The banyan tree and the green chilli; the crow and the beetle; the rose and the mango; the informality and good humour of its people... Beloved author Ruskin Bond continues Rediff.com's special series on India's treasures, and tells Archana Masih that India's wealth lies in its simple splendours.
Have you heard of the Burning Man festival? Or the Monkey Buffet festival?
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
'Vajpayee was the first prime minister to visit the battlefield at the height of conflict,' recalls Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi skirting any statement on Article 370, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said Bharatiya Janata Party is shying away from committing on this contentious issue and is instead keeping its "feet in two boats" in Jammu and Kashmir which normally ends up "sinking".
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Amid widespread debate about a possible military strike by the United States against Syria, a new poll by CNN/ORC revealed Monday that an overwhelming majority of Americans does not want their country to get involved in yet another war.
We sorted through countless photographs taken around the world to come up with the top photos of 2019. Together these images tell the story of the year -- capturing moments of hope and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.
'I swayed my arms in the air with strangers when George Michael sang Careless Whispers' 'I was in heaven.'
Whilst substantive public allocations have been made in the infrastructure sector, this strategy is plateauing due to the fiscal deficit constraint, capacity limitation of statal implementing agencies, the declining ability of PSUs, and the precarious situation of the Railways' operating ratio. It is, thus, high time to get the policy compass to point at rejuvenating private sector investments in infrastructure, says Vinayak Chatterjee.
When Obama signs the NDAA 2017 into law this week, the US-India partnership will be enshrined in US legislation, binding every succeeding administration, whatever its inclinations, to treat India as a 'major defence partner,' says Ajai Shukla.
A new book reproduces original Chinese maps that contradict Chinese propaganda. The book reveals Chinese intelligence admissions that Beijing never maintained any army base, customs office or other government function in the disputed area until 1983.
"We, Indians have forgotten what is good for us. Foreigners say oats are good so we say the same, arrey, we have oats since ages!" Meet Preeti Virkar, a believer of a different kind.
Kashmir Valley on Thursday experienced fresh snowfall with most places, especially the plains, witnessing the first snow of the season, breaking the prolonged dry spell at the fag end of 'Chillai-Kalan', the 40-day period of harshest winter. While the snowfall was mild and brief, it nonetheless brought much joy to the locals.
'Our biggest problem has been keeping this country together.' 'Nation building is never easy. It is a very difficult task.' 'Even 70 years is not too long a time.'
A hamper of fresh Darjeeling tea takes the author back to warm days and cold nights in this colonial town.
If you have the cash, the big fat Indian wedding just got bigger. (Psst! And the good folks at TripHobo.com have a few ideas!)
Syed Firdaus Ashraf spends a week in Goa in pursuit of his favourite dish, and discovers a few other things about the state as well.
'Medha had been so alive, smiling in the pictures she posted on Facebook and the comments she left on my profile page. I did not think she would leave us so soon.'
Enjoy the beauty of the city from the top of the world. Here is a round-up of the best four Sky Bars that you should head to, whenever the next special occasion comes by.
'This was our country, after all, our India, humara Hindustan -- why would we go anywhere else?'
The two parties, however, are in a neck-and-neck race in Manipur and Goa.
'Nawaz Sharif knows a coup in 2016-2017 will not only complete Pakistan's isolation, but even a whiff of instability will frighten the world into imagining another Islamic State-zone, and this in a fully nuclearised subcontinent,' says Shekhar Gupta.
We bring you a presentation of some of the best photos from around the world in the month gone by
American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, said on Tuesday he hopes this year's Rio Olympics can help heal a sports world hit by recent doping and corruption cases.
The IMF dashed any hope that Athens could avert default.
The key to a successful relationship lies in the little surprises you plan along the way.
These models have inherited their celebrity parents' good looks and genes.
'India's military posture has become significantly stronger than China's on the 3,500-kilometre Line of Actual Control.' 'This is enhancing confrontation between the two sides,' points out Ajai Shukla.
Auroville just turned 50. Aurovilians who grew up in The experimental city speak of how their childhood was marked by a sense of openness and possibility.
Each of its characters have an important lesson to offer in terms of how to build and lead a team, work on your shortcomings and look at the bigger picture.
'She was just a little girl. She didn't understand religion. Who is Hindu, who is Muslim.' 'She was just 8! Why punish her?' The family of the eight-year-old girl who was gang-raped and murdered in Jammu's Kathua district say everything has changed since that horrific crime.
Lawmakers were not going to be in town on that particular day, and would be in their constituencies preparing for the mid-term elections in November. Rediff.com's Aziz Haniffa reports
'If the future of the nation is lying on the streets, the future of India looks bleak.'
Wendell Rodricks's passion for fashion has its roots in food, he reveals in this heartwarming essay.
You'll see that there's more to the state than just its forts and havelis!
The 1965 war teaches us that war by escalation is a real possibility. Despite clear threats, Pakistan never believed that India will ever cross the international border. In the age of nuclear deterrence, this failure to deter Pakistan is the central lesson of 1965, says Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
Winners of the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.
There's something quite serene about an endless stretch of barren land discovers Abhishek Mande Bhot/Rediff.com
'I am a very personal writer. I write direct to the reader. I don't hold back,' says India's most loved writer, Ruskin Bond.
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