'Indian Army officers always lead their men into battle or combat. Pakistani officers are seldom seen at the front.'
'The nation cannot afford a government indifferent to its plight/'
'We need to be very vigilant as we are passing through some fraught times.'
'Decline of the UN did not start with the Trump administration. It has been happening over the last two decades or more.'
'No military offensive by Pakistan will end the insurgency in Balochistan without simultaneous, concerted efforts toward political dialogue to de-escalate tensions.'
'India is using Hasina to warn the Yunus government because there is a ground support for the Awami League in Bangladesh.'
'When compared to many of America's treaty allies in Asia, Modi 3.0 is on a much stronger footing.'
'It was the toughest of roles because he had to change quickly behind the sofa and come out in the next dress!'
'The switch can't be shut off by an accidental brush of the hand, but needs effort, conscious physical action to operate it.' 'Was it the software of the aeroplane that caused the switch to turn off?' 'Was it the hardware of the aeroplane?' 'Was it both software and hardware put together?'
'A few answers for the reason of the crash will be known -- whether it was a technical fault, design issue, human error etc.'
'UPSC is a very tough exam. I am trying my best to make a success out of it.'
'My father died in the liberation struggle. Bangladesh is our Motherland. This is home,' says Monindra Kumar Nath, a Hindu who has lived his 74 years in Dhaka.
'Trump's desire to withdraw the US from some arenas on the global stage will result in ceding space to China.'
'War is not an answer. War is not a solution.' 'Deterrence is a solution. We should have the stick with us with which we can beat Pakistan.'
'Pakistan is no longer a front-burner issue for America.'
'Amritpal was just a plant.' 'We have to be careful that such kind of people do not emerge in Punjab.'
'Youngsters in India look up to the West as if it is the biggest accomplishment they need in life. It breaks my heart.'
Pilots and crew of the Indian Air Force fought a valiant battle against Nature to save thousands of lives in Uttarakhand's treacherous valleys, scripting India's greatest rescue operation. Archana Masih reports from the IAF station in Barrackore.
'It shows the signs of a weak government to avoid the heat from Afzal Guru that they carried out Ajmal Kasab's hanging in secrecy,' says IPS officer-turned-activist Y P Singh.
'He is intrigued by the intractability of Kashmir issue. With his interest in dealmaking and peacebrokering, he sees it as an exciting challenge to tackle.'
'The bedrock of the armed force is discipline. An indisciplined armed force is not only undesirable, it is extremely dangerous,' says Lieutenant General B T Pandit (retd).
'Human society is a conflict-prone society... You cannot have complete peace of the graveyard... Switzerland had 500 years of peace and what did they produce? The Cuckoo Clock... Italy had always been in turmoil and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance.' Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, a former head of the BSF and NSG, in a rare and candid interview with Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
'India mattered to him and he wanted to matter to India.'
'His image may have gone down a little because he is talking about poverty and underdeveloped states. That is not the way to sell yourself nationally,' Bihar's best known economist and social scientist Dr Shaibal Gupta tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
A young girl wants to correct her father's name in her school certificate; a man wants his three year unpaid rent from a government doctor, an athlete wants an archery set... Scenes from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Darbar, recorded by Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
'English has become the most aspirational language for India's poor and disadvantaged. Anyone who has any desire to improve their prospects and wants upward mobility, the first thing they do is try to learn English.' Zareer Masani explains Thomas Macaulay's legacy in India.
Five months after 23 children died from eating poison-laced school lunch, the tragedy has resulted in a new school, creche, health centre, roads and electricity. The long forgotten village is finally being turned into a model village, but the grief of its loss is far from over. Archana Masih reports from Dharmasati Gandaman, Bihar.
'We had become buffoons with Lalu. If you were a Bihari you were seen as a buffoon -- that has changed. Now there's a pride in being Bihari.' Archana Masih reports on the changes in Bihar.
Meghalaya is a land of political contradictions. One of the most peaceful states in the North-East, only one chief minister has had a full term in office in Meghalaya's 41-year history. Meghalaya is a woman-dominated traditional society, but the outgoing assembly had only one lady MLA!Rediff.com's Archana Masih reports from Shillong on the election in arguably India's most politically unstable state.
The Maha Kumbh, considered to be the largest religious gathering on earth, will begin at the Sangam in Allahabad from January 14. Photographer Rajesh Karkera and Archana Masih capture the scenes from the ghat in the run-up to the religious festival that is the pinnacle of many spiritual dreams.
'I want to ask Giriraj Singh why should we go to Pakistan when we are natives of Hindustan? 'This is Modi's only chance to wipe out his past...' 'This election has been reduced to only one issue -- communalism...' On the turf of the Modi versus Lalu battleground, Archana Masih/Rediff.com listens to what young Muslims think of Narendra Modi.
'I want to ask Giriraj Singh why should we go to Pakistan when we are natives of Hindustan? 'This is Modi's only chance to wipe out his past...' 'This election has been reduced to only one issue -- communalism...' On the turf of the Modi versus Lalu battleground, Archana Masih/Rediff.com listens to what young Muslims think of Narendra Modi.
Monday is the last day of campaigning in Gandaman where 23 children died after eating a school meal, but no leader has found time to campaign among the villagers. Archana Masih/Rediff.com returns to the lonely village in Bihar.
Under a blazing sun, Narendra Modi attacks the Ma-Beta and Lalu Yadav; invokes his tea boy's journey; and asks the youth for a mauka... A stolen mobile, a man who faints, women fleeing the bamboo enclosure to save themselves from being crushed by men -- and a government employee who flouts rules to attend a poll rally because she's a fan of Modi. Archana Masih/Rediff.com reports from Narendra Modi's first-ever rally in Chhapra, Bihar.
'He has to face both aspects of life to mature as a cricketer.'
AAP candidate Shazia Ilmi fires from all cylinders at a campaign meeting in Ghaziabad.
'I was in serious depression during the shooting of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.' 'I realised that this is not the film I wanted to make.' 'Aamir told me we will redo, remove eight key characters and reshoot.' 'He gave me the confidence and told me it was a timeless script.'
After spending nearly 50 years in a colonial bungalow at 24, Akbar Road, the Congress moved into a new office on January 15. Rasheed Kidwai, who knows the history of the Congress better than the Congress, looks back at the people who breathed life into this address.
The Maharashtra government disbursed about Rs 14 crores as relief for the victims of the terror attacks. Mumbai Collector Idzes A Kundan looks back at 26/11.
