If somebody wants to do an instant noodle study on contemporary Indian politics, Shobhaji's book, Battlefield India - 25 years of Politricks and Economix, is the one to look into, applauds M R Venkatesh, the well-known economic and political commentator.
'There is a lot of euphoria in the country after a trade agreement is signed. But it is an illusion for us. What is more important is making it real.'
'More and more people from the middle class will become self-employed gig workers mostly working from home, rather than as office workers with salary, promotion, bonuses, etc.'
World champion Anand spoke exclusively from Sofia after beating Veselin Topalov 6.5 to 5.5 to retain the title he won in 2008.
'The current Election Commission functions more like a government department than an autonomous body.'
'It was from him I learnt that if you gave the student the freedom to find his own path, he would be more courageous to experiment.'
'Not only jobs are not being generated, but people are also losing jobs.'
'How many jobs will be created when you complete your course?' 'How many people will compete with you?' 'What is the minimum and maximum salary you can expect?' 'Which are the companies that will offer you a job?' 'What skills do you have to develop?' 'How long will it sustain?'
'If I were to say, I had the best vegetarian food in my life in Vietnam, nobody would believe me.' 'When I proclaimed this to my friends, they didn't believe me. I had to show them the pictures and make them drool!!'
The brilliant Adoor Gopalakrishnan looks back at his journey that started 40 years ago, in 1972.
'We don't know which bus is coming next. I know for sure whatever bus comes next, it will miss that too.'
'Why should children, who are already burdened with so many subjects, be over-burdened with three languages?'
'The defence forces have come up with certain problems they face in the drone space.' 'Recently we had a meeting at which they presented the problems to many of our start-ups and faculty.' 'Some of the start-ups have started working on the problems.'
'The vast majority of BJP supporters in Tamil Nadu can't speak any language other than Tamil.' 'When rural Tamil Nadu can't speak any other language than Tamil, how are they going to convince them that they have to learn Hindi?'
'Otherwise, the minorities would not have acknowledged his leadership quality. I am happy the BJP is working towards achieving a secular image,' Vellappally Natesan, the OBC leader in Kerala who has created a controversy by supporting Narendra Modi, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
'If delimitation is not handled well by the Centre, the southern states are certainly going to challenge it.'
Professor P Radhakrishnan, a sociologist from the Madras Institute of Development Studies, draws the difference between the LTTE and the ordinary Tamils of Sri Lanka.
'Corporates decide the development and social needs of the people in Gujarat. It is not that Modi is the new inventor of Gujarat.' Social scientist Dr P Radhakrishnan, whose new book Political Villainy, UPA's Fall, AAP's Surge hit the stands recently, discusses the implications of the 2014 election.
'Many of these issues will be resolved within 6 months because the US economy has started unravelling.'
When dealing with risky technology, it is most important to take people into confidence and tell them what the real risks are, says environment justice activist Nityanand Jayaraman.
'All the tournaments I played in recent times had a lot of bad moments, but the Candidates was a perfect tournament... Everything about the World Championship was very depressing.' Enjoying a break at his Chennai home, Viswanathan Anand, the former World chess champion, speaks to Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
'Can we give young India the tools to solve the problems the country or society faces and uplift the community?'
Professor T Pradeep talks about the nano material he and his associates have fabricated and how it can be used in an affordable water filter in an interview with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
A fiery verbal exchange between Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam leader Vijayakanth and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday resulted in the DMDK being evicted. Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier talks to analysts and politicians to find out what impact it would have on the political situation in Tamil Nadu.
A young girl of 16 was transported across Kerala and sexually abused and raped by 42 men over a period of more than a month between January 16 and February 26, 1996. Subsequently, the court acquitted all, but one of the 39 accused. It was 17 years ago in 1996 that the infamous Suryanelli case exploded in Kerala. Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier speaks to Suja Susan George who has been relentlessly fighting for justice for the victim and her family for the last 17 years.
'...how do they consume and contribute to the GDP?'
'Democracy means a system of the people, for the people and by the people. When that is the case, what right do they have to harass us,' Sandhya, the housewife from Kerala who has become an unlikely hero for the people of her state, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
Since the treasure at Thiruvananthapuram's Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple has been discovered the value of the riches and what should be done with it has become the talk of the town. But little attention has been paid to the rich history and culture of the state that these valuables reveal, says P J Cherian, director, Kerala Council for Historical Research and the director of the archaeological excavations at Pattanam in Ernakulam district.
With the world wowed by the incredible amount of riches found in the secret vaults of the Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, member of Parliament from the city Shashi Tharoor spoke to rediff.com's Shobha Warrior about the treasure, what should be done with it and the government's role if any as far as the temple goes.
'Maybe this has created some minor issues which can happen in any party.'
'Even the stories of Sita or Draupadi, I look at them in a different manner. I wanted to reclaim them as women.' Meena Kandasamy, the young firebrand poet, discusses poetry, social injustice, men and society with Shobha Warrier.
Dr Suresh Moses Lee, who was one of the members of the panel of experts constituted by the Centre to examine the reactors of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project, talks to rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about the safety aspects of the controversial plant.
As we celebrate women achievers who are excelling in their careers, here are incredible tales of hard work and perseverance to inspire you this week.
Shashi Tharoor was just back from Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with all the other members of Parliament from Kerala, on the Mullaperiyar dam issue. Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier caught him in Thiruvananthapuram for an exclusive interview.
Jamal Qureshi, Regional Marketing Manager, South East Asia, Perth Education City, Western Australia, talks about what is in store for Indian students in Western Australia.
In an interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, consumer rights activist S Pushpavanam talks about the spate of rail accidents in the last few days and what the civil society can do about this.
In an interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, consumer rights activist S Pushpavanam talks about the spate of rail accidents in the last few days and what the civil society can do about this.