'Obama probably thinks, "He is quite a guy!" Americans on Capitol Hill think, "He has guts. He is a big player".' An Indian official explains the importance of the Modi visit to Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
'Prices are rock, bottom, developers are ready to negotiate and banks are keen to lend.'
The 4G service may use Reliance Retail, with a surging customer base, as the launch pad
Ahmedabad's cultural scene would not have gone beyond the garba, but for Mrinalini Sarabhai's pioneering efforts.
Meet the Indo-Germans behind Green Tokri -- a unique business venture -- who grow lettuce on their farm outside Pune and make it available at your doorstep so that you can add this nourishing item to your meals each day.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam kindly answered rediff.com's questions for an exclusive interview.
Whatever the circumstances the cadres will not let themselves be seen as challenging 'MGR's symbol'. It's an emotional identification for most of them, and many consider it an 'eternal sin' for them to defy 'Two Leaves', says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Raghav tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier how he and his cousin Mukund co-founded Renew IT, which refurbishes discarded computers and makes them affordable for the poor in rural India.
'The younger generation may be hip, modern and Westernised outside, but there is something very Indian and traditional in them.' 'It's debatable just how good the concept of marriage is, but this is the only system that has survived over centuries.'
'In our film industry, there are not many opportunities for actors... Our films are not character based, they are hero and heroine based. The only roles we have for character actors are to play the girl's or boy's dad or a police officer...'
After snapping his political alliance with the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, N Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, speaks to B Dasarath Reddy on what he now has in mind.
People are now increasingly using the digital platform to meet a new 'person'.
The vast Udupi-Chickmagalur parliamentary constituency, which belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the years 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009, slipped out of its hands in 2012. While the Hindu factor may or may not work in its favour here, the party remains sure of a win. Vicky Nanjappa gives you an inside view of who is who in the political fray in this region
The incidence of more crimes across Tamil Nadu is threatening to make law and order an inevitable poll issue in the state-wide local bodies elections due only months from now, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
This is the story of two youngsters from Bengaluru, who converted adversity to their advantage.
There are millions of taxpayers, all of whom are susceptible to this frustrating situation.
'If the Indian economy formalises, industrialises, urbanises and develops human capital, 10 lakh youngsters will join the labour force every month in the next 10 years.' 'It's not a bulb that will go off; it is a sunrise.'
The growth story of India depends on its achievements in the S&T sector. There is a need to revolutionise the landscape of Indian science and technology and this is only possible if the scientific community is allowed to work 'professionally and scientifically' without burdening them with the baggage of the past, says Ajey Lele.
In Tamil Nadu, the alternative to one Dravidian party has been another, and for one actor-politician CM, there is another. Their initial popularity may owe to their filmi charisma, but their continued acceptance owed to their government's policies and programmes targeting the poor and the needy in the state, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Let me talk about young Indian startups with their hearts in the right place and how they are proving that innovations that represent 'affordable excellence' -- breaking the myth that 'affordability' and 'excellence' cannot go together -- is indeed possible!' says Dr R A Mashelkar, the eminent scientist, in this fascinating feature.
How much money the Modi government has already spent and is going to spend on all those foreign trips, muses Sunita Iyer
'There are 25 million farmers in India with at least 2 to 3 cows each.' 'If all them use biogas to cook, millions of LPG units and firewood can be saved.'
'We are rushing to 'develop' without carefully valuing natural areas.' 'With careful land use planning and scientific zonation at least 5 to 10 per cent of the country's land can be secured for tigers and other such species, and another 5 to 15 per cent kept under low-impact uses to support biodiversity that can coexist with human uses.'
'He is anything but astute or charismatic. He believes the Congress can win elections without alliances in the Hindi heartland.'
For the first time in our economic history a government has thought about more than 50 per cent of our economic activity instead of the five per cent represented by the Sensex companies, observes IIM-B professor R Vaidyanathan.
Rajeev Srinivasan on whom the Congress might put forth as its leader in 2014.
Ayurvedic expert Dr G G Gangadharan on how the ancient Indian medical practice needs to be propagated in the country of its origin
Two Americans, Diana Jue and Jackie Stenson, are living their dreams in India's rural heartlands...
This is the joint statement issued by the ministry of external affairs on the visit of US President Barack Obama to India.
'Those who have seen the functioning of the Modi government in Gujarat know that the issues related to Hindutva and issues of economy and growth function simultaneously.' 'Modi's politics are based on the understanding of the middle-class consumer society which is in pursuit of material aspirations.' Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reveals the Modi government's economic and political plans for the year ahead.
Few readers will remember the socialist utopia of Indira Gandhi when food queues were the norm even for the middle class and tankers supplied water at odd hours of the night twice a week. Is that what you are trying to return us to, dear Congress, asks Jaideep Prabhu
BJP President Amit Shah -- arguably the second most powerful politician in the nation -- granted a rare television interview to the Network 18 group of news channels. Rediff.com's Rajesh Alva checks out what the BJP boss said in this word cloud assessment of the interview.
India'sstartups have a good beginning but will they survive competition is a big questions which needs immediate attention.