'We are two countries that, as Swami Vivekananda said in Chicago more than a century ago, have sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations on Earth.' 'People are watching to wait and see if this Modi moment is going to be the moment when the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy finally capitalise on the full, inherent potential of this relationship.' Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from the State Department's lunch for Prime Minister Modi.

Celebrations in Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekharapattinam, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, have devotees visit the temple in an avatar of their choice. They could be dressed as kings or beggars, monkeys or demons, but the more popular is different forms of the Devi.

Celebrations in Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekharapattinam, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, have devotees visit the temple in an avatar of their choice. They could be dressed as kings or beggars, monkeys or demons, but the more popular is different forms of the Devi.

Narendra Modi speaks to CNN's Fareed Zakaria in his first interview after becoming prime minister. The excerpts

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's 1882 classic, Anandamath (Abbey of Bliss) offers all the inspiration you need.

Wherever you look, heroism seems to be on the retreat. Is this a modern malaise or are heroes doomed to fall, asks Arundhuti Dasgupta.

Barack H Obama was on Monday sworn-in as President of the United States for a second term. Here's the transcript of the speech he gave at Capitol Hill shortly after the swearing-in ceremony

This year, the much-anticipated Jaipur Literature Festival will have a special touch of spirituality, with an underlying theme of Buddha's influence on the literary world. And who better than the Dalai Lama to throw open this discussion?

Prominent human rights body People's Union of Civil Liberties has condemned 26/11 Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab's hanging. In a press release, PUCL also pointed out that Kasab was only a foot soldier, and the masterminds of the 26/11 terror strikes are still at large.

Adam Scott shot down a putter rule change suggestion by Tiger Woods on Tuesday and told golf's governing bodies to focus on more pressing issues as the Australian leapt to the defence of controversial long putters.

The history of our nation may not always have charted a linear trajectory to greatness. But that must not distract us from recognising that we as a nation we continue to find new and innovative ways to reconcile contradictions, transcend fault-lines thus avoiding the pitfalls of so many of our neighbours, says Shashi Shekhar.

One of the reasons the film did not generate hyper interest was that it came a couple of decades after hugely successful films of the same type.

We must make politics that uses demographic identity as a wedge, less and less relevant, says Shashi Shekhar.

These boards need to function efficiently to maximise the wealth of the nation.

A tiny, dark-red, terracotta urn containing ashes of indeterminate origin and deemed too fragile to leave the cloistered hush of the Lord's ground museum is the focus of one of the world's great sporting rivalries.

The transcript of the speech President Barack Obama delivered in Parliament on Monday evening

'What heartens me is that Tejaswani's road to medals continues to be one where family and friends remain the lynch-pin of the journey,' says Roopa Unnikrishnan whose 12-year-old Indian shooting record was broken by Tejaswini Sawant last fortnight.

Saisuresh Sivaswamy discovers that you can take a Tamil director out of Tamil Nadu, but you can't take Tamil Nadu out of him.

One of the most prominent of Indian immigrants in America, Subash Razdan has, along with his wife Raj, made America his home for more than 34 years. Among his many achievements are leading the effort to have a Mahatma Gandhi statute in Atlanta at the museum that honors Martin Luther King Jr., the highly influential activist who was inspired by the Mahatma.

On May 11 we launched our campaign against caste in census 2011 and responses from readers have been pouring in. While some merely clicked the 'I am against the caste census' button, others were more vocal. We present what our readers had to say.

Iron Man 2 boosts the early summer season with a huge opening.

Legendary artist Sayed Haider Raza speaks to Payal Mohanka about roots and compassion

Balmurli Natrajan, anthropology professor at the William Paterson University in New Jersey, is one of the most visible campus activists in the country. He is involved with the South Asia Solidarity Initiative, which impacts public discourse in the United States.

Individuals who lent money on interest have played a major role in structuring our current banking system.

In the wake of the Liberhan commision's report being tabled in Parliament, Sharat Pradhan recounts the day the Babri Masjid was felled.

Listen better so you can learn better. Learn better so you can invest better.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican in the adaptation of Angels & Demons, a prequel to the 2006 smash hit Da Vinci Code.

India meets New Zealand in the first ODI of the five-match series on March 3 at McLean Park, Napier. Here's a statistical outlook of the cricket at the venue.

Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami is a stickler. For rules. For details. For discipline. For principles. For values. For him, there is only one way of doing things: The right way. He is known to make copious notes about how every hour of his day passes. "He jots down details in a tiny diary. Even if you speak to him on the phone for a few minutes, your name and details of the conversation go into that tiny diary," revealed a friend who has known the CEC for 20 years.

Ironically, one of his greatest challenges during the coming year will be writing himself out of the script.

The Ramayana remains ever popular across the globe, and now it has gone to Broadway, finds Arthur J Pais.

The decision to go abroad for the MBA was made, but when the time came to decide where exactly to go, the number and variety of options was baffling me, to say the least!

US giants are rushing to partner with Indian and Chinese companiestapping their brainpower and saving millions of dollars in the search for breakthrough treatments

As part of an ongoing series, we publish the third excerpt from Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's first book, You Are Here, to be launched August 15 by Penguin India.

From a bridge that connects two continents to one that inspires eternal love, 10 structures that guarantee a memorable journey.

Each time an Indian life was lost, the top officials in Delhi reiterated their resolve not to be deterred by terrorists. A high level meeting of officials ensued to take stock of the security of the Indian personnel in Afghanistan. We, then, moved on. But does that approach suffice? Is anyone listening out there in the Hindu Kush? Isn't a comprehensive relook of policy warranted?

Valmiki knew Ram to be a human, a noble man, the best of his era and in his time wrote the Ramayana as both were contemporary. He has also shown Ram to possess human traits and emotions, just like any ordinary person. We, in our blind faith, have accentuated the question marks on the historicity of Ram and Ramayana by treating Ramayana like a fable and depicting its noble characters as birds and animals.

The wretched of the earth have stood up and invited themselves to the Great Game.

India is facing a massive urban crisis, whose solution is nowhere in sight.

Answers and explanations to yesterday's GRE questions.