A 13-year-old girl from Agra, who dreamt of becoming an IAS officer, has renounced worldly life and become a Sadhvi at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The girl, Rakhi, was influenced by the teachings of Mahant Kaushal Giri Maharaj of Juna Akhara, who had been conducting Bhagwat Katha sessions in her village for the past three years. Rakhi's parents, accepting her decision as divine will, entrusted her to the Juna Akhara. The family, who had rented a home in Agra specifically to educate their daughters, say that Rakhi experienced detachment from worldly life during the Maha Kumbh. The girl will be formally inducted into the ashram on January 19 after religious ceremonies.
'I was preparing for this moment for a long time and I am happy that it worked out the way I wanted.'
Despite recent fatal stampedes at the Kumbh Mela and a Delhi railway station, pilgrims, driven by faith, continue to participate in the holy gathering in Prayagraj. Despite safety concerns, pilgrims from across India are undeterred by the tragedy and are taking the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.
'I didn't like doing jhatak-mataks. I would subconsciously start feeling, 'Oh my God, my makeup man and my driver will be watching this.''
'Justice may or may not happen, but who are those people who did this to her?' 'If the hospital authorities had helped us that day, or the police, then the real culprits would have been caught.' 'Getting justice for my daughter is my goal now and I want the CM to remember that.'
'He surprised us by telling us he wanted to make a career in acting.' 'We were scared since we knew nothing of this profession but then, he landed a role in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.' 'After seeing him holding his own on screen, we decided to let the boy pursue his passion.'
'Modiji remaining healthy and happy is something I pray for all the time.'
'Mountaineering is never 'easy'. Nothing is in your hands, you have to be prepared. That's the same for life as well.'
Air India Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad has brought back all traumatic memories.
The voice of the six bells of St Peter's Basilca announced that the Church has its new Pope.
Film folk visited the Maha Kumbh Mela and take special blessings.
One can only sincerely wish the Dalai Lama a very long life at the service of world peace. His presence is much required today on the planet, notes Claude Arpi, who has known His Holiness for more than half a century.
Shaheed was Manoj Kumar's first patriotic success. This small-budget black-and-white film had enormous impact, besides laying the foundation for Manoj's famous flag-waving Mr Bharat image that was strengthened by a string of subsequent films like Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti.
The cultural richness that began from a narrow bank of the Yamuna has continued for over 7 centuries. And you literally go underground for as little at Rs 50 to see it!
'Shreya (Ghoshal) ma'am said she hasn't heard a voice like mine before, and added that even in the future, there won't be another voice like mine.'
'What is fascinating about Aamir sir is that the audience in him is still alive and throbbing.' 'He still cries. He still laughs.'
'No words can heal the wounds of a mother who lost her child, or a friend who lost their companion. But we must speak, we must feel, and we must remember.'
'I am really very proud of my son. He made our family very proud.'
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and Preeti Adani distribute food at the ISKCON temple camp during the Mahakumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj on Tuesday, January 21, 2025
In a major shocker, Israel on Friday said, citing forensic reports that the Bibas brothers, whose corpses were returned by Hamas, were killed with 'bare hands' by Hamas days after they were held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Seema Devi (53), who heads the Gadwara nagar panchayat, and Shesha Devi (65), the Sadar block head -- feel that they won the elections with the god's blessings, so they have decided to dedicate theirs chair to him, according to their supporters.
The Maha Kumbh, a massive religious gathering in Prayagraj, India, is preparing for the culmination of its events with the Mahashivratri 'snan' (sacred bath) on Wednesday. Authorities have declared the entire mela area a 'no vehicle zone' and are urging devotees to take a dip at the ghat nearest to them to avoid crowding at the Sangam. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the arrangements and has issued an advisory for devotees, outlining specific ghats for different arrival routes. The Maha Kumbh has seen a record number of pilgrims, exceeding 64 crore. Security arrangements are robust with over 37,000 police personnel and 14,000 home guards deployed. The fair has also been hailed for its cleanliness and safety measures. The event is expected to conclude with the Mahashivratri puja.
'It is true Manoj Kumar was an excellent director with an unbeatable music sense.' 'But I had a bad experience regarding the song Hai Hai Yeh Majboori.'
'We need to be proud of our Maratha history and should be ready to tell the world our stories and not just keep them limited to Maharashtra.'
Send us a picture of you with your mother and tell us what she means to you!
'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.'
Kamal has a crisp pen when it comes to writing short and yet powerful film dialogues. But while speaking ex tempore -- and that has been his style -- he looks every bit a confused man, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The 52-year-old, who joins her mother Sonia and brother Rahul as an MP in what is a rare instance of three members of a family together in Parliament, took affirmation in Hindi while holding a copy of the Constitution soon after the House met.
'He has to face both aspects of life to mature as a cricketer.'
Kash Patel took oath as the ninth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the Bhagavad Gita and spoke about how a first-generation Indian kid is living the American dream, reflecting on his heritage.
The Uttar Pradesh government has said that over 65 crore people visited the sacred site in Prayagraj since the Maha Kumbh began on January 13.
'I used to plan my life earlier, but life does not go according to a plan.' 'So now, I just go with the flow and see where life takes me.'
'I am not a greedy film person, even as an actor.' 'While my contemporaries Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor acted in nearly 300 films each, I've done hardly 35 films in my entire career.'
'I am ashamed that you and I were born into the same faith -- because we are nothing alike. My religion is humanity. The Islam I know teaches me to protect the innocent. Yours celebrates slaughter, you #&$#@#. 'My Islam teaches me to serve my nation. Yours tells you to tear it apart,' writes Major Dr Mohommed Ali Shah (retd).
Instead of its once haloed existence as the year of lofty goals and vision statements, it is now staring at an epitaph that may well read: The year when death ran amok and the gods went missing, notes Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Sean Baker broke a record by winning four Oscars just himself for Anora: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay.
This year's Sundance Film Festival was rich with films and the theatres were warm, even as temperatures outside dipped to below freezing point. It snowed only once but the sidewalks remained slippery for a few days.
Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha are celebrating their first wedding anniversary in the Maldives.
The Congress president had left on August 23 to visit her ailing mother, who was in her 90s.
The BJP keeps taking dips till it appears good on the camera, he said.
