In the west, the fertile valley of the Indus, gave rise to the earliest urban settlements at Mohenjodaro and Harappa, (both now in Pakistan) around 3000BC. Belonging to what is refereed to as the Indus Valley Civilisation, the ruins of these city point to the existence of an astonishingly evolved people.

A major change took place with the arrival of the Aryans in 1500 BC. Some historians believe they were invaders, others that they were migrants who came in successive waves. There is an ongoing debate on whether they forced the inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilisation southwards, or whether this migration was due to other factors like earthquakes and floods.

Beyond living off the land, the Aryans also made some contributions to the Indian tapestry. They brought with them the horse and their own religion. Cavalry warfare facilitated the rapid spread of Aryan culture across north India, resulting in the emergence of large empires.

The settled lifestyle, brought systems of governance and complex social patterns, foremost amongst which was the establishment of the caste system, meant to function much like a guild system. This period also saw the emergence of kingdoms and republics-the events of the two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana (life of Rama) and the Mahabharata are set in this time.

In the north, the period between 320AD to 480 AD saw the emergence and flowering of the Gupta empire in Magadha. This period, also referred to as the Golden Age of India, saw the development of classical art forms. The art, architecture and most notably the sculptures of the period, were at once technically perfect, yet refreshingly effervescent. Creative expression and through flourished and reflected a rare catholicity.

The southern kingdoms exhibited a democratic give-and-take, that is in a sense intrinsically Indian. During the Chola regime, seafarers took Indian culture and Hinduism across the sea to countries in South East Asia, where it spread and acquired local overtones. Back home, in Kerala, the Cheras acted host to an influx of Arab traders who had discovered the fast route to India, using the mansoon winds. Many chose to settle in India, and were allowed to freely practice their religion; their descendants are the Maplahs or Malabar Muslims.

The impact of Islam on India culture has been immense. It permanently influenced the development of all areas of human endeavor, language, dress, cuisine, all the art forms, architecture and urban design, and social customs and values.

The next influence of overwhelming importance was that of the Europeans. The great seafarers of north-west Europe, the British, French, Dutch and Portuguese, arrived early in the 17th century and established trading outposts along the Indian coast.

Unlike their predecessors, the British did not settle in India to form a local empire. Instead, India provided an enormous boost to the nascent industrial revolution by providing cheap raw materials, capital and a large captive market for the British industry. The land was reoganised under the harsh zamindari (landlord) system to facilitate the collection of taxes and in certain areas, farmers were forced to switch from subsistence farming to commercial crops such as indigo, jute, tea and coffee. This resulted in several famines of an unprecedented scale.

Ironically, the British empire contained within itself, the seeds of its own destruction. The vast railway network they established, gave tangible form to the idea of Indian unity. Since it was impossible for a small handful of foreigners to administer such a vast country, they set out to create a local elite to help them in the task. This elite, educated in the best of British tradition and ideas, inculcated Western concepts into India's social and intellectual fabric. Ideas of democracy, individual freedom, and equality led to the genesis of the freedom movement, largely through the efforts of this intelligentsia. The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885, and the psychological concept of national unity was forged under the fire of the struggle against a common foreign oppressor.

Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress launched a series of mass movements this captured the imagination of the nation. India achieved Independence on August 15, 1947. Giving voice to the sentiments of the people, the country's first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when a nation, long suppressed finds utterance. We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again."

Its continued commitment to peace is exhibited by India's stand on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). India declined to sign the treaty despite enormous international pressure, because it created the nuclear haves and have nots. Its consistent stand has been for universal nuclear disarmament.

The world looks favorably on India. This is not solely linked to the level of social and economic development but also because India continues to adopt a principled stand on international issues be they related to human rights, economics, the environment or other areas. However this never precipitates into a confrontist stance - India continually adopts a friendly posture not just with its neighbors but with other countries of the world as well.