Learning how to survive on an increasingly crowded planet is probably our ultimate challenge.

But there’s one place, home to over a sixth of the world’s population, which is already making a good shot at adapting: welcome to India.

This extraordinary observational series casts aside the usual preconceptions about the sub-continent, and lets a few of India’s 1.2 billion show how their world really works.

With astonishing access into the densest districts of Kolkata and Mumbai, this three-part documentary for BBC2 celebrates the impressive resourcefulness, resilience and unbridled pragmatism of those living and working there, and reveals the psyche needed to get ahead in the biggest of crowds.