The description of his career by Ambassador Nazareth in his elegant language, judicious choice of details, without ego or malice to anyone, shows that it had its ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies and lucky and unlucky accidents. Ambassador T P Sreenivasan reviews A Ringside Seat to History.
We continue with the part two of the story, which is part of an anthology, Chasing The Good Life: On Being Single by editor Bhaichand Patel
How are the illiterate and aged coping with Modi's demonetisation, wonders Subir Roy.
'Even the mafia has certain ethics and follow certain rules, but Abu Salem was so ruthless, so inhuman, there was no ethics at all. He had no basic humanity in him.' India's foremost crime writer S Hussain Zaidi on the dreaded gangster.
'Zahida Amin and her group of village women have gained a better understanding of India.'
'The same charm that draws men to the armed forces, also draws women. It is love for the nation and honour and pride in donning the uniform,' says Lieutenant Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the first woman to lead the Indian Army in a 18-nation military exercise.
'On June 15, 1965, Major A K Afridi of the Pakistan army was captured by Papa's 1 Mahar unit near Vigokot, when he accidently walked into Indian territory.' 'While he was being airlifted to Delhi from Kutch, Major Afridi made a request: He wanted to watch Sangam>, the movie starring Raj Kapoor and Vyjayantimala. It was a request that the Indian Army fulfilled.' 'Major Afridi was sent with armed escorts to watch the movie in Ahmedabad and then sent to Delhi for further interrogation.'
'I believe that to be a successful leader, you need to develop fly vision.'
The Narendra Modi government is in possession of names of three women who tried to peddle influence in the run-up to the formation of the new Bharatiya Janata Party government in India.
As and when the pandemic recedes from these shores, rebuilding the economy will be the biggest challenge for Modi in the remaining three years of his term, observes Virendra Kapoor.
India had the highest number of unregistered children under age five between 2000 and 2012 and the second-highest number of child marriages, according to a UN report which said the country still needs to improve immunisation coverage and stop gender-based sex selection.
'In a world where the corridors of power are packed with sexually promiscuous men, it would be interesting to see what sort of a president a man committed to one woman 25 years his senior would make.'
The law minister said 20 Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, have banned the triple talaq. "Why can't a secular India do it?" he asked.
Modi's minister Singh has stirred a controversy saying that it was the colour of Sonia Gandhi's skin that made her the Congress chief.
'Be responsible, don't use a condom tonight' goes an advertising campaign that is an insult to the intelligence of a community that is by no means ignorant or illiterate, argues Sherna Gandhy.
'Yes, there will be some posts that will be shared out of revenge but most of the people who have been named and shamed like M J Akbar and Alok Nath have been known to be serial offenders for years.'
The high court further observed that the triple talaq practice, sanctioned under Muslim Personal Law that governs marriage, property and divorce violates the rights of Muslim women.
British number one Andy Murray hopes to marry Kim Sears next year after the former Wimbledon champion announced their engagement last week after nine years together.
The top court said the direction to create family welfare committees in every district and the power conferred in them was 'not in accord with the statutory framework'.
Bollywood has dealt with same sex relationships before, but homophobia runs deep.
But this project is changing that -- one public artwork at a time.
UPSC's female topper, All India Rank 5 Srushti Jayant Deshmukh, tells us how she cracked the tough exam.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has launched an ambitious plan to reach out to at least 10,000 key opinion makers -- jurists, bureaucrats, etc -- in the next two years to dispel "misinformation" related to Article 370 of the Constitution.
Announcing her appointment, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde hailed the Mysore-born Gopinath as "one of the world's outstanding economists with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership and extensive international experience".
Aseem Chhabra introduces us to the best of Berlinale.
'The one thing India has over these two States, whose toughness awes us, is our ability to embrace diversity with ease. 'The way ahead lies in learning from Vajpayee's method, not in Xi Jinping's,' says Shekhar Gupta.
To prevent exploitation of women, especially those in rural and tribal areas, the government has prohibited foreigners from commissioning surrogacy in the country and has drafted this comprehensive legislation.
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is not so much a homosexual romance as it is an exuberant appeal imploring conservative Indian parents to accept and respect their children's choices, gay or straight, notes Sukanya Verma.
Ronak Pandit has been the force behind the gold winner.
'I am not a politician.' 'I am a normal citizen and as an actor, I loved the subject of Mulk and through this, I am echoing my voice.'
Nigam, posted a barrage of 24 tweets to say he is quitting Twitter.
"Now is the time to shift my priorities to my family," said the outgoing PepsiCo CEO.
Sudhir Mishra's Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin is relevant even today.
Iran ended seven-time champions India's unchallenged kabaddi domination in the Asian Games since the sport was first introduced in 1990.
Devdutt Pattanaik, who has simplified the ancient Indian scriptures for millions of readers, highlights what our scriptures have to say about homosexuals and transgenders.
Coach Harendra defends junior players' selection for World Cup
'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.'
'The key factor, to my mind, is happiness.' 'If either party, for whatever reason, is not in it, they should have the choice to walk away as painlessly as possible,' points out Vasu Primlani.
'That very brand name comes in the way of people expecting something different from me.'
