The pilgrimage, which dates back millennia, occurs in 12-year cycles—in 2001, the Indian government estimated a staggering 70 million congregated by the Ganges’ banks to ritually bathe in its sacred waters.
India
Tens of Millions Gather at India’s Maha Kumbh Mela
In Allahabad, northern India, a megacity of millions is sprouting up at the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. For millennia, Hindu devotees have flocked to these holy banks to participate in a ritual cleansing known as …
Sexual Violence in India: How Long Will the Media’s Interest Last?
It’s been nearly a month of relentlessly grim news in India, as more and more details of December’s brutal sexual assault come to light alongside a daily barrage of new rape cases reported around the nation. On Jan. 12, a …
How India Fought Polio — and Won
A sprawling country with a massive population pulled off one of the greatest public-health coups in history
Were the Delhi Rape Suspects Tortured by Police?
Five suspects finally appear in court with legal representation, but how their case will be conducted amid both legal and popular chaos remains to be seen.
India’s Gang-Rape Case: As Accused Go to Court, Unease Settles over Delhi
Five men charged with the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman last month appeared in a closed hearing in Delhi on Monday after a judge cleared a packed and chaotic courtroom on concerns for the security of the accused. Before …
Should the Indian Gang-Rape Victim Remain Anonymous?
As the ashes of the young New Delhi rape victim were scattered in the Ganges this week, a new debate started to take shape about the chilling attack that has sent India into a period of deep introspection. For weeks, protesters …
India Demands Change as It Mourns Gang-Rape Victim
The brutal rape of a student has flamed violent protests across New Delhi, where people – especially youths — turned out in droves to demand justice for the girl, whose identity is being kept under wraps by authorities.
India: After New Delhi Gang Rape, Should the Culprits Be Executed?
On Monday morning, fighting for her life at a Delhi hospital, a 23-year-old victim of a brutal gang rape in New Delhi last week was unaware that at the heart of New Delhi in Jantar Mantar, a protest ground, a crowd massed in her …
In India, a Rape Sparks Violent Protests and Demands for Justice
An alleged gang rape in New Delhi has prompted calls for change by women’s-rights groups and violent clashes between police and anti-rape protests in the nation’s capital.
Is Narendra Modi a Step Closer to Being India’s Next Prime Minister?
Gujarat’s bookies are probably lying low for the next few days. The good odds they put on a narrow win for Narendra Modi did not pay off today, as the charismatic and divisive Indian politician was re-elected as chief minister of …
Brutal New Delhi Gang Rape Outrages Indians, Spurs Calls for Action
On Sunday, a 23-year-old woman was gang raped for almost an hour on a moving bus and then thrown semi-naked on the road to die. Sadly, it was not an isolated incident
India Pays Tribute to Ravi Shankar, Sitar Maestro and Cultural Ambassador
Ravi Shankar, who died on Dec. 11 in southern California at the age 92, is still one of the most powerful and lasting influences in music today.