People visited their kith and kin, exchanged festive greetings and sweets while social media, including the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, was flooded with Diwali messages as many took the virtual route to convey their wishes.
Every aspect of Navratri is associated with delectable dishes that are relished across the country during these divine nine days -- from lip-smacking savouries to wholesome sweets.
Sukanya Verma gives us a lowdown on all those wonderful movies she saw and movies you need to see as and when they arrive to a screen or streaming space near you.
'Find a name that changes the words honor killing and hopefully it includes the word murder.' 'If you use the words, you are trying to justify the murders.'
'What the film shows is an India, which was headed in a completely different direction than where we are headed.'
Seen as one-of-its-kind event, the festival offers a platform for spiritual and religious leaders, politicians, business leaders, peacemakers and artists to spread the message of global peace and harmony in diversity.
Rediff readers tell us how they are celebrating Ganeshotsav this year.
The ruling Congress on Thursday swept the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls with a two-third majority by winning 24 wards out of the total 34, wresting the prestigious civic body from the BJP.
Twice-fried plantains make a great base for any kind of topping, especially something with avocado in it.
Lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and a stressful daily schedule stemming from demanding career paths to juggling multiple hats on the personal front are some factors that increase health challenges, especially in young Indians, notes dietician Sheryl Salis.
Indians are becoming much more spendy and discerning travellers and look for places that can offer them a 'new' kind of experience.
Fireworks illuminated the evening sky, earthen lamps dotted houses and lights decked up buildings as people exchanged sweets and gifts on Diwali which also witnessed bonhomie between Indian and Pakistani guards at border posts.
Mahalaya, though essentially about the goddess, wasn't religious for us. And it isn't for most Bengalis. Mahalaya is an emotion. It's gooseflesh for a memory. A welling up of happy tears. A celebration of what is to come.
Home bakers across India are churning out healthy treats by the dozen. We present a select few.
Modi invoked the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata to assert that it is in Indian tradition to avoid war be it in Lanka or Kurukshetra and the country stands for world peace.
'Manushi's trip was very last minute.' 'I did not have her (red carpet) outfit with me. It was already in Cannes.' 'We didn't know what she was going to wear.'
The Eid photo album, from New Delhi to New York.
Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with traditional fervour across the country with people exchanging sweets and gifts with friends and relatives, decking up their houses with earthen diyas and tiny lights and illuminating the evening sky with fireworks.
Here are some festive recipes to delight your loved ones this Makar Sankranti.
Why should the festival add to your calories?
Prayers were offered and sweets distributed though people mostly took the virtual route to extend wishes. People also visited temples, observing social distancing norms.
Share your special recipes for the festival season.
Laxmi Sorte and Kaustav Ghosh, who travelled across 29 Indian states and five Union territories in 101 days, recommend a list of lesser known places in India to add to your travel bucket list.
After winning awards at Sundance and Cannes, Director Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has now been nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Feature Film category.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the past 24 hours.
Aseem Chhabra is impressed by Rima Das's Bulbul Can Sing, Ritesh Batra's Photograph and eight other outstanding films.
Shah Rukh Khan's weathered intensity, grizzly charisma and trademark wit lends Pathaan's all-out, devil-may-care antics a sense of purpose that evades mindless acts of mayhem, cheers Sukanya Verma.
The buzz in the markets in predictable. From lights to fireworks to sweets to flowers, people across the country are gearing up for Diwali.
Decorated lights decked up buildings and earthen lamps dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali.
'Diwali will be meaningful only when we eradicate the darkness in our hearts.'
Aseem Chhabra watched some great films and some huge disappointments in 2021.
A glimpse of the movie star at Louis Vuitton's 2023 Cruise show in San Diego, California.
Should firecrackers be banned to prevent accidents?
'Children are curious by nature, so I thought of writing these books, which provide creative but convincing explanations and also teach values like sharing is caring,' Sudha Murty tells Chintan Girish Modi.
He also said that India was a parliamentary democracy and the decision to abrogate Article 370 provisions, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was taken after detailed discussion in Parliament and with the support of majority of the members.
Tell us how you are preparing for the harvest season.
Events that shaped the nation in the past 48 hours in images.
Zelda Pande recounts the specialness with which Diwali was celebrated in her home in Ranchi.
'They say our mothers lay the early foundation on which we build our dreams and lives. This holds true for me.' Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO Uday Kotak tells us about his mom's wonderful cooking.
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