Meghna Bali

New Delhi

South Asia Bureau Chief and Correspondent at Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

South Asia Bureau Chief and Correspondent, @abcnews. Indian Australian. [email protected]

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Articles

Indian liquor ban fuels blackmarket grog

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali

The Indian state Bihar has a huge problem with illegal alcohol. Drinking has been banned in the state for nearly a decade but rather than stamp it out, it's simply fuelled a thriving black-market. The policy's facing fresh scrutiny now, with a wave of fatal toxic liquor deaths.
The deadly price of the world's biggest prohibition experiment

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Ellie Grounds

In the Indian state of Bihar, a black market for booze runs rampant, making millions — and killing people in the process. Deep inside the Rajauli forest in India, the air is thick with the sweet and sour punch of yeast. About a dozen policemen march in single file through the tangled undergrowth, dry leaves crunching under their boots in the blazing sun. Suddenly, two massive drums loom into view, 1,000 litres each, bubbling with an illicit brew.
The deadly price of the world's biggest prohibition experiment

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Meghna Bali

NowCNN — The year is 1947 and the world is continuing its long crawl out of the shadows of war. You’re excited. You’ve been in Australia for decades, made a small fortune and finally have some time to visit your relatives back in England. Australia’s national airline, Qantas, has just launched its first …
Indian migrants take risky path in hope of life in US but not all make it

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Bhat Burhan

It only took Harjit Singh a few moments to realise his American dream had been shattered. After three months of navigating cartel-controlled highways, dense jungles, and treacherous mountain trails, he finally reached the US-Mexico border in late January. But instead of stepping into a new life, the 22-year-old was detained and deported to India. His journey has ended where it began, but he is now also tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Indians caught up Trump's immigration crackdown

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali

The Donkey Route is a term used for the dangerous journey many illegal immigrants take to enter the United States. Every year, thousands of Indians pay smugglers to pursue their dream of a better life. And now as President Donald Trump tightens his crackdown, hundreds are being detained and sent back.
Christian pastor denied burial as attacks on religious minorities rise in India

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Bhat Burhan

Pastor Subhash Baghel's body lay in a freezer for nearly three weeks, trapped in bureaucratic limbo. His grief-stricken family wanted to bury him in the same cemetery where generations of their ancestors have been laid to rest. But in their remote village in Bastar region, a rugged tribal belt in India's central Chhattisgarh state, that was no longer an option. The funeral was blocked by right-wing Hindu vigilantes — backed by village authorities.
Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of humanity

Jan 16, 2025 | indianpolitics.co.in | Meghna Bali |Som Patidar

By Meghna Bali and Som PatidarDigambar Naga Baba has kept his arm up in this position for five years as an extreme act of penance. (ABC News: Meghna Bali)Digambar Naga Baba has kept his hand raised for the last five years — a symbolic act of devotion and sacrifice. He claims this extreme penance is to protect Sanatan Dharma, or “eternal dharma”, a Sanskrit term often used to describe the ancient spiritual and moral foundation of Hinduism.
Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of humanity. Here's how India does it

Jan 13, 2025 | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Som Patidar

Digambar Naga Baba has kept his right hand raised for the last five years — a symbolic act of devotion and sacrifice. He claims this extreme penance is to protect Sanatan Dharma, or "eternal dharma", a Sanskrit term often used to describe the ancient spiritual and moral foundation of Hinduism. As a Naga Sadhu — a member of an ascetic sect dedicated to Lord Shiva — he embraces a life of severe austerity, celibacy, and meditation.
India's Kumbh Mela pilgrimage begins

Jan 12, 2025 | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali

The largest gathering of humans on earth has kicked off in India. The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage where devotees seek to cleanse their sins in the sacred waters of the Ganges River. Over the next six weeks, 400 million people are expected to take part.
A disaster so big it sped up our planet's rotation. Its impacts are still felt today

Dec 20, 2024 | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Lauren Day |Bill Birtles

The Boxing Day tsunami interrupted a civil war, triggered the worst rail accident in history and shattered the lives of millions. Twenty years on, the survivors share their incredible stories. • 中文版 | Indonesian •A disaster so big it sped up our planet's rotation and left almost a quarter of a million people dead.