Opium is grown in the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and the cultivation is tightly regulated and controlled by the government.

BBC: NEWS | South Asia | Rajasthan farmers face opium ban

Several big states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, are bursting at the seams, with women still expected to fulfil a traditional role as wives and breeding machines regardless of the prospects for their children.

ECONOMIST: Unshapely world, too old or too young

The cold snap has also been sweeping through many parts of the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

BBC: Delhi shivers on coldest day for 44 years