Dark rain clouds hover over the Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram, India, Tuesday, October 3, 2023. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP Photo)





Kashmiri workers finish cricket bats in a bat factory on October 3, 2023 in Halmullah, 50 km, south of Srinagar, Indian administered Kashmir, India. Kashmiri bat manufacturers thrive due to cricket's popularity, especially ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup. These willow bats are not only popular locally and in India but also find their way to international markets such as the UK, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Known for their exceptional quality, durability, and affordability, these bats have their willow roots tracing back to the 1920s when the British introduced the wood to Kashmir. The iconic Kashmir willow bat will debut in 50-over World Cup matches, concluding a 102-year manufacturing legacy in the Valley. The 2023 ODI World Cup in India will also mark the inclusion of Kashmir willow bats in an ICC event for the first time. Cricketers from six nations, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies, UAE, and Oman, will favor Kashmir willow over traditional English willow. This shift is supported by Kashmir willow's recent presence in T20 World Cups and the IPL. Despite producing cricket bats for over a century, Kashmir's recognition in world cricket is relatively recent, with international players from various countries choosing these bats for the upcoming ICC ODI event hosted by India, commencing on October 5. However, the region faces the challenge of willow scarcity, endangering small-scale producers and the local economy. Kashmiri bat manufacturers are experiencing a surge in sales ahead of the October 5 start of the Cricket World Cup. These Kashmiri willow bats, priced at just US$20 compared to UK-manufactured bats costing US$200, are in high demand. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)





Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandoes gather before the start of a bike rally to Gujarat, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The cross-country bike expedition, with 150 women CRPF officers participating, starts in Kashmir and will pass through different regions of India and culminate in Gujarat on Oct. 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. (Photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)





Workers attempt to push a stretcher trolley carrying food waste throught sludge at the Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded, India on October 4, 2023. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)





Banjara tribal women wearing colourful “ghaghra” and “choli” (a blouse) pose for photos before cultural event in Bangalore, India, 04 October 2023. Banjara's tribal people are innumerable nomadic tribes are found in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal wandering from one place to another. Over hundreds of Banjara community tribal people gathered to discuss various issues regarding economic, education, social and political status in the society. (Photo by Jagadeesh N.V./EPA/EFE)





A vehicle is seen partially submerged in water after flash floods triggered by a sudden heavy rainfall swamped the Rangpo town in Sikkim, India, Thursday, October 5. 2023. The flooding took place along the Teesta River in the Lachen Valley of the north-eastern state, and was worsened when parts of a dam were washed away. (Photo by Prakash Adhikari/AP Photo)





Soldiers from an Indian Air Force Drill Team present their skills during the Indian Air Force Day celebrations at the Air Force base in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, 08 October 2023. The Indian Air Force celebrates its 91st anniversary. (Photo by Rajat Gupta/EPA)





A man walks past construction vehicles covered in debris caused by flash floods after a lake burst in Rangpo, Sikkim state, India on October 8, 2023. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)





A Kashmiri boy sips tea as his farmer parents work in a paddy field on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sunday, October 8, 2023. Agriculture is the main source of food, income, and employment in rural areas. (Photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)





Vehicles that got washed away in floods lie on the sand as machinery is used to clean mud and sand near the buildings along the Teesta river in Rongpo, east Sikkim, India, Sunday, October. 8. 2023. Rescuers continued to dig through slushy debris and ice-cold water in a hunt for survivors after a glacial lake burst through a dam in India’s Himalayan northeast, shortly after midnight Wednesday, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands to flee. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)





A man digs as he tries to recover a vehicle submerged in mud in the flood affected area along the Teesta river in Rongpo, east Sikkim, India, Sunday, October. 8. 2023. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)





Children sit as a flood affected man removes mud and sand near his previously submerged house along the Teesta river in Rongpo, east Sikkim, India, Sunday, October. 8. 2023. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)





Vehicles lie submerged in mud in the flood affected area along the Teesta river in Rongpo, east Sikkim, India, Sunday, October. 8. 2023. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)





Women wear traditional dresses to perform at a “Garba” dance rehearsal ahead of the Hindu festival “Navratri” in Ahmedabad on October 9, 2023. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)





Women dressed in traditional clothes perform at a “Garba” dance rehearsal ahead of the Hindu festival “Navratri” in Ahmedabad on October 9, 2023. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)





Indians in traditional attire pose for the media as they practice the Garba, a traditional dance of Gujarat state, ahead of Navratri festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, October 9, 2023. The Hindu festival of Navratri, or nine nights, will begin on October 15. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)





A basket carrying relief supplies is transported on a makeshift zip line across the Teesta river to Dzongu village, that became inaccessible after flash floods washed away a bridge at Sangkalang, Sikkim, India on October 9, 2023. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)





A scrap between two unlikely macaque and wild dog rivals in Chandigarh, India in the first decade of October 2023. Image shows the dog and macaque standing their ground, bearing the fangs and lunging at one another in the end the macaque seems victorious. (Photo by Sharanya Jain/Media Drum Images)





People walk along a road with cracks caused by flash floods in Naga-Namgor village, Sikkim, India on October 10, 2023. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)





A flock of birds fly as people walk along Marina Beach at sunrise in Chennai on October 10, 2023. (Photo by R. Satish Babu/AFP Photo)