: India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism . Concepts like Karma (cause and effect) and Samsara (reincarnation) are central to the Indian worldview.

"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition." — Mark Twain

That night, after dinner (simple dal-chawal with a squeeze of lime and a fried papad ), the family sat on the terrace. The rain had washed the city clean. Somewhere, a shehnai played—someone was getting married. Across the street, a family burst into firecrackers for no reason at all, just because it was Saturday.