'In one mansion we visited, I was told the doors in the back courtyard had to be kept closed because to have the front and back doors open at the same time would result in Chettiar wealth flowing away,' notes Rahul Jacob after a memorable visit to Karaikudi.
From the ruins of a Syrian city to shamans, these are just some of the 60 breathtaking images selected as finalists in Smithsonian Magazine's 16th Annual Photo Contest. The magazine received a whopping 48,000 submissions from photographers in 155 countries between March 27 to November 30 2018. The annual contest has gifted us breathtaking pictures from six different categories: Travel, Altered Images, Mobile, Natural World, People, and The American Experience. March 27 is the day when Smithsonian will announce the winner of the Grand Prize. Till then, enjoy some of the amazing work done by the photographers.
Aseem Chhabra lists 10 of his favourite films that played in various sections at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
Kolkata excels in business performance with employee headcount and number of engineering students doubling in the last five years.
His remark came during a visit to Ayodhya in adjoining Faizabad district where he sought blessings of Ram Lalla at the makeshift temple.
Travelling across tribal Dahod to an about-to-be-born township near Ahmedabad, Sheela Bhatt examines the 'Modi effect' and how it will play out in the polls in the prime ministerial candidate's home state.Travelling across tribal Dahod to an about-to-be-born-township near Ahmedabad, Sheela Bhatt examines the 'Modi effect' and how it will play out at the polls on the prime ministerial candidate's home state.
Dubai businessman Adel Sajan and Sana Khan's wedding maybe among the richest weddings in the world.
The video of the speech he made in Gujarati has gone viral.
Read our weekly round-up that brings you the latest news on models, designers and celebs from the world of glamour and entertainment.
The 800cc five-speed manual transmission comes with a fuel economy of 25.17 kmpl
Enforcement Directorate sources tell Vicky Nanjappa/Rediff.com that the probe into FDI received by Flipkart continues and a show cause notice will be issued to the online retailer.
Designer Namrata Lodha has been winning hearts with her sustainable hats.
Saisuresh Sivaswamy tells us what we must know from the election news in the print and television media.
If the PM gives the historic opportunity of laying the foundation stone of the Ram temple to a Dalit girl, it will send a transformational message to the Dalits in India and will give them a sense of belongingness, says Dr Sudhir Bisht.
Patients from any part of the country will soon need to travel no more than three hours for treatment of the kind available in large metros.
Modi linked cleanliness to tourism and global interest in India and stressed that world-class levels of hygiene and sanitation are required in the top 50 tourist destinations to bring about a 'paradigm shift' in the global perception about the country.
In the fifth of a six-part series on the impact of demonetisation, Avishek Rakshit senses a storm brewing over the 850-odd tea gardens in the north eastern state, which have a weekly and fortnightly payment cycle.
Linking India's growth to high-speed trains, chief of a Japanese rail company said quicker movement will help the country in realising its ambition of pushing development and progress.
'I came to know that there was a big racket going on in the selling of onions. Private players were hoarding onions and these things cannot happen unless they have political patronage.'
This week's collection of unbelievably unusual images from across the world
''When I walk out of a room or enter a gathering, everybody should notice me.' 'I always want to make a statement.' 'I flaunt myself and there is no stopping me,' Nia Sharma says as she gets ready for her new show, Naagin 4.
'We would try our best that the temple structure becomes visible in the next two years.'
Few reforms can make Delhi a better place to live in, says an expert.
In this moment there has to be honest acknowledgement of how so many in our community willingly voted for another four years of Trump, based on the morally flimsiest of reasons, points out Suleman Din.
Meet 'the original Pilates girl' Namrata Purohit, who has been training Kangana Ranaut, Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha, among other B-Town celebs.
The quake occurred in the early evening after sunset and was the second powerful temblor on Lombok in a week.
UDAN demonstrates that good policy-making can fulfill important public requirements without requiring budgetary support, says MoS for civil aviation Jayant Sinha.
Though some Hindutva groups have said they will prevent the women's group from entering the temple.
By all yardsticks 2024 isn't expected to be like 2014 or 2019. But with the mandir expected to be ready in time for the next Lok Sabha polls, Modi will have a new ally in Ram to see him through, observes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
People who have worked with Mukesh Bansal describe him as approachable and extremely polite but someone who likes to maintain a strict work schedule.
In the past four months, launches of luxury and super luxury cars have sped ahead of non-luxury ones.
The 58-year-old Rajya Sabha MP will face several challenges, including strengthening of the combat capabilities of the army, navy and the air force due to changing regional security matrix and geo-political dynamics.
Of the five towns planned, work is progressing in two, Dasve and Mogao.
In another 2-3 weeks, coronavirus will chariot India to overtake the United States. In March, Modi had exhorted the nation to celebrate India's impending success over the virus by clanging metal plates. Make no mistake, India is losing this momentous war under his captaincy, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'There is enough proof of science-driven research in the India of early centuries,' argues Kumar Abhishek.
Fashion designer Masaba Gupta's mehendi ceremony was a star-studded affair.
Here are two healthy options to kick-start your day the healthy way.
If nothing is done, the country is set to become 83 per cent energy-import-dependent by 2040.
'Initially, I was worried how the Calendar Girls would gel. But we bonded on screen and off.' On the sets, we were very mischievous. We were called the Calendar Girls School Girls! Madhur sir was like principal. He would actually tell us to calm down and maintain discipline!' Meet Calendar Girls' Akansha Puri.
