Educating Women (05:40)

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Sue Perkins will go on a journey spanning 1500 miles from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Patna, the capital of the Bihar state, has stopped producing opium and now focuses on education. Perkins visits and industrial college where women are learning to become engineers.

Careers and Marriage (04:20)

Patna plans to double the number of women's colleges in the next five years. The students discuss arranged and love marriages. India has changed within a generation.

Daveshpura (03:35)

Bihar state is one of the most productive regions for agriculture; the Ganges River and its tributaries irrigate the fields. Mr. Kumar grows the most potatoes per hectare in the world. The farmer discusses how he does not use chemicals and struggles to find men to work in the fields.

Following the Hooghly (07:07)

Perkins re-unites with Rakhi, a young child she met last time she visited Kolkata. A Bengali family is paying the school fees. Geeta explains that Rakhi has realized that she must start protecting her body and is nervous around men.

City of Joy (06:19)

Kolkata is a tolerant, extrovert, exuberant city. The Hijra, part of the transgender community, sing to and bless newborn babies. Opana and the other women have been rejected by their family.

Hijra House (04:11)

Forty women live together in a home in Kolkata. Perkins describes the history of the Hijra and how they became criminalized. Many people fear and reject them; the gurus are the heads of the house.

Sundarbans (04:14)

At the nature reserve, Perkins watches the forest department's tiger patrol maintain the perimeter fence. Wardens monitor the health of the Bengal tiger population using remote cameras. The animals help keep the deer population controlled.

Bali Island (03:48)

Kolpana and Dinanda ask for blessings from Bonbibi, a local deity, before beginning their fishing trip. A fatal tiger attack occurs every week. The animals hide in mangrove trees and jump on the boat.

Saga Island (08:04)

At the Gangasagar Mela festival, an estimated two million people will bathe in the Ganges as the sun rises. Naga Babas live in the Himalayas, reject the physical world, and smoke marijuana. Pilgrims arrive from all over India to participate.

Dawn Approaches (03:19)

Perkins watches as an estimated two million people bathe in the Ganges River. India needs to decide if it wants the mythology or reality of the river.

Credits: The Ganges with Sue Perkins: Episode 3 (00:27)

Credits: The Ganges with Sue Perkins: Episode 3