Former National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon has stated that the political dynamics between India and Pakistan have resulted in a "controlled level of hostility" that benefits the ruling elites in both nations. Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival, Menon described Pakistan as a "brand new state" still grappling with its national identity. He argued that India's foreign policy towards Pakistan is influenced by its domestic politics, resulting in an uneasy equilibrium characterized by a "controlled level of hostility." Menon also questioned the concept of a multipolar world, stating that the current global order is merely "confused." He emphasized that the United States remains the world's true military hegemon, while other nations, including China, are regional powers. Menon further argued that there is no binding international order, leading to a state of "between orders." He highlighted the absence of definitive international agreements on crucial issues in recent decades.
'He is the God of Gods, the originator of yoga and the Vedas, the most powerful masculine figure who respects the feminine.'
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed concern over information regarding USAID funding in India, calling it "concerning" and hinting at potential "bad faith" activities. Jaishankar asserted that India is looking into the matter and that the country should know who is involved in such activities. He also emphasized the need to expand India's security definition in the digital age, highlighting the influence of technology and narratives on public perception. The statements come amid controversy surrounding USAID funding for certain activities in India, with the US President Donald Trump questioning the agency's funding of voter turnout efforts.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has moved back its office in New Delhi to its old address following the near completion of the rebuilding project spread across over 3.75 acre premises, housing three 13-storey towers and around 300 rooms and offices in total.
The Brutalist reaches its full potential, thanks not just to its writing and its technical brilliance but also Adrien Brody's performance, applauds Deepa Gahlot.
Eight suspected members of terrorist outfit Ansar-al-Islam Bangladesh, who were recently arrested, had been planning to target the 'Chicken's Neck' connecting West Bengal's Siliguri with the northeastern states, a top police officer said. They wanted to create large-scale instability in the corridor by carrying out synchronised attacks and fomenting instability, he said.
Handke emerged as a vocal defender of the Serbs during the bloody collapse of the former Yugoslavia, even comparing them to Jews under the Nazis, a remark he later retracted.
'I represented India across the world, but here, in my own country, I was treated in this bad manner.' 'Everyone in Prayagraj respects me a lot and it is in this same city that I became homeless.'
FOMO-driven investing is reshaping India's stock market. Swati Saxena explains how social media hype fuels risky bets and how to protect your wealth.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has strongly criticized its ally, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, for felicitating Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at an event in Delhi. The party's spokesperson, Sanjay Raut, views the felicitation as an endorsement of BJP leader Amit Shah, who was instrumental in Shinde's split from the Shiv Sena. While Pawar's party maintains that the event focused on literature, BJP interprets it as an acknowledgment of Shinde's leadership. The incident has sparked a political controversy in Maharashtra, with both sides engaging in verbal sparring.
'My family are the mainstream audience and think I am wasting my time. Until I make a Rs 100 crore film, they won't be convinced.'
A leader of reserve and quiet dignity, former prime minister Manmohan Singh had a keen taste for Urdu verses, and his poetic banters with Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj in the Lok Sabha are among the most viewed parliamentary debates on social media.
Javed Munshi, suspected to be a member of the outlawed 'Tehreek e Mujahideen' outfit in Kashmir Valley, was picked up from near Canning Hospital by a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police and West Bengal Police's Special Task Force, the officer said.
Kazuo Ishiguro has written eight books, as well as scripts for film and television, the Academy said.
'Does 99 percent guarantee character and capacity for an independent awareness of life or does it make you -- barring exceptions -- a compliant careerist beholden to governments and corporations?' 'What kind of political and social choices would such minds make?' asks Shyam G Menon.
'Due to this sudden phenomenon, guests stopped visiting the homes of these villages, girls and boys from these villages were not getting proposals; students were reluctant to attend schools and colleges for fear of being shamed.'
In 1911, French pilot Henri Pequet flew the world's first official airmail, carrying over 6,500 letters and postcards, during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, now Prayagraj. The flight, which covered five miles in 13 minutes, marked a significant milestone in aviation and postal history. The mail included letters to Jawaharlal Nehru and King George V, and special commemorative postcards signed by Pequet are now prized collector's items. The event, which coincided with the Kumbh Mela, highlights the intersection of spiritual and technological advancements in India's history.
'We wouldn't have had to face all this had our national leaders taken care to select a place for Sindhis and sent us there, instead of sending us all over to settle in places where the locals didn't want us.' 'They could have partitioned Sindh and given us a Sindhi state from its two Hindu-majority districts.' 'Wasn't that the logic of Partition?'
The JCB Prize for Literature is worth Rs 25 lakh.
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.
Dr Theyiesinuo Keditsu, a professor of English Literature with PhD and MPhil degrees, was spotted at a restaurant. The next day she was offered Paatal Lok 2.
'We have to keep knocking on it before we get a response.'
The Meerut Conspiracy Case was aimed at curbing communist influence in India. However, it fueled nationwide sympathy, shaping the course of leftist politics in the country.
'I have always looked at people and said, 'You just have to accept. You just have to love. You just have to let this person be and the trouble would be less.' 'But we keep complicating things, and that is the tragedy -- our desire not to understand.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met two Kuwaiti nationals who translated and published India's two iconic epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana in Arabic during his two-day visit to Kuwait. Modi, who praised their work, said it highlights the popularity of Indian culture globally. His visit to Kuwait is the first by an Indian prime minister in 43 years.
'Trump has signaled that he has changed his stance on the H1B visa from his first term.'
The US is currently Earth's most powerful country and a certain latitude of understanding -- a world view -- is popularly expected from its leadership. From a country identified with freedom, constitution, debate, democracy and the likes of Abraham Lincoln even as it had the most powerful military around, the US, following Trump's actions, seemed repositioned as militarily powerful with other qualities secondary, observes Shyam G Menon.
The length and drape of the sari varies; some may be less than the traditional six yards, like the half sari, while others like the Maharashtrian Nnauvari or the Tamilian Madisar is be nine yards. Kodagu saris too can be nine yards long.
A garland presented to Mahatma Gandhi during the iconic Dandi March of the Indian freedom struggle in 1930 failed to meet its estimated price at a UK auction. The garland, which was presented to Gandhi by the wife of his personal physician, Dr Balvantrai N Kanuga, was offered as part of an "Islamic and Indian Art" sale by Lyon & Turnbull in London. Despite failing to find a buyer at the auction, the auction house said it has received significant interest since the sale and hopes to sell it to the highest bidder.
Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel is at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Follow her updates right here!
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticized the BJP for its allegations that elements in the American "deep state" were behind attempts to destabilize India, saying this "attack-dog" behavior is an embarrassment to India. Tharoor's comments come after the US rejected the BJP's allegations, describing them as "disappointing" and asserting that the US government is a champion of media freedom. The BJP had alleged that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "damage" India's image.
The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded on Thursday to Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich in Stockholm. This year was the 107th time the prize has been awarded.
Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel is at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Follow her updates right here!
The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2004 is awarded to Austrian writer Elfriede Jelinek.
A prolific novelist and storyteller, Gangopadhyay remained a dedicated servant of poetry and declared poetry to be his 'first love'.
Mithya The Darker Chapter has a constant been-there-seen-that feeling. Everything is dialled to 11, be it the emotional rundown of the characters or dramatic moments that form their dynamic, notes Mayur Sanap.
Two-time Olympic medalist and four-time World Champion steeplechase runner Kenyan great Ezekiel Kemboi invites Sable to train under him has invited Indian star Avinash Sable for training sessions at his base in Kenya.
Embroiled in a bruising controversy in the shadow of the #MeToo campaign, the Swedish Academy has postponed the 2018 award until next year, when it will name two winners.
With Jaipur Literature Festival around the corner, we list out ten of our most favourite books by the visiting authors.
'He is one of the most down-to-earth and hardworking guys I know, and that's true of all superstars, including Bachchan sahab.'
