Hasty, ill-conceived steps show how isolated Mamata Banerjee had been from the national political trend. A fascinating excerpt from Sugato Hazra's Losing The Plot: Political Isolation Of West Bengal.
'Political elites need to feel that these are our children dying, that this is a crisis for us, a tragedy for our community, we must take immediate action to save the lives of our people.'
'The wrong person had to spend a banvaas of 14 years on a wrong charge.'
Third of faculty positions vacant. One per cent seats empty. New institutes lag in infrastructure, research.
'The immune protection may well wane somewhat, and that's what we have to monitor.' 'Should it wane to the point where vaccinated individuals are getting severe disease, then we really will need to give them booster shots and that'll apply regardless of what vaccine they've got the first time.'
'India's defining characteristic has been its ability to manage and sustain democratic governance through an accommodation of ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity.'
Historian Stanley Wolpert, author of several books on India, passed into the ages recently. We remember Professor Wolpert with Rajeev Srinivasan's March 1997 interview published on the occasion of his controversial book on Jawaharlal Nehru.
'Flattering press, nice photos, no major gaffes.' 'Both sides will be very happy as they are clearly measuring 'success' by a different yardstick than the world used in the past.'
'As long as we have such partners, Russia cannot be isolated.'
'War is never a solution. It's nothing but real estate business I am against any kind of violence.'
As the Omicron strain spreads across the globe and questions on vaccine inequity dominate discussions, scientists are still scrambling to learn more about emerging variants of the deadly virus that has claimed millions of lives and crippled economies.
"What the RTI Act did was to make available to citizens any information that could be provided, that the government was obliged to provide to a Member of Parliament (MP). In theory, that channel remains open to us," says prominent economist and RTI activist Reetika Khera about how Indian citizens could still have access to information that they want
'Your body will be able to deal with Omicron at any time, but it depends (on when) if you are vaccinated.'
'The main characteristic of Bihar politics is that it has always affected Delhi.'
A week after taking office, Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers have ambitious promises to keep.
Academicians Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph, who were on Monday presented with Padma Bhushan award, predict significant changes in Indian politics if Aam Aadmi Party performs well in the Lok Sabha elections.
'Vigilance is the enemy of the virus.' 'We need to be alert all the time, about this, until we fully understand it.' 'And that's going to take years, actually.'
'The staff student ratio in Kerala medical colleges is already compromised as in the last few years, the Kerala government has taken a decision to admit maximum number of students in all the medical colleges.'
"Horrifying", "heartbreaking" and "barbaric" is how many in the film industry, including actors-filmmakers Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Rajkummar Rao, Twinkle Khanna, Anurag Kashyap and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, described the Sunday night violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University while demanding that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
From note ban result to Delhi's next L-G, a few things to look forward to.
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Corporate lawyers say the fine on independent directors will make them more cautious and some will be wary of taking assignments from companies with low corporate governance standards.
To young professionals I would say, work hard, play hard and not be constrained by fads like WLB, says Sudhir Bisht.
One would not think that a Facebook status or a tweet could land you in jail, at least not in India -- the world's largest democracy. However, the reality is a lot more brutal in India, which has a shameful history of locking up its citizens for dissenting viewpoints. According to Mint, at least 50 people have been arrested through 2017 and 2018 for posts on social media. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com presents some of the most prominent cases.
AI tech that study CT scans and X-Rays are being deployed as part of global efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, according to LPU researchers. The system may enable doctors and medical staff even in remotest villages of the country to get quick results on the COVID-19 status of a patient.
'The Mughals became completely Indian in every sense and united the vast Indian subcontinent, not only territorially, but also the hearts and minds of people with multiple religio-cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversities' 'The Mughals, arguably, made India an enviable superpower in the then world.' 'Are the Hindutva rulers of today scared of acknowledging Mughal accomplishments?' asks Mohammad Sajjad.
OXSIGHT, founded in 2016 to create wearable technology devices based on how the brain manages visual information, began conducting trials in India two years ago in partnership with leading eye hospitals and clinics.
'This virus came in December 2019 and how this virus is going to behave in October and November, we don't know yet.'
'The prime minister's announcement of a nation-wide shutdown was eloquent, but should have been more clearly phrased to avoid police overreach.' 'Migrant labour should have been allowed adequate notice and transport options to get home,' notes Rahul Jacob.
Chetan Ghate, Pami Dua and Ravindra Dholakia have been appointed for 4 years
What happens when someone working in one of India's large public sector companies ends up there, hoping IIM-A is all about leadership?
'Many who have experimented with online education will adopt a blended model once things return to normal,' edX CEO and founder Anant Agrawal tells Anjuli Bhargava.
The dilemma is that if farming is to be efficient, farmers will be worse off -- and if farmers are to be better off farming will be worse off, reveals T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
Several Bangladeshis are "anti-India" due to New Delhi's close ties with the ruling Awami League, a key advisor to opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia has said while asking the Indian government to build relations with the people of Bangladesh and not with any political party.
'I was told to go to the next room and strip -- that's when it really hits you for the first time... that you are a criminal and you are being treated like one.' 'It comes as a shock when, instead of your name, you hear, "Yeh naya Maowadi aaya hai (A new Maoist has arrived)".'
The awardees included one Padma Vibhushan, 11 Padma Bhushan and 44 Padma Shri.
Indian students, who are living and studying away from home, tell us how they are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and what they discovered on their journey back home.
Research and teaching have remained Professor Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao's first priority and first love, and that is what sets him apart, says Dinesh C Sharma
Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and rediff.com columnist, will appear on the Rediff Chat to discuss the import of Xi's visit and what it bodes for the two nations, for Asia, and for the world at large.
Sharma walked out a free man from Tihar Jail on Friday night after serving close to 23 years for killing his wife Naina Sahni and then trying to dispose of her body in a tandoor in 1995 at the roof of erstwhile 4-star hotel Ashok Yatri Niwas, now Royal Plaza, at Ashok Road in the heart of the capital.
'India need to look beyond the economic prism.' 'China had no qualms in taking the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council last year -- not once, but thrice -- thus violating Indian sensitivities,' observes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
