Photographer Noroc Mihaela, famous for her work 'Atlas of Beauty', came back to India at the end of 2015 and spent two months capturing the essence of the land on her lenses. The journey took her far and wide - from the vastness of the Thar Desert to the holy depths of the Ganges. And what she found was a unifying thread in the diversity of religions - women. Her work shows how Indian beauty cannot be confined to a particular colour palette. Just like women who can never be confined to the diktats of society. Put these together and what you see is a spirited form of extraordinary brilliance that can blind you with overwhelming force. While photographing them, Noroc noticed that "Many women living in India face great challenges and discrimination, but they are also an extraordinary example of strength and beauty." Here are the mesmerizing portraits that she took to mark International Women's Day. Muslim woman, Pushkar

Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor, Mumbai