South Asia Archives

Words for Her: Indians in America Pay Tribute to Those Affected by COVID

Those in the U.S. with ties to India are reckoning with uncertainty and fear for themselves, those immediately around them, and loved ones across the world.

by Tanvi MisraAug 1, 2021

This story was published in partnership with NBC News and The Fuller Project.

Anantnag, Indian-Administered Kashmir: ‘I Have Children And I Fear To Go Near Them’

A hospital worker in Anantnag fears for her health and the safety of her family amid India's COVID crisis.

by Raihana MaqboolJun 9, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh: ‘Our Supervisors Tell Us Not to Take the Vaccine. They Tell us That the Injection Will Kill Us.’

In India, 90% of sanitation workers lack health insurance, putting them at increased risk if they were to fall ill and lack access to health care.

by Swati Sanyal TarafdarMay 21, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Pune, Maharashtra: A Haze of Delirium and Rumors of a Medical Hoax

It is 10 p.m. and the city of Pune echoes with the wail of ambulance sirens. Medical staff are losing both patients and hope. A mother and daughter fight to keep their bond.

by Priya MirchandaniMay 21, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Introduction

In April, the trend line of COVID-19 cases reported in India started rising so steeply that it looked vertical. Like elsewhere around the world, the pandemic has not been an equalizer in India. It has…

by Tanvi MisraMay 19, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

‘It Is Like I Am Being Strangled’

For transgender people across the India, the state-imposed lockdown restrictions and curfews can mean being trapped in hostile homes and without access to the community, medical care and mental-health services that they depend on for…

by Sara BardhanMay 10, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

New Delhi: ‘We Keep Our Pain Buried In Our Hearts To Serve People’

Health care workers in India are fighting the pandemic with all might and massive challenges. A health care worker in New Delhi shares her struggle.

by Fahad ShahMay 6, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Namakkal, Tamil Nadu: ‘When Will This End?’

Devi has been on the phone all morning. She’s called contractors, masons and friends to see if they have work for her tomorrow. But so far, no luck. Tomorrow she will try again. “I just…

by Dharani ThangaveluMay 5, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Uttar Pradesh: ‘Our First Duty Is To Save Lives’

In Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, 55-year-old Gyanwati Devi quickly stops by the home of her supervisor in the evening to collect medicines. Earlier in the day, she visited 50 village households for a survey…

by Sarita SantoshiniMay 5, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.5

Uttar Pradesh: ‘Our First Duty Is To Save Lives’

Health care workers on the frontlines of India's COVID-19 crisis juggle personal safety with a sense of obligation to protect their communities.

by Sarita SantoshiniMay 5, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Namakkal, Tamil Nadu: ‘When Will This End?’

A 30-year-old construction laborer and single mother of two children struggles to find stable work, jostling between multiple jobs in order to feed her family.

by Dharani ThangaveluMay 5, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Gangyasar, Rajasthan: ‘I Have Been Battling Renal Failure So I Thought This Was Easy’

Taramani Devi, 43, has been infected with coronavirus three times—and recovered from it three times—while battling kidney failure. The last time she was infected COVID-19, it was two days after she had undergone a surgery…

by Sonal KelloggMay 4, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Goa: ‘Even If We Register, I Don’t Think There Are Enough Vaccines to Go Around’

After a 3-day partial lockdown, the state is back to business with “restrictions.” Casinos are closed until May 10, hotels remain open as there is no ban on tourists and restaurants are open with 50%…

by Chryselle D’Silva DiasMay 4, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Gangyasar, Rajasthan: ‘I Have Been Battling Renal Failure So I Thought This Was Easy’

Three women in India share their experience battling severe illness — and COVID-19.

by Sonal KelloggMay 4, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Goa: ‘Even If We Register, I Don’t Think There Are Enough Vaccines to Go Around’

The broader availability of the COVID-19 vaccine isn't sparking optimism for an employee of an international hotel chain in Goa, who is struggling to sign up for the shot and fears further threats to her…

by Chryselle D’Silva DiasMay 4, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir: ‘I Cannot Afford To Sit At Home Even For A Day’

A woman who's sold fish for decades as part of Kashmir's fishing community grapples with the grip of COVID-19 in India.

by Raihana MaqboolMay 3, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu: ‘What Has to Happen Will Happen’

It’s noon and Asha Mutha, 53, has just finished cooking lunch. She wipes the sweat off her forehead, pushes the thick frames of her spectacles up the bridge of her nose, and tucks the pink…

by Mahima JainApr 30, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

Nagpur, Maharashtra: ‘We Are Carrying A Massive Guilt’

Preeti Namjoshi, a 26-year-old resident doctor in the final days of her three-year masters’ degree in internal medicine, was supposed to be preparing for final exams right now. Instead she finds herself struggling to assist…

by Sarita SantoshiniApr 30, 2021

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of The Fuller Project’s ongoing series, Gasping For Breath: Women Provide A Glimpse Into India’s COVID Disaster. Read the full series here.

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