Located in South Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh, India is South Asia's largest, sovereign, democratic republic. Teeming with a billion plus people, India will amaze you with its in your face diversity; be it the snow wrapped peaks of the north, the sunny beaches down south, to thick forests, beautiful temples, vibrant festivals and to cities that have become the IT hubs of the country, India today has become synonymous with “multi dimensional.”

India's first civilization prospered on the banks of the River Indus (the river from which India derived its name) in 2500 BC. The two main cities Harapa and Mohenjadaro (now in Pakistan) were very well planned and organized cities, which even had their own script language.

India got its independence on August 15th, 1947. It was the day when the Indians got liberated from the rule of the British.

India's boasts of one of the world's fastest growing economies and though India has averaged an annual growth rate of 8% in recent years there is still a vast majority of the country that lives below the poverty line and have little benefit from the economic boom. One of the largest challenges faced by the Indian government is to spread the bounty of the economic success across all margins of society. This comes across as a challenging task as it has been estimated that the poverty in India is set to rise if its population growth is not stopped in time.

Delhi, India's capital city has not always been its capital but has been an important gateway city and has immense historical and cultural significance. The city is the political seat of India and is famous for its many historical monuments like the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, the India Gate and Qutub Minar to name a few.

India is also known for being a secular nation and has people from faiths ranging from Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhist, Jains and Parsis. Indian Religion is a way of life in India to the extent that rivers are held sacred, cows are worshipped and worldly sins washed away by a dip in the River Ganga.

• Most Indians are Hindus however a small number are Sikhs, Muslims or Christians.
• The left hand is considered unclean and should not be used to eat with
• Beef products are not widely consumed; many Hindus are vegetarian
• Products made from cowhide are not used
• Books are considered sacred
• Smoking is not permitted by Sikhs, or Indian women
• Fridays are important for temple visiting and therefore Hindus are vegetarian on this day
• Celebrates Deepavali which symbolises the triumph of good over evil. It is called the  festival of lights.
• Indian food is eaten with the fingers