A potter carries earthen lamps to dry ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which will be celebrated across the country on 31 October, in Hyderabad, India, Friday, October 25, 2024. (Photo by Mahesh Kumar A./AP Photo)





A woman tends to a relative of Mushtaq Ahmad, an army porter who was among those killed in a rebel ambush on an army vehicle on Thursday night, during his funeral in Nowshera village north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, October 25, 2024. (Photo by Dar Yasin/AP Photo)





New recruits of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) take part in a passing out parade in Humhama, on the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 26 October 2024. A total of 629 recruits were formally inducted into the BSF, an Indian paramilitary force, after completing 44 weeks of training in physical fitness, weapon handling, commando operations and counter insurgency, a BSF spokesman said 26 October. (Photo by Farooq Khan/EPA)





A shopkeeper sells decor and lights ahead of the Hindu festival of “Diwali”, in New Delhi on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)





Participants row towards the finish line during the boat races in Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir,Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)





Indian army soldiers dance to celebrate Diwali, near Line of Control that divides Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, in Akhnoor sector, about 66 kilometers (41 miles/AP from Jammu, India, Monday, October 28, 2024. (Photo by Channi Anand/AP Photo)





Jasraj, 70, takes bath on the banks of the the river Yamuna filled with toxic foams in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP Photo)





Workers for the Delhi Jal or water board put up a cloth curtain to stop the flow of the toxic foams floating in the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP Photo)





Students perform during a “Bhangra” folk dance competition at a university in Amritsar on October 29, 2024. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)





People release a paper lantern during the celebration of the Diwali festival. The Fanush, a paper-made hot air balloon, is an integral part of North Calcutta Heritage Culture, and it is an old tradition to fly Fanush on the day of Kalipujo before Diwali in Kolkata on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





A boy plays with firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





Students light earthen oil lamps during the celebrations to mark Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Guwahati on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Biju Boro/AFP Photo)





People stand in the early morning smog next to a bridge over Yamuna river covered in pollutants, the day after the Hindu festival Diwali, in New Delhi, India, Friday, November 1, 2024. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP Photo)





Kashmiri farmers collect saffron flowers at a field during the saffron harvest season in Pampore, area in the outskirts of Srinagar on November 2, 2024. The saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus and is harvested once a year from October 21 to mid-November. The world's most expensive spice-Kashmiri saffron, often referred to as "Red Gold" which sells for more than 10,000 US dollars a kilogram, is considered one of the best varieties due to its superior quality and distinct flavor and aroma. It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region, with its history spanning more than 3,500 years. However, saffron farmers have witnessed a decline in production over the years due to changing climatic conditions. (Photo by Faisal Bashir/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





Volunteers clean the holy sarovar a day after the Sikh festival Bandi Chhor Divas, as a thick smog engulfs the Golden Temple in Amritsar on November 2, 2024. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)





The Indian Army trains Village Defence Guards to counter terrorist threats in Poonch, Jammu, India, on November 4, 2024. (Photo by Nazim Ali Khan/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo)





People buy items that are used as religious offerings ahead of the Hindu Chhath Puja festival at a market in New Delhi on November 6, 2024. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)





A man steers his boat across river Yamuna laden with toxic foam, as smog engulfs New Delhi on November 6, 2024. (Photo by Money Sharma/AFP Photo)





Morning walkers chat over snacks and tea outside a tea stall in the Hazratganj shopping area in Lucknow, India, Thursday, November 7, 2024. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)