Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji turns 90 on December 25. I wish him all the best. The nation has honoured him and Pt Madan Mohan Malaviyaji with the Bharat Ratna.
Counting of votes is underway in assembly byelection to 58 seats in 11 states including Madhya Pradesh where the results will decide the fate of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
Terming Amar Singh and Jaya Prada as 'intruders,' Samajwadi Party today expelled them from the party on grounds of indulging in anti-party activities and denting its socialist image.
'Sonia's term as Congress president -- which was 20 years -- was the longest in the party's history.' 'It will also go down as the period in which the Congress transformed in the way Indians viewed it,' says Aakar Patel.
His music was loved by film personalities and political leaders alike, and they took to social media to offer their condolences.
'If a hero wanted Mr Rafi to sing for him, naturally it had to be him.' 'Then if it was Dilip Kumar, who is a soft-spoken man, he naturally wanted Talat Mehmood.' 'Raj Kapoor wanted only Mukesh. Now you tell me, where did I stand a chance?'
While Smriti Irani might bristle with faux indignation at the 'malicious' newspaper report, it is very clear that just as Teacher's Day was hijacked by her boss and a day of celebration became an assignment, the first attack on Christmas as a holiday has been made in the war on India's cosmopolitan way of life, says the Mango Indian.
The 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past.
When a university allows a small group of students to prevent classes being held; when the professor selected to hold those classes gives up and goes back to his hometown; what conclusion can be drawn, asks Jyoti Punwani.
Shah said the Congress was not rooted in any ideology or principles and was sort of a "special purpose vehicle" to secure freedom.
'There was no other Lata Mangeshkar, there is none and there won't be any. I will celebrate her life, today and always.'
This is the fifth time that Nitish will be the chief minister of Bihar and this will be his third consecutive term.
Of the 15 people who led the 132-year-old party post independence, four have belonged to the Gandhi-Nehru family.
'Savarkar was the closest the RSS had to a freedom movement icon, however flawed.' 'Indira Gandhi wasn't going to gift him to them.' 'And a non-career politician like Dr Singh understands it.' 'It is just that his party never listened to him,' says Shekhar Gupta.
India will export anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, high in demand globally, only to foreign governments and not to private companies, as the product is under prohibited or banned category of exports, sources said. Although exports of this medicine is completely banned, India has decided to export this anti-malarial drug in sync with its global commitment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bharat Ratna conferred on Madan Mohan Malaviya has exposed the frictions within his family, reports Manavi Kapur
Despite a few flaws in the film, Yash Chopra distinguishes himself.
Economists expect Modi to announce big-bang reforms.
The move is aimed at reflecting the diversity of India and highlighting the contribution of prominent personalities.
'This is what Hindu Rashtra looks like, which has been enabled by conditions of democracy.'
A beaming Amarinder Singh thanked the people of the state for their overwhelming support, saying he was committed to good governance and tackling the drug menace.
'The judge said that anybody who does not believe in the RSS ideology is not acceptable to you. You have terminated his contract because he thought differently.' 'The Modi government has no accomplishment to show. Therefore, they are using the tool of nationalism to divert the country's attention from very serious things like farmers suicides and the water crisis.' 'You cannot simply dismiss anyone because they are not willing to raise a slogan and not think like you.'
On his 90th birth anniversary, Sukanya Verma lists 20 of her favourite scenes that reiterate his extraordinary grasp on the language of cinema and connect with the viewer.
All this and more in Subhash K Jha's Bollywood Buzz.
Vihir is a balm for our troubled souls, says Aseem Chhabra. It is a like a book on life lessons -- joy, laughter and tragedy are all part of our existence.
'As the burkha-clad beauty Husna in Mere Mehboob, she inspired Shakeel Badayuni to compose Mere Mehboob Tujhe Meri Mohabbat Ki Kasam/Phir Mujhe Un Nargisi Aankhon Ka Sahara De De. Hasrat Jaipuri showered epithets like Nargis-e-Mastaana and Phoolon Ki Rani, Baharon Ki Malika on her in Arzoo.'
'Besides electoral opportunism, a sustained vilification of AMU on one or the other pretext helps them sustain their 'everyday communalism', the new strategy of the BJP of the Narendra Damodardas Modi-Amit Anilchandra Shah era,' says Mohammad Sajjad.
Political stalwarts Murli Manohar Joshi, Sharad Pawar and former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma, cricketer Virat Kohli and Carnatic musician K J Yesudas were among the 89 people who were selected for this year's Padma awards.
'There were no singers like Lata, Kishore, Rafi or Mukesh. And until now, there is nobody. Nobody with that kind of voice, nobody with that kind of brain to learn. Not only to learn, but to improvise. We improvised music, we improvised the songs. Nowadays, they just listen and copy.'
The Madras High Court on Saturday recalled its controversial order directing mediation between a rapist and the victim days after the Supreme Court observed that it would be a "spectacular error" to adopt a soft approach on cases of rape and stated that there cannot be any compromise in such matters.
In our special series re-visiting great Hindi film classics, we look back at Sanjeev Kumar's Dastak (1970).
After resisting for more than three years, the Centre on Tuesday revealed names of 18 persons in the Supreme Court who allegedly stashed black money with the LST bank in Liechtenstein and against whom prosecution have been launched by the Income Tax department.
'... That they should emerge as role-models to be emulated by the fellow countrymen; and that the middle classes should not stick only to hate-filled and scornful criticism and condemnation against the state of affairs,' remembers Mohammad Sajjad.
In her death, the Congress has lost a leader who brought old world grace to politics but was open to new ideas.
Why Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his campaign at Shahpura at the last minute? Read on...
'Our country has enough talent, writers and composers to create music.' 'The previous generation did their job and went.' 'I think we need to leave behind some things.'
Patcy N/ Rediff.com had spoken to Mubarak Begum back in 2011. We republish the interview.
