Sushmita Pathak

Why Indian men are fighting for Russia in Ukraine

Conflict & Justice

After being lured into the Russian military with promises of “helper” jobs, young men from India find themselves training to fire weapons and getting caught up in combat with no way out.

India’s Diamond City is reeling from the war in Ukraine

Ukraine

Why a megacity in India is reviving the humble water well

Environment

‘It so clearly discriminates against Muslims’: India rolls out faith-based test for citizenship

Sacred Nation

Rising temperatures in India are pushing those who have to be outdoors to adapt to a new reality

Climate Change
Darjeeling is nestled amid lush tea gardens and overlooking the snow-capped Himalayas in India’s northeast. But landscapes like these pose challenges while conducting elections.

What it takes to pull off the world’s largest election in India

Elections

Election officials spread out across India to set up voting booths in some of its most remote corners of the country. It’s to ensure, by law, that no voter is farther than 1.25 miles from a polling station. Poll workers haul precious cargo — braving extreme weather and difficult terrain — to make sure everyone votes.

Women voters expected to play significant role in India’s general election

Politics

A multiweek general election is underway in India and more women are taking part in it than ever before. Nearly half of the electorate is expected to be female. The country’s political parties are now running campaign ads targeted toward women to win over this crucial voting bloc.

The largest election in the world begins in India

Elections

Voting begins on Friday in India in what’s being called the largest-election ever in recorded history. Almost 1 billion people are eligible to vote in the election, which will happen over the next six weeks. President Narendra Modi is likely to be reelected for a rare, third term, despite concerns about the growing Hindu nationalist movement he represents, and high unemployment. The World’s Carolyn Beeler spoke with journalist Sushmita Pathak, who talked to voters at the polls in the city of Jaipur.

Large group of Indian farmers sitting on a green ground outside

‘We are helpless’: Protesting farmers in India pose challenges — and demands — to Modi

With polls opening this month in India, farmers are angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2021, Modi made a rare concession by repealing farm laws after they were met with massive months-long protests in Delhi. Now, farmers are returning to the streets. Sushmita Pathak reports from Delhi that the main demand now is guaranteed crop prices.

Striped red-and-white flags adorn a sacred grove in a quiet neighborhood in Ranchi in India. The ubiquitous flags are an assertion of tribal identity.

Adherents of Sarnaism try to preserve their identity and culture by pushing for more recognition of their faith in India

Sacred Nation

India is home to millions of Indigenous people consisting of hundreds of tribes. Now, the followers of Sarnaism want official recognition of their religion by the state.