 00:54:57,100 --> 00:54:58,340 Goodness me! 743 00:55:03,540 --> 00:55:05,899 I was pinched by an elderly lady! 744 00:55:08,300 --> 00:55:12,378 Hundreds of millions of Indians accept the idea the Ganges is holy. 745 00:55:12,379 --> 00:55:15,020 They worship it and they travel to bathe in it. 746 00:55:19,300 --> 00:55:21,899 Why are you going to Ganga Sagar? 747 00:55:21,900 --> 00:55:23,978 I'm going to Ganga Sagar 748 00:55:23,979 --> 00:55:26,538 to meet God and to bathe in the water. 749 00:55:26,539 --> 00:55:28,298 Are you on pilgrimage, then? 750 00:55:28,299 --> 00:55:32,540 You're on a pilgrimage going to the island to see the end of the River Ganges? 751 00:55:32,541 --> 00:55:34,339 The holy River Ganges? 752 00:55:34,340 --> 00:55:39,379 Yes, it's a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage to Ganga Sagar. 753 00:55:39,380 --> 00:55:41,540 What's... what's special about the island? 754 00:55:41,541 --> 00:55:47,299 It's the soul, the god. Ganga is India's number one god. 755 00:55:47,300 --> 00:55:52,539 You can do pilgrimages to the other sites many times, 756 00:55:52,540 --> 00:55:56,580 but you must come here once. OK? 757 00:56:00,220 --> 00:56:04,220 She didn't really have a why, an explanation about why she's going. 758 00:56:04,221 --> 00:56:06,379 There isn't a why. 759 00:56:06,380 --> 00:56:09,979 It's a practice which is going on and on and on. 760 00:56:09,980 --> 00:56:13,540 It's a practice. You have to go to Ganga Sagar once in your lifetime. 761 00:56:13,541 --> 00:56:15,540 That's it, that's the why. 762 00:56:20,420 --> 00:56:23,618 India is changing, but I was struck by the fact 763 00:56:23,619 --> 00:56:27,140 that ancient religious beliefs still seem to be thriving. 764 00:56:27,141 --> 00:56:31,499 The country now has more than three million places of worship, 765 00:56:31,500 --> 00:56:34,500 but a shortage of hospitals and schools. 766 00:56:40,900 --> 00:56:43,820 Ohh! Thank you. 767 00:56:48,860 --> 00:56:51,138 I'd finally reached the end of the Ganges 768 00:56:51,139 --> 00:56:53,540 and the end of this part of my journey. 769 00:56:57,260 --> 00:56:59,899 The river comes down here... 770 00:56:59,900 --> 00:57:04,580 and merges with the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. 771 00:57:06,260 --> 00:57:08,380 We're on the beach! 772 00:57:17,380 --> 00:57:22,899 The Ganges was absolutely central to the development of civilisation in India. 773 00:57:22,900 --> 00:57:27,300 I feel the river's now become a litmus test for India in the 21st century. 774 00:57:30,740 --> 00:57:33,778 If it can't protect its living goddess from pollution, 775 00:57:33,779 --> 00:57:36,780 then what hope can it have of defeating corruption, 776 00:57:36,781 --> 00:57:40,420 challenging the caste system or reducing poverty? 777 00:57:42,580 --> 00:57:44,779 The River Ganges, 778 00:57:44,780 --> 00:57:47,939 worshiped from source to sea. 779 00:57:47,940 --> 00:57:51,180 Like everything about India... it's complicated. 780 00:57:52,940 --> 00:57:57,899 It's a holy river, but it could really do with a clean up. 781 00:57:57,900 --> 00:57:59,818 I've loved travelling along it 782 00:57:59,819 --> 00:58:03,180 and I can't wait for my other journeys along sacred rivers. 783 00:58:05,100 --> 00:58:07,860 On my next journey, I'll be travelling along the Yangtze, 784 00:58:07,861 --> 00:58:10,499 Asia's longest river. 785 00:58:10,500 --> 00:58:12,378 Let's take a dip in the Yangtze! 786 00:58:12,379 --> 00:58:15,820 I'll attempt to swim across it, dodging dangerous freighters. 787 00:58:19,500 --> 00:58:22,138 Look at what we as a species are capable of. 788 00:58:22,139 --> 00:58:24,211 And visiting an engineering marvel 789 00:58:24,212 --> 00:58:27,052 that's one of the largest man-made structures on the planet. 790 00:58:31,716 --> 00:58:34,478 Original Air Date: October 12th, 2014 791 00:58:34,479 --> 00:58:37,771 Sync and corrections by n17t01 www.addic7ed.com