'The death certificate which I once read even states the date, 6 August, but I know that already.' 'Every year, we observe paath at the local gurdwara for which we need to take leave from school. The leave form always says 'attending father's death anniversary'. 'I always dread this day -- the long walk from my desk to the teacher's table with my diary in hand and in it a handwritten note dripped with sadness despite its curt language.' 'What generally follows is pity on my teacher's face, a deep sigh of sympathy and a sad pat on the back.' A moving excerpt from Gurmehar Kaur's memoir Small Acts Of Freedom.
Rai says the story is a 'sordid saga of the relations between the Indian state and minorities'.
What are the most worrisome aspects of climate change for India? Can they be solved?
Most incidents of triple talaq are eloquent examples of the failure of Muslim society to instil in its men the teachings of the Quran; instead, they end up relying on the Quran's interpretation by local maulanas, says Ziya US Salam.
'If majority of the country's population is sentimental about a certain species, why are we so ashamed to say that we want to give it statutory protection?'
Chidambaram has been magnanimous in endorsing my book, says the former RBI Governor D Subbarao.
"A writer must be like a sponge. I absorb everything from different parts of life."
India could gain four times over by winding up dysfunctional subsidies.
'Is there any harm in studying the history of India? This is not a regressive stand. The Vedas and Upanishads should be included in our textbooks,' says Dinanath Batra.
'There is one weapon in the government's armoury which impacts the independence of the judiciary, and which has not been affected by the collegium system.' 'It is post-retirement employment with the government. 'This is because some judges -- but not all -- are offered post-retirement employment by the government, and it has often been feared that judges close to retirement might decide cases so as to please the government in order to get a favourable post-retirement position,' says Abhinav Chandrachud.
Duvvuri Subbarao recounts how his tensions with P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee, then finance ministers, over monetary policy spilled over into other issues in the central bank in this excerpt from Who Moved My Interest Rate?, his memoir of his term as Reserve Bank of India governor.
Privatisation is still regarded as beyond the pale but public-private partnerships have gained in popularity.
Meet Bollywood's favourite CrossFit trainer Shivoham.
Sheena Bora may be the latest of India's 'gone girls' but the list is too long to enumerate, says Sunil Sethi
Everything about ISIS had indicated that this would be a violent Ramzan. A violent, divisive Ramzan sends out exactly the message that ISIS wants to send to religious Muslims outside its folds: It plays on their faith and fears, says writer Tabish Khair.
Naseeruddin Shah sets the gold standard as a master memoirist.
The weekly fashion round-up, where we bring you the latest on supermodels, style, designers and everything in between.
How did Mansoor Peerbhoy, an academically bright, suave and soft-spoken young man, who never exhibited any jihadist tendencies, go on to head the Indian Mujahideen's media cell?
What does Pakistan mean for a young Indian? Devanik Saha attempts an answer.
Rajiv Malhotra's plagiarism may not be as horrifying as impersonating an exam candidate in Indore -- but they're both forms of cheating.
'The Tata group will need for its new leader to show the same foresight and willingness to go against conventional wisdom at times to keep the group's aspirations high and uphold the values of innovation, ethics, corporate responsibility, trust and leadership that are frequently associated with the Tata name.'
Despite being set in different yugas, there are characters who appear in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
'Success will require political skill, not just economic expertise'
Faced with a situation where the spouse's transferable job keeps taking the family to different locations, thus jeopardising their own careers, many women simply fall off their career track and resign themselves to relocation every time their husband gets transferred, says Sudha Menon.
'Pakistan has a big role to play in fomenting trouble, but we need to ask ourselves why ordinary Kashmiris are coming out in large numbers to attend the funerals of terrorists.'
Excerpts from How to be a Productivity Ninja: Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do!
'Modi took to the dais and said he would like to step down as chief minister over the riots.' 'Immediately, people from several sides got up and said there was no need to do so.' 'Whether it was orchestrated or not, Shourie wasn't sure.' 'But, according to him, Vajpayee felt that it was a coup.'
What distinguishes 26/11 from other bombings in big cities, for instance 9/11 in New York or 7/7 in London, is that it remains the best-documented attack in a digitally enhanced world, says Sunil Sethi
Former India captain Ravi Shastri has been the team's Director since last year and guided the team during the just-concluded World Cup. This is an exclusive column for PTI
The Sony World Photography Awards, an annual competition hosted by the World Photography Organisation, has announced the winners of its Open categories and National categories for 2017. This year's contest attracted 227,596 entries from 183 countries. Scroll down for a sensational selection of open winners and runners-up from the Sony awards.
'If you want to live a happy life, you have to help the downtrodden. You have to understand that you have been given a position which is a confluence of your own capability and the grace of God. You must use that position to exemplify to others what has to be followed.'
Most adult Indians should have access to bank deposits, credit and remittance facilities as well as insurance and mutual fund products in the next decade, and technology will play a big role in this transformation, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
India's billionaires are pledging a decent amount of their wealth for the welfare of society.
In Khushwant Singh photographer Mustafa Quraishi found a grandfather he always wanted.
R K Laxman immortalised the passive, hapless common man with an uncanny perception
This week's digest of stories that are weird and crazy!
The nation wants an ex-ante body for endorsing "public purpose" during land acquistion process.
Why Dalit leaders cross over to the BJP
Accept imperfection. Be prepared for choppy waters. Be open to change.
From Aurangzeb to Sangh Parivar, the year 2016 offers plenty of hope in historical and modern literature.
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