Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed India's expectation to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that Colombo will fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil community in the island nation and conduct provincial council elections. The issue was discussed during wide-ranging talks between Modi and Dissanayake. Modi also met with Tamil leaders from Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka, reaffirming India's commitment to supporting the community's well-being. The Tamil community has been advocating for the implementation of the 13th Amendment, which provides for devolution of power. Modi expressed hope that Sri Lanka will fully implement its constitution and conduct provincial council elections.
The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) has issued guidelines to newly selected civil service candidates, advising them to be mindful of their social media posts, reject all forms of inducement, and maintain a high standard of conduct both inside and outside the academy.
Cricket has been the driving force behind change in the sporting ecosystem in India but women's participation in other sports in the country still needs more support and platforms for exposure.
Harsh Gupta's first JEE attempt was plagued by ill-health. But he did not give up.
'The way our President was greeted, that itself shows how far India has come.' 'People were aware of who she is, people know who our prime minister is.' 'Everybody knows India now and everybody respects India.'
'He will eternally be remembered as Mr Bharat for always reminding us about roti, kapada aur kisaan.' 'Our integrity and patriotism. Our culture and our roots.'
'I think that kind of change is coming. We should stay prepared for that change, whichever industry or sector we are in, we must be prepared.'
As tensions escalated between India and Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Iran reached out to both countries, urging de-escalation. Saudi Arabia also expressed concern, with its foreign minister engaging in phone conversations with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts. Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, emphasized the importance of bilateral relations, stating Tehran's willingness to "forge greater understanding" at this critical time. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, spoke with both India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Amidst heightened tensions, India has taken a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and downgrading diplomatic ties. Pakistan responded by shutting its airspace to Indian airliners and suspending all trade. Both countries exchanged warnings, with Pakistan emphasizing its commitment to "respond firmly to any aggression."
'I am not a mother and never had an abortion either, so I had to understand motherhood and child loss from anecdotal experiences of others.'
It seems in the geopolitics of the 21st century, we can see the subcontinent acting as one geopolitical entity to secure its economic interests. Key to this transformation is a strong India that is pre-eminent but not dominant, notes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Amidst growing panic over Trump's ban on Harvard's international student enrolment, overseas education consultants have this advice for Indian students.
Lyricist Javed Akhtar said that Hindus have always been tolerant, adding that democracy in India existed because of Hindus at an event in Mumbai on Friday.
Through history, the Mela has held different meanings for ascetics, the colonised, colonisers, and tourists, but all have been moved by its grandeur points out Atanu Biswas.
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over recent objectionable remarks made against Bhagat Singh, the government said in Lok Sabha. The Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, stated that India has been raising concerns about attacks on cultural heritage, growing intolerance, and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistan. Singh also highlighted the strong ties between India and Bangladesh, emphasizing that their relationship is independent of Bangladesh's relations with other countries. The government closely monitors developments impacting India's national interests and takes necessary measures to protect them. Singh also provided information about the deportation of Indian nationals from the US, citing data from the US government.
'No one is propagating RSS ideology as a government officer.'
'You think: Did I fail the people I had to let go? Did I promise something I couldn't deliver? That day (when we had to sack 70 people) will stay with me.'
Writers and creators are telling more authentic stories based in states and cities that we may not have seen much of in mainstream media, such as Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Or ones that we have some mistaken notions about like Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, highlights Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Speaking about the tough phase he went through, Allahbadia said he doesn't consider it as a punishment.
The move came against the backdrop of Turkiye backing Pakistan and its condemnation of India's strikes on terror camps in the neighbouring country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor.
The IOA president maintained the conference will serve as a platform where global expertise meets Indian innovation through discussion on urban transformation, technological advancements, sustainability and inclusive governance.
'The fact that India is multilingual and the kids grow up already bilingual or trilingual so learning another language or learning other spelling patterns is not really that hard.'
The unspoken subject of Mithya is violence, and the big zinger here is our recognition that the movie is showing us the makings of a juvenile delinquent -- perhaps the finest since Truffaut unleashed his Antoine Doinel, applauds Sreehari Nair.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced the formation of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to study the relationship between the Union and state governments and ensure state autonomy. The panel, which will submit its interim report in January 2026 and its final report in two years, will examine the transfer of subjects from the State List to the Concurrent List, citing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) as an example of a subject outside state purview.
India captain Rohit Sharma has spoken about his journey from being a young player who would stand outside the Wankhede Stadium to catch a glimpse of Mumbai Ranji Trophy stars, to having a stand named after him at the iconic venue.
'The male-dominant Indian culture displays a lot of violence, a lot of aggression towards women.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Sri Lanka, where he will hold talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and strengthen ties through agreements on defence, energy security, and digitalisation. This visit aims to further bolster the already strong relationship between the two nations and is expected to include several outcomes, including a defence cooperation agreement, debt restructuring, and a currency swap. This visit comes at a time when Sri Lanka is recovering from an economic crisis, where India played a significant role in providing financial assistance.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, the head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), stated that every Indian citizen is akin to a soldier. While acknowledging the unique appeal of serving in uniform, he emphasized that contributing to the nation doesn't necessitate military attire. Addressing NCC cadets at the Republic Day camp, Singh highlighted the importance of national service, emphasizing that it's not limited to those in uniform. He cited an example, stating that 'every soldier is a citizen in uniform, and every citizen is a soldier out of uniform.' He encouraged cadets to embody the values of discipline and patriotism in their daily lives, even outside of the military context, for the betterment of the nation.
BJP and RSS leaders are once again pushing to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Constitution's Preamble, showing a deeper effort to change India's identity from a diverse, multi-religious republic to a Hindu-first nation, even though they don't have the numbers in Parliament to officially change the Constitution, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'If delimitation is not handled well by the Centre, the southern states are certainly going to challenge it.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka is expected to yield at least 10 ambitious outcomes, including a defense cooperation agreement and frameworks for deeper engagement in the energy sector. The visit comes at a time when Sri Lanka is recovering from an economic crisis, with India providing significant financial assistance. Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will also dedicate several projects built with India's assistance and virtually inaugurate the Sampur solar energy project.
Religion matters. Aspirational India is still poor. India admires strong leaders. India values decency. Shreekant Sambrani highlights the reasons why the BJP pulled off improbable victories in the Hindi heartland.
'Our fractured world has been embroiled in wars and hatred, and many sessions reflect these concerns.'
Since the IPKF's withdrawal from Sri Lanka in March 1990, the LTTE's once-powerful influence in Tamil Nadu has faded.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 was crucial in ending terrorism in Kashmir. He stated that the provision fostered separatism among Kashmiri youth and impeded the region's full integration into India. Shah also highlighted the development initiatives undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir post-Article 370, including a reduction in terrorism, successful local body elections, and an increase in tourism and film production. He emphasized the significance of writing India's history with facts and evidence, countering narratives that had obscured the country's rich heritage.
Besides the not-so-hidden unease between Modi and Adityanath, Modi chose to address the Lok Sabha to ensure that he could personally claim all the kudos, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'Given a chance, more than 50 per cent of employees would switch to WFH as opposed to working from office.'
Bill Aitken came to India nearly 60 years ago. He never returned. An Indian citizen since 1972, he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how India changed his life forever.
'The pain of not having a home is bearable, but the pain of having one -- and not finding peace in it -- is far worse.'
'The startup ecosystem, the government, and the owners of large pools of Indian capital need to actively support the creation of these local champions, not pull down the teams that are trying hard to get there.'
The ICMR claimed that no country has yet reported successful isolation and culture of the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2.
