Arjan Singh, the Marshal of the Indian Air Force, was a fearless and exceptional pilot and remained a source of inspiration to all personnel of the Armed Forces through the years.
'The politics of it may be wishy-washy and the saviour at Darkest Hour's centre may well be a racist, an imperialist, and an alcoholic, but in Gary Oldman's nimble skin, smacked in layers and layers of prosthetics to resemble the heavily-jowled, cigar-smoking, portly penguin-like demeanour of the British Bulldog, it pretty much screams, "And the Oscar goes to"...' notes Sukanya Verma.
It's only when Gold moves away from Akshay Kumar's blundering Bangla and hockey humbug to become a story of grace among go-getters that it comes close to becoming the movie it should have been, says Sukanya Verma.
"This victory over fascism, let us not forget, inspired the struggle of millions of people all over the world, including India, for justice, freedom and equality," Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said.
The question 'Who was/were behind Aditha Karikalan's killing?' will continue to remain a historic mystery despite Mani Ratnam setting out to unravel it in his own way, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
In the media frenzy over inconsequential issues, the visit of the Emperor of Japan to India has been pushed to the margins of public discourse. Colonel (retd) Anil Athale explains the great historical and political significance of the visit.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi wrote under a chair at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm, thus keeping with the tradition of a unique kind of autograph given by the laureates.
'Can Tendulkar recreate the magic of his youth?', asks advertising guru Sandeep Goyal.
Some Twitter users were serious in their demand for the return of the Kohinoor diamond, while others had a humorous take on the issue.
The landmark civil nuclear deal sealed on Friday with Japan is strikingly similar to the agreements India has with the US and some other countries but contains some added features on safety and security, reflecting Japan's concerns on the issue.
The US foreign and security policy establishment, says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, apprehends that Trump may compel them to exorcise the 'unipolar predicament', and bring foreign and security policies to reflect the desires and priorities of the American public.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes by referring to the Queen as a "rock of strength.
'Once positions are hardened and troops start building defences, it is difficult for soldiers to step back.'
'There are thousand ways to pressure Pakistan to make it behave.' 'Going to the ICJ was the worst possible option,' says Colonel Anil A Athale.
'Since each chief single-mindedly pursues his service's interests in the competition for turf and in core matters such as budget share. The CDS, therefore, must act as an "honest broker" whose decisions serve the broader national purpose, rather than narrow service interests,' says Ajai Shukla.
'There shall be no change in India-Japan ties,' predicts Rajaram Panda.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister inaugurated a slew of development projects and laid foundation stones of several others related to energy, connectivity, education, tourism and health sectors.
Sinead O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter, became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music.
'We want to provide data, we want to provide consultation, but we don't want to lecture.' 'The consciousness about this issue in India is starting to get quite high and if we can help contribute to solving this air quality issue in a spirit of partnership with the Indians, it would be a big achievement.'
'The future does not look very promising for peace in Kashmir,' warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The former president will have two funerals -- a state funeral at the National Cathedral and a local funeral at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston.
Kanika Datta visits the crumbling but oddly appealing complex of Bagan - a place where even an atheist can come close to a divine experience.
There's a lot happening in Bollywood, Hollywood and world cinema this year.
The bench also ruled that Pakistan had violated India's rights to consular visits after his arrest.
An ambitious exhibition tells the story of India as also the history of the world.
'Apart from being total eye-candies, Saif and Shahid are very good actors. Saif is that classy man, who would open the door for you and pull chairs for you. Shahid would come to the sets with headphones on. He had a boyish charm.' Kangana Ranaut gets in Rangoon mode.
Other large recipients are China ($64 billion), the Philippines ($28 billion), Mexico ($24 billion), Nigeria ($21 billion), Egypt ($18 billion), Pakistan ($17 billion), Bangladesh ($15 billion), Vietnam ($11 billion) and Ukraine ($9 billion).
Nationalisation has served its purpose. It's time to move ahead, keeping majority ownership of the government in a few banks to serve the people, argues Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
'They (students) were born in a borderless world, a world of the internet and a deep-seated belief that they could live and work anywhere they wished.'
The key airbase at Panagarh in West Bengal has been renamed as 'Air Force Station Arjan Singh' in honour of the Marshal of the Air Force, who turned 97 on Friday.
During the 13th annual summit, the two prime ministers reviewed developments in bilateral relations and explored new areas of cooperation, focusing on shared vision for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, where China is flexing its muscles.
'When Zubeida came, everybody loved me and I got a slew of offers of the same kind.' 'People started saying, "Aap nayi Aruna Irani ban jayegi".'
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha emphasised that the brand name has both sentimental and economical value.
I can't see what purpose can be served by an apology by a British government that cannot in any way be blamed for one sadistic man running amok 100 years ago, argues Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
We may turn our noses up at those who do it but that doesn't mean we haven't done one (or all) of these things at an ATM.
'No country can ever be free to make its choices and remain independent if it continues to wear borrowed plumes,' warn Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Syed Mushtaq Ali was like a lion, not a labourer, at the crease. Attack was his defence and he would show no mercy on the bowlers'
When Rediff.com's Archana Masih and Rajesh Karkera set course from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea, they could not think of a better place to begin their journey than the stately campus that has given India some of its greatest military heroes.
From the Syrian civil war to the Ukrainian crisis to the terror unleashed by the dreaded Islamic State, there was no lack of news in 2014. In this five-part series, rediff.com presents a selection of the year's most enduring moments year from around the world.
In a forceful statement in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj rejected allegations that she misled the country.
