On a cloudy April morning, a nervous Nisha Devi waited in the reception area of a family planning clinic run by the nonprofit Parivar Seva Sanstha in northwest Delhi. The staff called out numbers given to patients — women from nearby low-income neighborhoods — as they made their way inside to see the doctor, one by one. Devi, 34, was about to undergo a sterilization procedure. A mother of three children, she would have liked to have stopped at two but “the third was destined to come,” she said with a smile. She knew she wouldn’t be able to afford another slip-up. “If I get pregnant again, I...…On a cloudy April morning, a nervous Nisha Devi waited in the reception area of a family planning clinic run by the nonprofit Parivar Seva Sanstha in northwest Delhi. The staff called out numbers given to patients — women from nearby low-income neighborhoods — as they made their way inside to see the doctor, one by one. Devi, 34, was about to undergo a sterilization procedure. A mother of three children, she would have liked to have stopped at two but “the third was destined to come,” she said with a smile. She knew she wouldn’t be able to afford another slip-up. “If I get pregnant again, I...WW…

At Site Of Razed Mosque, India's Modi Lays Foundation For Controversial Hindu Temple The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu extremists sparked riots that killed thousands of Muslims, leaving a deep rift between the country's religious communities.Nearly 30 years ago, Hindu extremists armed with pickaxes tore down a 16th-century mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya, sparking riots that killed thousands of Muslims. On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled a campaign promise to his Hindu nationalist base by laying the cornerstones of a grand...…At Site Of Razed Mosque, India's Modi Lays Foundation For Controversial Hindu Temple The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu extremists sparked riots that killed thousands of Muslims, leaving a deep rift between the country's religious communities.Nearly 30 years ago, Hindu extremists armed with pickaxes tore down a 16th-century mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya, sparking riots that killed thousands of Muslims. On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled a campaign promise to his Hindu nationalist base by laying the cornerstones of a grand...WW…

India's Coronavirus Cases Reach Over 200,000 In A Day Thursday's tally was India's highest since the pandemic began – more than double the previous 2020 peak.India surpassed a somber COVID milestone Thursday, confirming more than in a single day as patients and doctors grapple with a shortage of beds and cities announce curfews. Coronavirus cases had been declining in India for months after reaching a peak last September. But new cases started ticking up last month. Now, they're doubling every ten days or so. Thursday's tally was India's highest since the pandemic began – more than double...…India's Coronavirus Cases Reach Over 200,000 In A Day Thursday's tally was India's highest since the pandemic began – more than double the previous 2020 peak.India surpassed a somber COVID milestone Thursday, confirming more than in a single day as patients and doctors grapple with a shortage of beds and cities announce curfews. Coronavirus cases had been declining in India for months after reaching a peak last September. But new cases started ticking up last month. Now, they're doubling every ten days or so. Thursday's tally was India's highest since the pandemic began – more than double...WW…

Millions Flock To Hindu Festival Amid Coronavirus Spike : Coronavirus Updates Hindu pilgrims are traveling to bathe in the Ganges River to wipe out their sins.Heard onToggle more optionsHYDERABAD, India — One of the largest gatherings of people in the world continues in northern India amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases and a weakening supply of vaccines. Almost Hindu pilgrims have bathed in the Ganges River as part of this year's Kumbh Mela festival, raising concerns that the festival could become a super spreader event. On Monday, the festival's second-holiest day, India's Health...…Millions Flock To Hindu Festival Amid Coronavirus Spike : Coronavirus Updates Hindu pilgrims are traveling to bathe in the Ganges River to wipe out their sins.Heard onToggle more optionsHYDERABAD, India — One of the largest gatherings of people in the world continues in northern India amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases and a weakening supply of vaccines. Almost Hindu pilgrims have bathed in the Ganges River as part of this year's Kumbh Mela festival, raising concerns that the festival could become a super spreader event. On Monday, the festival's second-holiest day, India's Health...WW…

Inspiring film about feminist reporters in India wins awards, opens in U.S. : Goats and Soda Reporter Meera Devi, from the marginalized Dalit caste, is determined to get her community heard. She's featured in the award-winning documentary, Writing With Fire, which opens in the U.S. on Friday.Editor's note: This story was published in April and has been updated. In a mud-walled house in rural northern India, Meera Devi sits across from a woman who recounts how four men broke into her house and raped her. "They [people in positions of political power or of a higher caste] can do anything....…Inspiring film about feminist reporters in India wins awards, opens in U.S. : Goats and Soda Reporter Meera Devi, from the marginalized Dalit caste, is determined to get her community heard. She's featured in the award-winning documentary, Writing With Fire, which opens in the U.S. on Friday.Editor's note: This story was published in April and has been updated. In a mud-walled house in rural northern India, Meera Devi sits across from a woman who recounts how four men broke into her house and raped her. "They [people in positions of political power or of a higher caste] can do anything....WW…

India Authorizes AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use : Coronavirus Updates Almost 150,000 people in India have died from complications of COVID-19, behind only the U.S. and Brazil. India plans to begin inoculating its population of 1.4 billion this month.India's drug regulators gave the country a gift on New Year's Day: a vaccine against the coronavirus. An Indian minister confirmed reports that an expert panel had authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use in India on Friday, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to be authorized in India. "Last year began with...…India Authorizes AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use : Coronavirus Updates Almost 150,000 people in India have died from complications of COVID-19, behind only the U.S. and Brazil. India plans to begin inoculating its population of 1.4 billion this month.India's drug regulators gave the country a gift on New Year's Day: a vaccine against the coronavirus. An Indian minister confirmed reports that an expert panel had authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use in India on Friday, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to be authorized in India. "Last year began with...WW…

Fireworks Of Diwali Adds to New Delhi Air Pollution — And Coronavirus Concerns : Goats and Soda Air quality is awful in New Delhi in winter. Smoke from the fireworks of the Hindu festival of lights adds to the problem. That's a cause for concern during a pandemic caused by a respiratory virus.Toggle more optionsNew Delhi's air quality has already reached its worst level this year. And the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, which starts this weekend, is likely to make things even worse as the traditional rounds of firecrackers add to the air pollution. During the five-day festival, revelers...…Fireworks Of Diwali Adds to New Delhi Air Pollution — And Coronavirus Concerns : Goats and Soda Air quality is awful in New Delhi in winter. Smoke from the fireworks of the Hindu festival of lights adds to the problem. That's a cause for concern during a pandemic caused by a respiratory virus.Toggle more optionsNew Delhi's air quality has already reached its worst level this year. And the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, which starts this weekend, is likely to make things even worse as the traditional rounds of firecrackers add to the air pollution. During the five-day festival, revelers...WW…

Child Marriage On The Rise In India During The Pandemic : Goats and Soda Local sources say there's been a spike in child marriage during the pandemic. A key reason: By marrying off girls early, poor families have one less mouth to feed in desperate times.Heard onToggle more optionsSometimes the call comes from a teenage girl. She is pleading for help, "saying her parents are trying to get her married but she wants to stay in school," says Vijay Muttur. He's the child protection officer in the town of Solapur in south-central India. After India went under a coronavirus lockdown in late...…Child Marriage On The Rise In India During The Pandemic : Goats and Soda Local sources say there's been a spike in child marriage during the pandemic. A key reason: By marrying off girls early, poor families have one less mouth to feed in desperate times.Heard onToggle more optionsSometimes the call comes from a teenage girl. She is pleading for help, "saying her parents are trying to get her married but she wants to stay in school," says Vijay Muttur. He's the child protection officer in the town of Solapur in south-central India. After India went under a coronavirus lockdown in late...WW…

Migrants Are Learning To Read And Write In India's Coronavirus Lockdown Camps : Goats and Soda Pratap Singh Bora is a migrant laborer from Nepal who had to leave his construction job in India and is now living in a relief camp. But there's an upside to this turn of events.All his life, 56-year-old Pratap Singh Bora has been sticking his thumb in ink to sign documents. He didn't go to school when he was a kid. Little did he know that he would learn to write his first words at a coronavirus lockdown center during a global pandemic. Bora is a construction laborer working in the northern Indian...…Migrants Are Learning To Read And Write In India's Coronavirus Lockdown Camps : Goats and Soda Pratap Singh Bora is a migrant laborer from Nepal who had to leave his construction job in India and is now living in a relief camp. But there's an upside to this turn of events.All his life, 56-year-old Pratap Singh Bora has been sticking his thumb in ink to sign documents. He didn't go to school when he was a kid. Little did he know that he would learn to write his first words at a coronavirus lockdown center during a global pandemic. Bora is a construction laborer working in the northern Indian...WW…