The weather is sultry and the mood of the nation that of unsettled rest. The import of the preceding months with their high octane activities—the mother of all elections, the unprecedented victory of the saffron party, the rout of the grand old Congress Party, and the mammoth swearing in—are sti...
it's always possible with Kiran
Supercop, Super Activist, Super… Is politics the next cause that Dr Kiran Bedi will embrace? For her taking up politics would be just a continuity of causes that she espouses. The magic she had wrought with her ‘kindly baton’ as a career policewoman and continued as social activist with her NG...
Chosen for Party’s stunning victory in UP LS polls Appointed// Amit Shah, close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, replaced Rajanth Singh as the new Bharatiya Janata Party president. At 49, Shah is the youngest ever president the ruling party ever had. His elevation in stature from party ...
UN to Iraq: Unite to Fight Militancy
Pressure on Maliki to step Down militancy// The United Nations asked Iraq leaders to overcome their differences and form a new government that can face militant threat to save the country from plunging into chaos. The Sunni militant attack over last two month have driven Iraq into its deepest crisi...
NDA Government Presents A Safe & Sound First Budget
Some highlights budget // The first general budget by NDA government sprang a surprise for many who believed a tough, non-populist budget. In one shot, finance minister Arun Jaitley raised the income tax exemption limit by `50,000 for all taxpayers below 80 years of age, allowed an extra `50,000 fo...
Obama laments death of Ghaza civilians Conflict// The United States will use its entire diplomatic means to secure a deal on a ceasefire to end violence between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip, President Barack Obama has said. Laying emphasis on the need to protect civilians, he said Israel has ...
A story is pivotal to the success of any production, whether it’s a movie, a commercial or a wedding film. My great good fortune is that I do what I love to do—tell stories. Because as a filmmaker, my purpose is just that: to collect, create and convey simple but smashing stories. I was born in ...
Apps that make whispering a secret easy in the networked world are all the rage right now It’s almost a given that most, if not all, of our lives are being lived out in public. All that sharing, posting, liking, selfie-ing, (re)tweeting, pinterest-ing, instagram-ing commenting, all in full view o...
Of unsanctioned love, a flower with heady scent myriad meanings and subtle nuances Because I was born into Bangla, Hindi and its post offices of meaning arriving much later, the Hindi regimental quick march song, Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja, came as a call for carnival. The reason was the presence of ka...
A chat with children’s litterateur Deepa Agarwal is like a whiff of fresh air—an imprint that she leaves behind with each of her books. A chat with Deepa Agarwal is as invigorating and refreshing as a walk in the hills—Almora, to be precise; her book as invigorating as a deep of fresh air on ...
It’s now the turn of NGOs flush with unaccounted funds to feel the heat. Are these NGOs funded by foreign hands working to promote their benefactors’ nefarious designs and working against the interests of the nation? The truth can only be out if the social sector adopts transparent funding and b...
Mithila Artists find a Tech Saviour
eMithilaHaat, a fledgling social enterprise, is on a mission to get Mithilanchal’s heritage the right due through its exclusive online store and onground efforts The social enterprise has been just seven months in operation, but the impact is being felt far and wide— down to the impoverished ar...
Marryam Reshii on why it’s destination Hong Kong for her? Everybody’s favourite question to a frequent traveller is “What is your favourite country?” That’s the most difficult one to answer. Usually, I cop out and name the most recent destination I have been to, but if I sit down and thin...
When food takes centre stage, as a simile, a metaphor or a leitmotif in films it sends out more signals than just hunger pangs AMONG ONE’S LASTING MEMORIES of the new American fi lm Chef are close-ups of succulent Cuban sandwiches being grilled just so—until they reach the exact golden shade re...
Through a prism of self and society Lives of Others is an angry book. It’s dark, brooding and unforgiving. Neel Mukherjee’s second book, though set in the City of Joy, is joyless. His rendering of a Calcutta of the 60s and the dysfunctional Ghosh family is gripping in its starkness. The book, a...
The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing
A debut novel that keeps you awake! The title is intriguing and for a debut novel, the book more than fulfills the tantalising promises of the title. It has tragedy, pathos, bathos, comic moments—in short it is a complete human drama that is engaging in its universal appeal. Mira Jacob weaves the...
Pablo Bartholomew’s works are a continuum of time and space—a study of human subsets from the outside. The portraits are silent, hauntingly so. They stir you to speak. Just to hear some words, some chatter of nonsense that would deny the silent presence of these souls that look out as though fr...