India is a land of diversity, be it the geographical expanse of India with mighty himalayas in the north, the Thar desert in the west and water of three seas mingling in the south, or the cultural diversity of the people inhabiting India- following different faiths, having different cultures and speaking different languages. India's population of approximately 1.17 billion people (estimate for July, 2009) consists of more than two thousand ethnic groups, and every major religion is represented, as are four major families of languages (Indo-European, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman languages). The diversity of languages is reflected in proverb often quoted for India "कोस कोस पर बदले पानी, चार कोस पर वाणी".

The Indian culture has faced the onslaught of other cultures of the world for ages as invaders like Babur, Mohd. Ghazni, French and English attacked India, attracted by India's wealth and prosperity. Indian culture withstood these attacks and evolved in the process by assimilating various aspects of other cultures. But today this vibrant, and dynamic culture is faced with crisis. As per a report of UNESCO, about 196 Indian languages are on the verge of extinction. If language is extinct, it either means that there is no surviving member of the community which used to speak that language or the community has adopted more refined languages for example Hindi or English. In both cases, the extinction of language signifies that all the traditions, culture and heritage would be lost alongwith that language. Apart from the major festivals like Diwali, Id etc. celebrated by Indians, every community has some tradition of folksongs and folklores which exists mainly in oral form. This heritage is passed on to the next generation in form of stories or the new generation learns them by participating. With more people moving out of their family homes for jobs and education, this culture and heritage is also getting lost.