Often when I meet a new Indian friend, who is not aware of my background, he exclaims: "So many years in India! but why, why? I can't understand! My dream is to go to the States or Europe and you are living in 'this' country!" Claude Arpi, who was born a Frenchman, looks back on his 40 years in India.
Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com gives the lowdown on the constituencies going to polls in the first phase on April 11.
A 12-hour hartal is being observed against the preventive detention of a Hindu Aikya Vedi leader.
The attacks, which disrupted normal life, marked return of political violence on large-scale after a gap of over a year in Kannur.
As Narendra Modi gets ready to take oath as prime minister, his wife Jashodaben said she is extremely happy over his ascent to the top post and that he accepted her for the first time as his spouse.
She also challenged him to a public debate 'without a handwritten script' over his criticism of the Modi government.
Temple priest performed a 'purification' ritual for an hour before the doors were opened again.
The roots of the problem lies in the alienation of the tribals. Extreme sensitivity is required to tackle the issues involved. Rough and ready methods of using force may prove counterproductive in the long run, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale.
Long queues near the top prolonged the wait times this year, causing oxygen tanks and physical endurance to drain on the way down. The 'traffic jams' likely contributed to the death of 11 people including three Indians.
Speaking at a programme at Kolaghat in West Midnapore district, the chief minister said, "We are against forceful acquisition of land. In West Midnapore district the Haldia Development Authority and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation have land banks. "We will allot land for projects from there."
From displaying his skills as a drummer in Dar-es-Salaam with Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli to pensively retracing Mahatma Gandhi's train journey in South Africa, Prime Minister Modi's tour albums are one of their kind.
'No country can ever be free to make its choices and remain independent if it continues to wear borrowed plumes,' warn Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy was defeated with 99 members voting for the motion and 105 against it in a House of 225 including speaker P R Ramesh Kumar and a nominated member.
The Communist Party of India - Maoist, which had claimed responsibility for the May 25 attack that left many Chhattisgarh Congress leaders dead, on Thursday denied that the incident had any political link.
Yoga trainer Natasha Noel's flexibility and amazing balance is going to make your jaws drop!
Can Baichung Bhutia's Hamro Sikkim party pose a challenge to Pawan Chamling who has not lost an election in 24 years?
'They were the leaders of my country and the children of Mother India, but they didn't die as martyrs.' 'They were killed, most unfortunately, by a well planned enemy plot, and they were victims of political violence,' states Sudhir Bisht.
A beleaguered Vijay Mallya may have walked free on bail within hours of his arrest but the event, which he nonchalantly dismissed as "usual Indian media hype", had rival parties claiming credit for it and engaging in recrimination.
Vidya Charan Shukla, a former union minister and Congress veteran from Chhattisgarh, died on Tuesday in a Gurgaon hospital after battling injuries sustained in a deadly naxal attack on a convoy of party leaders a fortnight ago.
'Visiting my friend in his affluent locality, I realised that the Delhi weather had become the great equaliser.' 'Pollution was always in the air, everywhere, and had become the primary subject of all conversations,' notes Ambassador B S Prakash.
As the news of Kalam broke, condolences and tributes poured in from all corners of the country, reflecting the huge popularity he enjoyed both in and out of the highest office of the country that earned him the sobriquet of the "people's President."
'At the end of the interview, as he walked with us to the elevator, he looked at me and said, "Do you think it was my karma that I should have made this film?"' Arthur J Pais/Rediff.com recalls his encounter with Richard Attenborough.
Unfazed by the Shiv Sena protest and blackening of the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni, the organisers went ahead with the launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Ahmed Kasuri's book Neither a Hawk, Nor a Dove at a function in Mumbai.
Two fitness experts weigh in on what works for them in the ancient Indian practice and what doesn't
'National unity and acceptance of cultural diversity was never more important than now when the world enters an unstable and dangerous phase.'
In May 2013, Naxalites ambushed a Congress party's convey on the Darba ghats killing 31 people. R Krishna Das revisits the spot a year later
In a case of abject apathy towards the kin of a martyred soldier, the Chhattisgarh police demanded the return of Rs 10,000 it has provided to the family of a martyred special police officer for his last rites.
he popular social networking site recently began covering egg freezing, while the technology giant would start in January, spokespeople for the companies told NBC News.
'Kader Khan could be horribly intimidating, impossibly silly, achingly human and, sometimes, all at once.' 'I was drawn to his magic and magnetism even when I didn't know he was behind it,' recalls Sukanya Verma.
If only making it official was as easy as falling in love, says Sukanya Verma.
'There is nothing more beautiful than celebrating with people who make you what you are.'
Consensus continues to be cautious with analysts pointing towards tougher days ahead
'Loss of faith in the fairness of the system and the perception that one cannot expect justice are the first few steps to the slippery slope of anarchy,' warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Kanika Datta calls out our parenting stereotypes and how both men and women play into them.
The prime minister also said if there is a 'kabaristaan' (graveyard), there should be a 'shamshaan' (cremation ground) too.
Microsoft, like many tech firms, is not a model of diversity.
57-year-old Rajesh Shantilal Doshi, who was buried under the debris for more than 14 hours but survived, talks about his miraculous survival.
Avantika Bhuyan meets a train ticket inspector who captures everyday scenes beautifully on canvas.
The Indian kabaddi contingent made an impressive start to its campaign at the 18th Asian Games with the women's team mauling Japan and the men's side beating Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Jakarta on Sunday.
'Every time I step on stage, I feel like I'm performing the play for the first time,' Manoj Joshi tells Sadiya Updade.
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