As Ayodhya readies itself for the glittering, much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22, and as millions of pilgrims and devotees pour into the holy city for the momentous event, companies are rushing to do their bit and be a part of the mega celebrations. Some are offering a part of their profits as donations, telcos are beefing up the number of cellular towers to ensure better connectivity, and there are those distributing jalebis and food platters.
As the temple is inaugurated, unfortunately for Advani but unsurprisingly for the rest of us, the architect of the party's rise will not lead the ceremony and claim credit for his achievement, notes Aakar Patel.
This visit by the prime minister comes weeks ahead of the 'pran pratishtha' or consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.
'We should not underestimate the power of Hindutva.'
Wouldn't it be better to join the celebrations with the vast Hindu majority while at the same time criticising Mr Modi/BJP/RSS for politicising it? notes Shekhar Gupta.
'Nobody is speaking up for Muslims today.' 'Secular parties too have calmed down because they feel this will hurt the Hindu vote (bank).' 'In this scenario, where does a Muslim go?'
'Since God was being shown in live action on such a large scale, Prasanth was initially sceptical about going with an animated character.'
Roads are being expanded, bridges are being built, hotels are springing up, and the crowds are pouring in. Bringing with them promise of unforeseen economic boom. Ayodhya, it seems, has opened up its heart, Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com discovers on his first day in the city.
In the last 9 years, the BJP govt has marked some anniversaries and events with more zeal than Congress-led governments.
Will BJP campaigners start using the term 'Ram Rajya' to refer to the nation under Modi's rule, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
'We are very close to become a theocratic State where Hinduism is the official religion of the government.'
'During the nine years of BJP rule, not a single temple has been reconstructed.' 'They might have constructed the Ram temple as it is an emotional issue. But they are not much interested in issues like heritage.'
What the INDIA alliance needs is neither a counter to Modi's tall personality and undiminished charisma nor a counter-narrative to his Hindutva agenda, now centred on the Ayodhya temple consecration on January 22, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
The grand dedication ceremony of Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey was conducted on Sunday in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj following a nine-day celebration that commenced on September 30.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mooted the idea of "One Nation, One Uniform" for the police, saying it is just a suggestion for consideration and he is not trying to impose it on the states.
At a time when the BJP's stars are at the top on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, the Puri-Joshimath Sankaracharyas may have kick-started a row whose efforts might be to divide Hindus, not in the name of castes, but on what passes for greater belief, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Taking note of the expected rush for the ceremony, divisional commissioner Gaurav Dayal on Wednesday convened a meeting of hotel owners of Ayodhya in preparation and instructed them to decorate their hotels to give a warm welcome to their guests during the consecration ceremony.
The Twitter owner on Thursday had posted: "Lil X just asked if there are police cats, since there are police dogs."
Ayushmann Khurrana is ready to repeat the flirtatious woman deed second time around in Dream Girl 2.
Amitabh Bachchan was preparing to pack up his bags and return to Allahabad if Zanjeer failed.
Gems you can enjoy from the time he was at his handsome and magnetic best.
Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of WhatsApp, will partner with Reliance JioMart for a service where WhatsApp users can buy groceries on the messaging platform from the Indian retail firm. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms, said in a Facebook post, "[I am] Excited to launch our partnership with JioMart in India. "This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp--people can now buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat." "Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come," he said in an announcement coinciding with the annual general Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries the parent company of JioMart.
'If I had done Sholay, we would have missed seeing the performance of a wonderful actor called Amjad Khan.'
What is Akshara like in real life? Namrata Thakker looks at her Instagram feed to find out.
Anil Rego, CEO, Right Horizons, answers your personal income tax queries.
The country's largest retailer Reliance Industries on Monday announced that it will enter the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business this year as part of its expansion plan. Addressing the 45th AGM of Reliance Industries on Monday, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) Director Isha Ambani said: "This year, we will launch our FMCG goods business". The objective of this business will be to develop and deliver products and solve every Indian's daily needs, with high-quality products at affordable pricing, she said while addressing Reliance Industries' annual general meeting.
Ranbir Kapoor's larger-than-life daku depiction in and as Shamshera is old school at its spectacular best. While we wait to watch the actor in one of the most raw, rough and rustic outings of his career, here's Sukanya Verma's list of 25 daku roles we love, ranked in an ascending order.
Bollywood stars tweet their condolences for Pran, who passed away on July 12.
According to the government, it symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday inaugurate the newly-christened Kartavya Path -- a stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate that will have red granite walkways with greenery all around, refurbished canals, state-wise food stalls, new amenity blocks and vending kiosks.
Prakash Mehra quotes 'Had it not been for Pran Saab, Zanjeer would never have been made; it would have remained a dream'
Lata Mangeshkar was closely associated with the controversial Hindu nationalist and freedom fighter.
Meena Kumari's classic film released 50 years ago, on February 4, 1972.
'I've always allowed my heart to rule my head. Why only one Zanjeer? I'd let go of a hundred Zanjeers for emotional reasons.'
The veteran actor had been admitted to the hospital following respiratory problems.
Sukanya Verma offers you interesting choices from Ray to Godzilla on OTT this week.
The Aam Aadmi Party has nominated former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Lovely Professional University founder Ashok Mittal, AAP MLA Raghav Chadha, IIT Delhi faculty Sandeep Pathak and industrialist Sanjeev Arora for the March 31 Rajya Sabha polls.
Here's what your favourite Bollywood celebrities are tweeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi on Friday, that put India into a select league of countries with domestic capability to build such large war ships.
To mark World Whiskey Day, a toast to its memorable imagery in Hindi films.
