PRAYAGRAJ

Prayagraj, formerly Allahabad, is a Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimage site in the Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. Prayagraj stands at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and is a holy city comparable in fame to Varanasi and Haridwar. Millions of religious devotees visit the city yearly. 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.