Sarmesh Kumar is the first in his family, that comes from the community of rat eaters, to go to college. Archana Masih/Rediff.com met the young man and traveled to his village -- which Bill Gates visited a few years ago -- as Rediff.com looks at Bihar through the stories of its people.
Beware the 'educated' man who thinks he is on women's side, says Vikram Johri
'The 17-year-old boy, who pulled out Nirbhaya's intestines, should have got the harshest punishment because he was not human at the time.' 'Instead, he was given a sewing machine and some money to have a new beginning!' 'Are we giving out incentives?' 'Are we telling our unemployed youth that if they do something like this, the government will give them jobs?'
Anjuli Bhargava meets the women of Stree Shakti, an organization that is helping women in Uttarakhand's villages to supplement their family income.
Serbian Djokovic, 31, needed elbow surgery in February to cure a problem that surfaced in 2017, but after some jarring defeats he returned to the kind of domination he achieved in 2015, winning Wimbledon and the US Open.
With thousands of people receiving ransom messages from cybercriminals every day, Devangshu Dutta explains how you can defeat the hackers.
'Amit Shah and Modi have a disciple and guru relationship. But Modi and Jaitley's relationship was based on friendship. That's the difference.'
In a weekly chat with readers every Thursday, Rediff's Love Guru addresses their relationship problems and offers solutions. For those who missed the chat on April 30, 2015, here's the transcript!
Mumbai is one of the most liveable cities in the world.
The following is the full text of US President Donald Trump's first address to a joint session of the Congress on February 28, as prepared for delivery and released by the White House press office.
'From the beginning (I have told her) "Whatever it may be -- you are losing or winning -- on the ground you're not going to cry!" She never cried.' '"I don't want you to project that you are a loser. You are a winner".' Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com speaks to Leela Raj about her famous daughter, now in the West Indies for the women's T20 World Cup.
When Prime Minister Modi observes the first anniversary of his government at Nagla Chandrabhan, Deendayal Upadhyaya's birthplace in Mathura, on Monday, he shall be essentially reiterating his commitment to achieving the ideal of Upadhyaya's 'Dharma Rajya', a State free of inequality and of division, says Dr Anirban Ganguly.
'For people who are fed on nothing else but the media, what were prejudices become facts of life.' 'What my neighbour may see as just news, for me is a source of fear, living as I do, surrounded by non-Muslims.' 'So I would say it is important to talk to a Muslim, be it your neighbour or your colleague.' 'Have that conversation about what's happening to Muslims.'
Theatre professional Ira Dubey discusses the current situation of the Indian theatre industry and what it means to be a woman in this profession.
'You can't go on creating division and rhetoric of hate.' 'It comes to roost. We are seeing the first glimpses of that in the state elections.'
'People don't like me wearing saris. But I am an Indian drag queen. I will wear a sari.'
A tribute to one of Indian cinema's most prolific filmmakers K Balachander, who passed away at the age of 84 on December 23.
'He apparently attacked me because I am an actress, and wanted to send out his warped message through me. I use the same status to appeal to all women to stand against such acts.' Gauahar Khan lashes out.
The hit Harry Potter series actress's speech touched on many issues, including the confusion over the word feminism.
In a weekly chat with readers, Rediff.com's Love Guru offers relationship advice.
A look at the portrayal of air hostesses in Hindi movies.
With the "#100sareepact" trending, saris have come back into focus as a garment that is contemporary yet comfortable. Ritika Bhatia identifies four labels leading the funky revolution.
'There is too much news about film stars. There is too much fawning over wealth and power. There is a grey area between seriousness and triviality in news reporting now.' 'Mumbai is still a magnet. All the politicians have property in Mumbai. Politicians are the biggest racketeers here.' Olga Tellis, the legendary reporter who completed 50 years in journalism, tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com about her life and experiences.
'Mahesh Bhavana is a young man who is beaten up in the town's marketplace and who consequently pledges that he won't wear his slippers again, till he avenges the beating.' 'But Mahesh can't get his revenge that easily -- his punisher is off to a distant land. So what does Mahesh do? He waits. And the town waits with him. And we wait with him.' 'Maheshinte Prathikaram is one of those movies where I didn't know what hit me. I don't remember another movie -- at least in recent times -- that I surrendered to with such happiness,' says Sreehari Nair.
'It's a humiliating time to be a human being.' It's a pity that the magnificent 17-year-old gorilla is dead. But it's not enough to hang our heads in shame or comfort ourselves with clicktivism, observes Bijoy Venugopal.
Each time they held the leafy bedsheet over the window for a few seconds, a clearer but very grey visage of Indrani came into view. In the barely discernible image, Indrani seemed to look tired and downbeat. But then the bedsheet would be taken away and Indrani would disappear into the darkness once more.
I don't remember a time I've ever done anything with a fear of failure. Even if I have a bad idea, I say to myself, 'What's the worst that could come out of it?' says Masoom Minawala, founder, Style Fiesta.
If Han Kang wrote only about cruelty and suffering, readers might respect her writings and her conscience, but her novels would not be as loved as they are by readers across the world, says Nilanjana Roy
'There is a time for grace and there is a time for dignity and, sometimes, there is a time to fight. We should never back down from that fight. Don't let them win. Don't let them bully you.'
The Sony World Photography Awards, an annual competition hosted by the World Photography Organisation, has announced the winners of its Open categories and National categories for 2017. This year's contest attracted 227,596 entries from 183 countries. Scroll down for a sensational selection of open winners and runners-up from the Sony awards.
The soul of India resides in pluralism and tolerance. This plurality of our society has come through assimilation of ideas over centuries. Secularism and inclusion are a matter of faith for us. It is our composite culture which makes us into one nation.
In the World Bank's rankings on the "Ease of Doing Business" India stands at 139 out of 189 economies surveyed in 2014; its position has in fact dropped from 131 last year.
'Manto is the only writer to grasp what the project of Pakistan would eventually mean,' says Aakar Patel, who has translated a collection of Saadat Hasan Manto's essays in a just-released book Why I Write.
10 Ways Bollywood has kidnapped in the movies.
Here's how a simple game theory and a sense of nostalgia has led to the success of Pokemon Go across the globe.
Ameesha Joshi tells Harish Kotian/Rediff.com what made her and Anna Sarkissian devote much of the last 10 years on a movie on women's boxing in India.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's Bareilly Ki Barfi had the critics reaching for the stars. But that is just the tip of the iceberg discovers Rediff.com's Savera R Someshwar.
Iconic rights activist Irom Sharmila on the highs and lows of her long fast, why she gave it up and her plans.
Spark's title, like everything else about it, is random, rants Paloma Sharma.
''Dear men, don't expect your wives to naturally play the role of maid, cleaner, babysitter, a working professional and be nice to your parents.' 'It's her choice, and if she chooses not to, she may have her reasons too; that doesn't make her bad or less 'pious' as the Supreme Court pointed.' 'If you are looking for a full-time, unpaid maid or caretaker in your life partner, you do not understand marriage at all,' says Divya Nair.
