India do or does?

Question

In pics: India celebrates Rakhi with fervour

Or In pics: India celebrate Rakhi with fervour

which is correct?

Answer 1

In these sentences, India is an example of synechdoche, where a word (India) is used to represent something with a greater scope (all of the people in India).

Although it represents a group of people, the word India is a singular noun, and so the verb must take the appropriate form for a singular noun. The correct version is therefore:

India celebrates Rakhi with fervour