In Pics: India This Week

Puppies sit near a bonfire during a cold morning in New Delhi, Sunday, 19 January. 

(Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary)

Beyond the headlines and behind the scenes, The Quint brings you a snapshot of India this week from 19 January to 24 January 2020.

A Muslim man addresses a crowd of protesters inside a tent at the protest site in New Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area. The gathering at Shaheen Bagh started with a handful of women appalled by the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia during protests against the law on 15 December. Since then, it has slowly morphed into a nationwide movement, with many women across the country staging their own sit-ins, on 22 January. 

A priest offer prayers at the Sangam, the confluence of Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical River Saraswati, on the eve of the ‘Mauni Amavasya’ or new moon day, the third and the most auspicious date of bathing during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair “Magh Mela” in Prayagraj, on 23 January. 

Bar-headed Geese, that migrate from Tibet and Central Asia during winter, flock at Gharana wetland on the outskirts of Jammu, on 23 January. 

Assam Police personnel pack up arms and ammunition handed over by cadres of different rebel groups after a surrender ceremony in Guwahati, Assam, on 23 January. More than 600 insurgents belonging to eight different rebel groups have surrendered to Indian authorities in this troubled northeastern state, responding to the government’s peace initiative to rejoin mainstream society. 

Vyommitra, a half-humanoid developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), sits on display at ‘Human Spaceflight and Exploration’ symposium in Bangalore, on 23 January. ISRO said the half-humanoid will simulate human functions in space and will be sent in an unmanned mission before ‘Gaganyaan’ project, which eventually will send Indian astronauts into space in 2022. 

Workers give final touches to a model of Rafale fighter jet at the Indian Air Force tableaux during a press preview for the Republic Day parade, in New Delhi, on 22 January. Tableaux from various Indian states and government ministries will participate in the forthcoming Republic day parade 26 January, where India will showcase its military might and economic strength. 

Indian police officers pay homage near the coffin of their slain colleague Shahbaaz Ahmad during a wreath-laying ceremony in Srinagar, on 22 January. Ahmad was killed on Tuesday during a gun-battle with suspected rebels fighting against Indian rule. 

An Indian laborer works on an under-construction bridge in Guwahati, on 21 January. International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday lowered India’s economic growth estimate for the current fiscal to 4.8 percent and listed the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers as the single biggest drag on its global growth forecast for two years.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez stand for a photograph in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra, on 21 January. 

A view of illuminated India Gate ahead of Republic Day 2020 celebrations, in New Delhi, on 23 January. 

Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar aircraft fly past the Parliament House during the full dress rehearsal for the upcoming Republic Day Parade, in New Delhi, on 23 January. 

Puppies sit near a bonfire during a cold morning in New Delhi, Sunday, 19 January. 

Students walk holding a national flag, claimed to be more than 1,000-feet long, during a rally ahead of the country’s Republic Day in Mumbai, on 24 January.

A view of make-shift tents prepared for pilgrims, during ongoing Magh Mela festival at Sangam, in Prayagraj (Allahabad), on 23 January. 

A devotee offers prayers after taking a dip at the Sangam, on ‘Mauni Amavasya’ or new moon day, the third and the most auspicious date of bathing during the annual month long Hindu religious fair “Magh Mela” in Prayagraj, on 24 January. 

Anganwadi workers and students form a human chain to mark the National Girl Child Day, at Ridge in Shimla, on 24 January. 

Check out all the photo essays in the India This Week series.