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SEAR GU SIAR PART FOUR - INDIA

The final episode in the Sear gu Siar series on BBC ALBA will follow Derek MacLean, 21 from Inverness and Deirdre Graham, 23 from the Isle of Skye as they experience India, a destination that assaults every sense and is the epitome of culture shock.

During their trip, Derek and Deirdre join a community project in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, where they have a cultural experience which is both authentic and rewarding. With the aim of improving public facilities in a typical rural village and bringing awareness to important social issues, they take part in the satisfying work of the restoration of an impoverished nursery.

Spare time is taken up with workshops on aspects of Indian culture including cooking, yoga and massage. As the pair discover true Indian culture first hand and interact with local people and children, this project is a tough yet touching experience.

In addition to the work in Himachal, Derek and Deirdre take a trip to the Taj Mahal and Amritsar, the holiest town of the Sikh religion and visit The Golden Temple, culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs.

They also attend the truly bizarre and fever-pitched ceremony that takes place every evening in Attari, symbolically sealing the only road border between India and Pakistan for the night.

With day and night long train journeys and acclimatisation to a different culture and cuisine the adventurers learn just as much about themselves as they do about this fascinating country.

Video clips and pictures covering Derek and Deirdre’s trip plus their travel itinerary and diaries are available to view on the show’s website www.seargusiar.com along with further information on the series.

Sear gu Siar, India will be broadcast on BBC ALBA Wednesday 17th Dec at 21:00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110. The programme will be repeated on BBC ALBA on Thursday 18th December at 22.30.