On Friday, the Bombay high court reversing the ban imposed on women entering the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai said, "The ban is contrary to articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men." The news brought much cheer and joy to petitioner Zakia Soman who is also the founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. Zakia spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf on what made this verdict historic and how it will bring about a change in the future.
Sadhu was brought to Mumbai on Wednesday morning by a team of Mumbai police which had gone to Varanasi and detained him.
If you are more than your rhetoric about a strong and united country, give us our due -- treat us as countrymen, says an ordinary Muslim in this open letter.
Who is the judge next in line to be Chief Justice of India? M J Antony tells us about Justice Gogoi who has put 'discharging a debt to the nation' above the prospect of being the next CJI.
If only making it official was as easy as falling in love, says Sukanya Verma.
Who is the best onscreen brother - Salman or Ranveer?
Women like men who are confident, chivalrous, well-mannered, says Love Guru.
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
I want to raise a confident daughter.
The US dependent visa puts many restrictions on the spouses, mostly women, of the skilled workers who have an H1-B visa. Some even felt like they were thrown back into a model of the 'traditional family' where women are not valued at all outside of the home.
The VHP leadership notes that 'ghar wapsi' wasn't something started after the Modi govt took over. Archis Mohan reports
'How long do you dumb down, how long do you stay silent,' the actor asks at TEDx.
Himesh Reshammiya, the only valid reason for Teraa Surroor's existence, does not show any expression. Not even one. Not even a quarter, notes Sukanya Verma.
'We eat first, they later; we sit on chairs and they on the floor; we call them by their names and they address us by titles,' writes Tripti Lahiri, author of Maid in India.
With the bill to prevent disqualification of convicted politicians to decide the RJD chief's political fate, there's a lot at stake, especially with the upcoming elections in mind. Anita Katyal reports
After the wedding, Sheena and Mekhail did not meet again. Four or five months later she met her death. Mekhail referred to their last meeting without overt emotion, clear-eyed.
'Just because you fall in love with someone, who might not belong to the opposite sex does not mean you are different.' 'Love is always Love.' 'You cannot choose which person you will fall in love with.'
'For the last ten years they have approached me every single year.' 'There was a year when I was really looking forward to going.' 'I wanted to see how interesting it is to spend 60 days with random people.' 'But as time progressed the dirt kept becoming bigger and bigger and personalities kept becoming smaller and smaller.'
Mohammad Sajjad profiles Professor Riazur Rahman Sherwani, 94, versatile mind, intrepid intellectual.
Zara co-founder Amancio Ortega has toppled Bill Gates to become the world's richest person four times. A peek into the life of the 81 year old even Jeff Bezos can't keep up with!
Who were they? What led them to mass murder?
'You can't force people to change. You can only give them the option. Freedom is about options, whether you choose to be who you want to be,' says Kalki Koechlin.
'The mobilisation is nothing but a political ploy -- a sort of a fixed match between Hindu and Muslim communal forces, towards polarisation, in a run-up to the next election,' argues Mohammad Sajjad.
'No country has moved from bigotry to equality fast, and India, with its leisurely, elephant-like pace for the most non-controversial of things, will only take longer.'
Indian-American elected officials, civil rights organisations and queers welcome the United States Supreme Court historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide for all Americans on Friday.
Watching Oldboy feels like you're watching a history lesson on the projector in your seventh grade class, according to Paloma Sharma.
The Nobel follows a line of mighty brands that have bent low to kiss the feet of the popular, says Itu Chaudhuri.
Articulate segments of Muzaffarpur have been at the the forefront of all anti-establishment mobilisation, which makes their silence over the atrocities in a shelter home in the town puzzling. Could it be that if those accused of horrific crimes belong to dominant castes and if the victims belong to the vulnerable groups, then the middle classes become mute, asks Mohammad Sajjad.
'We live in a time when hideous anger easily flares up, particularly on identity-related issues.' 'Often advocates of harmony and compassion fall victim to the same anger and end up hating the 'haters'!' 'This changes the moment we are able to turn the slanging match into a conversation.' 'More often than not you may find that there is agreement on a fundamental truth -- respect for the life and dignity of all.'
As Peter sits outside the court with his sister, Indrani walks in with a request. It has been three months since Peter has started speaking to Indrani again, after a long silence of two years.
'More so, if it is their daughters wanting to marry someone of their own choosing.' 'Children are seen as property. That's why the problem is so messy.' For young Indians wanting to marry outside their religion, expressing their right to love and live as they choose is becoming increasingly hazardous.
'It is the regional parties and their leaders who are the ones we have to watch.'
As Soumitra Chatterjee turns 80 on January 19, we look back at his best movies.
'The timing is a little suspect.' 'Could it be, just be, a convenient tool to wield months ahead of a hyper-crucial state election, judge if its efficacy in sending out its subliminal message is intact, and accordingly decide the future course of action on the long but quick road to 2019?'
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The Indian author had made a dramatic escape from the Taliban in 1995. She was the subject of a 2003 film called Escape From Taliban, starring Manisha Koirala.
John Lang represented Rani Laxmibai in her legal battle against the East India Company to prevent the British from annexing her kingdom of Jhansi. Rediff.com's Archana Masih on a maverick Aussie who spent 22 years in India and became a friend in its dark days of bondage.
The Cuban government has announced nine days of mourning and has set Castro's funeral for December 4.
Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley, convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday told a court in Mumbai that terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba wanted to eliminate Bal Thackeray but the person who was assigned the job to kill the late Shiv Sena chief was arrested.
Rediff.com's Love Guru has answers to all your relationship problems.
'It was only relatively recently that Subhash Kapoor was able to secure the sources in India, Afghanistan and Cambodia, that allowed him to get the really highest level objects, and that helped propel him in recent years up the ranks.'
