The earliest ones included whistles shaped like birds, toy monkeys that could slide down a string and small carts made from materials found in nature such as sticks, clay and rocks. While there might be no disputing India's rich toy-making tradition, the industry is languishing for lack of investment and technology, and also owing to competition from cheap imports. And though it has been listed among 24 key sectors under the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the question remains: will this push help place it in the global game? Currently, 80-odd per cent of the toys sold in India are imported - nearly 60 per cent of them from China.
Rohan Bopanna says he is playing the 'best tennis' of his career after he achieved a personal goal of winning a Grand Slam title.
Tennis's flagship team events the Davis Cup and Fed Cup Finals have been postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Friday. Professional tennis has been suspended since March and will not return until August.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic is angry at the state of the court that will be used for this week's Davis Cup first-round tie between Serbia and Belgium.
Readers share their best Ganpati pictures and memories.
Rafael Nadal clinched a record-extending 11th Monte Carlo title as he geared up for his French Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori in the final on Sunday.
Chef Sudip Misra from Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield shares his tricolour recipes.
Next year's Australian Open could be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and even if the first Grand Slam of 2021 goes ahead fans from abroad will not be able to attend, Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said on Wednesday. The tennis season was halted in early March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 3.68 million people around the world while killing over 256,000 so far.
On Shashi Kapoor's 83rd birth anniversary, Subhash K Jha looks at his top five productions.
Local favourite Alize Cornet has backed up former world number one Victoria Azarenka's call for a review of the line call regulations at the French Open, labelling a decision against her on Sunday as "shameful".
Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and others who have complained about the blue clay at the Madrid Open are 'weenies', according to former Women's No. 1 Serena Williams.
The Citi Open in Washington, which was scheduled to restart the men's ATP Tour after the COVID-19 shutdown, has been cancelled for 2020, organisers announced on Tuesday. The tournament was set to begin on August 14 and serve as a build-up for the US Open but the organisers said concerns about travel restrictions and recent trends in the coronavirus outbreak had led to the decision to scrap the event.
Images from Day 11 of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Wednesday.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal thrashed Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-0, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters for a record 14th time on Friday.
Wimbledon organisers have bowed to players' wishes by announcing a later start date from 2015, extending the tennis grass-court season and increasing the gap with the French Open, they said in a statement on Thursday.
Rediff.com showcases some of the most vibrant landscape snaps from around the world
Nadal will have the chance to claim the top spot back on Monday if he wins his third title in Acapulco
Holders Spain clinched reached their fourth Davis Cup final in five years when David Ferrer overcame the big-serving John Isner to help beat the United States 3-1 in the last-four tie on Sunday.
Let the kids just idle out their time. Their minds are always working. Let that mind develop naturally, says Dr Himani Kulkarni.
Images from Day 12 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris.
Rafael Nadal's decision to skip the US Open because of health concerns has added another twist to the intriguing three-way battle for the most career men's Grand Slam titles and, in many eyes, the title of Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). Had the 34-year-old Spaniard managed to retain the title he won in a five-set thriller against Daniil Medvedev last year, he would have joined Roger Federer at the top of the list with 20 titles. Instead, his decision has cleared the path for 33-year-old Novak Djokovic to edge to within one of Nadal's Grand Slam tally with a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 18 in total.
Dominic Thiem, the only player to beat claycourt giant Rafael Nadal on the red dirt this season, is one of the dark horses at the French Open - and the Austrian feels he deserves the tag.
While the United States has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world, New York seems to have a better handle on the virus and reported less than 5,000 new cases last week.
Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2017 French Open:
A series of recent scandals engulfing officials working on the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Games
Readers share their foodgasm moments.
Rediff readers tell us how they are celebrating the festival.
The restart has divided opinion among the players, with some 200,000 new COVID-19 cases being reported globally every day and international travel restrictions still in place.
Christian Taylor of the United States retained his Olympic men's triple jump title on Tuesday, recording the longest jump of the year to claim the podium top spot.
It was Nadal's 50th trophy on clay court, his 70th overall and his first title in almost a year
Not that cash will be the motivator for world number one Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and debutants Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman when the tournament's 50th edition starts on Sunday.
Reaching ATP Finals like winning a tournament, says Zverev
From Jalandari seekh kebabs to gajar ka hawla, presenting three yummy winter recipes.
What better way to know a place than to learn its cuisine? Learn the art of working with terracotta and stoneware clay... ...If it's textiles that turn you on, a holiday in Jaipur could be just the thing for you.... ...Add an extra dimension to a holiday in spiritual Dharamsala by immersing yourself in Tibetan art...
Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Andre Sa progressed to the Estoril Open quarter-finals and also joining them in the last-eight pairs were Divij Sharan and Purav Raja.
World No 2 Rafael Nadal thrashed top seed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-1 in the Monte Carlo Masters final to win the clay court title for an eighth consecutive time.
The World No 1 told reporters on Friday that his strong performances this season -- including clinching yet another Roland Garros title in June -- have given him momentum heading into the fourth major of the year next week.
"It's not even a dream to win here 11 times, because its impossible to think of something like this."
Austria's Dominic Thiem strained every sinew trying to cling on to the 32-year-old Spaniard and at times even gained a precarious foothold in his first Grand Slam final. But it ultimately proved a futile mission as, just like in all but two of Nadal's previous 87 matches here, the relentless Spaniard proved insurmountable, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Spain's Garbine Muguruza successfully defended her Monterrey Open title on Sunday when Victoria Azarenka retired injured from her first WTA singles final in three years.
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