Editorial

For all the despair that envelops the issue of water and sanitation in India, there are loads of positives as well, be they with government initiatives to stem the tide or civil society efforts to protect the most precious of natural resources. Statistics illustrate the scale of the crisis: an estimated 820 million Indians suffer high-to-extreme water stress, 70% of the country’s water is contaminated, and, going by current trends, demand for water will be twice that of supply in five years.

Our cover story examines how the Tata Trusts are helping India address its water and sanitation woes. Operating under the rubric of the Tata Water Mission, the Trusts’ extensive range of water-related programmes employs a wide-angle approach to conserve and secure water for vulnerable rural communities across the country. The Mission’s success over the years is reflected in the numbers. It has reached more than 350,000 households across 13 Indian states, touching the lives of some 1.2 million people, the majority from marginalised backgrounds.

We also have a special report on the Nobel Prize Dialogue India 2025, a double-header event organised by the Tata Trusts in partnership with Nobel Prize Outreach in Bengaluru and Mumbai. The theme of the Dialogue, ‘The Future We Want’, saw a collection of global thought leaders — among them Nobel laureates James Robinson and David MacMillan — exploring what it will take to create a more inclusive and equitable world.

This was the Dialogue’s maiden staging in India and it covered a range of compelling subjects, from science and economics to healthcare and urbanisation. Mr Robinson, who received the Nobel Prize for economic sciences in 2024, and Mr MacMillan, winner of the Prize in 2021 for chemistry, were the star attractions at the event. This edition of Horizons has interviews with the Nobel duo, where they speak about their work and the influences shaping society.

In our feature stories section, there’s a report on the Tata-Indian Institute of Science Postgraduate Medical School, which has the potential to transform healthcare in India through interdisciplinary research, collaborations and more. Additionally, we have the inside view on a partnership in the skilling space between Tata STRIVE and Siemens India.

In the ‘opinion’ segment, Tata Trusts chief executive Siddharth Sharma writes about the criticality of outstanding institutions of learning to nation-building. To cap it off, we showcase the endeavours of Antaran, the crafts-themed livelihoods programme that has been a godsend for thousands of handloom artisans.

Christabelle Noronha

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