For someone for the West, India provides an authentic adventure - stimulating, absorbing, daunting, sometimes moving and shocking. Here is one of the world's great dramas; an ancient, vast and crowded land committed to the most formidably challenging exercise in mass democracy. It is a spectacle in which hope, pride, paradox and uncertainty mingle and struggle. It is conducted on the whole, and to India's credit in the open. The lasting memories of the land are hospitality, kindness, good humour and generosity. However, what has been very conveniently overlooked is how India is a stimulant for the active traveller. Hikes through wilderness, cycling, jeep safaris , stays in obscure Himalayan villages and the likes make for a truly memorable experience that steps beyond the major attractions to not only keep the adrenaline pumping, but, also bring your way hither to unknown aspects of this diverse and throbbing eco system of people and nature.