The relative ranking of castes can vary across regions and localities and depends on a number of factors including control over land, wealth, and political power. Castes have often tried to 'upgrade' themselves (a process sociologists refer to as Sanskritization), and sometimes get 'downgraded'. A revealing excerpt from Upinder Singh's Ancient India: Culture Of Contradictions.
Performance cycles indicate that hedging could be an opportunity and not just an imperfect risk management technique.
The centrality of idle office chitchat has only recently come to be acknowledged by executives as they jettison their access cards and work from home in larger numbers, notes Kanika Datta.
Scientists at the Colorado University in the US claimed to have found that the original statistical model, used to calculate dinosaur mass, was flawed.
For Dosanjh to stand by his faith, retain the turban and beard, and yet not trivialise himself in the roles he has essayed, is really his biggest achievement, observes Sandeep Goyal.
It is high time that petrol and diesel prices were decontrolled taking advantage of low inflation and global crude prices, the Economic Survey said, while criticising the government for its "imperfect" handling of oil price hike.
'In every episode, you are tricked into believing that this messy girl whose life is falling apart is so talented and real that you have to love her for who she is.' 'And you will love her eventually because Masaba is effortless and looks stunning in every frame,' notes Divya Nair.
India did not create the problem. But if it had a better functioning government system, it would have been able to deal with it at lower cost to its citizens, explains T N Ninan.
Scars are nothing to be ashamed of, says the founder of Love Disgfigure.
Chen scores world record for massive lead over shocked Hanyu
TCL 55P6US comes with a fairly minimalistic design: a metal frame and a bezel so narrow that you will barely notice it.
She was capable of a level of human compassion that is rare today among politicians, recalls Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who knew the Communist legend K R Gowri, who passed into the ages on May 11, from his childhood.
''Fashion without a conscience is a ticking time bomb.'
Despite being a bit contrived, Rendition, based on an original and tightly drawn screenplay by Kelley Sane, is a poignant, heartwarming and timely film connected to 9/11.
'The idea is to celebrate your imperfections because God has made us all the same, right?'
Rediff reader Shikha signed up for yoga two years ago and has since never looked back.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, on Thursday lambasted Pakistan for peddling a false narrative on New Delhi and said there are no "takers for your malware here".
One of the implications of rising interest rates that deserves more attention than it gets in the current discourse is that of deteriorating credit quality.
As the world grows grimmer by the day, what can be more reassuring than pretty people showing off their perfect pearlies?
IMAGES from Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park on Friday
'If you take me back to 1995, when doping was completely pervasive, I would probably do it again' 'When I made the decision (to dope in 1995), when my team made that decision, when the whole peloton made that decision, it was a bad decision and an imperfect time'
Do you pull your hair? Bite your nails? Scratch all over? Don't take these symptoms lightly. Your skin is telling you there is a problem.
'Kabir Singh will be very special for me, but my goal is to make each character as memorable as Preeti.'
At a time when exporters and IT companies are worried about the Rupee getting stronger against the US Dollar, subsequently "affecting business", Shiv Nadar, founder of software and hardware major HCL said things are doing fine.
It is far from clear that this GST will have the silver bullet effect that the "pure" GST would have provided, says Mihir S Sharma.
Sooni Taraporewala makes us root for her young characters even if we aren't entirely sure about the depth of their feelings, feels Sukanya Verma.
The World Bank has praised India for its rapid economic growth but was critical of the country's labour laws, caste system, gender inequality and imperfections in capital market that were widening inequality.
'At a time when our world has been rattled in ways we have never encountered before, these mornings have been my window into a universe where all that matters is living in the moment,' says Veenu Sandhu.
'In the process, I hope that our Earth will be able to heal some more.'
'A six month extension, if not extended further, would make General Bajwa a lame duck chief, altering the balance of his equations with the senior peer group of lieutenant generals,' says Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
'This time he spreads more than his arms. He finds wings,' declares Sukanya Verma.
Remembering Sridevi's strongest words on her 56th birth anniversary.
Goalkeeping howlers have been scarce at the World Cup but Fernando Muslera's mistake proved fatal for Uruguay in their 2-0 quarter-final defeat by France on Friday just as much as a brilliant stop from Hugo Lloris kept his side ahead.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the GulfKingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October, and three other journalists were named TIME's Person of the Year, an honour that recognises them for "taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths" and "for speaking up and for speaking out". "For taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts, for speaking up and for speaking out, the Guardians -- Jamal Khashoggi, the Capital Gazette, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo -- are TIME's Person of the Year," the magazine said on Tuesday. Here's all you need to know about TIME's Guardians.
This year, it was all about embracing the imperfections.
'You are what you are and you have to live life embracing all of you.'
