One thing I have noticed about India is that it is a more colorful place than anywhere else I have ever been.
One thing you'll see in India that I still don't understand after a year and a half - some Hindu men paint their thumbnail from time to time. Just one thumbnail, and it can vary from hot pink to purple. As a Westerner, it's a little unsettling.
I have never asked, but I think it is related to a religious ceremony.
