Colleen and Hugh Gantzer were the GOATs of travel writers.
'The culture of mankind has been spread by the travel gene which pushes one in five people to have the curiosity to move to unknown destinations.'
Indian trains remain the greatest connecters linking hearts to the last mile.
This Valentine's Day, redefine connection. It's not about finding "the one," it's about finding your people. So forget swiping left - real-life adventures await!
Noted Scottish-born travel writer Bill Aitken, known for his writings on Indian mountains, rivers, and railways, died in Dehradun at the age of 90. Aitken, who arrived in India in the late 1950s, traveled extensively throughout the country, especially in and around the Himalayan ashrams of Kausani and Mirtola. He lived between Delhi and Mussoorie since the 1970s. In over two dozen travel books, Aitken explored India's religious and natural landscapes, wrote intimately about its people and their beliefs, and had a keen interest in Indian railways. Some of his noted works include "Seven Sacred Rivers," "Divining the Deccan - A Motorbike to the Heart of India," "Footloose in the Himalaya," and "Exploring Indian Railways."
'You have to separate the concept of India as a nation State which is very young and the Upanishadic wisdom which is timeless.'
Bill Aitken came to India nearly 60 years ago. He never returned. An Indian citizen since 1972, he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how India changed his life forever.
Yoghurt and kheera or cucumber go together beautifully in this Pahadi raita.
A no-onion, no-garlic potato dish for Pitru Paksha.
On the 25th anniversary of the battle that made his war cry 'Dil Maange More' part of national lore, we republish that feature to salute Captain Batra's ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
Run by a former cricketer and son of India's military heroes, Mike's Forest Retreat is an ode to all that we hold dear.
'You can attack and conspire to weaken us, but you cannot destroy the Congress permanently.'
What tastes better with dahi-rice, dal-chawal or puris than the season's newly-made home pickle?
As the curtain falls on the campaign for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, April 24, a ringside view of the closing ceremonies.
'Rama is Lord God of maryada. Today's maryada is the Constitution.'
At this time, sixty years ago, Brigadier John Parshuram Dalvi and a majority of his men were captured as prisoners of war by the Chinese during the 1962 war. His son Michael Dalvi, 77, has preserved his father's memory and the story of the gallant men of the 7th Infantry Brigade with honour.
'We will teach them about our idol Mohammad Sahab and all the great men of other religions as well -- about Shri Ram, Krishna, Yeshu, Bhagwan Mahavir.' 'We want children from the madrasas to become doctors, engineers, scientists, soldiers and walk in the footsteps of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.' 'That is why we have named the modern madrasas after Dr Kalam.'
At an interaction with residents of a housing society in Bengaluru, Tejasvi Surya -- who is fighting his first parliamentary election -- tells voters about himself and what they can expect from him as their MP.
'There is something in our desh ki mitti that has held us together.'
'So many conquerors, colonisers, cultures came and went, but we withstood them and rose up again.'
Michael Dalvi, who played first class cricket for Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Bengal, once hit a century against a fiery Malcolm Marshall and the West Indies. At 77, he has a razor sharp memory, a ready wit and is a rare cricketing treasure.
'Imagine for a soldier -- first you conquer territory after fighting a fierce battle, suffer casualties and then you are ordered to come back to your side of the International Border in India.'
'I was exhausted, hungry, unshaven and despondent.' 'My mouth was full of sores due to dehydration.' 'My clothes were in tatters due to walking through bushes and sliding down thorny slopes,' Brigadier John Parshuram Dalvi wrote of his capture during the 1962 War.
Bond himself started writing at the age of 17.
'The Himalayas are the Creator of Life.'
The Deodar's lifespan stretched from 1215 (construction of the Qutub Minar) to 1919 (the Jallianwala Bagh massacre). Magnificent and imposing, a cross section of its bark is the piece de resistance at a unique museum of India's forests.
'And Joshimath has already shown the dangers ahead.' 'We have to acknowledge that our mountains are still young babies.' 'You don't put an extra load on the back of a growing child!'
'Rahul is also coming there... from Amethi. We will meet there.'
'Khalistan would have been in existence today, but for the army.'
'I told them I am a Muslim, you are Sikh, you are Hindu, but we have one country to save.'
'An earthquake of a slightly higher magnitude in the Western Himalayan region is going to be catastrophic -- not just because of the fragility of the region but because of how densely we have occupied it.'
'In the 1971 War my battalion suffered 4 casualties after fighting for 14 days.' 'In Operation Blue Star, I lost 19 men in just one hour.'
'The awareness of how big my father's sacrifice came to me when we went for the Republic Day parade and my mother received the Ashok Chakra,' Rukmini Vasanth, whose father Colonel Vasanth Venugopal was killed in action fighting terrorists, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, is one of the most decorated soldiers to join politics. He still has two bullets lodged inside his body sustained in a gun battle with terrorists in J&K.
'In AAP, those who are in charge of a particular state provide information to Arvind Kejriwal. 'In the BJP, several organisations convey what is happening on the ground to the top leadership.' 'There are so many channels through which issues are being understood.'
Archana Masih meets two young people in a Raipur hospital who convey the human tragedy of a conflict that is destroying lives -- on both sides.
'As an aspirational district, one of the main challenges is health and nutrition of the tribal community.' 'They are 1.5 lakhs to 1.6 lakhs tribals in this district.' 'The major issue among tribals is malnutrition and anaemia.'
'The government needs to think if a draconian, outdated and colonial law is needed in a democratic, multi religious, diverse country governed by a democratic government.'
Bihar's first true movie star, Shatrughan Sinha, fighting the first Lok Sabha election in his political career, is confident that Patna will choose him over his star opponent.
Patna witnesses the real battle of the stars this election as the BJP's Shatrughan Sinha takes on the Congress's Shekhar Suman.
Ambrose D'Mello, the Independent candidate from Bengaluru South, has been on maun vrat for 15 years. He does not own a house, does not wear footwear and sells books to earn a living.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances