Prabha Atre, the woman who could have been lawyer, scientist or doctor but became a globally renowned Hindustani classical vocalist instead, died in her Pune home on Saturday hours before she was to leave for a concert in Mumbai. She was 92.
We asked colleagues, present and past, to reflect on a man who has made such a difference to their lives and careers. Here it is then, a rich collection of memories that offer enchanting glimpses of the enigmatic Ajit Balakrishnan.
Ramoji Rao's rise to become the founder of Eenadu, the largest circulated Telugu daily, and a tycoon, from humble beginnings is legendary.
Religion and economic barriers continue to define love in modern India, discovers Preshth Bhardwaj.
India had been striving for long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in Birbhum district.
'In India, I'm able to work with the biggest stars on creating a scene, creating that emotion, without being too hung up on their persona.'
More than 157 million Indians watched at least one film in the theatre in 2023.
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.
'Keeravaaniji doesn't work in isolation.' 'He responds to stories, situations and the emotional core of a film.' 'That's why his tunes are so different.' 'Unchiseled emotional masterpieces.'
'Just the other day I went to a coffee shop and there were three people asked me, "Are you Dr Dia?"'
Their music, available online, sung in Hindi, English, Urdu and Marathi, displays a new grammar and vocabulary which expresses the language of the disempowered,
'I love the country and the people so very much. My children grew up watching Om Shanti Om.'
'Today, music directors do not work on a song that turns out to be the biggest hit of the year.' 'Their main focus is on creating a song which becomes an instant hit.' 'Whether the audience remembers that song after a couple of months or not, that does not concern them anymore.'
His music was loved by film personalities and political leaders alike, and they took to social media to offer their condolences.
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims. We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.
A fitness trainer. A triathlete. And the love of Ira Khan's life. Meet Nupur Shikhare.
'Every religion is sacred and beautiful. There's no reason for people to hate each other because they practise different faiths.'
For four decades, his voice united millions of Indians for an hour every Wednesday as he brought Hindi cinema's greatest songs in an unparalleled radio broadcast.
Tina Turner, who had Indians across generations dancing to songs such as What's Love Got To Do With It, was all set to play Shakti in a film to be directed by Ismail Merchant and visited Varanasi and Kerala for an exploratory trip.
The draft will be examined, studied and discussed before it is tabled in the assembly on February 6, he said.
amed Hollywood actor Richard Gere, Iyengar yoga exponent Deidra Demens, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and prominent American singer Mary Millben were among the eminent personalities who joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a unique yoga session at the UN Headquarters.
'I will pick Bollywood stars to play Indian superheroes.'
'We buried her yesterday.' 'There were so many bodies, they could not fit in the hospital anymore, so they put them in an army base nearby.'
'I've always looked at Mumbai as a destination I really want to be at. 'I have heard it's the most fun and it's where arts, culture and entertainment (come together), and Bollywood. I'm excited to indulge in all things Indian.'
His five-year rule saw the Babri Masjid demolition, the rise of the saffron forces and also the country being placed firmly on a new economic path, away from the Nehru years of public sector socialism.
'The othering of religious groups inevitably leads to violence.' 'It is sadly a narrative that has echoed through the centuries since man first discovered God.'
More than the jingoism overkill, it's the tedious tone of telling stories of this genre that hurts Pippa, observes Sukanya Verma.
On Thursday, June 1, 2023, Jordan's 28-year-old Crown Prince Hussein married Rajwa al-Saif, a 29-year-old Saudi architect, at a glittering wedding ceremony attended by global royalty, including Britain's prince and princess of Wales.
'Today, the risks have risen.' 'So stars need good content and good content needs stars.' 'It is now X+Y (star + content) not that X is greater than Y or Y is greater than X.'
The grand dedication ceremony of Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey was conducted on Sunday in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj following a nine-day celebration that commenced on September 30.
In his first trip to the US in 1960, Atal Bihari Vajpayee befriended a young IFS officer posted in the permanent mission of India to the UN and explored New York with him, visiting museums, art galleries and even nightclubs, says a new biography of the former prime minister.
After a sharp outperformance in the mid-and small-cap segments in the first half of calendar year 2023 (H1-CY23), analysts are now turning cautious on these two market segments and suggest investors stay selective and look for valuation comfort and earnings visibility before investing. The S&P BSE Midcap index has surged 13.7 per cent in H1-CY23, and the S&P BSE Small-cap index gained 12.7 per cent during this period, data shows. The S&P BSE Sensex, in comparison, has moved up 6.4 per cent.
Animal's violence isn't for the fainted-hearted unless you have an appetite for Korean style mayhem, like Sukanya Verma.
Veteran Hindi music director of 'Disco Dancer' fame, Bappi Lahiri, and a few other film and TV personalities joined BJP today in the presence of party president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
'No small artistic film can even hope to win, except, maybe, as random tokenism,' asserts Deepa Gahlot.
From Lathmar to Hola Mohalla, here's how Holi is celebrated in diverse parts of India.
As soon as you enter the White House you get a sense of the frenzied pace of preparation for Prime Minister Modi's visit, Rediff.com US Contributor Abhijit J Masih discovers on a visit to 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday morning.
Yash Dayal was smashed for five consecutive sixes by statemate Rinku Singh was on his haunches
The President and the Prime Minister led the tributes for Mangeshkar who spent close to a month in the hospital before her demise.
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