'The whale stranding-earthquake link is almost a certainty according to my reading.'

A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com spends a day at the Manapaddu beach in Tuticorin where nearly 100 whales were mysteriously beached and many died despite the best efforts of the fishermen and authorities.

P Rafeeq's comment on the burkha led to his studio being razed.

'Kanpur and Hoogly district are the most polluted on the Ganga.'

'Thousands of people were stoning us, but we never fired back.'

'The copying mafia is very powerful. We need to use technology to fight them.'

Dr Ganesh Rakh has delivered 436 baby girls free of charge. The son of a coolie and housemaid, the good doctor wants to change the mindset of a 'boy- obsessed' society.

'There are Rs 90 crore worth of medicines in government hospitals, which is sufficient for the next three months.'

'We are poor, so we understand the pain of those who need help.'

British Prime Minister David Cameron recently asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help to send back six British sailors who have been in Tamil Nadu for two years.

'The song says that liquor should not be sold by the government. The government should stop people from drinking.' 'I am working for a social cause. I am not doing anything wrong. We have moved a petition in the high court to quash the FIR against me.' 'It is a people's movement. There is no Naxalite involvement here.' Singer Kovan, who was arrested on sedition charges for protesting against the Tamil Nadu governments liquor policy, speaks out.

In a special series, Rediff.com looks at India through the lives of her people. Today: Abdul Nabi, who has been cleaning people's ears for 40 years in Mumbai.

'We are facing a crackdown for more than a year. Our permission to collect funds was cancelled. Our bank accounts were frozen.' 'We believe that our work in India is very important. We want to be the environment watchdog. We do not want to waste time fighting legal battles.'

'I was not scared. I have seen trains every day of my life. I only wanted to stop the train.'

Kovan, a folk singer in Tamil Nadu, was arrested on October 30 for criticising the state government in a song distributed on the Internet. Kovan was charged with sedition among other alleged crimes.

The Tamil Nadu woman, whose hand was chopped off allegedly by her employer, returns from Saudi Arabia with her meagre salary.

Community organisations will put up a memorial plaque for Prabha Arun Kumar in a Sydney park on November 22, her 42nd birthday.

A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com speaks to common folk in Tamil Nadu about whether they will invest in Arun Jaitley's gold monetisation scheme. Their reactions will not make the Union finance minister happy.

'There is too much news about film stars. There is too much fawning over wealth and power. There is a grey area between seriousness and triviality in news reporting now.' 'Mumbai is still a magnet. All the politicians have property in Mumbai. Politicians are the biggest racketeers here.' Olga Tellis, the legendary reporter who completed 50 years in journalism, tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com about her life and experiences.

The Indian embassy has provided an air ticket and visa for the woman whose hand was chopped off allegedly by her employer. She has received no compensation.