For the love of films... and larger-than-life food!
Giving up cricket isn't easy for a cricketer especially when you are the son of a cricket legend.
'Kaala's sin is not that it is presented as a mouthpiece for its director Pa Ranjith's political viewpoints, but that it makes a travesty of them.' 'Ranjith turns Marx into merchandise, all the while functioning as a hired hand for Brand Rajinikanth,' points out Sreehari Nair.
'After having rejected and sometimes also being rejected by 32 men in my unsuccessful journey to matrimony, I prayed that it would be love at first sight with motherhood,' says Priya Ramanathan.
'There are so many dimensions to history that we need to attend to: We need more space for local and regional histories; we need to delve into the histories of particular communities; we need to emphasise gender history and environmental history.' 'We need to think about India's history beyond India's current borders.'
Guru Bhoopala's seven-day trek took him to the base camp of Jomolhari, a majestic 7,500 metre mountain, unclimbed and revered by the Bhutanese.
'The government is abdicating its responsibility on healthcare.' 'Just to start this scheme, it will take a minimum till October 2018 and elections are coming in 2019, so before that this can go into the dustbin.'
This list goes ahead to prove that people still love the touristy spots!
Aseem Chhabra's take on the highlights of Indian cinema this year.
1929-2018: The life and legacy of Ursula K Le Guin in her own words.
'I think if we had rattled one or two more in the morning, we threw everything at them today morning and with all due respect, they batted incredibly well. Maybe at a stage, 350 was on our mind, that we were possibly looking at. But then it just seemed to get a bit slower and it was definitely not reversing as much as it was yesterday'
'If you batted an eyelid and drifted the vehicle a little, you'd certainly hit the unsteady rocks and meet your end. Or so it seemed.' 'By the way, did I tell you that we were cruising at approximately 12,000 feet and above?'
'Acting is a very crazy profession to be in. Mentally and emotionally we have to go into a particular zone and come out of it and keep on doing it. I am sure acting takes a toll on everyone and maybe that's why logon ko actors pagal lagte hai.' In the second part of a fun conversation, Tabu shares some beautiful nuggets with Rediff.com's Savera R Someshwar and Sonil Dedhia.
How much do you know about Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahal?
Virender Kapoor tells us why he wrote the book A Wonderful Wife.
The charming town of Pelling can strike a balance between commerce and conservation
In India, if you live with your parents, there is no way in hell you can avoid their interference in the tiniest aspects of your life.
'Don't do it if you only want to wear good clothes and drive a flashy car. Get into banking, then.'
Christie often stated that she would plan out the murder or event first and then set the introduction, background and resolution following it.
'Anything that is anti-growth is demonised because growth is the biggest religion.' 'Growth is synonymous with progress. In fact, it is the opposite.' 'Exponential growth is cancer.'
Be a traveller, not a tourist.
The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is one madly indulgent film says Raja Sen.
In an online chat with readers, chef Sanjeev Kapoor shares interesting anecdotes from his culinary journey.
'She adds value to life in many commendable ways. Apart from her many contributions to our consumer products business and Godrej Properties, she dedicates her energies and resources to charity, to philanthropic causes and most of all how she has managed her time as a wife, mother and entrepreneur brilliantly,' says Adi Godrej.
True misogyny is when you stop being curious about women, and Milind Dhaimade directs his actresses with a sense of wonder. Tu Hai Mera Sunday has delightful women characters, sketchy men, and individual threads that work better than the whole package, feels Sreehari Nair.
'I swayed my arms in the air with strangers when George Michael sang Careless Whispers' 'I was in heaven.'
'People will talk about the action but I want the people to talk about the emotions.' Ajay Devgn unveils his directorial debut Shivaay.
'Parts of Pad Man look like a Vicco Turmeric commercial, parts of it look like a Tourism Ad and parts of it like a commercial for Etihad Airlines. But almost all of it, unmistakably, sounds like one big town-hall message,' says Sreehari Nair.
Sonam Kapoor plays Neerja like she cares and that is all the role needs, feels Sukanya Verma.
'In our profession, the most important thing is patience.'
'There were days when I wondered what I was doing.'
'Every Ali obituary I read made the point that he 'transcended his sport' -- a reference to the many battles he fought with America even as he fought in America.' 'What the obituaries leave out is that Ali equally transcended the boundaries of geography and of information -- as witness the Chennai teen who assimilated that most mobile of fighters through still images shorn of context.'
We trust not because the other person is trust-worthy but because we are trusting by nature, says Love Guru.
'If the RSS should be saluted for choosing such a scholarly statesman to address its highly trained cadre, one must also praise Pranab Da's sagacity for having gracefully accepting the invitation, thus disapproving any ideological apartheid,' says former BJP MP Tarun Vijay.
...But a comedy about Class Wars. Sreehari Nair tells us why.
'Human beings are voyeuristic by nature. We love to imagine some things. Like Salman and Katrina were ex-lovers, and are now working in Ek Tha Tiger. Oh my God, what must be going on between them...? We, as an audience -- and I include myself in that -- talk like that. If Salman and I announce a film tomorrow, I'm presumptuous enough to say there will be interest in it.' Katrina Kaif on life and love.
Travel bloggers Amrita Das and Rutavi Mehta list out their recommendations.
'If one thing seemed clear in this week of very uneven tennis in Melbourne though, the much celebrated golden age of tennis may be over.'
The LGBT community in Mumbai, as in parts of India, longs for acceptance, freedom and equal rights and to spread this message a group of 15 people gathered at Mumbai's Marine Drive to ask for hugs. And acceptance.
India's first female wildlife photographer Rathika Ramasamy shares her inspiring journey to success.
'Our real future is the boy in the slum and the girl in the village.' 'We need to find the voices that can empower them to lead a better life,' TED Talks' Chris Anderson tells Niraj Bhatt.
