'... had gone to South Africa from India over a hundred years ago.'
The Bharat Mata controversy in Kerala shows how political and symbolic fights between the state and the Centre have taken attention away from education, throwing the state's oldest university into confusion and disorder, observes Shyam G Menon.
The director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, V Kamakoti, has sparked controversy after making a remark about the "medicinal value" of cow urine, or "gomutra." Kamakoti, while speaking at an event celebrating Maatu Pongal (a festival dedicated to cows and bulls), cited an anecdote about a sanyasi who was cured of a fever by consuming gomutra. He also claimed that gomutra has "anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and digestive properties." The remark has been widely condemned by rationalist organizations, political leaders, and medical professionals who have criticized Kamakoti's statements as "pseudoscience" and "regressive." The controversy highlights the ongoing debate in India around traditional beliefs and scientific evidence.
A controversy has erupted after an NCERT Class 8 textbook depicted present-day Rajasthan as part of the Maratha Empire, drawing criticism from royal families and political leaders who call the depiction factually incorrect and misleading.
'When you watch Freedom At Midnight, I want you to feel like you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.'
Dominic Xavier is puzzled about the outrage at a time when serious issues confront our incredible country and offers his take on 'two Indias': On the left, a Bollywood actress dissing the incomparable sacrifices made by the Founding Fathers and millions of Indians to secure freedom from the British Raj; on the right, Vir Das, pilloried by trolls for his observations.
'When you are taking on something which is this big in India, there are so many pressures about wanting to do justice to them, so I am still scared.'
Standing near the noose, he recited a couplet in which he said he wished nothing but to sacrifice his life for the motherland. Utkarsh Mishra remembers Ram Prasad Bismil on the revolutionary leader's 128th birth anniversary.
What has surprised the industry is that the Bill has been tabled without any consultation. Critics warn the ban on real-money gaming could fuel black markets, endanger 200,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue.
At the Mumbai campus the institute will offer both UG and graduate degrees, most of its courses will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The reconstructed Carnac Road Over Bridge in Mumbai has been renamed 'Sindoor Bridge' as a tribute to the Indian military's 'Operation Sindoor'. The bridge, rebuilt after being declared unsafe, aims to ease traffic congestion in south Mumbai.
Manoj Kumar's musical imprints are as deep as his cinematic ones.
If you disregard history and are ready to watch Kesari 2 purely as an entertainer, you are definitely going to enjoy it, feels Utkarsh Mishra.
One hundred years ago, a group of 10 revolutionaries carried out an operation that shook the British Empire. Utkarsh Mishra revisits the 'Kakori Conspiracy Case', a turning point in the armed struggle for independence.
'When you are a pioneer and someone who's put on a pedestal, but then the pedestal gets dusty, people don't look at the statue anymore.' 'They would say, 'Yes, yes, of course I know Bimal Roy. He made Do Bigha Zamin.'.'
It was an exciting time for India and the world. Photography had been invented 50 years earlier, and the mass-produced Kodak camera of the 1880s helped democratise photography. Ritika Kochhar reports on an unusual exhibition of postcards that chronicle life in the British Raj.
Raj Loomba is a tireless campaigner for improving the plight of widows and their children in India, Uganda, Kenya, Syria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Columbia. In India 4,000 children of widows are being educated by the Trust, which raises funds through charity.
Unlike the Germans, Britons began to face the hard truths about their colonial empire only recently.
Attlee said Great Britain had concluded that the Indian element of the army was no longer reliable and that Netaji's Indian National Army had demonstrated that. That had shaken the foundation on which Britain's Indian empire rested, argues Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd).
On the 94th anniversary of the revolutionary giant's martyrdom, Utkarsh Mishra revisits the events of February 27, 1931.
It took Udham Singh 21 years to avenge the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh. And 34 years for his remains to return to India after execution in a British prison.
Several BJP leaders in the past have raised a demand for changing the name of the country from "India" to "Bharat".
42 years of World Cup triumph: A Day that made Indian cricket what it is
'Whatever you do will spark controversies, so it is best do what your heart tells you to do. Simple.'
On February 1, grappling with the intractable issue of the AMU's minority status, the top court said the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act, which effectively accorded it a minority status, only did a "half-hearted job" and did not restore the institution the position it had prior to 1951.
Who rocked the sari style best in the British Raj? Sukanya Verma asks you to take a poll.
'We could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT). Then perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names'
The story of the Bombay Stock Exchange and the people who shaped its growth: From wars and bomb blasts to speculators, reformers and wealth creators.
When Ajay Devgn and the horse are off the screen, Azaad loses the little spark it has, feels Deepa Gahlot.
This is the magic of Sircar's filmmaking -- National Award winners, many of them -- that makes every new work of his an eagerly-awaited affair.
The party will launch its 'Sevagram Se Sangram' likening its fight against Modi-led government to the freedom struggle against the British.
'Abhishek is known to launch new 'stars' and not 'kids.' He has always been successful with that. He has a lot of patience for new people. I won't say to tolerate them, but to nurture them. All of them have done very well.' Rediff.com's Mayur Sanap, Hitesh Harisinghani and Afsar Dayatar report from the trailer launch.
Is it is necessary to play divisive politics to succeed in the next general elections? asks Dr Sudhir Bisht.
Bollywood doesn't need fire-breathing dragons when it has Bhai.
'If inner line permit was in place in Meghalaya, the details of the three people who allegedly murdered Raja would have been on record.'
The veteran actor passed into the ages in the early hours of Friday, April 4, 2025. Sukanya Verma looks back at his most memorable performances.
President Trump with his MAWA has unwittingly provided us this opportunity. Will PM Modi grasp this and leave a legacy of an ushered in scientific and technological revolution in India, asks Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
If the DMK is able to sustain the momentum until the assembly polls, the AIADMK especially and the PMK and possibly the infant TVK too would find it hard to sign up with the BJP, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rediff readers shared these beautiful images from their travels across India.
Unless Governor Ravi or the Union of India moves in appeal, seeking a hearing by a constitutional Bench, this is where it all will have to end, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
