A hands-on mother and devoted wife, she craves an ordinary life.
India is the birthplace of four major world religions -- Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is home to the world's third largest Muslim population, a diverse community of sects that includes Sufis, Shia, and Bohra. Roughly three per cent of India's citizens are Christian, and notably, Christians are the religious majority in three of India's 29 states, she said.
The actress, who reportedly describes herself as Jewish-Buddhist, recently was in the news in the UK for her alternative teaching methods, when it was reported she'd been talking to the Tories about introducing the techniques into British schools.
The controversy is a sensitive issue which could have an impact on relations with China and could hurt the feelings and sensitivities of the followers of the Karmapa, say B Raman.
As politicians fast to score brownie points, they should know that not every fast has a desirable ending, says Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Richard Gere is in Bihar to attend a five-day religious discourse on Buddhism by the Dalai Lama.
The plea filed by an advocate has also sought issuance of guidelines for creation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to tackle such incidents and filling up of vacancies in forest forces across the country.
A book by Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria has sparked a row in Nepal, with a top Maoist leader accusing him of misrepresenting facts by claiming that Buddha was born in India, instead of Nepal.
Count among The Light of Asia's many, many admirers over 132 years: Gandhi, Tagore, Vivekananda, Nehru and Ambedkar, Tolstoy and Kipling, Yeats and Eliot, Alfred Nobel, Dmitri Mendeleev and C V Raman. Jairam Ramesh reveals why he decided to write a book on Edwin Arnold, who wrote The Light of Asia.
'The numbers of troops on both sides are enormous.' 'They are about 50,000-60,000 soldiers facing each other in that sector -- that's about the total number of troops that both sides had in the 1962 War in all sectors.'
Will the lavish scale of her 'beautification' projects result in a Mayawati school of architecture? Kishore Singh checks out the chief minister's authoritarian obsession for monument-building in the face of scathing opposition.
Buddhist monks have demanded the arrest of the former chief priest of the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi temple, Buddhism's holiest shrine, after recovery of ornaments and jewelry donated by devotees from his room.
But the crucial question is whether our politicians realise the continuous damage that they have inflicted on the unity and integrity of the nation by their recklessness? Do they realise the consequence of the rise of Hindu terror and what caused it in the first place? Do they sincerely believe that the government can effectively protect the minorities through its police, judiciary and other organs of the state?
'Information about the Dalai Lama's heath is normally not shared with the public. Its release on this occasion implicitly underscores the message that the window of opportunity for Beijing to recommence the dialogue with the Dalai Lama -- an advocate of non-violence -- to resolve the contentious Tibetan issue is limited.' says Jayadeva Ranade.
China is acutely conscious of the need for the next Dalai Lama to be under its control. It was for this reason that China recently stressed their claim on Arunachal Pradesh. There were rumours that the next Dalai Lama may be found in Tawang. If that happens, India-China relations will become tense and there may be demands for the child to be handed over to the Chinese, points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Thousands of supporters of the Dalai Lama shouted and "spit" on a group of demonstrators belonging to a Buddhist sect which alleges that the Tibetan spiritual leader is persecuting its members, forcing the police to intervene to prevent clashes between them.
'There is a remarkable link between the eating of beef (or at the very least, tolerating the eating of beef) and India being a superpower.' 'In India, whenever an empire was strong, religion took a back seat.' 'Alternatively, whenever religion asserted itself, the main empire of India crumbled...'
'Absolute non-violence is not only sinful, but immoral.' 'This doctrine of non-violence benumbed the revolutionary fervor, softened the limbs and hearts of the Hindus, and stiffened the bones of enemies.' A revealing excerpt from Vikram Sampath's Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966.
Lauding India for its secular values, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday said the country's "religious tolerance" can be a "role model" for the rest of the world. "India's long tradition of religions tolerance can be a role model for rest of the world," he said in Delhi while speaking at an international Anti-Terrorism Conference, which was attended by leaders from several countries.
Director Martin Scorsese and journalist Pico Iyer discuss Tibetan Buddhism.
Delay in formation of a new panel of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee's by the state government led by Nitish Kumar raised eyebrows among Buddhist monks, who have been fighting for Buddhist control over the management of the temple at Bodh Gaya , about 110 km from Patna, where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago. In the absence of a proper panel to look after its management, the temple has been facing difficulties in coping with day today affairs.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has said that the recent turmoil in Tibet made him "cry" once but the practice of Buddhism helped him deal with the situation. Speaking to Newsweek magazine, the Dalai Lama said looking at the disturbing and graphic images of casualties "he once cried".
One's religious faith is a private affair, and the government had no business to make laws on it, the Congress said.
In the long-running rivalry between the 'Delhi Karmapa' and the 'Chinese Karmapa', the latter seems to have won.
Raphael Samuel has invited much ridicule and abuse, as well as bits of admiration, on social media, reports Ritwik Sharma.
The 68-year-old actor who married his girlfriend arrived in a tuk-tuk to the venue.
Communist China has recently developed a great expertise in 'soul reincarnation', feels Claude Arpi
The new converts come from far-flung areas of Maharashtra like Nashik and Solapur. They have been ostracised and have faced the brunt of the caste-equations.
Important for India was Xi's meeting with representatives of PLA officers and soldiers stationed in Tibet. The video of the encounter was interesting to watch, especially the large number of lieutenant generals and major generals, observes Claude Arpi.
'India should today tell China to provide proper facilities in Minsar for Indian yatris visiting Mt Kailash,' says Claude Arpi.
The Bench said "it is a very important issue" and wanted to go through the previous rulings of the apex court on this issue.
Samdong Rimpoche's visit to China materialised against the backdrop of strained India-China relations consequent to the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam, says former RAW officer Jayadeva Ranade.
The court said that King Ashoka had given several messages to the world which are engraved in rock edicts which shows reverence towards faith of others.
Tamil star Suriya's 7aum Arivu was about a virus from China sent to Chennai to wreak havoc while Kaappan was about a locust attack the hero prevents in time -- both films in a sense foresaw what was to come, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The Himalayan people may not represent a large or politically influential section of the population, but India's security depends on them.' 'Let us hope Sikkim remains a beacon of stability,' says Claude Arpi after a recent visit to the picturesque north eastern state.
This new Silk Road has the potential to once again have a lasting impact on the commerce and culture of this region for generations to come
Pack your bags. Umbrellas and raincoats optional.
Gyaincain Norbu was approved as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Chinese government in 1995, disregarding the wishes of the exiled Dalai Lama, who had nominated Gendun Choekyi Nyima.
