How rural India’s ‘goat nurses’ help animals – and themselves
In rural India, a goat is a valuable asset. For the women trained to care for them, they’re also a path to greater dignity and respect.
Writing
Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.
Why Bollywood is cranking out pro-government films ahead of India’s election
An uptick in brazenly pro-government Bollywood movies highlights the close relationship between India’s ruling party and mainstream media – as well as the risks of blurring the lines between politics, news, and entertainment.
Modi’s approach to welfare earns him votes, but does it help India?
Welfare programs have become a hallmark of Modi’s government—but some question their long-term value
Reincarnation: Myth or Reality?
The Indian subcontinent has long been obsessed with rebirth, from the Bhagavad Gita to Bollywood. Scientists are finally taking note.
Researchers seek, and find, a magical illusion for the ears
The continuity of sight makes it a good target for magic tricks. Can sound work the same way?
The Surprising Factor Making the United States a Tornado Hot Spot
The roughness of terrain far upstream of where tornadoes occur can affect their formation.
The Audacious Scheme to Reroute India’s Water
Scientists are watching with concern as India embarks on a long-delayed plan to connect its rivers.
In India, what wreaks more havoc than floods and heat? Lightning.
India is often at the front lines of climate change, but one of the largest natural threats gets the least attention.
How lab-grown diamonds are reshaping this western India city
India sees lab-grown diamonds as a path to prosperity and economic independence.
India Plans to Change the Weather to Fight Back Against Deadly Smog
India’s capital, New Delhi, is preparing a new weapon in the fight against deadly air pollution: cloud seeding. The experiment, which could take place as early as next week, would introduce chemicals like silver iodide into a cloudy sky to create rain and, it’s hoped, wash away the fine particulate matter hovering over one of the world’s largest cities.
The need is desperate. Delhi has already tried traffic restriction measures, multimillion-dollar air filtration towers, and the use of fleets o
The need is desperate. Delhi has already tried traffic restriction measures, multimillion-dollar air filtration towers, and the use of fleets o
India’s street kids were tired of being ignored. So they started a newspaper.
Their reporting has changed lives. The newspaper they work for has changed theirs.
In Maldives presidential election, China and India are on the ballot
“Maldivians take a lot of pride in their sovereignty, even if it is a small country,” says Azim Zahir, an international relations lecturer at the University of Western Australia. An opposition victory would have “serious foreign relations implications,” including a “likely row between Malé and New Delhi,” but he notes that no government would attempt to completely sever ties with its neighbor.
As voters return for the Sept. 30 runoff, it’s clear that anti-India sentiment has bolstered the pro-C
As voters return for the Sept. 30 runoff, it’s clear that anti-India sentiment has bolstered the pro-C
A Locally-Made HPV Vaccine in India Faces Hesitancy and Delays
A new HPV vaccine may drastically change cervical cancer management in India and other middle and lower-income countries. But the government rollout has hit delays, and healthcare workers face hesitancy.
How India won the race to the moon’s south pole
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Chandrayaan-3 landing as “a victory cry for a new India.”
India’s Family Planning Still Relies Mainly on Female Sterilization
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 w
‘Pink parks’: Delhi’s bid to build safer city for women sparks debate
“Separate does not mean equal,” says Amita Sinha, a retired professor of landscape architecture. “This kind of fragmenting of the public space along gender lines means nobody is a winner.”
Parks like this are about to become more common in India’s capital. Delhi is planning to build around 250 women-only parks across the city, equipped with surveillance cameras, children’s play areas, and restrooms. Female security guards will only allow women and children under 10 to enter. Officials hope the
Parks like this are about to become more common in India’s capital. Delhi is planning to build around 250 women-only parks across the city, equipped with surveillance cameras, children’s play areas, and restrooms. Female security guards will only allow women and children under 10 to enter. Officials hope the
Heat Waves Are Unleashing a Deadly but Overlooked Pollutant
Indian cities, afflicted by rising temperatures and poor air quality, are becoming hot spots of ozone pollution, which has proven a difficult problem to fix.
Why India lags behind in rail safety – and where it goes from here
Mr. Verma says those improvements can’t wait. For long journeys, the rail system is the only affordable option for millions of Indians, especially poor migrant workers like many of those who died in Friday’s accident. “It is the lifeline of the nation,” he says.
Many blame India’s poor track record on chronic overcrowding and congestion, as well as lax attitudes toward safety. The accident is also humbling for the government’s much-touted rail modernization drive, which has spent billions build
Many blame India’s poor track record on chronic overcrowding and congestion, as well as lax attitudes toward safety. The accident is also humbling for the government’s much-touted rail modernization drive, which has spent billions build
Why are India’s lions increasingly swapping the jungle for the beach?
The last of the world’s Asiatic lions live in Gujarat state, but as the apex predators outgrow their forest reserve, they are moving to the seaside
How wrestling became a battleground for women’s safety in India
Indian wrestling is having its own #MeToo reckoning, capturing the nation’s attention and inspiring a rare show of solidarity.
India’s 5 million stray cows are sacred—and a growing nuisance
Stray cattle—most of them abandoned males—are rampant throughout India, where they can't legally be killed.
Gandhi’s expulsion: Bad for Indian democracy, good for opposition?
“If [Mr. Gandhi] wants to play the victim card, he needs to get the entire opposition to fan out in their respective states,” says Rasheed Kidwai, a political analyst at the Observer Research Foundation. “Otherwise, it has every chance to fizzle out.”
Political analysts say his disqualification could be a boon in disguise – a rallying point for India’s fractured opposition ahead of the 2024 elections. This week, leaders from more than a dozen different parties protested Mr. Gandhi’s removal, wh
Political analysts say his disqualification could be a boon in disguise – a rallying point for India’s fractured opposition ahead of the 2024 elections. This week, leaders from more than a dozen different parties protested Mr. Gandhi’s removal, wh
How Kailasa, a Fake Hindu Nation, Conned Millions
Surrounded by people in suits, the woman decked in an orange sari and tube-top blouse with her hair in a large bun stood out. As she sat behind a podium in City Hall in Newark, New Jersey, along with Mayor Ras J. Baraka and other city officials, her arm showed a large tattoo of a man’s smiling face. The woman, Vijayapriya Nithyananda, was there for the signing of a “sister city agreement” between Newark and her country, the United States of Kailasa.
If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s not b
If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s not b
Is there female genital mutilation in India? Delhi says no, survivors say yes.
A court case to determine the rightful leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community is highlighting the oft-ignored issue of female genital mutilation in India. For many Bohra women, issues of freedom and safety are on the line.
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