 People, milling, pushing, jostling, that first impression of chaos, look a little deeper. A pattern emerges of multiple communities deeply rooted in tradition, yet flexible enough to make India the world's largest democracy. As in the parallel civilizations of Egypt and Sumer, man saw himself as part of a huge canvas spanning not just the years of his life but even beyond. The folk communities of modern India have preserved this tradition. Deriving fortitude from their ancestors, strengthened by their bond with nature, they are attached to life amidst deprivation and often exploitation. For the tribals, everything is inspired in the nature, everything is infused with life. Everything, there is a spirit in nature. Show man, the individual, society, nature, ancestors, God integrated into a total vision of life, which gives a deep anchorage, power to sustain unhappiness, power to sustain tragedy, which perhaps we have lost in modern society. Modern life with its notions of middle-class morality has also sought to destroy the Gotul, or dormitory system of the folk communities. This centuries-old system brought together the youth and taught them that freedom of choice goes hand in hand with responsibility towards the larger society. The Gotul is a lesson in community living where work is shared. Here young people are free to choose partners and express their appreciation of each other. The pairing could result in marriage. If not, there is no stigma attached. In modern India, arranged marriages have become really full of questions. First and foremost, girls are educated, but the segregation of the sexes continues largely. There is not enough opportunity for girls and boys to meet each other. Moreover, coming from older tradition is the notion that a boy must be older than a girl, that he must be better educated. The Indian marriage has never really been conceived of as a relationship between two people. It has been conceived of as an arrangement that serves the family. When you start with that, then choosing a bride for a boy of the family makes a lot of sense. Elders choosing her, others choosing her, because she is chosen in terms of what the family needs. Because they think of the family as a unit, the joint family as an occupational unit. Rural or urban, women in India are facing challenges in their lives and coming out successful. A case in point is Leela Poonawala, an engineer and one of India's highest paid women executives. Our society, I feel many people might not agree with me. I have to think like a man because in my industry I have to mostly deal with men and to be able to react and understand how a man thinks is very important for me. I can think like a woman and I can also understand how a man thinks and I can handle the situation better. The change is slow but visible. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a state in Western India, the video camera records it all as it becomes an instrument of dramatic change in the lives of economically backward and illiterate women. The whole issue is of coexistence, working together and understanding each other without fearing each other and then without exploiting each other. The Indian social structure is a behemoth of over one billion people belonging to hundreds of different communities living at multiple social and economic levels. A society that is founded on the bedrock of a 5,000 year old civilization. The oldest living civilization in the world. One that is quick to learn new trends, unwilling to give up old traditions. A society which is sometimes volatile but at most times accommodating and tolerant. And finally, one that in all its diversity adds up to a dynamic and sustainable whole.