The Indian tourism ministry has a village homestay project. Its Web site (www.exploreruralindia.org) lists 28 villages from the high Himalayas to the humid rice paddies of Kerala, all offering varying degrees of austerity.

So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. ~ Mark Twain

In Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari bazar, there is a street stall which sells not easily found sour fruit: in a salad or on their own: Star fruit, Tamarind, wild ber, to name a few.

     An old story is told about the beginning of time. The universe was in the process of being created and not everything was yet in order or fully functioning. Before the universe could be totally engaged, the Creator had one final

A clump of Petunia flowers in summer, Nishat Gardens, Kashmir, India.

In Hatha Yoga Pradipika they say that the mind is the king of the senses and the breath is the king of the mind. And if the nerves, nervous system which is about 6,000 miles in our system has a rhythmic vibration then that rhythmic vibration of

Saxifrage flower in Valley of Flowers, Nanda Devi National Park, Himalaya, India. Valley of Flowers: In the Himalayan region of Garhwal, in Uttranchal state, the captivating Valley of Flowers is a paradise on Earth. With a touch of mystique and

Saffron petunia flowers blooming wild at Tapovan near Joshimath, Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, North India. The forests of Tapovan in their green shade hide the temple of Bhavishya Badri.

Lantana bushes grow wild in Jim Corbett National Park (Himalaya), Uttarakhand, India

Gerberas blooming in the garden leading to the principal's office at LaMartiniere Girls' College, Lucknow, North India