Sarita Santoshini

India's faulty vaccination strategy has led to lack of access and inequity for many Indians, as well as middle and low-income countries globally. Civil society and local communities are helping bridge gaps but it may not be enough.

Populist leaders, including Indian PM Narendra Modi, swept to power in recent years on a wave of promises. But confronted by a public health emergency like COVID-19, they have performed significantly worse than traditional politicians.

In April, the trend line of COVID-19 cases reported in India started rising so steeply that it looked vertical. I provide snippets of the crisis from the point of view of ASHA workers in rural Uttar Pradesh and a resident doctor in Nagpur.

In India and across the world, heat and heat stress is only getting worse, severely affecting residents of urban slums, especially women. In Ahmedabad, organizations and residents are coming together to find, use, and advocate for solutions.

Home to a massive vaccine industry, India sees an opportunity to expand its leadership among countries feeling left behind, as others stockpile for themselves. It may be generous, but it’s also a boost for New Delhi’s goals.

After providing protection to 125 interfaith couples in November alone, Allahabad High Court ended, after 66 years, a legal provision that made public identities of interfaith couples. The ruling will likely strengthen similar petitions in other courts, despite efforts of BJP states to restrict inter-faith marriage.

Agriculture employs hundreds of millions in India. But that’s not the only reason farmers’ protests have resonated so widely. They tap into concern over shrinking space for consultation, debate, and dissent.

Concerns about intolerance in India have been mounting for years. But in the face of fear and prejudice, some interfaith couples are speaking up to celebrate their love and try to smooth the path ahead for others.

An open letter to the Supreme Court changed the way many Indians thought about women’s rights. The rest should be history.
A longform essay.

In India, education under lockdown and a deep digital divide threaten to undo real progress in rural areas, especially for girls.

In India and around the world, community health workers are being rerouted to deal with the pandemic -- with dangerous results.

“Stay at home” is a common refrain as countries announce lockdowns against COVID-19. But that can be practically impossible for society’s most vulnerable. That challenge has played out on a massive scale in India.

One of the casualties of Delhi’s riots is trust: trust that India’s capital is safe for Muslims and Hindus alike, despite historic tensions. Yet even with those doubts, neighbors are helping each other rebuild some sense of security.

The act struck a nerve in a nation where, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda, secular freedoms, pluralistic principles and Indigenous rights enshrined in the constitution have eroded.

In villages across the country, female volunteer community health workers are helping educate and mobilise to save women's lives.