If one were asked to identify a single aspect that accounts for the fascination that India has held over the centuries, it would be difficult to ascertain. Its allure cannot be confined to its ancient linkages- the country's history spans a period of over 5000 years- nor to its spiritual richness. Nor for that matter its legendary wealth, its topographical strengths or its dynamic cultural ethos. Perhaps it is the coalescence that accounts for its amazing appeal.

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India showcases a mind-blowing welter of synergies, a fascinating synthesis of contrasts, proving the relevance of ancient systems in the contemporary context. Poised to take off into the next century, the country exults in its rich heritage while simultaneously fine tuning for fresh challenges.

The heart of India is inextricable linked to her ancient soil. For the Indian mind, the benediction of the land permeates the very fabric of everyday life. The influence of the habitat over lifestyle is seen in varied ways-from dress and customs, to art and crafts.

The most dynamic proponent of this immense diversity is the sprawling expanse of the country. This triangular oendant-like peninsula covers a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometers. Across its northern borders lie the loftiest mountains on earth, the Himalayas-an unbroken stretch of 2,400 kilometers from the south-east to the north-west. To the north, lie China and Bhutan, further east is Bangladesh, while Pakistan and Afghanistan lie on its north-west frontiers. From the northern snow-capped peaks to the palm-dotted plains of the country's southern tip-Kanyakumari, the land extends over 3,214 kilometers, and over 2,933 kilometers between the mountainous borderlands of China and Myanmar in the east, to the arid deserts of Rajasthan in the west.

Geologically speaking, the Himalayan range is young and growing. The inspiration of our saints and sages, endowed with the stamp of divinity since time immemorial, this range is said to have been created out of the collision of the tectonic plates of the earth's crust 60 million years ago.

The magnificent snow-peaked ranges are interspersed with beautiful valleys. The kulu, Kangra and Kashmir valleys provide stunning manifestations of nature's visual extravaganzas. Rising above the valleys are the magnificent peaks-Everest, the highest on the earth, falls in Nepal but within India are Kanchenjunga, Nand Kot and Nanga Parbat.

The wide plains of the Indo-Gangetic region offer a radical contrast to the mountainous areas. The path of the much-revered Ganga is uniformly flat, almost all the way down to where it meets the sea in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal. The Ganga and the Brahamaputra, which flows in the north east, comprise the two important river systems of northern India. The Indus, which starts in Ladakh, and was the cradle of the Indus Valley civilization, flows into what is now Pakistan.

From their descent into the plains of Punjab, the 'land of the five rivers', one of the most fertile regions of the north, the Himalayas ease into the Great Thar Desert. Western Rajasthan suffers extreme hardship due to the actutely arid conditions. Yet the natural beauty of the land and the bravery of its people add a rare luster to India's visage.

In Kathiawar in the west, the coastal area consists of marshy lowlands, in which roam peach-tinted flamingos, while inland, the open country harvests cotton and sunflower. The rugged plateau region of Malwa, Bundelkhand and Rewa separate the desert from the Gangetic plain and the Deccan's lava-surfaced tableland.

Summer in India are hot and dry, with hot winds, raising a dusty haze over the northern plain and temperature soaring to upward of 40º C. South India remains sultry thanks to a defiant sea breeze. The mansoon winds peak through the months of June to September with the eastern and southeastern coastlands getting substantial rain and even cyclonic squalls. With the sun crossing south of the Equator in November, the northern plain starts experiencing winter.

The relentless erosion of habitat has certainly created much loss of wild life, but the tightening of conservation laws will go a long way in the protection of the country's flora and fauna. In addition, a growing awareness of the importance of protecting the environmental heritage of the land, will aid in the creation of new parameters which will help conserve its ecological wealth.