All language subtitles for India From Above Series 1 Part 2 Natures Wonders 1080p

Narrator: India.

Land of snow-capped
mountains,

Dense jungles,

Vast deserts

And enchanting lakes.

One of the most
biodiverse countries
in the world,

India is home to
countless species found
nowhere else on earth.

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This incredible aerial
journey captures

The nation's stunning
natural wonders from above,
for the first time

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Showing how geography and
the patterns of nature
mold both the landscape

And the lives of
its people.

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Narrator: India.

Covering almost one
point two million
square miles

And home to over a
billion people.

This vast country
stretches nearly
2,000 miles

From the warm indian
ocean in the south

To the mighty frozen
himalaya mountains
in the far north.

Water is a precious
natural resource here,
especially for agriculture.

About 70 percent of
the population of india
lives in rural parts.

The majority of them
depend on agriculture
for their livelihoods.

Some of these farmers
living in desolate
areas use water

To cultivate a crop
that is neither
vegetable nor animal.

Seen from above, the
rann of kutch looks
completely barren.

Rann means desert.

Thousands of years ago
it was a shallow arm
of the arabian sea.

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

Annual rains create
temporary lakes.

The temperature here
can reach 122
degrees fahrenheit

When this extreme heat
begins to dry up the lake,

Farmers rush to harvest
a valuable product.

Laxman rises at dawn every
morning between October
and June to mine salt.

Narrator: Laxman is a
salt farmer from the
agariya community.

The name is derived from
the word agar meaning
salt in gujarati,

One of india's 22
official languages.

Laxman and his fellow
farmers in the rann
of kutch produce

Three quarters of
india's salt.

The earlier they start
piling the salt, the
more they will earn.

Laxman uses a technique
to extract it that
hasn't changed

For over five
generations.

First, he uses his own
body weight to level out
the earth into shallow

Flat basins called pans.

Our aerial view reveals
these roughly rectangular
pans which spring up

After the monsoon season.

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Laxman uses solar
pumps to fill the
pans with salt water

From beneath the ground.

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The hot sun starts to
evaporate the water.

The salt that is left
behind, crystallizes.

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Laxman uses a salt rake
to loosen the crystals
from the soil.

He tends to his pans
ten hours a day to
ensure maximum yield.

After 15 days of tough
physical work,

Anywhere between 13 to
16 tons of salt is
ready for harvest

And then selling at
the market.

Narrator: Laxman will
keep working until June,

When the ground has
given up all the salt
it can for this season.

India is on the
crossroads between the
east and the west.

It has welcomed
visitors for millennia.

This spirit is part
of its culture and
tradition.

Indians believe in an
ancient line in hindu
scriptures that reads

"atithi devo bhava."

Literally translated it
means: A guest is the
equivalent to god.

This philosophy represents
the unique relationship
of a host and guest,

Irrespective of
where they come from.

One particular village,
in the state of rajasthan
in the northwest,

Welcomes a special kind
of guest each fall.

Nearly 500 miles away
from the rann of kutch,

Is a town called khichan.

A section of the state
is engulfed in the great
indian thar desert.

The town receives
very little rainfall.

Productive agricultural
land is scarce.

Although grain is a
precious commodity here,

One of khichan's residents
pours out dozens of bags
onto the ground.

Bhanwar ramji has
done this every day
between September

And March for the
past ten years.

A ritual he has maintained
to host a special visitor.

This is the reason why.

The demoiselle crane.

Legend says the
infamous french queen,
marie antoinette,

Named them in the
18th century.

She believed the
birds looked like
graceful young women.

Come September, and
thousands of these
hungry birds

Fill the sky above khichan.

Narrator: The cranes
are seasonal
visitors to india.

They spend the summer
months in mongolia.

When the temperature
drops, they embark
on an epic journey

Following an ancient
migratory route.

They fly south at an
altitude of about 26,000
feet over the himalayas

It's a journey of
approximately two weeks.

Khichan has become a
destination for the
demoiselle cranes

For approximately 70 years.

Villagers like bhanwar
ramji, take this age-old
tradition forward.

He understands the value
of feeding these birds
through the winter months.

He feeds them nearly one
point four million
pounds of grain

Over six months between
October and March.

That is enough to make
close to two million
loaves of bread.

Most of this food is given
to the villagers by donors
from around the world.

Narrator: This generosity
ensures the villagers of
khichan are able to feed

And water the cranes
that come to stay
for the winter.

Narrator: The birds
take to the wing when
spring arrives.

But they will be back in
six months to find a cozy

Winter home with
bhanwar ramji and the
kind souls of khichan.

And with that bhanwar
ramji's task will
start all over again.

India accounts for
about four percent of
the world's fresh water.

Conservation of
this precious
resource is crucial

In an arid state
like rajasthan.

So, for nearly a thousand
years, people in the
village of abhaneri

Used groundwater
from this stepwell.

The chand baori
stepwell has 3,500
steps across 13 levels.

The villagers would walk
100 feet down this
architectural marvel

To fetch water.

Countless lives in abhaneri
relied on this remarkable
water management system.

Water also rules the
lives of a unique
group of people

On the opposite side
of the country, in
the far northeast.

It's early morning
on loktak lake.

A student arrives by boat
at her elementary school.

But this school is unlike
any other in india
because it floats.

The first of its
kind in the country.

A bird's eye view of
loktak reveals that the
lake is covered in patches

Of vegetation
floating on the
surface of the water.

Some are circular.

Others are more
irregular in shape

And support structures
like the school.

These islands are
called phumdis.

The meitei people have
lived on them for
hundreds of years.

The phumdis are made
up of thickened soil,

Vegetation and organic
matter in various
stages of decay.

On these phumdis, they
build their homes,
called phumsangs.

At loktak lake, the meitei
have pioneered a unique
fish-farming technique.

They cut the phumdis
into rectangular strips

And arrange them in
circular shapes
called athaphums.

Once the athaphum is
anchored, a net is
cast within it.

Fish farming is the
meitei's primary
source of income.

Here, fishermen make
their livelihood by
catching

Six point six
million pounds of
fish every year.

Loktak lake is the largest
body of fresh water in
northeast india.

It covers 95 square
miles but it's just 8.8
feet deep on average.

The largest island
spreads across an area
of 15 square miles

And supports the keibul
lamjao national park.

The only floating national
park in the world.

Today, loktak lake and
the surrounding area is
in line to become

A unesco world
heritage site.

As the school day comes
to an end for this
young student,

She journeys home by boat,
across this unique
ecosystem she calls home.

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India covers 2.4
percent of the
earth's land mass.

Some of the nation's most
spectacular landscapes
are molded by freshwater.

Yet, it is a weather
phenomenon that begins
over the salty ocean

That dictates the lives
of indians more than
any other.

It makes landfall over
the state of kerala,
on the southwest coast.

The indian monsoon.

It has watered these
lands for at least 40
million years.

This weather pattern
delivers nearly 80 percent
of india's annual rainfall.

It swells rivers
and irrigates crops.

Monsoon is the
lifeline for india's
millions of farmers.

It's early June
morning in the
village of vizhinjam.

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Kumaran and his uncle are
preparing to go fishing,
as they do every day.

The powerful swells
of the arabian sea
can sometimes make

Catching fish off the
vizhinjam harbor, a
big challenge.

And today, kumaran has
to battle more than just
the moods of the sea.

The dark clouds
signal the approach
of an occurrence

That sweeps in from
the ocean every year.

The stormy weather
poses a problem for
fishermen like kumaran.

Narrator: Kumaran and
his crew venture far
out to sea.

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The coming monsoon
makes the sea choppy.

Sudden downpours
could flood the boat
within minutes.

Narrator: Off the coast
of vizhinjam, kumaran
and his crew

See the deadly storm
brewing in the distance.

Kumaran must use the
wisdom handed down to
him through generations

To survive this encounter
with nature and bring
home the catch.

Narrator: Now the clouds
tell kumaran that the
heavy rain is approaching.

It is time to return
to vizhinjam harbor.

Kumaran and his crew
haul their lines.

Safely back on the
beach, they take stock
of their day's work.

They have a good catch,
one that is large enough
to feed their families

Over the lean days that
lie ahead and even have
some leftover fish

To sell in the market.

The monsoon sweeps from
the ocean northwards
across india.

The mountains in
meghalaya in the
northeast of the country

Push the warm moist
air above 4,000 feet.

The condensing
clouds then burst

And dump over 415
inches of rainfall

Each year on the
land below.

The result is the
wettest place on earth

And a unique challenge for
the people who live here.

Meghalaya is home
to the khasis, an
indigenous tribe

Who have lived off this
land for generations.

Elbin is a khasi
born and raised in
these hills,

Living in a village
near cherrapunji.

He works as a porter
and carries vital
supplies by foot

Between communities
along a network of
ancient mountain paths.

But elbin must negotiate
big natural obstacles
along the way.

A view from the air
reveals how water shaped
the rugged terrain here.

Elbin must cross
steep-sided gorges
carved into the rock

By fast-flowing streams
to reach his destination.

During the monsoon rains,
these raging torrents of
water feed into waterfalls

And are impossible
to wade across.

Entire communities
can be cut off.

But the khasi people
have come up with an
ingenious solution.

Bridges made from the
roots of rubber trees.

Narrator: The khasi
people have built root
bridges here

For over a hundred years.

They are made from exposed
roots that grow big
in the thin mountain soil.

The khasi train
these roots to grow
across the streams.

The bridge builders then
rope together multiple
roots to make platforms,

Threading them
across bamboo poles.

They intertwine and
grow stronger to make
sturdy decks

As the trees age
over the decades.

Eventually, the
bamboos are removed.

A mature root bridge
can stretch up to
250 feet long.

It can hold as many as
35 people at one time.

Thanks to these
ingenious root bridges,

Elbin can safely
cross the rivers that
become swollen

During the monsoon season

And deliver supplies
to khasi villagers

Across the mountains
in meghalaya.

Narrator: The land mass
containing india was its
own separate continent

Until 50 million
years ago.

The aftermath of
its collision with eurasia
shaped india's landscape

And over the years,
mighty geological
formations

Have crafted many
wonders of nature
across the nation.

One such site is
situated in the
heart of the country

In the state of
madhya pradesh.

It's early morning
in bhedaghat.

A group of boys gather
atop a cliff above the
narmada river.

The boys' 100 foot tall
diving platform is made
from a stack of marble.

The rock started life as
layers of fossil laid down
over millions of years.

The earth's intense
heat and pressure

Transformed them into
a crystalline form.

And over time, flowing
water carved these
marble rocks

Into a spectacular
three mile long gorge.

The marble here contains
high amounts of magnesium.

This makes the rock soft.

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The strong flow of the
narmada has molded one
of india's

Most spectacular
natural wonders.

The dhuandhar falls.

Dhuandhar means
flow of smoke.

The river falls almost a
hundred feet causing huge
clouds of smoke like mist.

From here, the water moves
upstream through the
towering marble cliffs

That make the perfect
spots for cliff-diving.

There is one natural wonder
in the country that owes
its origin to something

That is out of this world.

Lonar lake is a mystery.

It is unlike any other
body of water in india.

The lake is 500 feet deep.

The water here is both
alkaline and saline,

And on the banks are
pools of fresh water.

A clue to unlocking
why lies in the lake's
unique topography.

From the air, we see
that the lake sits
in a depression,

Hemmed in on all
sides by a steep 450
foot tall slope.

What could create a
lake with such bizarre
topography?

A curious terrain,
with patches of life
and emptiness.

A satellite view
reveals the answer.

Lonar lake lies inside
an impact crater.

Scientists believe that
an asteroid weighing
around two million tons

Crashed in central india
around 50,000 years ago.

The crater filled
with water.

Then life appeared.

Around a decade ago,
scientists discovered
special organisms

Living in the water
of lonar lake.

Study suggests one type
of bacteria here uses

The earth's magnetic
field to navigate.

Some believe, that
the origins of a few
of these lifeforms

Could lie elsewhere
in our solar system.

Scientists continue their
search for answers to the
mystery of lonar lake.

India's land border of
over 9,000 miles circles

Some of the country's
natural wonders.

The political
relationship between
india and pakistan

Can sometimes make
these international

Borders some of the most
volatile in the world.

A border area with
pakistan is in the
state of rajasthan.

The thar desert covers
an area of over 77,000
square miles,

Roughly the same size
as nebraska in the
united states.

And the job of
securing this 646
mile long frontier

Falls on the elite border
security force, or bsf.

Formed in 1965, it is
considered india's
first line of defense.

It's 9 am at a remote
border post in rajasthan.

(whistle)

Constable juli devi
assembles her squad.

She is one of the mahila
prahari, women soldiers

Who are tasked with
monitoring the
border here.

Narrator: Today, juli
must venture deep
into the desert.

Juli devi: Party move!

Narrator: Their job is to
guard the indian borders

Against unlawful
activities.

Juli assigns three bsf
soldiers to accompany
her on patrol.

The rest of the squad
stays behind to guard
the border post.

Temperatures in the thar
desert can reach up to
120 degrees fahrenheit

Narrator: Despite the
scorching heat and
adverse conditions,

The dedication of the
bsf troops sets them
a class apart.

The bsf uses camels to
navigate the desert.

It is the only armed
force that has an
operational camel

Contingent as a
force multiplier.

Out on patrol, juli
and her three squad
members each ride

With a trained
camel handler.

These animals are
perfectly adapted
to operate here.

Studies show, they can
survive without water for
a long period of time.

Their wide feet spread
the load of their bodies

To keep them stable on
loose, shifting sands.

When required, they
can run at 40 miles an
hour in short bursts.

Juli reaches the
location of some reported
suspicious activity.

She discovers footprints
in this restricted area.

It's likely they
were made by a human.

Juli believes the
footprints are evidence
of illegal movement.

They could belong to a
smuggler or a terrorist.

Juli reports her findings
to the post commander.

(foreign dialogue)

Narrator: The
commandant receives
the incident report.

Narrator: All further
action is classified.

Juli and her team mount
up and move out to
continue the patrol.

Five hundred and fifty
mahila praharis like them,

Monitor this stretch
of india's border.

They endure one of the
harshest of india's
natural wonders

To keep their country
safe and secure.

India reveals a nation
of spectacular

And diverse natural
wonders, from above.

Some are the work of
mighty geological
processes;

Others are crafted by
humans to overcome

The challenges of
their environment.

India's spectacular
landscape is shaped by
its unique geography,

History

And people.