288 first-time offenders have been coaxed to leave the path of crime and lead a normal life.

How long can you look at Ajith sitting with a machine gun on his lap? asks A Ganesh Nadar.

Wiccan Rashme Oberoi looks at the year ahead.

'More than the money, I am happy to be a part of the team that has selected me.'

Two years ago this day, Astad Deboo, dancer extraordinaire, passed into the ages. A new exhibition Breaking Boundaries remembers the pioneer who redrew the margins of Indian dance.

'I am not ashamed that I have AIDS. I once announced that I am HIV+ on national TV.'

'I am happy that Kosi Ma is alive and now she is looking after us.' 'I am proud of what I did.'

'I have to take better care of myself.' 'I was lucky that the cancer was diagnosed at a very early stage.'

41 years ago, Dalits in Meenakshipuram converted to Islam, sending shockwaves through the nation.' A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com returns to the village to discover that past antagonisms lurk below the surface.

'There have been many cases where clients have indicated that they feel suicidal as they feel they have no other options to deal with their financial hardship.'

Coimbatore-based environmental activist R Manikandan, was named the South Zone Water Warrior by the Government of India's Jal Shakti ministry.

'Our future is in limbo. The government saved us with Operation Ganga; now, they must save our careers.'

'It is easier to make friends with strangers as they are non-judgmental.'

Lakshmanan contracted polio when he was only three months old. 'I didn't want to go for the swayamvar, but my uncle convinced me to attend.' He sat close to the door at the swayamvar. And then, Rohini walked in. Both her legs, too, were afflicted with polio.

'I've always wanted to be a pilot; setting records is the icing on the cake.'

'He has to listen to his body and his mind and he decided to leave politics.'

Jai Bhagwan has been without a job for six years. When we ask him how he managed to run his house without a job, he says matter of factly, 'I sold my wife's jewels.'

'My memory is as fresh as it was when I was a student in 1984.' 'I had absolutely no problem while preparing for NEET.'

'We walked into the well of the House because we had no choice.' 'They were not listening to us. They were throttling democracy.'

'We brought him back within 20 days of the complaint.'