Twenty-eight years ago almost to the day, 37 unarmed Muslims were killed in cold blood, an act of wanton violence for which no one has so far been held guilty. Jyoti Punwani and photographer Uttam Ghosh visited the Meerut locality after the trial court recently acquitted the security personnel charged with the killings, and found a town untouched by its grim past.
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.
Read the full transcript of President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday at the US Capitol in Washington.
Rediff.com reproduces the 1997 feature about Laxman, his passion for crows, and of course, his genius.