Vice President Hamid Ansari, a former diplomat himself, explains his sense of India and the world. Nikhil Lakshman, traveling with Vice President Ansari to Peru and Cuba, listens in.
President Pranab Mukherjee will honour freedom fighters on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Quit India Movement on Thursday.
"It was partly in response to Tikait's tears that he decided he also has tears," Tharoor said
Vice President Hamid Ansari will file nomination papers on Wednesday for his re-election to the post amid expectations in the United Progressive Alliance that he is set for a comfortable win.
Congress has propped up Vice-President Hamid Ansari's name for a second term and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has begun the exercise of soliciting support for his candidature.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday presenting the S K Singh Award for recognising excellence in the Indian Foreign Service, to Tanmaya Lal
Vice President Hamid Ansari on Monday arrived in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on a four-day visit to "honour traditional friendship".
Ending days of suspense, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday made it clear that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was her first choice for Presidentship and Vice President Hamid Ansari was also in the reckoning.
Late cartoonist Mario Miranda, actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, top mathematician M S Raghunathan, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal and industry leader B Muthuraman were among those conferred the Padma awards by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Wednesday.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday greeted the nation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha.
Sheikh Hasina, in her maiden visit to Tripura, expressed gratitude to the people for their help and cooperation during Bangladesh's liberation struggle. K Anurag reports.
After the presidential elections, it may still be advantage Congress-UPA but at some point the utter lack of governance is going to cost it dearly. Meanwhile the BJP has largely failed to take advantage of the disarray in the Congress, says Rohit Pradhan.
Known to be a workaholic, Pranab Mukherjee had a tight schedule on Thursday -- the first working day of his Presidency -- as he held a series of meetings. He also received Vice President Hamid Ansari at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Scripting a new chapter in his illustrious career, Pranab Mukherjee will on Wednesday take over as India's 13th President. Watch the momentous ceremony LIVE on rediff.com
Scripting a new chapter in his illustrious career, Pranab Mukherjee will on Wednesday take over as India's 13th President.
Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday condoled the death of freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, saying that the nation has lost an icon of selfless service.
Yesteryear actor Waheeda Rahman, singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, music composer Khayyam, former diplomat Brajesh Mishra and pioneer of the test tube baby in India Indira Hinduja were among a host of distinguished people conferred with the coveted Padma awards in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
The announcement on the name of Singh, 74, is expected to be made on Monday, when all the partners of the alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, are expected to meet. Senior BJP leaders are of the opinion that the UPA nominee should not be allowed to win uncontested and all Opposition parties should put up a candidate against the ruling Congress-led front.
The nation on Saturday remembered former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 94th birth anniversary with President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari among prominent personalities who paid rich tributes to the leader.
Rediff.com's Saisuresh Sivaswamy, who travelled with Vice President Hamid Ansari as part of his media entourage during his recent trip to Vietnam, shares his experiences.
Too much subsidised cooking gas is being consumed by country's VVIPs, according to the transparency portal launched on Friday by state-owned oil firms.
Vice President Hamid Ansari on Thursday morning visited the historic Cu Chi camp 50 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, where an intricate network of underground tunnels barely enough for small-built human beings to move were built over 20 years -- from the 1940s to the 1960s -- by the locals to frustrate first France's and then America's military.
Toughening its stand, key United Progessive Alliance constituent Trinamool Congress on Thursday said if the Congress names Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee or Vice President Hamid Ansari as its Presidential candidate, it will "contest" the election with A P J Abdul Kalam as its nominee.
The nation on Sunday remembered the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 48th death anniversary, with President Pratibha Patil and Vice-President Hamid Ansari paying homage to him.
Noting that there is a perceptible drop in the working days of Parliament, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Sunday called for restoring legislatures to their earlier norms of functioning. "There is a perceptible drop in the working days of Parliament. Deliberation is less frequent; legislation is at times hasty. An impression is afoot in some quarters that diligent parliamentary work is less rewarding in political terms," he said.
Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday refused to add any fodder to the talk of him being the front-runner for the President's post, saying he was himself "in the dark" over the issue that has hogged headlines back home. The past week has witnessed intense speculation in India over who would occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan next, with Mukherjee and the current Vice President Hamid Ansari being touted as the main contenders.
For the first time in the history of Rajya Sabha, its chairman and Vice President Hamid Ansari has permitted All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam -- a regional political party to initiate the FDI in retail discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist asked the Congress to take the initiative in building a consensus on the candidate for the presidential election though it indicated it was not averse to supporting either Vice President Hamid Ansari or Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the post.
Amid prayers and a 21-gun salute, his body was consigned to flames at Smriti Sthal on the banks of Yamuna where Vice President Hamid Ansari and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were also present.
Giving a new turn to the Presidential race, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday ruled out supporting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari or any other candidate who may be put up by the Congress but is open to supporting anyone chosen by the non-Congress parties.
With Azadi's Daughter -- The Journey of a Liberal Muslim Woman, Seema Mustafa chronicles her journey from the violence-ridden 1980s when she covered riots in Assam, Punjab and Kashmir. She says the book heavily borrows anecdotes from her personal life, and presents her views on not only her personal journey but also reflects upon the issues that riddle the Indian Muslim.
President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday condemned the terror attacks in Mumbai. The President condoled the loss of lives in the blasts, a Rashtrapati Bhawan statement said. "The President wishes speedy recovery to those injured in the incident in Mumbai," it added.
Joyous people poured onto the streets, danced and kissed the earth to mark the oil-rich South Sudan becoming the world's newest country on Saturday, with international leaders, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, witnessing history unfolding in the country's capital in Juba.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's iftar party on Sunday was a political blockbuster.
Havelock should be your destination for 2024. It is love at every sight!
Vice President Hamid Ansari has said that it is important to remember that those advocating extremist, fundamentalist and terrorist causes constitute a tiny minority. "They neither have the religious nor political mandate for their abhorrent actions and ideologies," Ansari said.
People of Cuba were offered a glimpse of India's diverse culture when visiting Vice President Hamid Ansari inaugurated a Festival of India in Havana to bring the two countries closer.
Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs of December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on Parliament.
The legend passed away in the early hours of December 4.
With zero growth facing Indian industry and the strong possibility of a bleak financial future ahead, the Congress's managers have to show that Sonia Gandhi's authority and charm are not on the wane. Which is why the election of the 13th President becomes crucial, says Sheela Bhatt