It had meant nothing but moments of intimacy, sweet but transient moments. An intriguing excerpt from Manju Kapur's new novel The Gallery.
'When I see an unclothed woman, I do not see nudity; I see the beauty of nature, I see God in every female form.' That's L Ramachandran from Kumbakonam, India's first Playboy photographer, in conversation with S Saraswathi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi on Friday, that put India into a select league of countries with domestic capability to build such large war ships.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale has put Kerala on the art tourism circuit, says Kishore Singh.
"We respect the President of India. She is a highly respected lady. We condemn the statement made by minister of state Akhil Giri; what he said is wrong. The party has already condemned the statement and has also cautioned Akhil Giri," the CM said at a press conference at the state secretariat.
'If it weren't for Om Puri, a whole range of our big city experiences wouldn't have found their honest representations on the screen.'
For a village in Azamgarh, Mubarakpur is an aberration. Its streets are clean, roads well-paved, and no open sewage drains are visible anywhere. Although a few houses look derelict, most bear signs of relative affluence, some even opulence. But that is not attributable to the village's marquee industry - silk saree weaving, which is sold as the "Banarasi silk saree" across India. Rather, it's because of the exodus of its residents and those of neighbouring villages to Saudi Arabia and the money repatriated back home.
A pick of just 10 watchable (a couple of them admittedly in the so-bad-it's-fun category) foreign films starring Bollywood stars in significant roles are available to watch on streaming platforms.
'Most students find it difficult to cope with the way they are expected to learn at the IITs.' 'So, all the students face the same stress.' 'But those students who are mentally weak are more affected.'
The Australians 'swept' their way to self-destruction in the face of the Indian spinners' guile in the second Test in Delhi on Sunday.
'Raza exemplified a sense of warmth and a connectedness to his roots and to Indian earth.'
This doctor couple put their faith in India. And in return India has put faith in them.
One of cricket's greatest players passed into the ages on Monday. Rediff.com salutes the legend.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, on Thursday lambasted Pakistan for peddling a false narrative on New Delhi and said there are no "takers for your malware here".
There's a whole lot of entertainment coming your way on OTT this September.
It was on August 14, 1990, that Tendulkar scored the first of his 100 international centuries, a majestic 119 not out on a fifth day track to save the Test match for India against England in Manchester.
'It is Dhoni, Fleming and the support staff who decide on cricket.' 'The fans expect CSK to do well, and with Dhoni at the helm, CSK is capable of it.'
These women never not impress no matter what they wear.
On Election 2014: 'So far it looks like a one horse race. The difference between the first and the second challenger is so large that if the first one looks back in the last round, he'll probably not see the second one anywhere.' On the AAP prospects: 'They should be happy if they're able to open their account.' On Rahul Gandhi: 'He has a confused message. His campaign is in the abstract. And his campaign has nothing to offer.' Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley in a free and frank conversation with Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
'The Elephant Whisperers is a hopeful story of respect and cooperation with nature in an era rife with conflict and threat to our beautiful planet.'
Lakme Fashion Week Gen Next designer, Chandrima Agnihotri, tells Rediff.com what she has planned for her runway debut.
On the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the Tejas, we must congratulate the entire team who made sure that the LCA flew and returned safely on January 4, 2001, sowing the seed for development of a state-of-the-art fighter airplane that our country so badly needed, says IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe.
Every year, for thousands of years, the Sonepur Mela, transforms a small rural town in north Bihar into a giant fair.
The dinner Jill Biden and her husband US President Joe Biden hosted for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, June 22, at the White House brought together, Indians and Americans from so many firmaments.
'There is a degree of civility, efficiency, cleanliness and cultural ease here that has all but vanished in the squalid, chaotic and rootless Hindi heartland,' says Sunil Sethi.
The IPL, which was perhaps the biggest gamble of his life, turned out to be the biggest success story ever, making Lalit Modi a cult in the echelons of global sport.
'It looked as if India had been a major player in science at that time, raising the question when and why things changed,' says distinguished aerospace scientist Professor Roddam Narasimha.
It's too big to digest as one whole airline.'
Aseem Chhabra highlights 10 films that moved him, films that may show up in theatres near you.
After winning awards at Sundance and Cannes, Director Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has now been nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Feature Film category.
Gowri Ramnarayan explores the world of Kalki Krishnamurthy whose magnificent novel Ponniyin Selvan has inspired Mani Ratnam's latest film PS I.
Over the years she directed the country's collective mood so masterfully -- and so often -- that it remains impossible to overestimate her impact on our perception of Hindi cinema as a whole, notes Raja Sen.
Chef Aditi Handa, who is deeply invested in baking, makes the most delicious sourdough.
'When I realised that I was to take the pictures of Pandit Nehru, I was very nervous and scared.'
The army chief also appealed the cadets to keep abreast with new technology to counter the contemporary challenges.
Though another 75 candidates are in the fray, the Elangovan-Thennaruasu fight has become a prestige battle for the DMK and AIADMK, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rathika Ramaswamy's love affair with wildlife photography began in 2003, when she took pictures of birds at the Bharatpur bird sanctuary. That love affair -- captured in her lens -- bloomed! And how!
'Of the people here in Europe who have watched The Story of Film: A New Generation, the most talked-about clip is the one from Ram Leela.'
The school was run on strict Gandhian lines, with stress on students doing things themselves. Physical comforts were minimal, in keeping with the relatively backward geographical area. But it had a staff of teachers dedicated to educating their students, not just imparting them book-learning, remembers Shreekant Sambrani.
'I am seven months into the job, but it feels like seven years.'
