Fake news, much like the golden deer in the Ramayana, is leading the world into chaos, says Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Instead of its once haloed existence as the year of lofty goals and vision statements, it is now staring at an epitaph that may well read: The year when death ran amok and the gods went missing, notes Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Achieving a key breakthrough in space technology, three Chinese astronauts including the country's first woman astronaut Liu Yang, on board the spacecraft Shenzhou-9 (Divine Grace) docked with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab (Heavenly Palace).
Neither Modi nor Shah had held legislative or executive power in Delhi before 2014. They have no training in appealing to the diversity of India as represented in Parliament. Their prism is the provincial politics of Gujarat. An exclusive excerpt from Vinay Sitapati's fascinating new book, Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi.
Facing flak over the move to invoke divine blessings for rains to help the state reeling under drought, Karnataka Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari on Tuesday said that the expenditure for special pujas planned in over 34,000 temples would be met by collecting funds from devotees.
'Absolute non-violence is not only sinful, but immoral.' 'This doctrine of non-violence benumbed the revolutionary fervor, softened the limbs and hearts of the Hindus, and stiffened the bones of enemies.' A revealing excerpt from Vikram Sampath's Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966.
The 'Jesus Tomb' debate has gone a step further with archaeologist working in Jerusalem finding human bone boxes and inscription on an ancient coffin lid that says 'Divine Jehovah, raise up'.
A Nedumudi Venu character was happiest when moving his head to a piece of music with his eyes closed; or, when inventing off of a note that a co-actor had left unfinished; or, when reciting a poem by Kavalam Narayana Panicker where a hymn about nature descends into a musing about cheating, depression and death, feels Sreehari Nair.
Great Britain Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday released an encyclopedia on Hinduism at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center in Westminster, London.
'In the Middle Ages, when Muslims were around 15 per cent of the population of the world, they accounted, according to one estimate, for 90 per cent of scientific advancements.' 'And today, when Muslims are around 22 per cent of the population of the world, their share in scientific writings is less than 1 per cent!' point out Ziya Us Salam and M Aslam Parvaiz.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader took a dip in the Ganga, visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple before he declared war against Narendra Modi.
The apex court, which delivered a historic unanimous judgment putting the curtains down on the vexatious legal battle that has torn the social fabric of the nation, said citizens of all faiths, beliefs and creeds 'seeking divine provenance' are both subject to law and equal before law under the Indian Constitution.
Meet designer Nachiket Barve's Greek goddesses.
The Vatican officials had applied for visa in mid-December
You can share yours too!
The 'Deva Prasnam' at Sree Padmanabhasway temple in Thiruvananthapuram, being conducted to ascertain the divine will through astrology, has found that the huge riches found in the shrine's vaults should not be moved out.
Ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday said party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, hospitalised in Chennai for more than a month, has "progressed well" and "started living a normal life" as it exuded confidence that she will soon resume her public service.
Ahead of the crucial Lokayukta report on illegal mining in Karnataka which will be submitted before the chief secretary on Wednesday morning, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has sought the intervention of the Gods.
'It has made things easier for me in terms of planning for Olympics'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday turned emotional as he paid his last respects to Pramukh Swami, the religious head of the Swaminarayan sect, saying he has lost a fatherly figure.
Tawang is very much a part of India, and if the present Dalai Lama decides one day to take rebirth in Tawang, the Indian government will openly welcome him and support him, notes Claude Arpi.
It's a compelling film evocative of fate and faith; never mind that it is flawed at places you wish it wasn't.
Protests were held across Tamil Nadu with raising of slogans-- "Vendum Vendum Kudineer Vendum" (we want water) and "Edappadi Arasai Kandikirom" (we condemn chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy's government).
As young Indian couples seek love in arranged matches, we explore the uniquely Indian concept of 'arranged-love' marriage.
One short of his 100th international century, Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday, sought divine blessings when he visited Kali Temple at Kalighat while his fans organised havans to wish him luck.
Seeking "divine intervention", staff of Pakistan's national carrier PIA sacrificed a black goat at the airport tarmac in Islamabad before an ATR-42 aircraft took off nearly a week after the French-built turboprop planes were grounded following a crash that killed 47 people.
Alas, not enough to be dazzled by the boring, bogus naivet of Tubelight, Sukanya Verma.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement on Monday, said that Lord Ganesh was meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be made a laughing stock on theater stages.
Easies showcased their new line at Lakme Fashion Week on Day Two.
The manner in which a large proportion of common people have mortgaged their rationality and questioning spirit to let hatred, prejudice, and bigotry take over their minds is a cause of worry, observes Mohammad Sajjad.
'Politicians have long appropriated the hero turned god as their totem, but never before with the ferocious intensity of the present regime,' notes Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Have you had the good fortune to have attended the maestro's concerts, or interacted with him in any manner? If so, share your memories of legend, right here on rediff.com!
The Supreme Court on refused to interfere with the 'Makarajyoti' controversy surrounding the famed Sabarimala Temple in Kerala and asked the petitioner to approach the state high court for remedy.A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice S H Kapadia asked the petitioner to go to the high court as it is already dealing with similar petitions on the issue. Makarajyoti is considered to be a 'celestial phenomenon'.
The CJI said that absence of timely legal help to poor affects credibility.
The way Dilip came to the porch to receive Lata, you would never have guessed something was amiss between the two. Raju Bharatan's many wonderful insights into Dilip Kumar's life.
The singer is currently in the news for all the wrong reasons.
'The TMC did not bother telling me, a sitting MLA for 20 years, why I was not being given a ticket.'
'In spirit, and more importantly in its DNA, this is the Congress Inc, or Incorporated, a family-run entity,' notes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
