'What Siddhartha's life teaches us is something very true about life; that life is a circle, and what goes up will come down. What is on top today will come down tomorrow, and what is down will go back to the top.'
'Astad had the courage to plough a lonely furrow. He made a life of his own, on his own, and created a path-breaking dance style.' 'Only a few in the performing arts could do what he did.' 'A classical dancer can fall back on tradition, but Astad created something absolutely new.'
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honour, in 2012.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Nepal visit was an eye-opener for most Indians, as it appears as though the hard feelings of 17 years of neglect by Indian PMs has been overcome by this single, sincere visit, says Rajeev Srinivasan.
'This is the only place on earth where Elephas maximus climbs to these heights.'
'We are at $2.7 trillion and 2024 is not far away.' 'The country will need to grow by 9% every year for 5 years continuously and raise the aggregate investment rate to 38% of GDP to achieve the government's target of turning India into a $5 trillion economy.' 'Given the fact that we are only growing at about 5% and our investment rates are only about 30%, it may take a number of years before we can reach that targeted level.'
At Rs 2,685 crore for 1MHz pan-Indian spectrum, reserve price would be 52% higher than that of 1,800MHz band
'The Vajpayee personae is so mirrored in Modi's initiatives that one wonders if the similarities are merely a coincidence or a divine design,' says RSS ideologue Tarun Vijay.
'General J S Aurora, the commander of the Indian forces in the East, asked General Sagat Singh to withdraw his troops who were on the move to Dacca -- but he refused.' 'He said, "Jaggi, over my dead body".' 'Therefore, I say the creator of Bangladesh was General Sagat Singh.'
'They don't have a political strategy so they are going to try to deal with it purely as a law and order problem.' 'They will try to use the same strategy they have repeatedly used since 2014 in Kashmir.' 'Mr Modi has landed in a situation where he faces the possible prospect of not only being unable to Indianise Kashmir, but his actions may end up making the rest of India a virtual carbon copy of Kashmir.'
'Their brave resistance keep our hopes alive that this youth upsurge is strengthening India's democracy and pluralism,' states Mohammad Sajjad.
Suburban services were disrupted with trains on all the three lines -- western, central and harbour -- running late.
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.
A look at the life and times of maverick businessman Chinnakannan Sivasankaran
It's hard to root for Aisa Yeh Jahaan despite its beautiful concept, says Paloma Sharma.
Normal life was crippled in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions today as united Andhra Pradesh supporters, including TDP, YSR Congress, observed a bandh against the Union Cabinet's approval of the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill.
The cricket career of Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has come a full circle. Misbah is no longer 'Mr Tuck Tuck'.
For many, he is the Dhirubhai Ambani of Kerala. For others, he is the most influential Indian in West Asia. M A Yusuff is back in the spotlight after the controversy surrounding the UAE's reported offer of a Rs 7 billion aid package for flood-hit Kerala.
"He's a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience," said Trump of his new appointment.
Very few today realise that without Brigadier John Dalvi's courage, we would never have known what really happened during those tragic days of October/November 1962, reveals Claude Arpi.
Investors are keenly awaiting the announcement of the macroeconomic data-IIP and CPI due on Tuesday.
'All appointments are from one family. And this is the fundamental difference between the Congress and the BJP'
Humans rarely get to glimpse the animal kingdom up-close. But, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, offers a peek into the lives of species around the world. The competition has just revealed the shortlist of 25 photos for the LUMIX People's Choice Award. Voting is open until February 4, 2020, and the overall winner will be announced in February.
The celebrity chef shares recipes for five unusual Indian desserts.
Dates are known to be a good source of fibre and since the ordinary eating pattern is restricted to two big meals during Ramzan, dates ensure one doesn't get constipation and there is clear urination. It also has enough calories to satiate the peak of hunger after the fast ends.
A robotic mini-submarine deployed to unprecedented depths underwater to hunt for the crashed Malaysian airliner has searched nearly two-thirds of the focused area of the Indian Ocean floor, as it ended its eighth mission on Monday with still no sign of any wreckage of the plane.
The navy wants to spend Rs 40,000 crore on INS Vishal, a choice the army and air force oppose. This is as much about turf as about funding. explains Ajai Shukla.
Over the years, Mr Singh has got in and out of innumerable businesses, cutting across sectors. He is one businessman who I have always found to be in a start-up mode, says Bhupesh Bhandari.
The Sindhis are a lesson in perseverance. Once uprooted, they've started all over, often reinventing themselves
Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports on the Sheena Bora Trial.
Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera made an 11-day road voyage across some of South Asia's most deserted, challenging, terrain, always under the gaze of the sacred, dazzling Himalaya.
'So a number of people are drawn in along with members of their friends' circle or their relatives.' 'A number of individuals find that they have more in common with the 'imagined community' that they discover online as opposed to their own physical community and indeed, even the majority Muslim community elsewhere.'
A war hero looks back at the men and the moments that forged India's greatest military victory.
'Clearly, from the Indian viewpoint, the US retrenchment from Asia cannot be happening as good news.' 'The abandonment of the US' pivot to Asia exposes the US-Indian partnership to be a mere transactional relationship,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar
Anti-CAB protests intensify in Guwahati even as the PM appealed for calm, assuring the people of the state that the govt will protect their interests.
'Presidents may come and go, but America will go on forever,' an American business leader tells Ambassador T P Sreenivasan in New York.
'Is Xi's China stable?'
'No one can say whether the regime will fall all at once or if its leaders are devising a new solid and competitive -- anything but democratic -- model.' A fascinating excerpt from Francois Bougon's Inside The Mind of Xi Jinping.
'If India is to emerge as a superpower, we must utilise our huge agricultural potential and not, as in past centuries, merely exploit our farmers,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'His secretary of defence nominee, General James Mattis, says he expects Pakistan to take action against terrorists operating from its soil.' 'Any pressure the US can bring on the Pakistani regime terror-wise would pay dividends for India.'
Satvik food is de rigueur this time of the year in most Western and Northern Indian homes, say chefs and food historians Arundhuti Dasgupta and Shally Seth Mohile.