70 years after independence, india is still a diverse, ever evolving assortment of cultures, creeds, religions and languages. Heading off the well worn tourist path, were on a journey which spans this vast subcontinent from east to west. Travelling from one of the driest places on earth. It is quite incredible, the sand. Its just crystal, hard cystals. White salt. You can probably taste it. To one of the wettest. These are areas really for the adventurous traveller. This isnt india on tap. Im on a quest to find out how history, religion and politics have shaped india. And also meet the people who call this intriguing and sometimes overwhelming country home. Its going to be an amazing journey. For thousands of years, india found its riches and influence through international trade. At the heart of this enterprise was the sea. And the state of gujarat, with 1,000 miles of coastline, served as a Shipping Gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. This is as far west as you can get in india. It
Something like this. the further out i walked, the less lovely it became. it s actually quite incredible. it s more like snow or sludge than white sand or cystals. when it gets wet around here, i m deep into it. whoa! today, this shimmering wilderness is a healthy source of income for the region. thanks mainly to a three month long festival throughout the winter. it is amazing what was a vast barren landscape has been transformed into this colourful complex, whereby night, there s live music and other performances and by day, there s plenty of activities and just here, what you might call the glamping headquarters. 50,000 people have come here in the last couple of months alone. i guess this is like a cross between a weekend festival
Something like this. the further out i walked, the less lovely it became. it s actually quite incredible. it s more like snow or sludge than white sand or white crystals. when it gets wet around here, i m deep into it. whoa! today, this shimmering wilderness is a healthy source of income for the region. thanks mainly to a three month long festival throughout the winter. it is amazing what was a vast barren landscape has been transformed into this colourful complex, where by night, there s live music and other performances and by day, there s plenty of activities and just here, what you might call the glamping headquarters. 50,000 people have come here
What you might call the glamping headquarters. 50,000 people have come here in the last couple of months alone. i guess this is like a cross between a weekend festival and a holiday resort. it s basically a honey pot for the booming middle classes in india in what has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world. the revival of interest in kutch culture boosted by the festival has been a lifeline for one group of locals in particular folk musicians. now, music in particular and it s very, very rich over here. previously, they used to perform with their kettles, then afterwards, when they come home, they d get together and spiritual songs are being performed. it is practice. one person plays two flutes at the same time? yes, yes. now, for example, 500