Original subtitles

ADAM LIAW: India is a country that defies the imagination.

There's the sheer scale of its population.

It's a timeless land of great physical diversity...

..religious enlightenment...

..and celebration.

From soaring peaks...

..to fertile plains...

..this is a land where the past and the present collide...

..a place of great innovation...

..and development challenges.

Join us on an aerial journey as we explore this mysterious land

of stunning beauty...

..startling contrast...

..and infinite complexity.

India is an ancient land of breathtaking diversity,

teeming population and rich history.

It's a nation that has seen princely battles,

invasions and colonisation.

The majestic Mehrangarh Fort,

overlooking the city of Jodhpur in the western state of Rajasthan...

..has borne witness to such upheavals.

The fort was begun in 1460

by one of Jodhpur's most famous kings,

Rao Jodha, to consolidate his clan's power.

It would take another 200 years

to complete this architectural and engineering masterpiece.

In 1891, Rudyard Kipling dubbed the fort

"the work of giants".

Thousands of elephants and camels were used

to haul into place the red sandstone blocks

used to build this magnificent edifice.

In a remarkable innovation for the time,

water was drawn from a small lake in the city

by a manually powered waterwheel

all the way up to the king's palace at the top of the fort.

It's a reminder of the past innovation,

grandeur and elegance of a city and country

that have experienced everything

from the rule of the Mughals to life under the British Raj.

All rich chapters in the storied history

of one of the world's oldest civilisations...

..India.

It's not just historical gems like the fort

that make India remarkable.

This enchanting land is also distinguished

by its amazing religious diversity.

Away in the far north of India is the town of McLeod Ganj,

in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Located in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas,

the town's 10,000 residents live at over 2,000 metres above sea level.

The town is named after Sir David McLeod,

the British governor of the Punjab,

who founded it in 1848 as a retreat from the heat of the plains.

This is no typical Himalayan town.

McLeod Ganj is where the spiritual leader

of Tibet's Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, lives.

He fled here after China's occupation of Tibet in 1959.

Accompanied by his followers, the Dalai Lama made it to McLeod Ganj

after a 15-day journey on foot across the Himalayas

from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The Tibetan Cultural Centre in the town

replicates parts of the Dalai Lama's former palace in Tibet.

McLeod Ganj is also home to the Tibetan government in exile...

..a body that's not recognised by any other country.

With its large Tibetan refugee population,

McLeod Ganj has become a major learning centre

of Tibetan culture and Buddhist rituals.

As the residence of the Dalai Lama,

it also attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world...

..a symbol of the strong influence of Buddhism in India.

All across the country, though,

there is one religion that dominates above all others...

..Hinduism.

80% of Indians are Hindu...

..and the massive popularity of the religion is on show every year

at the spectacular Ganapati Festival in Mumbai.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims descend on the city...

..for an 11-day homage to Lord Ganesh on his birthday.

He is one of myriad gods and goddesses worshipped by Hindus

in a religion whose essential philosophy

is the pursuit of salvation.

The most popular Ganesh idol is Lalbaugcha Raja,

and his 24-hour procession goes through the night.

It climaxes when the idol finally reaches the ocean

and is immersed in the sea.

Devotees flock to the shore, seeking the blessings of the god.

This amazing festival began in 1893...

..as camouflage for political activism.

The first leader of the Indian independence movement,

Lokmanya Tilak, called on the masses to turn out to celebrate Lord Ganesh.

His real motive was to stir up nationalist feeling

amongst Indians at large,

beyond the circle of independence-minded intellectuals.

The Ganapati Festival took off, 'Ganapati' meaning lord of many gods.

It has been celebrated ever since, here and across India,

in a display of mass religious devotion.

Islam came to India as early as the seventh century

when Arab traders arrived and settled on the southern coast.

Early in the 11th century,

Turkish Muslim armies under Mahmud of Ghazni

invaded northern and western India.

Then came the Mughal conquerors in the 16th century.

The Old City of Lucknow, in northern Uttar Pradesh,

is a living monument to the influence of Islam

and the Mughal Empire on India.

The Rumi Gate, embellished with lavish decorations,

is the ancient entrance to the Old City.

It's modelled on the Sublime Porte gate in Istanbul.

Everywhere you look,

there is the architectural stamp of the Mughal Empire,

which, by the 17th century, had extended Islam all over India.

The Mughals appointed viceroys, known as nawabs,

to manage their conquests,

and they set about building magnificent monuments

to their religion and empire.

Lucknow's most famous nawab was Asaf-ud-Daula,

who, in 1784, built the majestic Bara Imambara...

..an amazing complex of gardens, mosques and towers

that dominates the centre of the Old City.

This was the nawab's seat of power.

He was inspired to build the Bara Imambara

to provide employment for the starving people of the region...

..who were suffering under a devastating famine.

The Bara Imambara was not only the centre of political power.

It was also a venue for Shiah Muslims to carry out their annual ritual

of mourning for the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

It remains one of the great symbols of Islam in India.

Today, Muslims account for 14% of India's population...

..172 million people.

450 kilometres north of Delhi, deep in the Punjab,

is the city of Amritsar...

..the site of the Sikhs' most sacred shrine...

..the Golden Temple.

This magnificent building was completed in 1601.

In their daily prayers,

Sikhs all over the world proclaim their wish to visit it.

Sikhism was established and developed during the Middle Ages

by 10 gurus who are regarded by Sikhs as enlightened teachers

through whom God revealed his will.

The Golden Temple stands on a platform

in the centre of the shrine's tank, or pool.

The waters around it are known as the "nectar of immortality".

It is believed that, if you bathe in them,

you will be guaranteed eternal life.

The upper floors of the temple are dressed with gold,

which gives it its distinctive appearance.

Unlike Hindu temples, which have only one entrance gate,

the Golden Temple has entrances on all four sides.

This symbolises the Sikh religion's openness to all,

regardless of caste, sex or previous creed.

In keeping with this philosophy,

the Golden Temple also houses the world's biggest soup kitchen.

It's been providing free meals since the 1600s -

up to 100,000 a day...

..reflecting the first guru's determination

to have the Sikh faith welcome all...

..regardless of their station in life...

..a revolutionary concept at the time.

The Golden Temple is also home to the holiest of Sikh scriptures,

the Guru Granth Sahib.

The temple houses the original copy.

The Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of Sikh poems, prayers and hymns

compiled by the various gurus over the centuries.

Continuous readings from it are given on the first floor of the shrine.

The Golden Temple is one of the most visited religious sites in India,

and the most important temple of the world's fifth-largest religion.

Among all the religions of India, there is one that isn't observed

in any of the nation's temples or mosques.

This is a creed that brings together all faiths under the one roof.

It's practised and preached throughout the Subcontinent.

That religion is the game of cricket.

(CHEERING)

In Dharamshala, in northern India,

the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association

has built the highest international cricket stadium in the world.

Under the gaze of the Himalayas,

this is a temple to a game whose star players

are worshipped like gods throughout the country.

Indians are fanatical about cricket.

1,400 metres above sea level, Dharamshala is undoubtedly

one of the most unusual cricket grounds in the world.

India is not just the home of religious diversity.

It also has one of the most diverse physical landscapes

of any country in the world.

India is a nation of startling geographical diversity.

Step across the boundary from one state to another

and you enter an entirely different world...

..as you do in the north-western region of Ladakh,

known as the "land of high passes".

Much of Ladakh is over 3,000 metres above sea level,

with a dazzling mix of vast lakes...

..barren mountains...

..and cliff-hanging monasteries, such as this one at Thikse.

Bordering Tibet to the east and reflecting its influence,

Ladakh is nicknamed Little Tibet.

50% of the population are Tibetan Buddhists.

In the Nubra Valley stands the incredible Maitreya Buddha.

This giant statue watches over the ancient caravan route

between Tibet and China.

The Maitreya is a future successor to the existing Buddha.

He is shown seated on his ornate throne,

awaiting that time of spiritual calling.

In stark physical contrast

are the vast golden sand dunes of the Thar Desert.

Located in the north-western state of Rajasthan,

this enormous desert stretches over 320,000 square kilometres

and extends over the border into Pakistan.

Most of the desert is covered by these huge shifting sand dunes

built up from sediments blowing in from the coast.

The desert is in perpetual motion,

as the sand dunes are blown about continuously

by the high winds that sweep across it.

Farming areas around the desert suffer from windblown sand

that erodes arable land.

This arid region is sparsely populated

with nomadic tribespeople

who roam the desert with their animals

in their never-ending search for water.

By the tranquil waters of Lake Loktak

in the north-eastern state of Manipur,

it is again another world.

Fishermen ply their trade

on the largest freshwater lake in the region.

It is known for its unusual floating islands.

These clumps, known as phumdis,

are masses of vegetation, soil and other organic matter.

Only 20% of a phumdi is above the water.

It may reach as far as two metres beneath the surface.

Many are sturdy enough for the fishermen to build huts on.

More than 4,000 fishermen make their living from the lake.

It's a daily battle for survival...

..with the lake getting shallower and more polluted year by year.

70% of India's population live in rural regions like this.

It is beautiful, but as their catches dwindle,

the temptation for the fishermen to join the exodus to the cities

grows by the day.

At Dal Lake in the Kashmir Valley in India's far north,

life is more abundant.

This was the summer resort of the Mughal emperors,

who ruled India for over 300 years from the early 16th century.

The lake is shrouded in mist during the winter months,

but life goes on on the water...

..for many people live in the houseboats

moored all around the lake.

They don't only provide a roof over the locals' heads.

They are also home to floating markets,

hotels and gardens...

..the heartbeat of the community.

The houseboats were a British innovation.

In the 19th century, the local ruler, the Dogra,

forbad the building of any new homes in the surrounding valley.

The British got around this

by commissioning houseboats to live in on the lake.

The houseboats rarely leave their moorings.

To get around, the locals use small boats known as shikaras.

It is all part of the otherworldly life at Dal Lake...

..an Indian treasure.

The striking physical contrasts of this vast subcontinent are endless.

Down on the south-east coast, the beaches of Puducherry

attract holiday visitors from everywhere.

Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry,

is a time capsule of foreign presences in India.

The city became a French colony in 1674

after the French East India Company set up a trading centre.

At various times,

the Portuguese, Dutch and British all had a presence in Pondicherry,

but it was the French influence that proved the most enduring.

The plan of the city uses the French grid pattern,

with streets laid out at regular right angles.

Many of them retain their French names to this day,

making this slice of France a distinctive landmark in India.

France lost control of Pondicherry,

regained it in 1816 and remained until 1962.

That was fully 15 years

after British India gained its independence in 1947.

From coastal Puducherry to the fertile rice fields of Karnal

in the north-western state of Haryana,

the geography couldn't be more different.

The farmers of Karnal play an important part

in feeding India's enormous population

of 1.3 billion.

Haryana is India's second largest producer of rice -

a staple of the Indian diet.

When harvest time arrives in November,

these farm workers rise before dawn to get the crop in.

Mechanical harvesters are used to cut much of the rice.

A good proportion of it, though, is still cut with sickles...

..backbreaking work that is often done by women.

After the rice is cut,

it's threshed to separate the grain from the stalk.

It is then cleaned and sent to market.

The Karnal rice market is one of the largest in Asia.

Here, the farmers bargain with the local mills

to strike the best price.

Once bought, the grain is milled to remove the husk,

producing an edible white rice kernel,

ready for consumption.

That ends the production cycle.

After China, India is the world's largest producer of rice.

Its farmers play a vital role in feeding not only India,

but the globe.

India has a lot of mouths to feed...

..but that hasn't dampened its ability

to dazzle over the centuries with innovative development ideas.

India is renowned for coming up with development initiatives

that transformed the lives of its citizens.

Even in the ninth century,

its engineers were coming up with newfangled ideas,

like this medieval step well at Abhaneri,

240 kilometres west of Delhi.

This remarkable creation was an engineering landmark for its time.

The elaborate stone steps descend to the watertable,

providing an ingenious solution for gathering water,

bathing and seeking relief from the fierce sun.

The first step wells in India

were constructed as early as the fourth century.

They symbolise the engineering and architectural wonders

that define this ancient land.

Tea was another major player in the development of India.

The British introduced tea in the 19th century,

using seedlings from China.

Determined to break the Chinese monopoly on tea,

the British offered free land in regions like Darjeeling,

among the Himalayas in West Bengal,

to any European willing to grow tea for export.

Production took off in 1841

when a British surgeon, Arthur Campbell,

established the first tea estate in Darjeeling.

Under the Raj, all of the estates

were founded and managed by British planters.

The estates were the dominant presence

in the life of the local communities.

They were even given magisterial powers

to settle any labour disputes,

and their decisions were upheld by the British courts.

Plucking tea is slow and time-consuming on the steep hills

as the workers labour to get the crop in.

India produces more than 1.3 billion kilos of tea a year

and consumes 80% of it domestically.

After China,

it's now the biggest tea producer in the world.

India also has the fastest-growing economy in the world.

To maintain that momentum,

it has been investing in large-scale infrastructure projects,

like the Sea Link bridge in Mumbai, formerly Bombay.

Mumbai was choking with traffic and had only one causeway

connecting its Western Suburbs to its business district.

The Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link changed all that.

Opened in 2010,

this amazing construction is India's first eight-lane freeway...

..with two massive cable-stayed bridges

spanning the open sea.

It can carry up to 140,000 vehicles per day.

If all its steel cables were laid out in a line,

they could stretch around the circumference of the Earth.

The construction of the Chenab railway bridge

in the mountainous Himalayan terrain of Jammu and Kashmir

is another herculean engineering challenge.

Travelling by road is fraught with peril in these mountains.

The Chenab railway bridge network will transform that experience

and connect Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India.

When the network is completed,

almost 70 kilometres of tunnels and bridges

will provide a direct route through the mountainous terrain.

The biggest challenge is to cross the deep gorge of the Chenab River.

To span it, a steel arched railway bridge

is under construction.

When completed, the curved bridge

will be 30 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower.

The tallest railway bridge in the world,

it will make a massive economic contribution

to one of the most inaccessible regions

anywhere on Earth.

India is also seeking alternative sources of energy.

Here at Bitta, in the westernmost state of Gujarat,

is the extraordinary Adani solar farm.

Funded by a billion-dollar loan from the World Bank,

the solar panels cover a massive 142 hectares.

This amazing development is a vital cog

in India's ambition to provide 40% of its power

from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

Perhaps India's biggest development challenge

is the demands placed on it

as the world's second most populous nation after China.

With 1.3 billion people,

this is humanity on a mass scale.

It's not just the numbers that are startling.

It's the density of population.

Here in Mumbai, over 22 million

are crowded into India's second biggest city.

The large inflow of rural migrants

is overwhelming Mumbai's ability to house them all.

40% now live in slums, like Dharavi in Greater Mumbai.

In Dharavi, 1 million people

are crammed into just over 200 hectares -

less than two-thirds the size of New York's Central Park.

To deal with such a pressing population problem,

India has been planning and building new cities.

New Mumbai, in the north-eastern part of the city,

is India's answer to what to do

when a major metropolis is consuming itself with pollution,

traffic chaos and a lack of land.

By the 1970s, Mumbai was bursting at the seams.

It couldn't accommodate any more people

and had nowhere to go.

India committed to creating a new Smart City, New Mumbai.

It's a model of planned government development.

It has wide roads,

a modern infrastructure

and plenty of recreation spaces.

14 townships have been created within the city...

..a rail network has been built and commercial areas constructed.

New Mumbai has now attracted over 2.1 million people.

It proudly calls itself "the city of the 21st century".

When it comes to development,

one of the most dynamic areas of the Indian economy

is the film industry.

Think Indian film

and you automatically think of Bollywood.

But India's largest integrated film city is not in Mumbai,

but here in Hyderabad, in southern India.

Ramoji Film City is spread over 650 hectares

and is a one-stop shop for movie production.

The massive lot has gigantic sets

like this vast replica of a Mughal garden.

The Wild West is also here,

along with a host of other cinematic options

to satisfy just about every whim of a movie maker's imagination.

Ramoji is so big, it can accommodate

over 20 film productions at the same time.

It has become an integral player

in the incredible development story of the Indian film industry.

India now produces more films

than any other country in the world...

..over 1,600 a year...

..in an industry now worth just under $3 billion annually.

Just like its movies, India loves to entertain.

From the exotic joy of the Pushkar Fair

to the big Indian wedding,

India likes nothing better than a grand celebration.

India loves to celebrate,

and there is no event more exotic than the annual Pushkar Fair.

Located in the northern state of Rajasthan,

Pushkar is quiet for most of the year.

That all changes when the Pushkar Fair comes to town.

Held in the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar

when the full moon falls, usually in October or November...

..this is an amazing fiesta of colour and culture.

Hordes of people descend on Pushkar

for this century-old celebration of the town's annual animal sale.

Camels in all their finery are paraded to prospective buyers.

An incredible 25,000 of these kings of the desert

are sold during the five-day fair.

Cattle are also paraded and haggled over,

along with horses, in this extraordinary animal bazaar.

It's not just an animal event.

All the fun of the circus is available too.

There are tightrope walkers,

like this young girl, performing their acts...

..and endless games events...

..to entertain the crowds.

The games include the ancient Indian one of kabaddi,

with top competition teams battling each other for victory.

Kabbadi is a contact sport

fought out between defenders who hold hands

and raiders who attempt to disrupt and invade them.

It's all part of the fun of the Pushkar Fair...

..a grand celebration of the vibrant culture

and traditions of Rajasthan and India.

The most impressive celebration in India

is undoubtedly the big Indian wedding.

This is a country that witnesses 10 million weddings a year...

..with the carnival-like celebrations peaking during the wedding season

between November and March.

For this Hindu wedding in Ahmedabad,

the largest city in the state of Gujarat,

the celebrations and rituals blessing and honouring the couple

are spread over a week.

Before the big day, the bride celebrates at her own party

with friends and family,

as does the groom at his own celebration.

It's a night of song, dance and revelry.

The wedding symbolises not just the union of two individuals,

but also the coming together of the couple's families.

The wedding ceremony commits the couple

not just to marriage for this lifetime,

but for seven lifetimes.

The week of fine food, dance and religious commitment

doesn't come cheap.

This wedding extravaganza for a wealthy couple

will cost them $1 million.

Traditionally, the bride's family picks up the tab,

but increasingly the bill is shared across both families.

The wedding events industry in India

is estimated to be worth $40 billion a year...

..an amazingly lucrative business...

..and all because of the Indian wedding...

..a festival in itself.

India's most famous monument to love is without question the Taj Mahal.

Built on the banks of the Yamuna River

at Agra in northern India, 230 kilometres from Delhi,

this marble masterpiece was constructed

by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite queen.

It was completed in 1631.

The Taj Mahal, in all its beauty and splendour,

is revered by Indians.

They're proud of the identity it gives them

and their incredible country of so many people.

India celebrates its heritage

and is embracing its future with confidence, energy and vision.

Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2019