Unity in Diversity: scenes from India (watch pics)

New Delhi: India is home to over 1.2 billion people of wildly varying religions, cultures and levels of wealth. Since declaring its Independence from English rule, modern India is still defining itself, sometimes against the friction inside and outside of its borders. Diversity is everywhere in India, from its religions and languages to its economy, and climates. Most are Hindu, but seven other religions -- including Islam, Christianity and Sikhism -- make up nearly 20 percent of the population. Though there's no possible way for these images to be comprehensive, here are some recent photos of scenes in India. Indian soldiers from the Border Security Forces atop camels stand at attention in front of the Presidential Palace during a ceremony in preparation for the annual Beating Retreat in New Delhi.An Indian boy in school uniform waits for a rickshaw driver to make an adjustment on a cool morning in New DelhiHigh rise buildings stand in the skyline in Mumbai. India, which has just two skyscrapers currently, is seeing its first skyscraper building boom, with 14 under construction, including the world's second-tallest tower, in the financial capital Mumbai. A flock of flamingos dot wetlands at Khadir Island in Kutch district, about 410 kilometers northwest of Ahmadabad. Every year tens of thousands of flamingos arrive to breed in the marshes of the Rann of Kutch region of Gujarat state. Indian beggars with their arms stretched ask for alms from Buddhist devotees visiting the Mahabodhi temple, believed to be the place where Buddha attained enlightenment, during the Kalachakra Buddhist festival in the town of Bodh Gaya, in the eastern state of Bihar.An aerial view shows Chander Kote hills covered with snow, near Jammu.An Indian family walks out of the doorway of the Lord Hanuman Hindu Temple in Karol Bagh neighborhood of New Delhi, India, on December 13, 2011. Lord Hanuman is one of the most revered of gods in Hinduism. A linesman adjusts electric cables set up temporarily in preparation of the Magh Mela festival on the banks of River Ganges in AllahabadElephant statues at Ambedkar Memorial Park in LucknowA man rides a motorcycle loaded with snacks amid dense fog on a cold morning at Noida on the outskirts of New DelhiA Hindu devotee holds an oil lamp and offers prayers to the Sun god at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on Makar Sankranti festival, in AllahabadAn Indian man walks past mounds of cotton in Dhrangadhra, about 110 kilometers from Ahmadabad, about 90 per cent of the area under the cotton crop in India is under Bt cotton variety, the only transgenic crop now under commercial cultivation in the country. Hindu devotees wearing headsets listen to a fortune-telling machine at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and SaraswatiIndian Navy personnel salute from the deck of an Indian naval vessel in the Arabian Sea off the coast of MumbaiA Nihang or Sikh warrior performs "Gatkha", a traditional form of martial arts, along a road during a religious procession Tibetan dancers perform a ritual dance in front of spiritual leader the Dalai LamaMonks perform a ritual dance known as 'Cham' during the last day of the Kalachakra Festival in Bodh GayaAn Indian woman drinks water from a tap at the Magh Mela site at SangamIndian soldiers perform stunt motorcycles in at Republic Day parade in New DelhiA stranded conductor burns a fire under his truck to keep the parts of truck warm while waiting for Srinagar-Jammu highway to reopen, in Qazigund, 70 km south of SrinagarA view of a cluster of traditional houses is seen on the banks of river Jehlum in SrinagarIndian children dressed as Hindu God Shiva, right, and Parvati, hold a toy gun as they pose for a photograph during the annual traditional fair of Magh MelaA Sikh warrior blows fire from his mouth during a religious procession Young Buddhist monks play video games at a parlor in the town of Bodh GayaAn Indian policeman, right, takes evasive action as a Kashmiri Shiite Muslim charges at him with chains in SrinagarThe Guinness World Records adjudicator Rob Molloy (right) speaks with Jyoti Amge, the world's shortest living womanA devotee takes a ritual bath at the water tank of the illuminated Bangla Sahib Sikh temple Indian stuntmen hang out of the window of cars as they steer them in front of the crowd at an attraction known as the "Well of Death" at the Sonepur Fair, in Sonepur, BiharAn Indian health worker administers a polio drop to a newborn at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in New DelhiResidents fly kites from rooftops in the Walled City of Dariyapur during Makar Sankranti (Kite Festival Day)