On the occasion of her breaking the world's longest hunger strike, Rediff.com reproduces this 2011 feature on the activist and her life.
'To take an old-fashioned summer holiday by switching off the computer, mobile phone and iPod.' '(Unfortunately, my wife has threatened to also switch off the fridge and TV, putting a new spin to the phrase old-fashioned.)'
'India stands on the broad shoulders of an extraordinary civilisation. In some ways it is quite surprising that it hasn't fully embraced the power of that.' 'The prime minister speaks about Make in India. Let's remind ourselves also of Made in India. What made India great. What are the great things of the past which will help us make India even greater.' 'India stands on the broad shoulders of an extraordinary civilisation. In some ways it is quite surprising that it hasn't fully embraced the power of that.'
There is only word to describe Ashok Munne's journey -- 'incredible', says A Ganesh Nadar.
'When your parents don't support you, the struggle becomes a little extra difficult for you. But I would always keep them in the loop informing them wherever I went, whatever work I did,' says model Pallavi Das about the biggest challenge of her career
Meet model Smita Lasrado, the Mumbai girl who is turning on the heat at international runways for labels like Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Etam etc.
Raj Sheth stood first in the country by scoring 630 marks out of 800 in the final CA exams.
'During the Queen shoot, I was pretty depressed. I thought I had done a crap job and no one would notice me.' Lisa Haydon opens up.
Model Shweta Dolli speaks about the Indian modelling industry, what she likes about it and, of course, about her favourite cricketer and how he is setting an example for Indian youth.
Modi and Shah's next focus will be South India, and the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections. Shah is unlikely to abdicate control over the party even after he joins the government. Modi and Shah both know only too well that the party makes the government, and not the other way round.
It's a packed 5-nation, 9-day, visit for Prime Minister Modi as he heads to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, apart from Ufa in Russia.
These investors are not only betting on little-known stocks, but also sectors that the market participants are not paying much heed to. Some of these stocks can be potential multi-baggers, while others may not live up to the expectations of these stock-pickers, says Jash Kriplani.
A former US military lieutenant travels to India to fight a battle of another kind. Archana Masih/Rediff.com met Robin Chaurasiya and the girls whose lives she is changing -- one day at a time.
The 61-year-old former top cop from Mumbai changed professions after listening to his 'inner voice'.
Four individuals who have taken up poker professionally tell Norma Godinho/Rediff.com how their stars have changed for the better.
'How can we forget the hoax perpetrated on the UN and on all of us when it was stated in the security council, no less, that Iraq had nuclear weapons?' recalls Ambassador B S Prakash.
In a journey of Marco Polo-esque proportions, Meenakshi Arvind and Mookambika Rathinam drove through 24 countries and two continents over 72 days. Meenakshi and Mookambika tell Rediff.com's Archana Masih about their incredible, unforgettable, journey and the desperation for Gandhi in a dark corner of the world.
Her great grandfather began sugar co-operatives in Maharashtra. Her grandfather was an eight time MP. Her uncle is currently leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly. Her cousin joined the BJP on Tuesday, March 12. Nila Vikhe Patil, who could one day become prime minister of Sweden, unravels her India connections in an e-mail interaction with Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
'I love movies but not a big fan of cartoons. I get irritated when my brother watches them.' Sneha Ravishankar gets ready for her first dubbing job.
Millions across the world vouch for 'Yoga' as a way of life but not many understand how the Asanas, Pranayam and meditation actually affect our body's 'Chakras'.
'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.'
Kanika Datta reflects on Indians and our relationship with snaking queues from the license raj to demonetisation.
Meheka Mirpuri is using fashion to help cancer patients.
Here's how to keep a check on your weight this party season.
'All mothers are the same. Mine came out of the MAMI screening, crying.' 'Recently, a critic compared me to the best debut since Hrithik sir and she was so overwhelmed with that.' 'Someone said 'You are Bhagyashree's son and the innocence is the same.' 'Even if I can even touch the shadow of that in my entire career, I will be very happy.'
'If Nitish goes alone, he will be washed away.' 'If he hand holds the BJP, it will again crush him because it will be known that he has sided with the BJP because he doesn't have any other option.' 'Lalu knows Nitish coming back will be a political gain for Lalu.'
'Whether he will apologise or not is not a problem.' 'I want him to make an effort to create a new world, by learning from history.'
'The real danger in India right now is that identity politics is being stoked in extremely dangerous ways.' 'The narrative you get about churches in the mainstream Indian media and the narrative you get in the social media is very different.' 'Many Americans today want to appropriate Indian culture. They want yoga, but they say yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism. They want Ayurveda, but they say it's got nothing to do with Hinduism.' 'Hinduism has been failed by political constituencies in India -- seculars and the right-wing.'
Tim Pigott-Smith hated the natives in The Jewel in the Crown, but went back a lover of India at the end of the four-month shoot. India not only gave him a career-defining role but touched him in many different ways. Documentary filmmaker Siddharth Kak -- who acted with the classy actor in the beloved television series -- shares his memories with Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
The controversy over Sant Rampal and his army of followers taking the law into their hands has once again thrown the spotlight on the clout that India's godmen possess.
Zubaan emerges, sadly, like one of those ads where you can half-hum the song but you forget what it was for, feels Raja Sen.
'Such kind of mythology-based talks do not in any way contribute to science'. 'My biggest concern is these things will (eventually) become part of school curriculum (in India), and that is completely unacceptable.' Ramprasad Gandhiraman, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Centre in California, has launched a petition demanding that a lecture on Ancient Indian Aviation Technology to be delivered at the 102nd Indian Science Congress in Mumbai be scrapped. Ritu Jha/Rediff.com reports.
Meet 22-year-old model Alice Rosario who is walking her second season at Lakme Fashion Week, Mumbai.
Can we ask the judges a simple question: You write judgments all the time to protect the judiciary from others. Will you write one on how to save the judiciary from the judges, too, asks Shekhar Gupta.
'I am a dreamer, so I always dreamt that Village Rockstars would go places.' 'But I never ever imagined this.' 'The way people are responding... they come to me, hug me, they call me, shower me with love and I feel wonderful.'
Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com decodes why Modi has decided to retain her in the Union Cabinet despite this controversy and their many internal differences.
'When you make a commercial film, you will realise how tough it is to make one.' 'It is tough to make the audience believe in things.' 'A man hitting 10 people and still being resilient... it is not easy to do that.'
'The Tibetan movement will never turn violent during the Dalai Lama's life-time.'
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