Legendary actor Pran, loved and feared in equal measure by moviegoers for his roles in Bollywood hits like 'Milan', 'Madhumati' and 'Zanjeer', passed away at a suburban hospital in Mumbai on Friday evening at the age of 93.
When contacted, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told PTI that the decision has been taken in view of the "overwhelming" public sentiments.
The world is celebrating Raj Kapoor's birth centenary, but when was the last time you watched an RK film?
The 45-day Maha Kumbh 2025, billed as the world's largest gathering of humans, began on Monday with the first major bathing ritual or 'Shahi Snan' at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, India. This edition of the Kumbh is being held after 12 years, with the Uttar Pradesh government expecting over 35 crore devotees to visit. The event is being touted as a 'Digi-Kumbh' with Artificial Intelligence (AI) being used for various aspects, including security and cleanliness. The Maha Kumbh will be held from January 13 to February 26, and is expected to transform the area into the world's largest temporary city. Thirteen Akharas of seers from different sects are participating in the event, attracting attention from those seeking to learn about Indian spiritual beliefs.
'The prospect of witnessing the divine presence of Lord Ram is something we are eagerly looking forward to.'
He is the fourth men's cricketer to be invited for the ceremony after Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Quite a few film folk attended the pran pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was handed the invite by the RSS's Dhananjay Singh and Karmveer Singh.
The veteran actor passed away into the ages on July 12.
The Kumars, like everyone else in Mumbai, are celebrating Ganesh Utsav with dance, excitement, food and of course, prayer.
Modi's remarks came in response to President Droupadi Murmu's two-page letter to him ahead of the 'Pran Pratishtha' at the Ram temple.
The BJP enters challenging times where it has been given a task to hold onto the values of Ram in running the country as defined by Narendra Modi in Ayodhya, notes Sheela Bhatt.
North India is convulsed with spiritual excitement over the pran pratishta at the Ram temple. But what do folks in Tamil Nadu think about the events in Ayodhya?
Invitees to the 'pran pratishtha' consecration ceremony at the Ram temple started arriving Sunday in Ayodhya -- once a sleepy town now resplendent with new infrastructure and gripped by heightened religious fervour on the eve of a seminal event in India's political and religious history.
In a post on X, Modi shared a video montage of the ceremony in which a new idol of the Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple.
"The holy water of the Sharda Kund at the Sharda Peeth PoK was collected by Tanveer Ahmed and his team. Our civil society member across the LoC (Line of Control) carried it to Islamabad, wherefrom it was sent to his daughter Maghribi in the UK.
"For the next 25 years we need to focus on the five resolves - developed India, removing every trace of bondage from our mind, taking pride in our glorious heritage, unity, and fulfilling our duties," he said.
On Thursday, December 28, 2023, Acharya Satyendra Das, the head priest of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, inspected the preparations ahead of the pran pratishta, which is scheduled to be held on January 22.
Ayodhya is decked up for the grand pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) of Lord Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
Runners, carrying saffron flags featuring Lord Ram's image, chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' at the marathon.
"I did not want to take the photograph of Lord Ram but etch his image in my heart instead," said Amit Pathak, a resident of Tulsinagar in Ayodhya, a day ahead of the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony at the Ram temple.
The glimpses of how Ayodhya is being monitored ahead of the grand the 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration) ceremony of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, on Thursday, 4 January, 2024.
'Just because the NDA has a majority and the BJP is the single largest party does not mean that this Modi government enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha.' 'It is always possible that some members (of the NDA and even the BJP) may defect, some members may not want him to be the prime minister and they might vote differently (against Modi) in the confidence vote.'
While main events throughout the country were organised on Sunday by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, several community members gathered at the iconic Times Square in New York to celebrate the historic event.
Adityanath has reached Ayodhya by air to see arrangements at the temple, which has been opened for the devotees, Director Information Shishir told PTI.
'Divine experience and a proud moment' is how the 15 couples who were the 'mukhya yajman' for the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya described the grand event and said that the day will be forever etched in their memories.
January 22, 2024 has passed into history. Scenes from a day of religious fervour in many parts of India.
Much drama is likely to continue in the coming year, within the Sangh Parivar as well as involving the Opposition parties and, of course the BJP's allies, predicts Modi biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The film folk turned out in traditional outfits for the pran pratishtha at the temple.
Indian Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal reached Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to take part in the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony to be held in Ayodhya on Monday and expressed their delight, saying that she feels fortunate to have come for the event.
This was President Murmu's first visit to Ayodhya since the Ram temple's consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi confirmed as much on his social media handle on Monday, saying a renowned idol-maker from the 'land of Hanuman' will see his piece of creation find pride of place at the Ram Temple on January 22.
The new idol of Lord Ram was placed Thursday afternoon in the sanctum sanctorum of Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple, ahead of the consecration ceremony set to take place on January 22.
The much-awaited Ram temple consecration will be held in Ayodhya on Monday in a grand ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals, following which the shrine will be opened for the public a day later.
Alia headed for Ayodhya immediately after gracing an awards ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she was honoured.
General secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Champat Rai on Monday announced that the idol of Lord Ram will be placed at its position at the 'garbh griha' of the temple on January 18 and Pran Pratishtha will take place at 12.20 pm on January 22.
Was Ram Rahim's release on parole for the 10th time since his conviction in 2017 timed to coincide with the Haryana assembly elections? It does seem so when one considers he has been released mostly when there was an election in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Listing the times that Ram Rahim has been out on parole.
It said two of the key accused were Islamic State of Iraq and Syria radicals, who used fraudulently obtained "Indian SIM cards and Indian bank accounts" besides "various Indian and Bangladeshi Identity documents downloaded from the dark web (which is accessible only through specialised browsers) in carrying out their nefarious activities.
On the other end of the spooky spectrum, there's the otherworld beauty looking for a do-gooder to help her restless spirit find peace.
The idol of Ram Lalla was unveiled on Monday at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
