Sushmita Pathak

sign

Delhi is rolling out the welcome mat as leaders arrive for the G20 summit in India

But critics say that India has turned the G20 into a marketing campaign for itself — and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi — ahead of general elections next year. The summit will also be a test for India as it seeks to establish itself as a rising power and as a voice for the global south.

Delhi is rolling out the welcome mat as leaders arrive for the G20 summit in India
Dalai Lama and cake

Tibet’s Dalai Lama turns 88 

Tibet’s Dalai Lama turns 88 
Two men, US President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi standing with the arms stretched outward to wave

What to expect from Modi’s historic visit to the US

What to expect from Modi’s historic visit to the US
rapper

Hip-hop artists in India call out caste discrimination 

Hip-hop artists in India call out caste discrimination 
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani attends the "Invest Karnataka 2016 Global Investors Meet" in Bangalore, India, Feb. 3, 2016. 

Indian billionaire businessman Gautam Adani faces scrutiny

Indian billionaire businessman Gautam Adani faces scrutiny
Syed Sajjad Ali inspects tomatoes planted inside a Kheyti greenhouse.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change

The “greenhouse-in-a-box” is part of a solution designed to help smallholder farmers cope with the vagaries of a changing climate. The design, essentially a low-cost, scaled-down version of a standard greenhouse, is the brainchild of an Indian startup called Kheyti.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change
soliders with weapons

Russian weapons shortage reduces supply going to India

​​​​​​​For decades, India has depended on Russia for its weapons supply. It's the cornerstone of the two countries' ties, which go back to the Soviet era. But it can also be a liability, as India found out last week when it learned that a major shipment of Russian arms had fallen through because of the war in Ukraine.

Russian weapons shortage reduces supply going to India
Ramrati reads Ramcharitmanas every morning on the lane that connects Barakhamba to KG Marg, in New Delhi, India, March 29, 2014.

This 16th-century epic poem sparks political controversy in India

In recent months, a 16th-century epic religious poem has ignited a political storm in India, after several officials said it was offensive to women and those at the bottom of India’s religious caste hierarchy. As the country heads toward general elections next year, some say that different parties are using the poem to appeal to various voters.

This 16th-century epic poem sparks political controversy in India
man at podium outside in the snow

India’s Rahul Gandhi supporters finish 5-month rally and march against increasingly nationalist state

Rahul Gandhi, head of India's opposition Congress party, started a unity march last September from the southern tip of the country, which ended on Monday. Gandhi is trying to drum up support for his party, opposition to the ruling BJP and, many observers say, trying to uphold democracy in the face of what's becoming an increasingly religious state.

India’s Rahul Gandhi supporters finish 5-month rally and march against increasingly nationalist state
Pregnant women hold their medical cards and wait for their turn to be examined at a government hospital on World Population Day in Hyderabad, India, Friday, July 11, 2014. 

As India becomes the world's most populous nation, engaging men in family planning ‘will be a game changer'

The United Nations projects that next year, India will surpass China and claim the title of the world’s most populous country. India’s population growth has actually been slowing down for many decades, thanks to comprehensive family planning — but the burden mostly falls on women.

As India becomes the world's most populous nation, engaging men in family planning ‘will be a game changer'
The Gaiety theatre in Shimla is a fine example of British colonial-era architecture

'It is a legacy': How British-era ghosts are kept alive in India's hill towns

The northern Indian hill towns — with their breathtaking views and lush cedar forests — became a favorite haunt of British high society. Reminders of that era still linger across the hill stations in the form of Gothic lodges, anglicized street names, churches — and ghosts.

'It is a legacy': How British-era ghosts are kept alive in India's hill towns
An Aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, Dec. 12, 2021.

Hindu claims to Varanasi mosque stoke religious tensions in India

Temple-mosque disputes have been flooding Indian courts in recent years. The current Gyanvapi mosque dispute stokes fear that violence could once again erupt between Hindus and Muslims over claims to the contested site.

Hindu claims to Varanasi mosque stoke religious tensions in India
Sri Lankan fans take a selfie during a cricket match with Australia in Colombo.

'An air of hope': Sri Lankans see cricket as a welcome distraction from the country's economic, political woes

Australia and Sri Lanka are usually bitter rivals on the pitch during cricket matches. But Sri Lankans are welcoming the Australian team and its fans as a much-needed distraction from their country's recent political and economic turmoil.

'An air of hope': Sri Lankans see cricket as a welcome distraction from the country's economic, political woes
Activists from right-wing Hindu organization Bajrang Dal burn an effigy of Islamic terrorism during a protest against the Tuesday killing of Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu man in a suspected religious attack in western Udaipur city of Rajasthan state, in Ahmedabad

'India is a tinderbox': Religious tensions come to a boiling point after brutal murder of Hindu tailor

“Religious polarization has been rising in India under [Narendra] Modi, who is seen as a Hindu nationalist leader,” journalist Sushmita Pathak told The World’s Marco Werman. 

'India is a tinderbox': Religious tensions come to a boiling point after brutal murder of Hindu tailor
V Sailakshmi, 39, says sex work helped pay for her sister's wedding and for her father's funeral

'We are demanding full decriminalization': Sex workers in India rally for labor rights

Sex work is technically legal in India, but workers say they face stigma, harassment and violence — especially by the police. In recent years, sex worker collectives have formed to demand full decriminalization of sex work and recognition of their labor as worthy of protections and rights.

'We are demanding full decriminalization': Sex workers in India rally for labor rights