AHMADABAD

Ahmadabad, eastern Gujarat state, is a sprawling metropolis in west-central India. The city was founded by the Muslim ruler, Sultan Ahmad Shah, next to the older Hindu town of Asawal. Having endured a massive earthquake in 2001 that killed nearly 20,000 people, ancient architecture from Hindu, Muslim, and Jain traditions can still be found throughout the city today and accurately portray the religious and cultural diversity that is a defining characteristic of Ahmadabad.

India, occupying the greater part of South Asia, is the second-most populous country in the world, after China. India’s government is a constitutional republic that represents a highly diverse population with thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and a complex caste system. In similar fashion, India has a convoluted social and cultural history, featuring both a rich intellectual life in the sciences and arts, as well as 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 and instill a semblance of peace, tensions between rival ethnic groups, religious sects, rich and poor, have further divided the nation. Burdening the country further, India has more abandoned children than any nation on the planet, with over 30 million orphans wandering the bustling streets and railways of major cities. This cultural dynamism creates immense challenges for the central government, but enormous opportunity for the church of India to step into the abundant harvest fields moved with compassion and great expectation.