'Every film had its challenges, but Mr India, Sadak and Gandhi were the toughest.' 'Mr India needed imagination, Sadak needed sensitivity and Gandhi demanded historical authenticity.'
'Amrishji had a fascination for the colour red and wanted it in every movie costume of his.'
This was a soaring evening that sent hearts aflutter and for a few brief moments we tasted the breath of pure freedom that has been missing in this country for the past several years.
Nitish thought that his stakes as chief minister were far greater than his stakes in protecting one of his party MLAs. He could not allow his rule-of-law train to be derailed by a small rock on the track. On the contrary, if he removed it to keep the train moving at a steady speed he would gain strong public admiration and sympathy that would help him take the masses along in carrying out other tasks. A fascinating excerpt from Arun Sinha's Nitish Kumar And The Rise Of Bihar.
Can Imperial Japan be forgiven for what it did to Indian soldiers it was supposed to protect as PoWs?
'And then the people who call themselves great nationalists, I can bet you that 99 per cent of them are dodging taxes, have sent their kids to America, or are doing everything to make sure that what goes on in this country doesn't affect their personal wealth or their whatever bull*&$%.'
In a little-known episode from the Emergency era, former prime minister Indira Gandhi quietly donated a significant sum of Rs 90,000 for treatment of her fiercest critic, Jayaprakash Narayan, the leader of the nationwide anti-Emergency movement.
'India's letter to Pakistan on April 24 (2025; two days after the Pahalgam terrorist attack) didn't tear up the treaty -- but it did put it on ice.'
Banu Mushtaq's "Heart Lamp" is the first Kannada title to be shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025. The collection of short stories, translated from Kannada to English by Deepa Bhasthi, tells stories of encroaching modernity and the lives of Muslim women in southern India. The judges praised Mushtaq's "witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating" style of writing.
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com recalls the many ways in which he has been influenced by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
'Our greatest enemies lie within us Kama -- selfish desires; krodha -- anger; moha -- attachment; lobha -- greed; madha -- pride and matsarya -- envy. Life is a constant battle against these dark forces. An enlightening excerpt from Priya Arora's book, Rama: A Man of Dharma.
'His genius lay in taking his books of history to another level altogether.' David Davidar's moving tribute to genius historian Abraham Eraly, who passed away in Puducherry last week at the age of 81.
A delightful recipe that will help you make the most of the humble dal.
Rama and Sita entered a wonderful maze of lit streets, and when Bharatha caught sight of them as he ran down the steps of the palace, the whole city was chiming with celebration with this festival of lights. A fascinating excerpt from Vayu Naidu's book, The Living Legend.
There is definitely much more to the mythical king than his ten heads and his abduction of Sita.
'I get enormous pleasure from seeing the uplift of an underprivileged or poor person.' 'I feel elated when I walk on the street and see someone who pushes a handcart talking on a cell phone.' A revealing glimpse from Peter Casey's The Story of Tata: 1968 to 2021.
After satisfying her inner entrepreneurial urge, Arjun Kapoor's sister Anshula Kapoor turns author and her debut book will be published by Penguin India.
Film music flourished in the 1970s. Some old masters did some great work, but it was also the decade of new composers.
'He was a sentimental man, but his commitment to the Olive Green always came before anything else, including his family.' A fascinating excerpt from Rachna Bisht Rawat's Bipin: The Man Behind The Uniform.
Sunny goes on a date... Sushmita goes on vacation... Sara is lost in thought...
'The tank battle was fought at ranges of 300-700 metres.' 'It was a rare example of the complete destruction of a squadron by another squadron.'
'India is a multifaceted place that resides in one country.' 'I always say that there are 1.3 billion Indias and everyone takes their own form and shape of the country.' A fascinating glimpse from Barkat: The Inspiration And Story Behind One Of The World's Largest Food Drives, Feed India.
'When a Project Director is appointed, the whole organization -- including the Chairman ISRO -- works for his success. It is a lesson that has been of abiding value all through the other projects I have worked on,' recalls the late President, one of the earliest pioneers at ISRO.
Rahul Gandhi could be where Modi has not been. Modi aspired to be with the pantheon of gods on the walls, while Rahul could sit with the family because there is a family member in the picture.
'Every religion is sacred and beautiful. There's no reason for people to hate each other because they practise different faiths.'
'Children are curious by nature, so I thought of writing these books, which provide creative but convincing explanations and also teach values like sharing is caring,' Sudha Murty tells Chintan Girish Modi.
Delicious recipes from the palaces of Nepal.
India's billionaires are pledging a decent amount of their wealth for the welfare of society.
An army of 'book fairies' are anonymously dropping off some delightful books in public places across the world.
China has long coveted Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls Southern Tibet. But, as Venkataraghavan Subha Srinivasan explains, in 1947, the present state of Arunachal Pradesh constituted the North East Frontier Tract of Assam. When India adopted its Constitution on 26 January 1950, NEFT became 'a separate politico-administrative entity' although it was constitutionally still a part of Assam. Its administration was brought directly under the President of India with the Governor of Assam acting as his agent. A revealing excerpt from his book The Origin Story of India's States.
Jawaharlal Nehru was a man of the people and of many gifts and achievements, says veteran author Ruskin Bond in his new book, and describes Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a man of humble beginnings, whose political acumen and yogic willpower have brought him to the top.
Pratishtha Deveshwar learnt to reframe her anguish into an opportunity for action. She felt that God had given her an opportunity to make an impact on the wider world.
'Name?' 'Amitabh.' 'Can't be only Amitabh. Amitabh what?' 'Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan.' Alarm bells. 'Are you related to Dr Bachchan?' 'Yes,' he hesitated, 'he is my father.' 'Then this contract cannot be signed today. He is my old friend. I cannot give you this contract without his permission.' A fascinating excerpt from K A Abbas's Sone Chandi Ke Buth.
The concluding part of the A to Z guide to a year that will soon become history.
The actress remembers the everyday fare at her childhood home in Bengaluru.
Care comes from a place of 'What is good for my child's development?' Care is a long-term view of the child's flourishing in life. Care is a sacred activity and it begins at home.
Why eat simple when you can try something royal?
His mother was so furious with him that she made him eat karela for lunch and dinner for an entire week.
Sachin Tendulkar loved the biryani so much that he wanted to have it the next day as well.
'It was the Mughals who first established standard units of measurement and maintained offices of meticulous record keepers and auditors, departing from the more haphazard methods of earlier regimes.' 'By the end of the 16th century, their revenue and judicial administrations exhibited an obsessive preoccupation with order, the efficient management of time, and a spirit of rational self-control -- all of them characteristics of early modernity,' point out Sheldon Pollock and Benjamin Ellman.
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