'With doctors going up against a seemingly invincible enemy, often at immense risk to their lives, the myths reveal an interesting relationship between the men of medicine and the rest of humankind,' notes Arundhuti Dasgupta.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 48 hours.
The blast took place during Dhamaal -- a Sufi ritual -- when hundreds of devotees were present inside the premises of the vast mausoleum of the saint.
They detailed how by following the rituals, one would not actually die "but would be saved by God and attain something great".
According to experts, religious and spiritual influences can affect life decisions beyond the normal.
Between phony philosophical musings and Abbas-Mustan level of believe-it-or-not twists, Sadak 2 dodders towards its dead end destination, notes Sukanya Verma.
Every single one of Parinda's magnificent frames is a masterclass in slick. Sukanya Verma tells us why.
On Tuesday, devout Shiite Muslims commemorated the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson with mass flagellation ceremonies.
After the family refused to claim the body of Ainul Ansari alias Tarique, a suspect in the serial bomb blasts in Patna who succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, the railway police has decided perform his last rites in a day or two, police officials said on Monday.
Bouhlel was a petty criminal who hadn't been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack.
In a forceful statement in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj rejected allegations that she misled the country.
The famous 5th century Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu has survived the massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake that flattened several World Heritages like iconic Dharhara tower and Darbar Square in Nepal.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
At least 10 Hindu pilgrims killed and several others injured in a stampede during a holy bath in the Old Brahmaputra River outside Dhaka.
From being a single store in Delhi, The Shop is now in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Coonoor and Noida.
'Like public smoking, like the decriminalisation of homosexuality, like the acceptance of medical marijuana, veganism awaits its generational change,' says Aakar Patel.
It's that time of the year again when people gather in Pamplona, Spain to participate in the 427-year-old festival of San Fermn from July 7 to July 14 and has the encierro, or bull run, at its heart.
'The TMC did not bother telling me, a sitting MLA for 20 years, why I was not being given a ticket.'
A 70-year-old woman allegedly revived an age-old tradition of sati by jumping into the funeral pyre of her husband in Bihar's Saharsa district.
The Dalits of Thabola village in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district are facing social and economical boycott for a month now after two grooms from the community decided to defy the diktats of the upper caste villagers. Shahnawaz Akhtar reports.
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu reported one case each, officials said.
In a grand ceremony with overtones of a United States presidential inauguration, heads of state and government, India Inc honchos, opposition leaders, Bharatiya Janata Party members and showbiz stars rubbed shoulders as they watched President Ram Nath Kovind administer the oath of office to India's 58 new ministers.
More than two weeks after a wall collapsed in suburban Mumbai, killing 30 people and injuring more than 100, Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore and Hitesh Harisinghani visit the area to know how the survivors devastated by the deluge are coping with their lives.
Nine people died and several others were reported missing as a string of landslips triggered by heavy downpour battered Idukki and adjoining districts of Kerala on Monday.
Sameer Gaikwad, in his early 30s, was arrested from Sangli in a joint operation by the Kolhapur and the local police.
"Hemant Karkare falsely implicated me. He died of his karma. I told him, he will be destroyed. I told him his entire dynasty will be erased," Pragya said.
Fathers and sons have had a vexed relationship throughout myth, says Arundhuti Dasgupta.
I can't see what purpose can be served by an apology by a British government that cannot in any way be blamed for one sadistic man running amok 100 years ago, argues Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
The famous Thrissur Pooram festival concluded on Monday without any incident.
The Travel Photographer of The Year Awards winners have been chosen and they're a stunning selection celebrating the beauty of our planet and all its inhabitants. Photographers from 142 countries submitted over 20,000 jaw-dropping pictures that were shot on everything from high-end professional cameras to mobile phones, in categories including 'faces, people, cultures'; the natural world and the beauty of light. The winning images can be seen at the TPOTY exhibition, which is free, and will be on show at LondonBridgeCity next Spring. Rediff.com was kindly granted permission to publish 25 of the 150 winning and shortlisted images. Scroll down to see our picks of the bunch.
L N Mishra was the first Cabinet minister to be assassinated in Independent India. After Monday's judgment, almost 40 years after the murder, the minister's son tells Rediff.com why the government must reveal who really killed his father.
Hasnain had butchered 14 of his family members and then ended life after a weekend feast on Sunday.
India is in the midst of its biggest crisis since Independence. It is a national emergency and begs to be dealt with. Politics can wait. Lives need to be saved. We need to vaccinate India at a pace faster than any country in the world, asserts Ramesh Menon.
We bring you a collection of some of the best photographs taken this week by ace Reuters photographers.
The New York Film Festival served an amazing plate of films. Aseem Chhabra picks the best ones.
'Gandhi has not become out of date, we have.'
The BJP chief condemned the arrest of over 2,000 devotees, including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Sangh Parivar activists, across the state agitating against the entry of women of all ages into the temple.
'The appointment of 60 priests from the Dalit community is a historic moment.' 'Imagine this is happening in Kerala when Dalits are not even allowed to enter temples in some states even today.'
Home Minister Rajnath Singh was present at the funeral of the BSF personnel who died in the air crash on Tuesday.
A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com meets the family of CRPF jawan G Subramanian, who was among the 41 martyred in Pulwama.
