ever since the split, there s been tension between the two governments, but to these herdsmen national borders and religious differences mean little. for the people of kutch, when we say india, pakistan or like hindu, muslim, it s not that important. people are religious, of course. but they are like living in harmony and relationship between these two different group is brotherly. when two countries were created from one, indelible scars were left on the psyche of the subcontinent. archive: independence has not yet brought peace. rejoicing turned quickly into horror and mourning. in traumatic scenes more than a million people died in religious rioting. many millions more were displaced. this all used to be one, but now it s like divided in two. now the border itself has become a tourist attraction. that way is pakistan.
india is still a diverse, ever evolving assortment of cultures, creeds, religions and languages. heading off the well worn tourist path, we are on a journey that spans this vast subcontinent, from east to west. travelling from one of the driest places on earth. it is quite incredible, this sound. it is just crystal, hard crystals. white assault. you can probably taste it. to one of the wettest. these are areas, really, for the adventurous travel. this isn t india on tap. i am on a quest to find out how history, religion and politics have shaped india. and also meet the people who call this intriguing, sometimes overwhelming country home. it is going to be an amazing
journey. forthousands it is going to be an amazing journey. for thousands of years, india found its riches and influence through international trade. and at the heart of this enterprise was vc. the state of gujarat, with 1000 miles of coastline, served as a shipping gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. this is as far west as you can get in india, and it is the main thing, the influences from overseas, that have helped make gujarat what it is today. the region is known as touch, and its beaches, are a popular domestic tourist attraction. but this ancient port town s economy is still anchored in
the hs2 rail plans have been deemed unachievable by the government s own infrastructure watchdog. construction of the first two phases of rail line have been given a red rating, with issues raised over the schedule and budget. ministers said they remain committed to delivering the project. wild tiger populations have grown in the indian subcontinent, according to new figures, marking a success for conservation efforts. india is now home to more than 3,600 wild tigers while its smaller neighbour, bhutan, recorded 131. sam harrison reports. an iconic mountain nation nestled in the himalayas. bhutan s landscape is both brutal and serene, and in the shadow of some of the world s highest peaks, something is staring. this remarkable camera trap footage proved that tigers are making a comeback here.
next ten days he is due to go on the virgin,, one of the first trips they do with paying tourists. do with paying tourists. and as a man of his do with paying tourists. and as a man of his word do with paying tourists. and as a man of his word he do with paying tourists. and as a man of his word he will- do with paying tourists. and as a man of his word he will be - do with paying tourists. and as a l man of his word he will be coming do with paying tourists. and as a - man of his word he will be coming in to speak to us. it is remarkable, because it is notjust that, it is so many other achievements. because since he was diagnosed with parkinson s, he also climbed mount, gyro and cycled down, and as if that were not enough, just the icing on the cake, he is going to become among the first space tourists. irate among the first space tourists. we talked among the first space tourists. , talked to him just before nine o clock. we have trouble on the minds of the next half hour or s