A street vendor fries jalebi, a treat made of batter and crystallized sugar that is popular in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. John Poole/NPR hide caption
Along The Grand Trunk Road An ancient road spans South Asia, connecting the present and the past in a dynamic -- and sometimes dangerous -- part of the world. NPR journalists travel the route and tell the stories of young people living there, who make up the majority of the populations in India and Pakistan.
Special Series
Along The Grand Trunk Road
Hear the stories of young people who make up the majority of the populations in India and Pakistan.
Sharing A Pizza: Students chat in an outdoor cafe on the campus of the Institute of Management Sciences. In the background are the mountainous tribal areas of the former Northwest Frontier province. John Poole/NPR hide caption
In Lahore, the Grand Trunk Road's dichotomy: A couple shares a motorcycle, as a horse pulls a wagon in the background. John Poole/NPR hide caption
A man rides his bike down the former main street of the ancient city of Sirkap, which was a crowded settlement more than 2,000 years ago. Villagers now use the street as a shortcut home. John Poole/NPR hide caption
On her wedding day, bride Rukhsana Gul sits with some of her nine sisters. John Poole/NPR hide caption
In early April, professor Iftikhar Baloch was assaulted and nearly killed in his office by members of Islami Jamiat Taliba, who were upset at the expulsion of some of their members from the university. John Poole/NPR hide caption
At a family brick-making operation near the Grand Trunk Road in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, workers load donkeys with sun-dried bricks to be carried to the kiln. John Poole/NPR hide caption
Kosar Ghaffar Ahmed, 17, participates in a literacy program in which students learn through transcribing text messages. John Poole/NPR hide caption
Muhammad Yasir, 23, lifts free weights at Gold's Gym in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Despite its name, the facility is not affiliated with the U.S. gym chain. John Poole/NPR hide caption
Maria Khan is a 25-year-old barrister from Lahore. John Poole/NPR hide caption
Shazia Bibi (right) is shown with her family in this undated photo. The 12-year-old died under mysterious circumstances in January 2010, after eight months working in the household of a prominent lawyer in Lahore, Pakistan. Naeem Chaudhry, her employer, is being investigated in connection with her death. Courtesy Masih Family hide caption
Pakistani Rangers (in black) goosestep at the Wagah border; India's border guards are in tan. The 30-minute ritual show of force and bluster happens every evening of the year. Hundreds of spectators come to watch the show -- from both sides of the border. John Poole/NPR hide caption
A cultural war is playing out among Pakistan's youth, pitting fundamentalism against secularism, isolationism versus globalization. Here, female students attend classes at the private Institute of Management Sciences in Peshawar, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption
About 176 children between the ages of 6 and 11 attend this primary school in a village on the outskirts of Aligarh. But many of them must skip class to help work on their families' farm. Kainaz Amaria for NPR hide caption
Young Indian women celebrate at the border ceremony, where Pakistani and Indian crowds try to outdo one another with slogans and chants. Kainaz Amaria for NPR hide caption
Priests in India perform the puja, a Hindu honor ceremony. Incense, flowers and candles are used to pay gratitude to Shiva and the River Ganges. Kainaz Amaria for NPR hide caption
A man rides his bike down the former main street of the ancient city of Sirkap, which was a crowded settlement more than 2,000 years ago. Villagers now use the street as a shortcut home. John Poole/NPR hide caption