For the past five months, a harsh winter has covered
the world's highest peaks with ice. In just a few weeks, the Himalayan mountains
will awake from their long slumber. Further down the mountain,
spring has already arrived and drivers are celebrating
the snow's disappearance. At last, the mountain roads, more often than not unusable
in the winter, are open. After these long frustrating months, Atish is dying to get
his foot on the accelerator. He shows all the youthful fearlessness
of a 28-year-old driver. [Foreign language spoken] It certainly appears so. Watching Atish drive, you could easily make
the assumption that he's drunk. He's zigzagging from one side
of the road to the other, but no, Atish is simply trying
to avoid being overtaken. Speeding along at 50 miles an hour,
Atish takes plenty of risks, but for good reason, according to him. [Foreign language spoken] For this dangerous game
of beating the buses, Atish is paid all of $42 a month. The driver is also entitled
to a small percentage of ticket sales. [Foreign language spoken] High risk for just a few rupees in a place where the mountains decide whether you will reach
your final destination. At six times the size of France, India is one of the world's
biggest subcontinents. Everything here is large. Just like these mountains in the north,
among the highest in the world. During the winter,
the Himalayas are a sleeping giant, but come springtime,
when the giant awakes, its roar can wreak havoc. Drivers risk their lives
with each journey. Then a big rock hit the side of the car. [Foreign language spoken] Tightrope walkers, descendants of the Silk Road
caravan drivers have become the sole lifeline
for the mountain villages that sit quite literally
on top of the world. [Foreign language spoken] The roads seem to touch the sky,
but closer to the clouds, life gets tough. [Foreign language spoken] Though relentless, the snow
is these men's most precious asset. Himalayan water, an invaluable resource
coveted by neighboring China and Pakistan. Both armies are present here,
even at 5,000 meters altitude. The monks pray never to hear the sound
of gunshots echoing through the mountains. [Foreign language spoken] Through their years of living
on the shoulders of the giant mountains, the men have learned one thing. In the immense and dangerous Himalayas, you have to stay humble
if you want to survive. [Foreign language spoken] In India, mountain buses accept
every possible kind of passenger. The journey to Gulab Garh
is ten hours long, whether standing or squeezed like sardines
against one another, nobody complains. They're just happy to have a bus. [Foreign language spoken] Atish is a bit of a flirt and likes
to show off his skills at the wheel. [Foreign language spoken] He also enjoys making the women
a little bit nervous. [Foreign language spoken] Perhaps he isn't all talk. [Foreign language spoken] When springtime arrives, many families return
to their mountain villages after spending the winter
in warmer regions. Gyatso, his wife Lalita,
and their daughter Stanzin are one such family. In winter there is no work in our valley. [Foreign language spoken] After ten nerve-wracking hours, the bus reaches
the small town of Gulab Garh. [Foreign language spoken] Atish begins his return journey, but for this small family,
the journey is far from over. They still have 40 miles
to travel to get to their village and these are the most dangerous. They continue on in a 4x4
over a narrow stretch of land that winds through the clouds
at over 3500 meters altitude. Even in the off-road car,
success is not guaranteed. At the top, the snow reigns supreme. [Foreign language spoken] This is the food hub of the Himalayas
and the whole of India, according to these traders. [Foreign language spoken] The Chandigarh market
in the capital of the state of Punjab is bursting with fruits
and vegetables all year round. [Foreign language spoken] As springtime returns, thousands of tonnes of food
are sent out all over the country, including to the mountain villages. In the past, this profitable business
was the subject of much dispute between goods transporters. [Foreign language spoken] To put an end to this transportation war, the Indian Truckers Association
came up with an ingenious system. Drivers write their license plate numbers
up on this board. Then a supervisor
assigns trips to each driver. [Foreign language spoken] The loads are distributed completely
at the supervisor's discretion. Some drivers win, while others will lose. [Foreign language spoken] This driver, however, has no such problem. He's given one specific job
each week without fail. [Foreign language spoken] Kaza is a lost village
at 3600 meters altitude. For 12 years, Rakesh has been practically
the only driver to deliver their biscuits, vegetables, sugar,
preserves, fizzy drinks, everything that a population living
in one of the most remote areas of the country might need. 325 miles of mountain road await Rakesh. He crosses the Spiti Valley, a stone's throw away
from the Chinese border. This region is called the Middle Land
as it straddles India and Tibet. The Spiti Valley has remained
cut off for centuries and in some places, its inhabitant's way of life
has barely changed. Some modern elements have appeared,
such as mobile phones. [Foreign language spoken] Rakesh's main source of communication
with his daughter is by phone. Each trip to Kaza takes him
at least five days there and back if all goes well, so despite the narrow road,
he refuses to hang up. [Foreign language spoken] Indeed, car accidents in India
are not uncommon. This isn't just down to careless driving. Some roads are particularly unforgiving. Each spring, workers attempt
to widen the roads by any means possible. Rakesh gets out of his truck
at regular intervals to check that he can safely fit
around the bends. [Foreign language spoken] At such high altitudes,
vegetation is scarce or non-existent. The cold and lack of rain in the summer
produce craggy rock faces. There are no routes
to stabilize the earth, so when the snow melts
and the water seeps into the rocks, the mountains start raining pebbles. A small group of road menders
maintain a semblance of safety. [Foreign language spoken] Few cars in the region
still have their windshields intact. The road menders' work is risky. Their work seems never-ending. Tomorrow or in just a few hours' time,
they will have to start all over again. Without them,
the whole valley would be blocked and the villagers
would not get their supplies. Driving along the edge of the ravine,
Rakesh repeats this mantra to himself. Only patience and good sense
will lead you to the end of the road. Some drivers, however, want to go faster,
save time, and deliver more orders. A harebrained strategy
in a place where only yaks and goats can truly roam the mountains risk-free. Although when it comes
to crossing a river, they're rather less at ease. [Foreign language spoken] The Bakarwal tribe
has been waiting for years for the Indian government
to install this cable system, and it has revolutionized their lives. [Foreign language spoken] The Bakarwals spend each winter
at the bottom of the valley. Then in summer,
they migrate higher up into the mountains in search of pasture. These Islamic nomads
live just like their ancestors. Nothing's really changed for centuries. [Foreign language spoken] The Bakarwals
are poorly regarded in India. Rejected from society,
they live tucked away in the mountains. [Foreign language spoken] Nearly 500,000 Bakarwals
live in the mountains, adapting their way of life to the seasons. Their priority
is finding food for their goats, but the search for plants
and shrubs is dangerous work. As soon as the sun rises
on the mountaintop, elderly Haji and his nephew Zubeer head out in search
of these precious leaves. [Foreign language spoken] Two hours of searching finally pays off. All that remains is to cut the branches,
but this is where things get complicated. [Foreign language spoken] With 40 kilos of branches
on his shoulders, youthful Zubeer runs down
the mountainside at full speed. Haji carries the same weight
but goes slightly more slowly. [Foreign language spoken] Haji's way of life seems unchanging, and yet, bit by bit, pastures and migration trails
are disappearing. India is experiencing an economic boom. Road networks are expanding, and more and more people, towns,
and villages are popping up all over. As nomads, the Bakarwals
have no land of their own. It is hard for Haji and his tribe
to find their place in 21st-century India. Building roads through these mountains
is nothing short of a mammoth task. The highest villages
like that of this small family remain almost impossible to access. The final 40 miles of their journey
takes place on the edge of the ravine. Lalita and her husband
are coming home after four months away, selling t-shirts
to tourists in a warmer region. [Foreign language spoken] This pathway was carved out ten years ago
using explosives and hard work. The workers completed it
in the early 2000s. Before its construction,
people had to walk for five or six days to get home to their villages. [Foreign language spoken] It seems we haven't caught
the goddess Mata Rani on a good day. At 2500 meters altitude,
the weather takes a turn for the worse. [Foreign language spoken] Despite Sanjay's prayers,
the road becomes too dangerous. Whilst the government
may not tarmac the roads, it has at least built mountain refuges
for those who get stuck. [Foreign language spoken] $3 a night. It's inexpensive,
but there's no heating for that price and outside temperatures
are verging on minus ten degrees. As for Rakesh,
he's approaching his 15th hour driving 250 miles of mountain climbing. He, too, prefers to stay on the safe side. [Foreign language spoken] With a window that doesn't close
and no heating, it looks as if the night
will be a chilly one. It takes strength and courage
to be a tightrope walker on the slopes of these freezing mountains. The road alternates between a dirt track
and tarmac all the way along. Rakesh is still 60 miles away from Kaza. The weather looks good, but at 4,000 meters
he comes across some black ice. [Foreign language spoken] $330 a month, to be precise,
$100 more than a regular journey, but the risk-to-benefit ratio
isn't so convincing. Rakesh enters the Spiti Valley, an area spanning 12,000 kilometers squared stretching along the Indo-Tibetan border
annexed by China in 1951. The two superpowers observe
one another from the mountains. In the monasteries, some of which have been around
for over 1,000 years, the monks pray never to hear
the sound of gunshots echoing through the mountains. Over 4,000 meters above sea level,
lies the Kye Monastery. It is Tensi Nimo's job
to spin these prayer wheels every day. [Foreign language spoken] Nearly 300 monks live in the Monastery. They wake up at dawn each day and devote their time
to prayer and meditation. An austere life
in order to free themselves from all physical attachments
and trivial desires. The monks pray that mankind
will finally find peace. [Foreign language spoken] The family's village
is still over 16 miles away. The driver prays to the goddess Mata Rani
to clear the way for him, buy will she hear his prayers? [Foreign language spoken] That may well be, but at this moment,
the snow is becoming a serious problem. [Foreign language spoken] They must use stones
to help with the traction. [Foreign language spoken] They still have four and a half miles
to walk in the snow. Unlike many
who might be in this situation, the small family remains in high spirits. [Foreign language spoken] At six years old, Stanzin makes the journey
without any complaints. [Foreign language spoken] With soaked feet
and bodies numb with cold, at last, they arrive home
after two and a half hours of walking. They're finally able to warm up
in the only room with a wood stove. After four months apart,
the family is finally reunited. Dongeram, the grandfather,
completely supports his son's decision to leave each winter. He earns a much better living this way
than rearing animals, but he has never
dared to make the journey. [Foreign language spoken] In eight months' time,
after the harvest is over, the small family will return to Rajasthan
to sell t-shirts to tourists. Rakesh has finally reached
his destination. After two days of driving,
he's arrived in Kaza, a small village at 3,660 meters altitude. Without Rakesh and a small number
of other daring travelers, the valley would be cut off
from the rest of the country. Rakesh takes the risky journey
twice a month. [Foreign language spoken] The provisions delivered by Rakesh are added to the village's
non-perishable food stocks. Here, they keep one to two months' worth
of food in case of heavy snowfall. Life in the Spiti Valley
certainly isn't easy. It starts at school. [Foreign language spoken] In the classroom,
temperatures rarely go above ten degrees. It is difficult to focus
on their exams in these conditions. [Foreign language spoken] Little Stulzin curses the day
when in 2010 the Indian government made school compulsory for children
from six to 14 years old. [Foreign language spoken] He spends weekdays at boarding school and comes home with his friends
every weekend to greener pastures. [Foreign language spoken] Their village is two and a half hours away
in a remote area at 4,400 meters altitude. [Foreign language spoken] Around 20 families live here. They are practically self-sufficient and hold solidarity
and mutual aid as core values. Without these values, none of the village's inhabitants
could survive. Such is life on top of the world.
