Modi also asked people to take 10 pledges, including helping at least one poor family to raise its socio-economic status.
Durga Puja celebrations cannot be complete without serving this traditional Bengali mutton dish.
Rediff readers shared these pictures from their travels.
Towering effigies of 10-headed demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran crackled in fiery splendour marking the triumph of good over evil as gusto and fervour marked Dussehra festivities across the country. Crowds burst into cheers as the stuffed effigies, dotting grounds and open spaces, went up in flames at sundown.
Designer Monisha Jaising tells you how to pick fabrics, colours based on the season.
Reader Kaushik Bhattacharya sends us pictures.
Navratri celebrations in Chennai are not only about Golu dolls, Saraswathi Puja or Ayudha Puja. These days, Durga Puja and Dandiya Raas too are regular events in the city, reports S Saraswathi.
Actor Parambrata Chatterjee soaks in the success of his first Hindi film.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday instructed her home minister to initiate immediate action against those who incited violence using religion as she asked the people not to trust anything on social media without fact-checking.
At least one person was killed and five others injured when an explosion ripped through a major state-run corporation complex located at a major commercial hub in Dhaka, the police and witnesses said on Monday.
The country's first point-to-point, non-stop train, Duronto Express was flagged off from Sealdah station on Friday by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee as a 'Durga puja' gift to the people.
Amid the rituals of Maha Ashtami (the third day of the five-day festival), Pranab Mukherjee spoke to Shine Jacob on the Moody's downgrade of State Bank of India and other issues.
TV stars Tanushree Dutta and Debina Bonnerjee share their festive plans -- and special recipes!
How big is the business of festivals? We look behind the scenes to find that God is very much in the numbers.
Fresh from posting 399 in their previous game, South Africa batting was on fire yet again at the cost of Bangladesh who endured a 149-run rout.
Kolkata hangs its head in shame as the hope of a government with a moral compass and a heart in the right place recedes into the distance, notes Payal Singh Mohanka.
Legendary Diego Maradona finally kept his date with the football-crazy Kolkata for a three-day private trip, which was originally scheduled in September.
The much-awaited festive season is unlikely to bring any cheers to the travel industry, including the airline sector, as less than 20 per cent of people polled plan to travel during October-November amid the pandemic, a survey said.
Developers use this season to their advantage because they know that you will be most keen to make a real estate investment during these auspicious days. However, don't rush in blindly just because you want to buy something before this 'holy' period ends.
The country's first point-to-point, non-stop train, Duronto express was on Friday flagged off from Sealdah station by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee as a 'Durga puja' gift to the people.
The Centre should open all its diplomatic channels with Bangladesh to communicate the global Hindu concern and ask the government there to stop attacks on Hindus and Buddhists, the outfit urged.
High interest rates and lack of retail finance, coupled with rising input costs, threw plans out of gear for automakers and in November the industry saw the worst ever monthly vehicle sales with a decline of 17.98 per cent.
High interest rates and lack of retail finance, coupled with rising input costs, threw plans out of gear for automakers and in November the industry saw the worst ever monthly vehicle sales with a decline of 17.98 per cent.
'People started noticing me again. OTT is a good platform for serious actors. In the olden days, unless you are the heroine, actors would have screen deaths. But now, there are so many good roles for women.'
Here are a few ways to avoid the proverbial winter weight gain during this festive season.
'I don't want what happened to me should happen to anyone else,' says Shagun Parihar, the BJP candidate from Kishtwar whose father and uncle were killed by terrorists.
The endeavour is part of the community policing strategy, which sought to involve the public in prevention and detection of crime.
Over 260 artists, writers and former faculty members of the National School of Drama have raised 'grave concern' about the institute allegedly promoting religious festivals on its Instagram account.
For the second straight year, the popular festival will be celebrated under the long shadow of the pandemic.
Aura of iconic Eden Gardens clinched it for us: CAB president
Shekhawat has filed a defamation case against Gehlot for accusing him and his family of being involved in the alleged Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society "scam".
Three more infants have died at the state-run Malda Medical College and Hospital taking the toll to 18 in the last four days, hospital sources said on Saturday.
Deepta Roy Chakraverti talks to Chandrima Pal about her book that chronicles her psychic investigations into what she says are unnatural occurrences in familiar places.
Every aspect of Navratri is associated with delectable dishes that are relished across the country during these divine nine days -- from lip-smacking savouries to wholesome sweets.
The number of public holidays varies from 14 in Delhi to 34 in Odisha.
She also raised the issue of the state's renaming and invited Modi to Bengal.
Uncertainty loomed large over Delhi hosting the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the Indian Olympic Association has sought the deferment of the event from October 12-13 because of security issues.
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