Holi was celebrated with pomp and splendor across India on Friday, with people soaking in the festivities by smearing 'gulaal' on each other and exchanging greetings and sweets. Homes and streets wore a colourful look as the revellers splashed colours and feasted on traditional delicacies. Public transport did not ply in the morning in most major cities while metro services started functioning from noon. As Holi coincided with the second Friday prayers during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan, security -- including increased patrolling and picketing -- was beefed up in several states. In Delhi, more than 25,000 security personnel were deployed. Police closely monitored about 300 sensitive areas with CCTV cameras and drones.
'I feel I must decline as there is a general election looming and the timing of the award might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the government and myself, which I would much regret,' Gita Mehta said.
'Due to this sudden phenomenon, guests stopped visiting the homes of these villages, girls and boys from these villages were not getting proposals; students were reluctant to attend schools and colleges for fear of being shamed.'
The Prime Minister shared highlights of their interaction on his social media, praising Gukesh's determination, dedication, and humility.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has apologized for his remarks about revered poet-saint Meerabai, which drew significant backlash on social media. Meghwal's comments, made during a recent program in Sikar, sparked criticism, particularly from the Rajput community, which demanded an apology from him. He said he has immense respect for Meerabai and "expresses regret and asks for forgiveness" if his words had hurt anybody. The minister had said that Meerabai was troubled not by her husband but by her brother-in-law, who wanted to marry her after her husband's death.
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with Chinese officials. The visit comes amid ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and to resume bilateral cooperation in various fields, including the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
An assistant sub inspector of traffic police died and six others were injured when two vehicles of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's carcade met with an accident in Jagatpura area of Jaipur on Wednesday.
Kidambi Srikanth, whose stature has grown immensely following a phenomenal 2017, was nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri award by former Sports Minister Vijay Goel.
Amid heightened security measures, more than two crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam till 6 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
'Over a span of three years, our entire studio was devoted to Heeramandi.'
Tamil Nadu is set to protest against the National Education Policy (NEP) on February 18, with the ruling DMK and its allies announcing a demonstration. The state government has been at odds with the Centre over the implementation of the NEP and the three-language formula proposed in the policy. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed the state's opposition as "politics" and asserted that the Centre is committed to implementing the NEP across the country. The DMK, however, accused the Centre of encroaching on the state's rights and using the office of the Governor to push the NEP.
Two people have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 52-year-old auto-rickshaw driver.
"Heartbroken by the loss of Shri @RNTata2000 Ji, whose visionary leadership not only transformed India's industry but also played a pivotal role in shaping our aviation sector," Naidu said in a post on X.
This is the second such incident in the city in last few days.
Within his short lifespan of 63 years, Raj Kapoor left behind an incredible cinematic legacy. Dinesh Raheja continues celebrating Raj Kapoor's birth centenary by looking at seven sequences from his films that have defined Hindi cinema.
Ishan Kishan celebrated his 26th birthday by offering prayers at the Shri Sai Baba temple in Shirdi.
For the past few days, Tata had been admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai.
Two women pilgrims from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh died while a five-year-old girl was grievously injured in a landslide on the new track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Monday, officials said.
Kareena and Saif's boys didn't meet the PM, but check out what Modi sent them...
Raashii Khanna and Vikrant Massey celebrated the beginning of Navratri with Falguni Pathak.
I have never forgotten the lesson that Guruji served up with the tea that morning: Be kind encouraging and patient with fresh starters. Subhash K Jha mourns the passing of Pritish Nandy.
Running for the US House of Representatives from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia, a Democratic stronghold, Subramanyam defeated Mike Clancy of the Republican Party. He is currently a Virginia State Senator.
'He is a real hero. He is doing well currently. His parameters have improved. '
Debutant legislator Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi chief minister along with six ministers on Thursday in a grand show of strength full of colour and spectacle to mark the Bharatiya Janata Party's return to power in the city after more than 26 years.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna passed away at his residence in Bengaluru early Tuesday morning, his family said.
Two damaged idols were found inside the well of the Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was reopened last week after being shut for 46 years. The temple, which houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling, was reopened on December 13 after authorities stumbled upon the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive. The idols, a Lakshmi idol and a Parvati idol, were found in the well, which authorities had planned to reopen. The district administration has written to the Archaeological Survey of India for carbon dating of the temple, including the well.
Eight years ago, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain had narrated how his father Alla Rakha had welcomed him into this world by putting the musical instrument's rhythms into his ears when asked to recite prayers.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat expressed concern over the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues. He advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that India can live together in harmony.
'Sudip sir keeps telling me that what I have done is very Hollywood.'
In a video, Chandrachud and his wife Kalpana Das were seen welcoming Modi at their house.
As the tussle appeared getting out of hand, the two lawmakers disengaged and went their separate ways.
Amid growing outrage here about the large-scale attack on minority Hindus and their places of worship in Bangladesh, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday spoke with the interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and both leaders expressed commitment to protect human rights in the troubled South Asian nation.
India is set to host the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup at the iconic Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi from January 13 to 19 2025.
Rajinikanth, who had been admitted to Chennai's Apollo Hospital on September 20 after complaining of ill health, was discharged on Thursday night.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. The suspect was traveling by a Mumbai-Howrah train and held at Durg in the afternoon. Mumbai Police were informed about the development and their team will reach here by late evening.
The West Bengal chief minister said such "insult" was unacceptable.
Forty-one Border Road Organisation labourers working to clear snow near the high altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were trapped under an avalanche on Friday.
'It is unjust for the Bangladesh government to send ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is leading the Hindus in such peaceful demonstrations, to jail'
Indians are the main beneficiaries of the H-1B visas, which bring in the best of the talent and brains from across the world. Highly skilled professionals from India walk away with the overwhelming number of H-1B visas - which is Congressional mandated 65,0000 every year and another 20,000 for those who received higher education from the US.
Three schools in Delhi received bomb threats via email on Friday morning, prompting a multi-agency response, including searches by police and bomb detection teams. The threats come after at least 44 schools received similar emails on December 9, which were declared hoaxes by police. Authorities are currently conducting checks at the schools, and parents have been advised not to send their children to classes.
