Few debut novels in recent times have been received with such critical applause as Akil Kumarasamy's Half Gods. 'The prose itself is a marvel,' declared The New York Times Book Review. A glimpse of Akil Kumaraswamy's ability to 'distill the mysteries of the human soul', revealed in this excerpt from her story The Office of Missing Persons.
ISI chief Faiz Hameed coerced the Taliban to announce an interim government guaranteed to preserve Pakistan's control over the levers of power in Kabul, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
R Sridhar recalls 'Ravi ship' and more
'Teaching lessons is the objective behind every school.' 'For the moment, a state seems intent to teach a lesson -- that students of Classes 4, 5 and 6 can wage war against the mighty Indian nation,' says Krishna Prasad.
'Could the Chinese have taken a leaf out of our book?' 'That their unprecedented build-up is their attempt at coercive diplomacy with India?' 'And if so, what is it that they could be expecting as a quid pro quo?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
Today, the Ladakhis and Tibetans have been joined by the Sikhs, the Madrassis, the Garhwalis, the Rajputs, who are well trained psychologically and otherwise, to defend the nation, observes Claude Arpi.
The stars attempt dare devil stunts.
'The police are busy arresting people from Delhi, but not those we saw burning our home!'
'Who is the right Mekhail? Mekhail I or Mekhail II?'
The best camera is the one you have in your pocket. Ever since the release of the first iPhone, the iPhone Photography Awards, now in its 11th year, highlights the best of the best. This year's winners were selected from thousands of entries and from photographers in 140 countries. The winning image, taken by Jashish Salam of Bangladesh and titled "Displaced," shows a crowded refugee camp with Rohingya children watching a film about sanitation. Other awards included prizes for photographer of the year and 18 other categories like Nature, Children and Travel. Check out the winning images.
'I believe politics was imposed on it by the censor board, when it gave the film's trailer an A certificate, hoping to deny children, teenagers the opportunity to watch it during prime time television shows,' says Aseem Chhabra.
'Shah Rukh Khan is a born entertainer.' 'From five year olds to a 105 year old, Shah Rukh will charm and entertain everyone.' 'With Salman, a lot of people have come back intimidated.' 'But I enjoy my adventures with Salman because you just have to be yourself.'
China's ruling Communist Party has cracked down on Tibetans who planned to attend the Kalachakra Puja in Bodh Gaya. But the Tibetan people have dared the Communists by listening to the Dalai Lama's sermons on the Internet and sharing videos on social media.
Sumit Bhattacharya paradrops into the eastern Uttar Pradesh temple city to find it enjoying its moment in the national sun.
'The Tibetan movement will never turn violent during the Dalai Lama's life-time.'
How many of the 319 films Aseem Chhabra watched in 2018 have you seen?
'If you are a slave, nobody has any problem. The conflict starts when you question and ask for equal rights.'
"Today, I have the information of 10 blasts. A total of 13 bombs were placed there. I will not go into details where they were kept and all. Two persons have been injured -- 50-year-old Dorji and Bala Sanga (30)," Shinde told media persons.
'This is the only place on earth where Elephas maximus climbs to these heights.'
Over the years though the ritual has evolved into the massive water fight that dominates streets all over the country.
'Think about how he would have handled Hyderabad, and JNU. He would have been very cross if he found two of his Cabinet ministers weighing in on the side of the ABVP.' 'And if Rohith Vemula still killed himself, he would have been the first to speak out in anguish and empathy rather than deny he was a Dalit.' 'And JNU, he would have simply said something like, 'let the boys speak, then they will grow up and join the IAS).' 'A good idea, when in crisis, is to apply the 'Vajpayee test' to your actions,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Controlling and trying to make sure that things flow smoothly for their children comes naturally to parents, but one simply must know where to draw the line.
'Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical characters behave as though they are already aware of the chapters that will be dedicated to them and the sonnets that will be written in their memory.' 'And yet, they talk relentlessly about making and remaking history.' 'Can anything be more superficial?' asks Sreehari Nair.
Nikhil Advani's Hero remake follows the template of the original, which may not have been the wisest course of action, notes Raja Sen.
'The 17-year-old boy, who pulled out Nirbhaya's intestines, should have got the harshest punishment because he was not human at the time.' 'Instead, he was given a sewing machine and some money to have a new beginning!' 'Are we giving out incentives?' 'Are we telling our unemployed youth that if they do something like this, the government will give them jobs?'
Kailash Satyarthi, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, in front of packed crowd made a rousing speech asking every person to come together and set our children free. He honoured those who came before him and also said that he accepted this honour on behalf of all the martyrs and activists in India. Here's the transcript of his moving acceptance speech.
'This is a film that trumpets out its sex -- it is content in being a girl's version of the archetypical boy's locker-room picture.' 'And if it was just that, that would have been fun too, but Lipstick Under My Burkha doesn't want to affect your senses, it wants to control your mind!' Sreehari Nair comes away unimpressed.
As Peter sits outside the court with his sister, Indrani walks in with a request. It has been three months since Peter has started speaking to Indrani again, after a long silence of two years.
Rediff.com presents the gist of the speech delivered by Mr. Kailash Satyarthi on the Foundation Day of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh.
From Dudhwa to Veppathur and Havelock Island, the Indian tourism market is booming like never before.
Down in the Indian Ocean, cricket turned out to be the great unifier and Archana Masih, only an intermittent fan, became its ambassador of sorts.
How much do you know about Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahal?
'His essential doctrine was only the local police can fight terror.' '"You can't fire at mobs throwing stones," he said, adding one has to think innovatively, even defensively, sometimes.' Shekhar Gupta remembers the uncoventional SuperCop.
Tea and coffee estates, the smell of eucalyptus in the crisp mountain air, cool nights huddled in shawls, sylvan lake rides and mountain treks... Peace and tranquility is at hand!
A tiny village in the Gangotri area and a self-discovery vacation...
As he was giving evidence, Dr Matcheswalla peremptorily summoned the CBI representative over to the witness box and whispered something. Indrani Mukerjea's advocate Sudeep Pasbola immediately cut in, wondering what he was up to: "Please, please, please." Dr Matcheswalla, looking innocently startled, said: "I was asking if I can order for tea."
At the 53rd annual convocation ceremony of the IIT-Bombay, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi shared stories of his struggle and victories.
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