Actor Arif Zakaria on directors, actors and movies he has done in a remarkable career spanning 40 years.
At the border, places that you had just seen on a map, suddenly acquire a life. Looking at the vast expanse of quiet land, you realise an emotional connect, a sense of belonging binds you to a piece of land which is not merely territory, but a part of who you are.
Try this delicately-spiced simple alu recipe from Bihar.
Lieutenant Commander Dilna K, Shaurya Chakra, on an epic 8-month voyage around the globe crossing four continents, three oceans, three Great Capes and Point Nemo, the remotest part of the earth.
'Indians want peace and tranquility along the LAC and the Chinese must ensure that they stay confined to their area, and not transgress or even deviate by mistake -- due to fog or mist or any other reason.'
Roughly 340-350 such rakes remain to be converted out of around 2,000 rakes.
'Since there is no fence, the border is based on perception. China conducts its patrols along their perception line. India patrols along its perception line.'
I had found spending one night at 14,500 feet inside a cottage difficult to get by -- struggling to breathe in the cold, thin, mountain air. Here, our soldiers had fought a ferocious battle at much greater heights in bone-chilling weather, worse than I had encountered. 114 men were killed in action in a 16-hour epic battle against China in Rezang La, the farthest outpost along India's border with China.
'Trump has weakened, not necessarily restrained.'
'In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is a minor player. The Samajwadi Party is the number two party.' 'Every time there are some good tidings for the Congress, it oversells itself. They need to be prudent about the number of seats they claim and be able to convert them to victory.'
'Nobody, even the government, cannot compel Gyanesh Kumar to resign. He can only be removed through a constitutionally laid down process of impeachment. If he does get impeached, there will be political fallout on Mr Modi's government.'
'It is very significant that she mentioned that the issue of her foreign origin was not restricted to the BJP or Sangh Parivar, but was also very much alive in her own party.'
'Therefore, Beijing comes to wrong conclusions.'
'The position of Karachi depicted at that time and the intense rivalry among the factional overlords in Lyari is very close to reality.'
'On two feet or on somebody's back, every soldier had to return'
'Eastern Ladakh set the relationship back by about 10 steps. So far, especially since Galwan, we may have taken just 4 steps forward.'
'...because of the character, how it was to be portrayed, the speech, the scenes.' 'There was a physicality involved because he was a TB patient who eventually had cancer and passed away.'
'I can't imagine anybody else doing the kind of things he did in the war,' Group Captain Deb Gohain asserts about Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cook, the 1965 War hero who passed into the ages last week.
Jayaprakash Narayan was called the 'Second Mahatma'. He issued the clarion call against government corruption in June 1974 that ignited a fierce student movement that shook the Indira Gandhi government from the foundation to the rafters. His modest home in Patna is almost forgotten, only remembered on special anniversaries.
The soil mingled with the blood of 114 soldiers, gathered from the battlefield, has been preserved in a glass bottle in Rezang La. When the frozen bodies of the were recovered, they had their rifles in hand, fingers on the trigger, pointed towards the enemy. The mountains they defended will never forget them. Neither should we.
Chirag Vohra has set a benchmark with his performance as Gandhi in Freedom At Midnight.
'China wants to control and divert rivers.'
'I know China will implode. It is scientifically impossible for China to control a nation through the barrel of a gun.'
'I had this fear that, dinner table talks would result in brainwashing youngsters as parents talk toxic communal news. But I'm so glad to realise that at least some section of youngsters depend on their own channels to more know more about political developments.'
Indian trains remain the greatest connecters linking hearts to the last mile.
For 17 years, Mani Bhavan was Gandhi's Bombay home and nerve centre of the freedom movement.
Kritika Kamra talks about her own brand -- Cinnabar from where she picked her red Chanderi wedding sari.
'It beggars belief that Saudi Arabia would deploy military force against India, a top partner and market.'
As Bihar goes to the polls in two weeks, locals speak about what the election means to them in the shadow of a devastating flood in Saran, Bihar.
'I didn't have a mentor or agency and came from outside Mumbai. I know people quickly box you into stereotypes because I've had to fight those.'
'These are children of our own country; they must be heard': Param Vir Chakra Awardee Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav.
'My personal style is timeless, minimal, not trend-based'. Kritika Kamra, the elegant chic diva!
A man sits with his eyes closed on a bench beside her grave. Another kneels at the foot of the grave in prayer. A bunch of paper slips and pens are kept on the window to write down prayer petitions
Bihar's greatest resource is not beneath its soil but above it -- its people. With a population approaching 140 million and one of India's youngest demographic profiles, Bihar possesses an asset many societies would envy, explains Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
Nikkhil Advani, a master of long-form storytelling, reflects on Freedom At Midnight and what it was to make a two-part series on the most difficult period of India's history in these polarised times.
Subedar Hokato Sema lost his leg in a mine blast on the Line of Control. Today he is a champion para shot-putter and among the most decorated para soldier-athletes.
'Often people outside paint a wrong picture of us of Kashmiris. We are not like that. We are cool and bindaas,' said the lady, a teacher, caressing my cheeks in the pressing crowds.
'I was fortunate enough to be associated with two of the most important battles fought by the Indian Army, the Battle of Tololing and Battle of Tiger Hill.' 'Sometimes, I think how I survived those battles on Tololing and on Tiger Hill.'
'Only the Dalai Lama could have kept the Tibet issue alive the way he did.'
