SRINAGAR

Srinagar is the summer capital of the Jammu and Kashmir union territory in northern India. The city lies along the Jhelum River at an elevation of 5,200 feet.

Though Srinagar is well known for its beauty, it is also home to many mosques and temples, including a center of worship that reportedly contains a hair that belonged to the Prophet Muhammad. India's government is a constitutional republic representing a highly diverse population with thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and a complex caste system. The nation has a convoluted social and cultural history, featuring a rich intellectual life in the sciences, arts, and religious tradition. After gaining independence from the British in 1947, India split from the predominantly Muslim regions of present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Despite earnest attempts to unify the country, tensions between rival ethnic groups and religious sects, rich and poor, have further divided the nation. Burdening the country further, India has more abandoned children than any nation, with over 30 million orphans wandering bustling streets and railway stations. This cultural dynamism creates immense challenges for the central government but an enormous opportunity for the church of India to step into the harvest fields moved with compassion and great expectation.