I kept insisting that Rs 100 notes were in short supply and there was an urgent need to augment the supply of 100 rupee notes while also rapidly bringing into circulation the proposed new Rs 500 notes. But this was easier said than done because all the note printing machines of the RBI were programmed for printing Rs 2,000 notes and required at least three weeks before the machines could print the new Rs 500 currency notes. The availability of currency paper posed another major bottleneck, and it had to be imported. It was decided to immediately start printing the Rs 500 notes. It was only when the supply of the new Rs 500 notes started improving and the process of change of cassettes at the ATMs gathered momentum that the situation began limping back to normal. A fascinating excerpt from former SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar's The Custodian of Trust: A Banker's Memoir, five years after demonetisation, November 8.
The stunning actress turns 47 today.
The list of corporations publishing biographies has lengthened steadily as companies have realised the effectiveness of story telling as a brand building tool. Kanika Datta investigates the rising trend.
Indian politics, held captive in one way or the other by Ayodhya, may now well seek its emancipation from this issue, and the pursuit of welfare, asserts Congress leader Salman Khurshid in this excerpt from his latest book, Sunrise over Ayodhya.
Malls have turned out to be hotspots for shopping entertainment and other activities too.
'I didn't know exactly how to move from a world of gray back into a world of vibrant colour, but one day I figured out one simple thing I could do: I could stop hiding and re-engage with life.'
The deadly coronavirus has forced us to adopt new ways of life.
The world feels like complete panda-monium right now. But thanks to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, we can all take a brief break from the news cycle and focus on otter things -- like pictures of animals being complete goofballs. The animals were pictured by photographers competing in the sixth annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, which saw thousands of pictures entered, taken around the world. As well as providing a smile, the competition works alongside the Born Free Foundation to highlight a more serious matter -- the importance of conserving our planet's beautiful wildlife. We share a selection of the best finalists' photos...
Dr Mary Varghese's determination to live life beyond her wheelchair inspired Chelsea Clinton to include her in She Persisted Around The World: 13 Women Who Changed History.
On a Prayer is a book on Birla's journey from a state of oblivion to survival, where his deep belief in spirituality and his faith in true love act as a crutch for him to go on.
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com recalls the many ways in which he has been influenced by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
The book was scheduled to hit the stands in October 2013 but has since been aborted.
Film music flourished in the 1970s. Some old masters did some great work, but it was also the decade of new composers.
'It is advisable for Indian interlocutors to follow the Chinese tactic of repeating the Indian position, both for the record and to test the Chinese negotiator's resolve and intentions.' A riveting excerpt from former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale's The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate With India.
The best in international photojournalism was recently announced by World Press Photo's Annual Photo Contest. Despite fierce competition, the jury was forced to select just a handful of images from more than 73,044 photos by 4,548 photographers across 125 different countries. This year's grand prize was awarded to Venezuelan photographer Ronaldo Schemidt, earning him the title of Press Photographer of the Year. Here are some of the winners.
'Always have two (not more) things you want badly in life -- really badly -- and it will bring such focus, such hard work and such sacrifice that you never knew existed inside you.' 'This is the secret sauce to success today and most days.' A must-read excerpt from Ronnie Screwvala's Skill It, Kill It: Up Your Game.
'I am an auto driver, and I am doing my best.'
Filmmaker and wildlife conservationist Dhruv Singh explains why tigers are important and what you can do to improve the numbers.
The National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is in full swing, with some of the best entries across the nature category being shared with the public.
With the cunning of a master thief, author Mohsin Hamid has stolen the form of a self-improvement guide with chapter heads that alternate between the mundane and the cynical
Count among The Light of Asia's many, many admirers over 132 years: Gandhi, Tagore, Vivekananda, Nehru and Ambedkar, Tolstoy and Kipling, Yeats and Eliot, Alfred Nobel, Dmitri Mendeleev and C V Raman. Jairam Ramesh reveals why he decided to write a book on Edwin Arnold, who wrote The Light of Asia.
Two Nobel Laureates, four listed writers of this year's Man Booker Prize, Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, winners of Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Crossword Prize and film stars will be the attraction at the most sought after literary event in India -- the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Gulabo Sitabo was made with a budget of Rs 40 crore to Rs 45 crore. Amazon Prime bought the streaming rights for Rs 60 crore to Rs 65 crore, helping the producers make over Rs 20 crore.
A fascinating glimpse from Somak Ghoshal's 10 Indian Heroes Who Help People Live With Dignity.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam believes India can transform herself into a developed nation by the year 2020. The young people of India, headed by a creative leader, can help us reach this goal, says the former President.
'Where should shudra-OBCs go because of whom the nation is surviving?'
After several rounds of voting, the results are in. The LUMIX People's Choice Award goes to David Lloyd for his amazing photograph of two lions greeting each other and rubbing their faces for 30 seconds. The 2018 competition attracted over 45,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across 95 countries. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the Natural History Museum's annual showcase of the world's best nature photography and photojournalism. Seen by millions of people all over the world, the images celebrate the astonishing diversity of life on earth, whilst challenging us to address the big questions facing our planet.
Travel is all about venturing into unchartered territory, and experiencing new cultures and people. Starting up is very similar.
'Absolute non-violence is not only sinful, but immoral.' 'This doctrine of non-violence benumbed the revolutionary fervor, softened the limbs and hearts of the Hindus, and stiffened the bones of enemies.' A revealing excerpt from Vikram Sampath's Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966.
The society's attitude towards women has visibly changed with time and now is not a very pleasant time to be a woman in India, says author Shobhaa De.
The book will be released on 12-12-12, the day the Tamil Superstar turns 63.
We are glad to announce the winners of this contest -- here's the list of budding authors!
Sidney Wignall, a British mountaineer who spied on China for India in the 1950s, passed unnoticed into the ages this week.
Neither Modi nor Shah had held legislative or executive power in Delhi before 2014. They have no training in appealing to the diversity of India as represented in Parliament. Their prism is the provincial politics of Gujarat. An exclusive excerpt from Vinay Sitapati's fascinating new book, Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi.
There is no other vegetable that can be eaten in any shape, or at any consistency than the potato, says Vir Sanghvi.
The preferred course of action to challenge Wendy Doniger's many published works and polemical Hinduphobic statements is to debate it, Aseem Shukla tells Rediff.com's Arthur J Pais.
The Czech model-actress will take questions on how to lose those extra kilos. Email us your questions now.
'The politics of it may be wishy-washy and the saviour at Darkest Hour's centre may well be a racist, an imperialist, and an alcoholic, but in Gary Oldman's nimble skin, smacked in layers and layers of prosthetics to resemble the heavily-jowled, cigar-smoking, portly penguin-like demeanour of the British Bulldog, it pretty much screams, "And the Oscar goes to"...' notes Sukanya Verma.
Amitav Ghosh discusses his new book River Of Smoke, the art of writing a trilogy, his dramatic characters, the nuanced language they speak, and the Imperial intrigues that culminated in the Opium Wars.
Komal Mehta, author of Nick of Time will join us for a LIVE interview on Rediff ZaraBol on Wednesday June 27 at 3 pm.
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