tearsheets – Harsha Vadlamani

Heavy Lies the Grain // The Caravan Magazine

Harsha Vadlamani — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 09:06:16 +0000

It feels surreal to finally see my project, Heavy Lies the Grain, in print in the March 2025 issue of The Caravan magazine. When I first travelled to southern Punjab in 2016 to begin this work, I had no idea where it would take me. I couldn’t have imagined the paths it would open up, the people it would bring into my life, or the stories that would shape me along the way. Over eight years, it grew across more than 200 villages and hundreds of conversations with farmers. Their generosity, honesty and resilience carried this project forward. Thank you, Punjab, for being so kind and so deeply giving.

I am very grateful to the National Geographic Society, which generously supported this work, and to my program officer, David Lee.

Cow Vigilantes in India // NEON Germany

Harsha Vadlamani — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 11:35:13 +0000

On a November night when thousands of couples tied the knot and traffic choked the roads of Delhi, I struggled to keep up with this group of cow vigilantes as they ran recklessly through the traffic to stop and inspect any vehicle they suspected of smuggling cows. The story, for the German youth magazine NEON, also took Fiona Weber-Steinhaus and me to different parts of Haryana with a brief detour to Himachal Pradesh for a cup of chai in the middle of the night.

Happy to see the story finally appear in the April issue of NEON. The magazine doesn’t post their stories online, but you check out a selection of photos from the assignment here.

Drought, Displacement, Debt // Roads and Kingdoms

Harsha Vadlamani — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 07:06:35 +0000

Roads and Kingdoms has recently published my work on the drought and agrarian crisis in Marathwada, India, along with my words. The project can be seen in its entirety here on my website.

Roads and Kingdoms, September 2016.

Why are India’s farmers Killing themselves? // CNN Photos

Harsha Vadlamani — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 06:52:37 +0000

My photos of the drought and agrarian crisis in Marathwada were featured on CNN Photos, along with a short interview by John Sutter.

Work on my website.

The Race to Train Workers to ‘Make in India’ // The Wall Street Journal

Harsha Vadlamani — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:17:08 +0000

June 07, 2016. A training session on Root Cause and Corrective Action in progress at the Advanced Craftsmanship Center on the Tata Advanced Systems Limited campus at Adibatla in the south Indian city of Hyderabad. CREDIT: Harsha Vadlamani for The Wall Street Journal.

Having signed a string of multibillion-dollar orders from foreign firms to make parts for helicopters, jet fighters and trains, India is struggling to find people with the skills to build them.