Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from the Berlin International Film Festival, as she was 'shocked and disgusted' by the comments of the jury members regarding their stance on Gaza.
'Arundhati Roy is like a ballerina performing on a high wire, cool, supremely at ease but conscious of all the adoring eyes on her,' notes P Vijaya Kumar.
Altogether 35 children have died at Kolkata's state-run B C Roy Children's Hospital in the last five days.
Eleven babies died at the B C Roy Children's Hospital in Kolkata since Tuesday in a rerun of the 18 crib deaths in June there.
'At a time when there was little awareness of world music, playing western tunes on eastern instruments like the flute and the dholak, blending vocal polyphony with Indian folk and contemporary styles, Salilkaku created a new musical genre in Bengal called Gana Sangeet.'
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Doctors were on Friday keeping a close watch on the condition of children at a premier state-run hospital in Kolkata where 18 babies died in the last two days triggering large-scale protests and demonstrations.
The health department asked the authorities of eastern region's largest paediatric referral hospital to send reports about crib deaths.
Four more babies died at Kolkata's B C Roy Children's Hospital, which has witnessed a series of crib deaths, besides 12 newborns in the Burdwan Medical College, taking the death toll in two government hospitals in West Bengal to 29 on Friday.
With the death of two more infants, the death toll at the state-run B C Roy Children's Hospital in Kolkata has risen to 23, sparking protests by political parties.
A woman is suspected to have died of Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra on Wednesday, while 16 new cases of the rare nerve disorder were reported in the state, health officials said.
Two more infants died on Thursday at the government-run B C Roy Children's Hospital in Kolkata taking the crib death toll to 13 in three days in a rerun of the tragedy when 18 babies passed away in two days in the same hospital in June.
'Abrar uncle said he had started drinking from the afternoon on that fateful day. And he continued drinking till late at night.' 'Thereafter, he must have consumed some sleeping pills, as was his habit.' 'I think that combination went fatally wrong.'
The train was heading to Kamakhya station in Assam's Guwahati from Bengaluru.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made an unscheduled visit to B C Roy Children's Hospital in the metropolis where 18 infants died in a span of 48 hours and said she will take up the issue of high infant mortality rate in the state with the prime minister.
Chanting 'Justice for RG Kar' and 'Justice for our sister', hundreds of IT professionals took to the streets of Sector V in Salt Lake, the city's IT Hub, protesting against the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital.
Ohad Munder, 9, in a video released by Schneider Children's Medical Centre (SCMC) can be seen running and hugging his father in a tight embrace for the first time since he was released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Friday.
After bringing forth the alarming story of West Bengal's Malda Medical College and Hospital, where hundreds of children have lost their lives due to alleged negligence, Rediff.com's Indrani Mitra speaks to the relatives of some of the ill-fated patients.
Locals and parents of other children immediately took to the streets following the incident, protesting against the "lack" of proper policing of the major road intersection in the southern part of the city.
Mongolia can take a lifetime to happen but rewards the intrepid traveller with enduring memories of a surreal, delightful land.
Twelve babies died at a state-run hospital in Kolkata, triggering protests by locals and relatives. The West Bengal government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The incident happened around 4.30 pm in Uttar Pabiacherra in Kumarghat during the 'Ulta Rath Yatra' or return car festival organised by ISKCON, they said. During this festival, the sibling deities -- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhdara and Lord Jagannath -- return to their abode in a chariot, a week after Rath Yatra.
On Monday, five infants died after a long power cut at the government run B C Roy Memorial Children's Hospital in Kolkata.
The four, in the age group of seven to 22 days, died in Ward 7 after power supply to the incubators got snapped, hospital sources said.
In a noble gesture veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble has donated his first India blazer for the cause of a children's hospital extension project.
The mortal remains of a jawan, who was found dead after a sting video on the "abuse" of buddy system in the army, were laid to rest in Kollam district of Kerala after a fresh autopsy was conducted following insistence of his family, who raised doubts over this demise.
'My wife, family members as well as members of the workers will be trustees.' 'The trust will take all decisions -- no family member can individually take any decision.'
'He is my friend, role model, mentor and superhero.'
Miss World 2024 will be crowned in India soon. Long before Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra, Yukta Mukhey and Diana Hayden, a beautiful woman from Bombay was crowned Miss World. In 1966. Reita Faria was India's first Miss World. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/ Rediff.com met the 80 year old in Dublin recently, still as elegant, still as attractive as she was all those years ago.
The Malda Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal has become infamous for the unbelievable number of infant deaths there. Indrani Roy sets out to find out why.
'Later, I asked Hrithik how he could have remained so calm in the circumstances. He told me simply, "What could have happened? At the most, they would have killed me".'
The notorious Malda Medical College and Hospital, where dozens of children have lost their lives due to alleged negligence, is not the only factor crippling the healthcare situation in this West Bengal district. Rediff.com's Indrani Roy digs deep into the multi-layered crisis.
Guha, died of post-covid complications at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday at 11.25 pm after a massive cardiac arrest, his family said.
A seven-year-old boy was killed and another child injured in a crude bomb explosion in Burdwan city in West Bengal on Monday, triggering tension in the area ahead of the elections amid a political war of words over the law and order situation in the state.
'We'll certainly have Hollywood productions, so why wouldn't we have Bollywood?'
'Right now, only religious groups of Hindus and Muslims are working on the ground.' 'The government is missing.'
With spiralling costs, it is important that you read the fine print in your insurance policy.
'Would Chumki ever get to lead a normal life? How could we reinstate her in a family? Questions like these haunted me.' Indrani Roy discovers how a young child, cruelly handicapped at birth, is now living a normal, healthy life thanks to the determination of a few warm-hearted people.
'I kept begging the doctors to put my three year old on the ventilator. But the doctors and nurses kept saying no ventilator was available. When the breathing apparatus ultimately became available, it was too late.'
Mamata alleged that the BJP and the CPI-M were provoking doctors and giving communal colour to the issue.
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