Few countries flaunt such a diverse culture of unrealized potential.
City streets echo tales of antiquity as noisy trains, diesel buses and the night watchman's whistle impose on serenity. Visitors are intrigued by the myriad of tiny shops offering the same silks, spices and inlaid marble that have attracted explorers for centuries. Apart from the busyness of everyday commerce, what most overwhelms Westerners are the endless throngs and millions of slum dwellers. Far greater than physical needs, however, are spiritual ones. Close to 80 percent of this country embraces Hinduism and its worship of 33 million gods.