'I would think that India faces less damage from opinions voiced overseas compared to the damage it suffers if the right to free speech of its citizens is curtailed in the name of image management,' asserts Shyam G Menon.
The 50 per cent capacity rule will not apply to offices dealing with health and other essential services.
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.
Crucial reforms in Muslim personal law, especially laws related to inheritance and adoption, need to be initiated forthwith; historically speaking, without the State's backing, hardly has any reform taken place or allowed to prevail, asserts Mohammad Sajjad.
The apex doctors' organisation said it would knock the doors of the Supreme Court if the Kerala government does not enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour to curtail the rising menace of the viral disease by withdrawing this decision.
'Are we supposed to look the other way as Islamists go on a rampage against Hindus and the Hasina government pay lip service to secularism?' A revealing excerpt from Avishek Biswas and Deep Halder's book, Being Hindu In Bangladesh: The Untold Story.
At least 25 people, including two children, were killed and over 50 injured when a suspected suicide bomber struck a religious gathering in Dera Ghazi Khan town in Pakistan's Punjab province on Thursday.
Rediff.com showcase the moods of those attending the mega celebration of faith.
'We are very close to become a theocratic State where Hinduism is the official religion of the government.'
The Naga Sadhus at the Kumbh Mela happen to be the most low-profile and reclusive bunch of saints at the religious gathering.
Kerala on Friday said a tearful goodbye to most of the 23 victims from the state who died in the Kuwait fire tragedy -- one of the biggest incidents to ever affect the state's expatriate community known for their dedication and hard work.
He, however, did not name any particular religion
Unprecedented scenes of empty churches emerged from Italy and other countries of the world, as religious leaders found creative ways to address parishioners marking the holiday weekend from the confines of their homes.
The grandson of a prominent spiritual leader was killed and 10 others were injured when a bomb blast ripped through a religious gathering in Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Wednesday, the police said.
Four persons were killed and several others injured when a powerful bomb went off near Shia prayer hall in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday night, hours after one person was killed and 15 injured by two blasts outside an Imambargah in Karachi.
An encyclopedia to the best Durga Pujo eating.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said while there has been a substantial decline in the active and new COVID-19 cases, there is need to maintain surveillance, containment and caution so as to fully overcome the pandemic.
Dressed in traditional finery, Muslims across India offered prayers at mosques and eidgahs on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
At least 58 people, including militants and civilians, were killed in fierce clashes and artillery and air attacks by security forces on suspected militant positions in the troubled Aurakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, sources said.
The much-awaited annual event of Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is slated to be even bigger and better in 2019. Although it is usually spread over a 20 km radius, the Kumbh Mela -- set to begin on January 15 and continue till March 4 -- will be sprawled across 45 km this year. Authorities are expecting approximately 100 million visitors to come for a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati Rivers. Ahead of the festival, preparations are under full swing to construct 22 temporary pontoon bridges.
Kharge accused PM Modi of inciting people over the issues "that the Congress will never do".
During this period, all government and private offices, shopping complexes, malls, bars, sports complexes, pubs and beauty parlours will remain closed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 17 had appealed to sadhus to observe the remaining duration of the Kumbh only in a "symbolic" manner. Following this different 'akhadas' had agreed to keep their participation symbolic.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Monday said that ISI agent Kafaitullah Khan was invited to Pakistan by the handler and was told that he would be given assistance by their people at the Pakistan high commission.
Requesting people to refrain from doing any act that leads to the spread of COVID-19, the civic body, in a release, warned that violators may invite strict action under relevant sections of the Epidemic Act 1897, the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Indian Penal Code.
In a communication to the chief secretary and the director general of police of West Bengal, the Union home ministry also said there is no regulation in vegetable, fish and mutton markets and social-distancing norms are being violated at these places in the state.
Wayanad will continue to support Rahul but not to the same extent as in 2019, when his margin of victory had been enormous. Articulate, to the point and speaking in fluent Malayalam, CPI's Annie Raja, had the people who gathered to see her, listening in rapt attention, notes Shyam G Menon.
The event was preceded by a mega rally organised by an outfit called Swayam Sainik Dal (SSD) in Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar, which saw participation from thousands of people, mostly Dalits and tribals.
The BJP also defended the order saying the primary duty of police of any place is to maintain communal harmony so that there is no law and order issue.
Narendra Modi has proved through execution of this event in Ayodhya that amongst all his contemporaries in politics he knows ordinary Indians like none other, notes Sheela Bhatt.
In view of the farmers' protest and march to Parliament, the Delhi police started preparations to check the advancing farmers' march beforehand, an officer said.
Nationhood is constituted by people who share a "common sense of their history" and a "common vision of their future", National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said as he released an 11-volume book series that charts different phases of the history of ancient India and its accomplishments.
Local station house officer Ashok Chakravarty said the decision to not offer namaz in public place was taken by the community itself after a meeting was held on Wednesday to maintain peace.
The Centre on Wednesday told Delhi high court that while the city police have taken steps to ensure safety of churches and institutes run by missionaries, it was "silent" on the issue of protecting other religious places like temples, mosques and gurudwaras.
Thirty two years ago, Sadhu Amar Bharati felt disenchanted and disillusioned at the fighting and anger in the world around him. He felt that it was time for him to do something about it. So he raised his right hand.He has not lowered his hand even once till now, says Sadhu Amar Bharati Urdhavaahu, and explains that it was imperative for world peace. Some sadhus of his sect have adopted his credo -- they have also raised their right hands to protest against war and violence.
Lost siblings in the Kumbh Mela were once a recurrent theme in Hindi films, but in these modern times, mobile phones are coming to the rescue of many who get separated from friends or families in the world's largest religious gathering. Almost 10 times a minute, the public address system at Hardiwar sets cracking about Raj from Jammu or Koki from Haryana, who are lost or have lost someone close in the sea of humanity.But in modern times, technology helps pilgrims keep track.
Though the list of superstitious beliefs is long, often dissolving distinctions of class, caste, religion and education, Karnataka's anti-superstition bill is seen as a big step ahead.
The Supreme Court on Thursday voiced serious concern over the running of fake news on social media platforms and web portals, and said even news shown in a section of channels bears communal tone, which may bring a bad name to the country.
India witnessed religiously motivated killings, arrests, riots and coerced religious conversions and the police in some cases failed to respond effectively to communal violence, according to the US State Department report on International Religious Freedom.
