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        <i> Narrator: India.</i>

2
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       <i> Land of snow-capped</i>
       <i> mountains,</i>

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         <i> Dense jungles,</i>

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          <i> Vast deserts</i>

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      <i> And enchanting lakes.</i>

6
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      <i> One of the most</i>
      <i> biodiverse countries</i>
      <i> in the world,</i>

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     <i> India is home to</i>
     <i> countless species found</i>
     <i> nowhere else on earth.</i>

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             <i> (music)</i>

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     <i> This incredible aerial</i>
     <i> journey captures</i>

10
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   <i> The nation's stunning</i>
   <i> natural wonders from above,</i>
   <i> for the first time</i>

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             <i> (music)</i>

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    <i> Showing how geography and</i>
    <i> the patterns of nature</i>
    <i> mold both the landscape</i>

13
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        <i> And the lives of</i>
        <i> its people.</i>

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00:01:02,696 --> 00:01:12,704
             <i> (music)</i>

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00:01:12,706 --> 00:01:20,312
             <i> (music)</i>

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        <i> Narrator: India.</i>

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       <i> Covering almost one</i>
       <i> point two million</i>
       <i> square miles</i>

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       <i> And home to over a</i>
       <i> billion people.</i>

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        <i> This vast country</i>
        <i> stretches nearly</i>
        <i> 2,000 miles</i>

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      <i> From the warm indian</i>
      <i> ocean in the south</i>

21
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      <i> To the mighty frozen</i>
      <i> himalaya mountains</i>
      <i> in the far north.</i>

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   <i> Water is a precious</i>
   <i> natural resource here,</i>
   <i> especially for agriculture.</i>

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     <i> About 70 percent of</i>
     <i> the population of india</i>
     <i> lives in rural parts.</i>

24
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     <i> The majority of them</i>
     <i> depend on agriculture</i>
     <i> for their livelihoods.</i>

25
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      <i> Some of these farmers</i>
      <i> living in desolate</i>
      <i> areas use water</i>

26
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      <i> To cultivate a crop</i>
      <i> that is neither</i>
      <i> vegetable nor animal.</i>

27
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      <i> Seen from above, the</i>
      <i> rann of kutch looks</i>
      <i> completely barren.</i>

28
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       <i> Rann means desert.</i>

29
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     <i> Thousands of years ago</i>
     <i> it was a shallow arm</i>
     <i> of the arabian sea.</i>

30
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    <i> The salt from this sea is</i>
    <i> now locked 20 to 30 feet</i>
    <i> below the cracked earth.</i>

31
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       <i> Annual rains create</i>
       <i> temporary lakes.</i>

32
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      <i> The temperature here</i>
      <i> can reach 122</i>
      <i> degrees fahrenheit</i>

33
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   <i> When this extreme heat</i>
   <i> begins to dry up the lake,</i>

34
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     <i> Farmers rush to harvest</i>
     <i> a valuable product.</i>

35
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   <i> Laxman rises at dawn every</i>
   <i> morning between October</i>
   <i> and June to mine salt.</i>

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      <i> Narrator: Laxman is a</i>
      <i> salt farmer from the</i>
      <i> agariya community.</i>

37
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    <i> The name is derived from</i>
    <i> the word agar meaning</i>
    <i> salt in gujarati,</i>

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       <i> One of india's 22</i>
       <i> official languages.</i>

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      <i> Laxman and his fellow</i>
      <i> farmers in the rann</i>
      <i> of kutch produce</i>

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        <i> Three quarters of</i>
        <i> india's salt.</i>

41
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     <i> The earlier they start</i>
     <i> piling the salt, the</i>
     <i> more they will earn.</i>

42
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     <i> Laxman uses a technique</i>
     <i> to extract it that</i>
     <i> hasn't changed</i>

43
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          <i> For over five</i>
          <i> generations.</i>

44
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    <i> First, he uses his own</i>
    <i> body weight to level out</i>
    <i> the earth into shallow</i>

45
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    <i> Flat basins called pans.</i>

46
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    <i> Our aerial view reveals</i>
    <i> these roughly rectangular</i>
    <i> pans which spring up</i>

47
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    <i> After the monsoon season.</i>

48
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             <i> (music)</i>

49
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      <i> Laxman uses solar</i>
      <i> pumps to fill the</i>
      <i> pans with salt water</i>

50
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    <i> From beneath the ground.</i>

51
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             <i> (music)</i>

52
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      <i> The hot sun starts to</i>
      <i> evaporate the water.</i>

53
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      <i> The salt that is left</i>
      <i> behind, crystallizes.</i>

54
00:06:12,339 --> 00:06:15,874
             <i> (music)</i>

55
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     <i> Laxman uses a salt rake</i>
     <i> to loosen the crystals</i>
     <i> from the soil.</i>

56
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      <i> He tends to his pans</i>
      <i> ten hours a day to</i>
      <i> ensure maximum yield.</i>

57
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     <i> After 15 days of tough</i>
     <i> physical work,</i>

58
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     <i> Anywhere between 13 to</i>
     <i> 16 tons of salt is</i>
     <i> ready for harvest</i>

59
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       <i> And then selling at</i>
       <i> the market.</i>

60
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    <i> Narrator: Laxman will</i>
    <i> keep working until June,</i>

61
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     <i> When the ground has</i>
     <i> given up all the salt</i>
     <i> it can for this season.</i>

62
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     <i> India is on the</i>
     <i> crossroads between the</i>
     <i> east and the west.</i>

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     <i> It has welcomed</i>
     <i> visitors for millennia.</i>

64
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       <i> This spirit is part</i>
       <i> of its culture and</i>
       <i> tradition.</i>

65
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      <i> Indians believe in an</i>
      <i> ancient line in hindu</i>
      <i> scriptures that reads</i>

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      <i> "atithi devo bhava."</i>

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     <i> Literally translated it</i>
     <i> means: A guest is the</i>
     <i> equivalent to god.</i>

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   <i> This philosophy represents</i>
   <i> the unique relationship</i>
   <i> of a host and guest,</i>

69
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      <i> Irrespective of</i>
      <i> where they come from.</i>

70
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    <i> One particular village,</i>
    <i> in the state of rajasthan</i>
    <i> in the northwest,</i>

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     <i> Welcomes a special kind</i>
     <i> of guest each fall.</i>

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     <i> Nearly 500 miles away</i>
     <i> from the rann of kutch,</i>

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    <i> Is a town called khichan.</i>

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    <i> A section of the state</i>
    <i> is engulfed in the great</i>
    <i> indian thar desert.</i>

75
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      <i> The town receives</i>
      <i> very little rainfall.</i>

76
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     <i> Productive agricultural</i>
     <i> land is scarce.</i>

77
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    <i> Although grain is a</i>
    <i> precious commodity here,</i>

78
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   <i> One of khichan's residents</i>
   <i> pours out dozens of bags</i>
   <i> onto the ground.</i>

79
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       <i> Bhanwar ramji has</i>
       <i> done this every day</i>
       <i> between September</i>

80
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        <i> And March for the</i>
        <i> past ten years.</i>

81
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   <i> A ritual he has maintained</i>
   <i> to host a special visitor.</i>

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     <i> This is the reason why.</i>

83
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      <i> The demoiselle crane.</i>

84
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     <i> Legend says the</i>
     <i> infamous french queen,</i>
     <i> marie antoinette,</i>

85
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        <i> Named them in the</i>
        <i> 18th century.</i>

86
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      <i> She believed the</i>
      <i> birds looked like</i>
      <i> graceful young women.</i>

87
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       <i> Come September, and</i>
       <i> thousands of these</i>
       <i> hungry birds</i>

88
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   <i> Fill the sky above khichan.</i>

89
00:10:07,741 --> 00:10:10,508
      <i> Narrator: The cranes</i>
      <i> are seasonal</i>
      <i> visitors to india.</i>

90
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      <i> They spend the summer</i>
      <i> months in mongolia.</i>

91
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      <i> When the temperature</i>
      <i> drops, they embark</i>
      <i> on an epic journey</i>

92
00:10:21,221 --> 00:10:23,622
      <i> Following an ancient</i>
      <i> migratory route.</i>

93
00:10:27,427 --> 00:10:33,298
    <i> They fly south at an</i>
    <i> altitude of about 26,000</i>
    <i> feet over the himalayas</i>

94
00:10:37,337 --> 00:10:39,604
    <i> It's a journey of</i>
    <i> approximately two weeks.</i>

95
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      <i> Khichan has become a</i>
      <i> destination for the</i>
      <i> demoiselle cranes</i>

96
00:10:50,350 --> 00:10:52,217
   <i> For approximately 70 years.</i>

97
00:10:58,725 --> 00:11:03,862
    <i> Villagers like bhanwar</i>
    <i> ramji, take this age-old</i>
    <i> tradition forward.</i>

98
00:11:03,897 --> 00:11:07,666
   <i> He understands the value</i>
   <i> of feeding these birds</i>
   <i> through the winter months.</i>

99
00:11:33,260 --> 00:11:36,795
    <i> He feeds them nearly one</i>
    <i> point four million</i>
    <i> pounds of grain</i>

100
00:11:36,830 --> 00:11:39,631
     <i> Over six months between</i>
     <i> October and March.</i>

101
00:11:42,469 --> 00:11:46,204
     <i> That is enough to make</i>
     <i> close to two million</i>
     <i> loaves of bread.</i>

102
00:11:48,675 --> 00:11:52,544
   <i> Most of this food is given</i>
   <i> to the villagers by donors</i>
   <i> from around the world.</i>

103
00:12:08,328 --> 00:12:12,297
    <i> Narrator: This generosity</i>
    <i> ensures the villagers of</i>
    <i> khichan are able to feed</i>

104
00:12:12,332 --> 00:12:15,500
      <i> And water the cranes</i>
      <i> that come to stay</i>
      <i> for the winter.</i>

105
00:12:36,823 --> 00:12:39,557
      <i> Narrator: The birds</i>
      <i> take to the wing when</i>
      <i> spring arrives.</i>

106
00:12:59,346 --> 00:13:01,913
    <i> But they will be back in</i>
    <i> six months to find a cozy</i>

107
00:13:01,948 --> 00:13:06,684
     <i> Winter home with</i>
     <i> bhanwar ramji and the</i>
     <i> kind souls of khichan.</i>

108
00:13:08,421 --> 00:13:13,491
    <i> And with that bhanwar</i>
      <i> ramji's task will</i>
      <i> start all over again.</i>

109
00:13:37,450 --> 00:13:41,152
    <i> India accounts for</i>
    <i> about four percent of</i>
    <i> the world's fresh water.</i>

110
00:13:46,259 --> 00:13:49,294
       <i> Conservation of</i>
       <i> this precious</i>
       <i> resource is crucial</i>

111
00:13:49,329 --> 00:13:51,629
        <i> In an arid state</i>
        <i> like rajasthan.</i>

112
00:13:55,502 --> 00:14:00,138
    <i> So, for nearly a thousand</i>
    <i> years, people in the</i>
    <i> village of abhaneri</i>

113
00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:02,607
       <i> Used groundwater</i>
       <i> from this stepwell.</i>

114
00:14:16,857 --> 00:14:23,261
     <i> The chand baori</i>
     <i> stepwell has 3,500</i>
     <i> steps across 13 levels.</i>

115
00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:31,269
    <i> The villagers would walk</i>
    <i> 100 feet down this</i>
    <i> architectural marvel</i>

116
00:14:31,304 --> 00:14:33,037
         <i> To fetch water.</i>

117
00:14:36,576 --> 00:14:41,779
   <i> Countless lives in abhaneri</i>
   <i> relied on this remarkable</i>
   <i> water management system.</i>

118
00:14:44,818 --> 00:14:48,353
      <i> Water also rules the</i>
      <i> lives of a unique</i>
      <i> group of people</i>

119
00:14:48,388 --> 00:14:51,656
      <i> On the opposite side</i>
      <i> of the country, in</i>
      <i> the far northeast.</i>

120
00:15:01,268 --> 00:15:03,701
       <i> It's early morning</i>
       <i> on loktak lake.</i>

121
00:15:09,209 --> 00:15:12,610
    <i> A student arrives by boat</i>
    <i> at her elementary school.</i>

122
00:15:17,717 --> 00:15:23,087
    <i> But this school is unlike</i>
    <i> any other in india</i>
    <i> because it floats.</i>

123
00:15:23,123 --> 00:15:25,356
      <i> The first of its</i>
      <i> kind in the country.</i>

124
00:15:41,574 --> 00:15:45,610
   <i> A bird's eye view of</i>
   <i> loktak reveals that the</i>
   <i> lake is covered in patches</i>

125
00:15:45,645 --> 00:15:49,447
      <i> Of vegetation</i>
      <i> floating on the</i>
      <i> surface of the water.</i>

126
00:15:57,023 --> 00:15:58,790
       <i> Some are circular.</i>

127
00:16:01,394 --> 00:16:03,461
       <i> Others are more</i>
       <i> irregular in shape</i>

128
00:16:03,496 --> 00:16:05,596
     <i> And support structures</i>
     <i> like the school.</i>

129
00:16:19,446 --> 00:16:21,879
        <i> These islands are</i>
        <i> called phumdis.</i>

130
00:16:31,224 --> 00:16:34,926
     <i> The meitei people have</i>
     <i> lived on them for</i>
     <i> hundreds of years.</i>

131
00:16:36,396 --> 00:16:38,663
      <i> The phumdis are made</i>
      <i> up of thickened soil,</i>

132
00:16:38,698 --> 00:16:43,334
     <i> Vegetation and organic</i>
     <i> matter in various</i>
     <i> stages of decay.</i>

133
00:16:49,009 --> 00:16:53,845
     <i> On these phumdis, they</i>
     <i> build their homes,</i>
     <i> called phumsangs.</i>

134
00:17:02,956 --> 00:17:08,459
   <i> At loktak lake, the meitei</i>
   <i> have pioneered a unique</i>
   <i> fish-farming technique.</i>

135
00:17:09,763 --> 00:17:12,663
     <i> They cut the phumdis</i>
     <i> into rectangular strips</i>

136
00:17:12,699 --> 00:17:17,001
       <i> And arrange them in</i>
       <i> circular shapes</i>
       <i> called athaphums.</i>

137
00:17:17,037 --> 00:17:20,772
      <i> Once the athaphum is</i>
      <i> anchored, a net is</i>
      <i> cast within it.</i>

138
00:17:30,817 --> 00:17:34,252
       <i> Fish farming is the</i>
       <i> meitei's primary</i>
       <i> source of income.</i>

139
00:17:36,456 --> 00:17:39,724
      <i> Here, fishermen make</i>
      <i> their livelihood by</i>
      <i> catching</i>

140
00:17:39,759 --> 00:17:44,462
        <i> Six point six</i>
        <i> million pounds of</i>
        <i> fish every year.</i>

141
00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:54,739
   <i> Loktak lake is the largest</i>
   <i> body of fresh water in</i>
   <i> northeast india.</i>

142
00:17:57,343 --> 00:18:03,581
     <i> It covers 95 square</i>
     <i> miles but it's just 8.8</i>
     <i> feet deep on average.</i>

143
00:18:10,123 --> 00:18:13,958
     <i> The largest island</i>
     <i> spreads across an area</i>
     <i> of 15 square miles</i>

144
00:18:13,993 --> 00:18:16,928
     <i> And supports the keibul</i>
     <i> lamjao national park.</i>

145
00:18:22,402 --> 00:18:25,369
   <i> The only floating national</i>
   <i> park in the world.</i>

146
00:18:32,212 --> 00:18:36,347
     <i> Today, loktak lake and</i>
     <i> the surrounding area is</i>
     <i> in line to become</i>

147
00:18:36,382 --> 00:18:39,417
         <i> A unesco world</i>
         <i> heritage site.</i>

148
00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:45,723
     <i> As the school day comes</i>
     <i> to an end for this</i>
     <i> young student,</i>

149
00:18:45,758 --> 00:18:51,662
   <i> She journeys home by boat,</i>
   <i> across this unique</i>
   <i> ecosystem she calls home.</i>

150
00:18:51,698 --> 00:19:04,842
             <i> (music)</i>

151
00:19:15,822 --> 00:19:19,457
       <i> India covers 2.4</i>
       <i> percent of the</i>
       <i> earth's land mass.</i>

152
00:19:23,463 --> 00:19:28,366
    <i> Some of the nation's most</i>
    <i> spectacular landscapes</i>
    <i> are molded by freshwater.</i>

153
00:19:34,807 --> 00:19:39,177
     <i> Yet, it is a weather</i>
     <i> phenomenon that begins</i>
     <i> over the salty ocean</i>

154
00:19:39,212 --> 00:19:42,547
     <i> That dictates the lives</i>
     <i> of indians more than</i>
     <i> any other.</i>

155
00:19:49,055 --> 00:19:53,224
     <i> It makes landfall over</i>
     <i> the state of kerala,</i>
     <i> on the southwest coast.</i>

156
00:20:02,635 --> 00:20:04,302
       <i> The indian monsoon.</i>

157
00:20:05,572 --> 00:20:08,940
      <i> It has watered these</i>
      <i> lands for at least 40</i>
      <i> million years.</i>

158
00:20:12,145 --> 00:20:16,514
   <i> This weather pattern</i>
   <i> delivers nearly 80 percent</i>
   <i> of india's annual rainfall.</i>

159
00:20:19,285 --> 00:20:22,453
      <i> It swells rivers</i>
      <i> and irrigates crops.</i>

160
00:20:26,326 --> 00:20:30,061
      <i> Monsoon is the</i>
      <i> lifeline for india's</i>
      <i> millions of farmers.</i>

161
00:20:35,602 --> 00:20:38,703
      <i> It's early June</i>
      <i> morning in the</i>
      <i> village of vizhinjam.</i>

162
00:20:42,375 --> 00:20:49,213
             <i> (music)</i>

163
00:20:52,518 --> 00:20:56,721
    <i> Kumaran and his uncle are</i>
    <i> preparing to go fishing,</i>
    <i> as they do every day.</i>

164
00:21:09,769 --> 00:21:12,937
       <i> The powerful swells</i>
       <i> of the arabian sea</i>
       <i> can sometimes make</i>

165
00:21:12,972 --> 00:21:16,674
      <i> Catching fish off the</i>
      <i> vizhinjam harbor, a</i>
      <i> big challenge.</i>

166
00:21:18,845 --> 00:21:23,881
    <i> And today, kumaran has</i>
    <i> to battle more than just</i>
    <i> the moods of the sea.</i>

167
00:21:25,351 --> 00:21:28,119
       <i> The dark clouds</i>
       <i> signal the approach</i>
       <i> of an occurrence</i>

168
00:21:28,154 --> 00:21:30,988
      <i> That sweeps in from</i>
      <i> the ocean every year.</i>

169
00:21:39,866 --> 00:21:43,234
     <i> The stormy weather</i>
     <i> poses a problem for</i>
     <i> fishermen like kumaran.</i>

170
00:22:07,727 --> 00:22:10,761
      <i> Narrator: Kumaran and</i>
      <i> his crew venture far</i>
      <i> out to sea.</i>

171
00:22:10,797 --> 00:22:24,342
             <i> (music)</i>

172
00:22:24,377 --> 00:22:27,345
      <i> The coming monsoon</i>
      <i> makes the sea choppy.</i>

173
00:22:35,088 --> 00:22:38,255
      <i> Sudden downpours</i>
      <i> could flood the boat</i>
      <i> within minutes.</i>

174
00:23:07,754 --> 00:23:10,855
     <i> Narrator: Off the coast</i>
     <i> of vizhinjam, kumaran</i>
     <i> and his crew</i>

175
00:23:10,890 --> 00:23:13,257
    <i> See the deadly storm</i>
    <i> brewing in the distance.</i>

176
00:23:18,297 --> 00:23:22,666
     <i> Kumaran must use the</i>
     <i> wisdom handed down to</i>
     <i> him through generations</i>

177
00:23:22,702 --> 00:23:26,604
    <i> To survive this encounter</i>
    <i> with nature and bring</i>
    <i> home the catch.</i>

178
00:23:41,821 --> 00:23:45,389
   <i> Narrator: Now the clouds</i>
   <i> tell kumaran that the</i>
   <i> heavy rain is approaching.</i>

179
00:23:49,929 --> 00:23:52,296
      <i> It is time to return</i>
      <i> to vizhinjam harbor.</i>

180
00:23:56,669 --> 00:23:59,069
      <i> Kumaran and his crew</i>
      <i> haul their lines.</i>

181
00:24:04,544 --> 00:24:08,612
     <i> Safely back on the</i>
     <i> beach, they take stock</i>
     <i> of their day's work.</i>

182
00:24:16,389 --> 00:24:20,624
    <i> They have a good catch,</i>
    <i> one that is large enough</i>
    <i> to feed their families</i>

183
00:24:20,660 --> 00:24:26,664
     <i> Over the lean days that</i>
     <i> lie ahead and even have</i>
     <i> some leftover fish</i>

184
00:24:26,699 --> 00:24:28,299
     <i> To sell in the market.</i>

185
00:24:43,382 --> 00:24:46,584
     <i> The monsoon sweeps from</i>
     <i> the ocean northwards</i>
     <i> across india.</i>

186
00:24:48,621 --> 00:24:52,356
    <i> The mountains in</i>
    <i> meghalaya in the</i>
    <i> northeast of the country</i>

187
00:24:52,391 --> 00:24:55,960
      <i> Push the warm moist</i>
      <i> air above 4,000 feet.</i>

188
00:25:09,609 --> 00:25:13,477
        <i> The condensing</i>
        <i> clouds then burst</i>

189
00:25:13,513 --> 00:25:16,780
       <i> And dump over 415</i>
       <i> inches of rainfall</i>

190
00:25:16,816 --> 00:25:19,250
        <i> Each year on the</i>
        <i> land below.</i>

191
00:25:22,855 --> 00:25:25,556
     <i> The result is the</i>
     <i> wettest place on earth</i>

192
00:25:32,999 --> 00:25:35,866
   <i> And a unique challenge for</i>
   <i> the people who live here.</i>

193
00:25:45,177 --> 00:25:51,248
        <i> Meghalaya is home</i>
        <i> to the khasis, an</i>
        <i> indigenous tribe</i>

194
00:25:51,284 --> 00:25:54,018
     <i> Who have lived off this</i>
     <i> land for generations.</i>

195
00:25:57,523 --> 00:26:01,091
       <i> Elbin is a khasi</i>
       <i> born and raised in</i>
       <i> these hills,</i>

196
00:26:01,127 --> 00:26:04,194
       <i> Living in a village</i>
       <i> near cherrapunji.</i>

197
00:26:14,807 --> 00:26:18,909
      <i> He works as a porter</i>
      <i> and carries vital</i>
      <i> supplies by foot</i>

198
00:26:18,945 --> 00:26:23,180
     <i> Between communities</i>
     <i> along a network of</i>
     <i> ancient mountain paths.</i>

199
00:26:27,153 --> 00:26:31,422
    <i> But elbin must negotiate</i>
    <i> big natural obstacles</i>
    <i> along the way.</i>

200
00:26:37,530 --> 00:26:41,732
    <i> A view from the air</i>
    <i> reveals how water shaped</i>
    <i> the rugged terrain here.</i>

201
00:26:43,302 --> 00:26:47,071
    <i> Elbin must cross</i>
      <i> steep-sided gorges</i>
      <i> carved into the rock</i>

202
00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:50,608
    <i> By fast-flowing streams</i>
    <i> to reach his destination.</i>

203
00:26:53,346 --> 00:26:59,416
   <i> During the monsoon rains,</i>
   <i> these raging torrents of</i>
   <i> water feed into waterfalls</i>

204
00:26:59,452 --> 00:27:01,719
       <i> And are impossible</i>
       <i> to wade across.</i>

205
00:27:03,889 --> 00:27:06,156
       <i> Entire communities</i>
       <i> can be cut off.</i>

206
00:27:11,497 --> 00:27:15,099
      <i> But the khasi people</i>
      <i> have come up with an</i>
      <i> ingenious solution.</i>

207
00:27:19,939 --> 00:27:22,940
     <i> Bridges made from the</i>
     <i> roots of rubber trees.</i>

208
00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:49,767
     <i> Narrator: The khasi</i>
     <i> people have built root</i>
     <i> bridges here</i>

209
00:27:49,802 --> 00:27:51,669
    <i> For over a hundred years.</i>

210
00:28:00,012 --> 00:28:04,615
   <i> They are made from exposed</i>
   <i> roots that grow big</i>
   <i> in the thin mountain soil.</i>

211
00:28:11,323 --> 00:28:14,525
       <i> The khasi train</i>
       <i> these roots to grow</i>
       <i> across the streams.</i>

212
00:28:18,731 --> 00:28:23,267
    <i> The bridge builders then</i>
    <i> rope together multiple</i>
    <i> roots to make platforms,</i>

213
00:28:23,302 --> 00:28:25,602
      <i> Threading them</i>
      <i> across bamboo poles.</i>

214
00:28:27,540 --> 00:28:30,974
      <i> They intertwine and</i>
      <i> grow stronger to make</i>
      <i> sturdy decks</i>

215
00:28:31,010 --> 00:28:33,577
        <i> As the trees age</i>
        <i> over the decades.</i>

216
00:28:36,048 --> 00:28:38,315
      <i> Eventually, the</i>
      <i> bamboos are removed.</i>

217
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:46,223
      <i> A mature root bridge</i>
      <i> can stretch up to</i>
      <i> 250 feet long.</i>

218
00:28:47,259 --> 00:28:50,761
     <i> It can hold as many as</i>
     <i> 35 people at one time.</i>

219
00:28:52,565 --> 00:28:54,898
     <i> Thanks to these</i>
     <i> ingenious root bridges,</i>

220
00:28:54,934 --> 00:28:58,569
      <i> Elbin can safely</i>
      <i> cross the rivers that</i>
      <i> become swollen</i>

221
00:28:58,604 --> 00:29:01,238
    <i> During the monsoon season</i>

222
00:29:01,273 --> 00:29:03,974
      <i> And deliver supplies</i>
      <i> to khasi villagers</i>

223
00:29:04,009 --> 00:29:06,477
      <i> Across the mountains</i>
      <i> in meghalaya.</i>

224
00:29:41,380 --> 00:29:44,648
    <i> Narrator: The land mass</i>
    <i> containing india was its</i>
    <i> own separate continent</i>

225
00:29:44,683 --> 00:29:46,683
        <i> Until 50 million</i>
        <i> years ago.</i>

226
00:29:50,723 --> 00:29:55,092
   <i> The aftermath of</i>
   <i> its collision with eurasia</i>
   <i> shaped india's landscape</i>

227
00:29:55,127 --> 00:29:58,862
       <i> And over the years,</i>
       <i> mighty geological</i>
       <i> formations</i>

228
00:29:58,898 --> 00:30:02,599
       <i> Have crafted many</i>
       <i> wonders of nature</i>
       <i> across the nation.</i>

229
00:30:06,772 --> 00:30:10,574
      <i> One such site is</i>
      <i> situated in the</i>
      <i> heart of the country</i>

230
00:30:10,609 --> 00:30:13,143
         <i> In the state of</i>
         <i> madhya pradesh.</i>

231
00:30:20,085 --> 00:30:22,286
       <i> It's early morning</i>
       <i> in bhedaghat.</i>

232
00:30:27,426 --> 00:30:31,728
     <i> A group of boys gather</i>
     <i> atop a cliff above the</i>
     <i> narmada river.</i>

233
00:30:37,570 --> 00:30:42,439
     <i> The boys' 100 foot tall</i>
     <i> diving platform is made</i>
     <i> from a stack of marble.</i>

234
00:30:50,416 --> 00:30:55,219
   <i> The rock started life as</i>
   <i> layers of fossil laid down</i>
   <i> over millions of years.</i>

235
00:30:59,291 --> 00:31:02,259
       <i> The earth's intense</i>
       <i> heat and pressure</i>

236
00:31:02,294 --> 00:31:04,761
      <i> Transformed them into</i>
      <i> a crystalline form.</i>

237
00:31:15,541 --> 00:31:19,142
     <i> And over time, flowing</i>
     <i> water carved these</i>
     <i> marble rocks</i>

238
00:31:19,178 --> 00:31:22,646
     <i> Into a spectacular</i>
     <i> three mile long gorge.</i>

239
00:31:26,986 --> 00:31:30,654
   <i> The marble here contains</i>
   <i> high amounts of magnesium.</i>

240
00:31:30,689 --> 00:31:32,823
    <i> This makes the rock soft.</i>

241
00:31:32,858 --> 00:31:47,271
             <i> (music)</i>

242
00:31:47,306 --> 00:31:50,340
     <i> The strong flow of the</i>
     <i> narmada has molded one</i>
     <i> of india's</i>

243
00:31:50,376 --> 00:31:52,976
        <i> Most spectacular</i>
        <i> natural wonders.</i>

244
00:31:55,581 --> 00:31:57,381
      <i> The dhuandhar falls.</i>

245
00:32:06,091 --> 00:32:08,458
         <i> Dhuandhar means</i>
         <i> flow of smoke.</i>

246
00:32:11,597 --> 00:32:16,900
   <i> The river falls almost a</i>
   <i> hundred feet causing huge</i>
   <i> clouds of smoke like mist.</i>

247
00:32:20,372 --> 00:32:24,808
   <i> From here, the water moves</i>
   <i> upstream through the</i>
   <i> towering marble cliffs</i>

248
00:32:24,843 --> 00:32:27,844
     <i> That make the perfect</i>
     <i> spots for cliff-diving.</i>

249
00:32:35,287 --> 00:32:39,056
   <i> There is one natural wonder</i>
   <i> in the country that owes</i>
   <i> its origin to something</i>

250
00:32:39,091 --> 00:32:41,024
   <i> That is out of this world.</i>

251
00:32:46,765 --> 00:32:48,732
    <i> Lonar lake is a mystery.</i>

252
00:32:52,404 --> 00:32:55,105
     <i> It is unlike any other</i>
     <i> body of water in india.</i>

253
00:32:59,545 --> 00:33:01,778
   <i> The lake is 500 feet deep.</i>

254
00:33:03,315 --> 00:33:07,985
     <i> The water here is both</i>
     <i> alkaline and saline,</i>

255
00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:10,787
      <i> And on the banks are</i>
      <i> pools of fresh water.</i>

256
00:33:12,157 --> 00:33:16,927
     <i> A clue to unlocking</i>
     <i> why lies in the lake's</i>
     <i> unique topography.</i>

257
00:33:19,264 --> 00:33:23,467
      <i> From the air, we see</i>
      <i> that the lake sits</i>
      <i> in a depression,</i>

258
00:33:23,502 --> 00:33:28,105
      <i> Hemmed in on all</i>
      <i> sides by a steep 450</i>
      <i> foot tall slope.</i>

259
00:33:32,244 --> 00:33:35,545
     <i> What could create a</i>
     <i> lake with such bizarre</i>
     <i> topography?</i>

260
00:33:37,116 --> 00:33:41,084
      <i> A curious terrain,</i>
      <i> with patches of life</i>
      <i> and emptiness.</i>

261
00:33:43,655 --> 00:33:49,426
       <i> A satellite view</i>
       <i> reveals the answer.</i>

262
00:33:49,461 --> 00:33:53,530
     <i> Lonar lake lies inside</i>
     <i> an impact crater.</i>

263
00:34:01,740 --> 00:34:06,176
     <i> Scientists believe that</i>
     <i> an asteroid weighing</i>
     <i> around two million tons</i>

264
00:34:06,211 --> 00:34:10,547
    <i> Crashed in central india</i>
    <i> around 50,000 years ago.</i>

265
00:34:22,194 --> 00:34:26,063
        <i> The crater filled</i>
        <i> with water.</i>

266
00:34:26,098 --> 00:34:27,898
       <i> Then life appeared.</i>

267
00:34:34,006 --> 00:34:37,808
      <i> Around a decade ago,</i>
      <i> scientists discovered</i>
      <i> special organisms</i>

268
00:34:37,843 --> 00:34:40,043
       <i> Living in the water</i>
       <i> of lonar lake.</i>

269
00:34:42,481 --> 00:34:45,682
     <i> Study suggests one type</i>
     <i> of bacteria here uses</i>

270
00:34:45,717 --> 00:34:48,518
      <i> The earth's magnetic</i>
      <i> field to navigate.</i>

271
00:34:54,226 --> 00:34:57,461
      <i> Some believe, that</i>
      <i> the origins of a few</i>
      <i> of these lifeforms</i>

272
00:34:57,496 --> 00:35:00,263
      <i> Could lie elsewhere</i>
      <i> in our solar system.</i>

273
00:35:03,135 --> 00:35:08,905
    <i> Scientists continue their</i>
    <i> search for answers to the</i>
    <i> mystery of lonar lake.</i>

274
00:35:35,834 --> 00:35:39,402
    <i> India's land border of</i>
    <i> over 9,000 miles circles</i>

275
00:35:39,438 --> 00:35:42,038
      <i> Some of the country's</i>
      <i> natural wonders.</i>

276
00:35:49,882 --> 00:35:52,883
      <i> The political</i>
      <i> relationship between</i>
      <i> india and pakistan</i>

277
00:35:52,918 --> 00:35:54,551
       <i> Can sometimes make</i>
       <i> these international</i>

278
00:35:54,586 --> 00:35:57,354
    <i> Borders some of the most</i>
    <i> volatile in the world.</i>

279
00:36:12,404 --> 00:36:16,139
       <i> A border area with</i>
       <i> pakistan is in the</i>
       <i> state of rajasthan.</i>

280
00:36:23,916 --> 00:36:29,085
     <i> The thar desert covers</i>
     <i> an area of over 77,000</i>
     <i> square miles,</i>

281
00:36:29,121 --> 00:36:32,622
      <i> Roughly the same size</i>
      <i> as nebraska in the</i>
      <i> united states.</i>

282
00:36:36,028 --> 00:36:40,530
       <i> And the job of</i>
       <i> securing this 646</i>
       <i> mile long frontier</i>

283
00:36:40,566 --> 00:36:44,601
    <i> Falls on the elite border</i>
    <i> security force, or bsf.</i>

284
00:36:47,206 --> 00:36:52,075
     <i> Formed in 1965, it is</i>
     <i> considered india's</i>
     <i> first line of defense.</i>

285
00:36:56,615 --> 00:37:00,650
    <i> It's 9 am at a remote</i>
    <i> border post in rajasthan.</i>

286
00:37:02,554 --> 00:37:04,788
            (whistle)

287
00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:12,295
      <i> Constable juli devi</i>
      <i> assembles her squad.</i>

288
00:37:17,035 --> 00:37:20,370
    <i> She is one of the mahila</i>
    <i> prahari, women soldiers</i>

289
00:37:20,405 --> 00:37:23,006
       <i> Who are tasked with</i>
       <i> monitoring the</i>
       <i> border here.</i>

290
00:37:50,802 --> 00:37:54,337
      <i> Narrator: Today, juli</i>
      <i> must venture deep</i>
      <i> into the desert.</i>

291
00:37:54,373 --> 00:37:55,639
     Juli devi: Party move!

292
00:38:01,146 --> 00:38:03,280
    <i> Narrator: Their job is to</i>
    <i> guard the indian borders</i>

293
00:38:03,315 --> 00:38:05,048
        <i> Against unlawful</i>
        <i> activities.</i>

294
00:38:10,822 --> 00:38:14,824
     <i> Juli assigns three bsf</i>
     <i> soldiers to accompany</i>
     <i> her on patrol.</i>

295
00:38:15,994 --> 00:38:19,296
      <i> The rest of the squad</i>
      <i> stays behind to guard</i>
      <i> the border post.</i>

296
00:38:22,100 --> 00:38:27,037
    <i> Temperatures in the thar</i>
    <i> desert can reach up to</i>
    <i> 120 degrees fahrenheit</i>

297
00:38:42,287 --> 00:38:45,722
      <i> Narrator: Despite the</i>
      <i> scorching heat and</i>
      <i> adverse conditions,</i>

298
00:38:45,757 --> 00:38:50,360
      <i> The dedication of the</i>
      <i> bsf troops sets them</i>
      <i> a class apart.</i>

299
00:38:54,466 --> 00:39:00,136
     <i> The bsf uses camels to</i>
     <i> navigate the desert.</i>

300
00:39:00,172 --> 00:39:03,640
      <i> It is the only armed</i>
      <i> force that has an</i>
      <i> operational camel</i>

301
00:39:03,675 --> 00:39:06,109
        <i> Contingent as a</i>
        <i> force multiplier.</i>

302
00:39:08,980 --> 00:39:12,882
       <i> Out on patrol, juli</i>
       <i> and her three squad</i>
       <i> members each ride</i>

303
00:39:12,918 --> 00:39:15,018
         <i> With a trained</i>
         <i> camel handler.</i>

304
00:39:22,861 --> 00:39:26,062
        <i> These animals are</i>
        <i> perfectly adapted</i>
        <i> to operate here.</i>

305
00:39:28,433 --> 00:39:32,602
    <i> Studies show, they can</i>
    <i> survive without water for</i>
    <i> a long period of time.</i>

306
00:39:34,906 --> 00:39:37,374
    <i> Their wide feet spread</i>
    <i> the load of their bodies</i>

307
00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:40,744
     <i> To keep them stable on</i>
     <i> loose, shifting sands.</i>

308
00:39:44,750 --> 00:39:48,885
     <i> When required, they</i>
     <i> can run at 40 miles an</i>
     <i> hour in short bursts.</i>

309
00:39:58,029 --> 00:40:01,998
    <i> Juli reaches the</i>
    <i> location of some reported</i>
    <i> suspicious activity.</i>

310
00:40:17,416 --> 00:40:20,350
    <i> She discovers footprints</i>
    <i> in this restricted area.</i>

311
00:40:24,256 --> 00:40:26,623
      <i> It's likely they</i>
      <i> were made by a human.</i>

312
00:40:31,396 --> 00:40:34,731
     <i> Juli believes the</i>
     <i> footprints are evidence</i>
     <i> of illegal movement.</i>

313
00:40:37,903 --> 00:40:40,470
    <i> They could belong to a</i>
    <i> smuggler or a terrorist.</i>

314
00:40:46,678 --> 00:40:49,379
    <i> Juli reports her findings</i>
    <i> to the post commander.</i>

315
00:40:51,650 --> 00:40:53,850
       (foreign dialogue)

316
00:41:01,860 --> 00:41:04,394
      <i> Narrator: The</i>
      <i> commandant receives</i>
      <i> the incident report.</i>

317
00:41:40,665 --> 00:41:42,799
      <i> Narrator: All further</i>
      <i> action is classified.</i>

318
00:41:58,517 --> 00:42:02,585
     <i> Juli and her team mount</i>
     <i> up and move out to</i>
     <i> continue the patrol.</i>

319
00:42:06,958 --> 00:42:10,360
   <i> Five hundred and fifty</i>
   <i> mahila praharis like them,</i>

320
00:42:10,395 --> 00:42:12,595
      <i> Monitor this stretch</i>
      <i> of india's border.</i>

321
00:42:15,233 --> 00:42:19,068
     <i> They endure one of the</i>
     <i> harshest of india's</i>
     <i> natural wonders</i>

322
00:42:19,104 --> 00:42:22,071
      <i> To keep their country</i>
      <i> safe and secure.</i>

323
00:42:34,119 --> 00:42:36,486
     <i> India reveals a nation</i>
     <i> of spectacular</i>

324
00:42:36,521 --> 00:42:40,290
      <i> And diverse natural</i>
      <i> wonders, from above.</i>

325
00:42:48,166 --> 00:42:54,370
      <i> Some are the work of</i>
      <i> mighty geological</i>
      <i> processes;</i>

326
00:42:54,406 --> 00:42:57,373
      <i> Others are crafted by</i>
      <i> humans to overcome</i>

327
00:42:57,409 --> 00:42:59,609
       <i> The challenges of</i>
       <i> their environment.</i>

328
00:43:02,113 --> 00:43:07,850
     <i> India's spectacular</i>
     <i> landscape is shaped by</i>
     <i> its unique geography,</i>

329
00:43:07,886 --> 00:43:10,720
             <i> History</i>

330
00:43:10,755 --> 00:43:12,388
           <i> And people.</i>