6am...August 15...Munsiyari...a small corner of India... where the tarmac ends and the trekking trails to the Himalayas and Tibet begin. I woke up to the sound of distant drum beats and slogans breaking through the drone of the incessant rain. Grabbed my camera and wandered out into the mist. Through a cloudy haze appeared a group of young students...sharply dressed...chests puffed...heads held high...singing patriotic songs as they scrambled down the hill slopes on their way to the village parade...The pride I felt was an amazing start to India's 58th Independence Day...

