The Indian subcontinent is an important part of Asia which plays a considerable geopolitical role. One of the characteristics of the whole south Asian region is its cultural, ethnic, and religious heterogeneity; another is common unifying traditions. The countries in the region do indeed have two faces. On the one hand, they are successful in development; on the other, they are marked by great disparities, inequalities, and mass poverty. Contradictory forces are at work, which is reflected in, among other things, the growth of fundamentalist movements