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Vaihayasi Pande Daniel

Editorial Director Vaihayasi Pande Daniel has reported on news, business, travel and lifestyle for 30 years.
You can find her features here.
You can e-mail the author at haysidaniel@rediffmail.com

All stories by VAIHAYASI PANDE DANIEL

Sheena Bora Trial: Why does Indrani now want a lie detector test?

Sheena Bora Trial: Why does Indrani now want a lie detector test?

Rediff.com14 Feb 2019

Happy with her latest move, Indrani departed from Courtroom 51 with a spring in her step. The woman who hopped up into the jail truck was a cheerful one.

Sheena Bora Trial: Travels with Indrani and Peter

Sheena Bora Trial: Travels with Indrani and Peter

Rediff.com13 Feb 2019

It might have been the season of Basant Panchami, but for Pasbola it was definitely Halloween as he set about scaring the wits out of Rangwala, his tone growing harsher.

Lessons learnt after losing an iPad at an airport

Lessons learnt after losing an iPad at an airport

Rediff.com11 Feb 2019

7 valuable lessons Vaihayasi Pande Daniel learnt after she forgot her iPad at Raipur airport.

Sheena Bora Trial: The tricks memory plays

Sheena Bora Trial: The tricks memory plays

Rediff.com9 Feb 2019

When it came to his cross examination by Sanjeev Khanna's lawyer Niranjan Mundargi, Imtiaz Shaikh appeared to be afflicted by that peculiar gap-in-one's-memory or Choosy Memory Syndrome with his recall of other dates in his life, except those directly related with the murder, shaky or non-existent.

Sheena Bora Trial: Why did Peter want a broom?

Sheena Bora Trial: Why did Peter want a broom?

Rediff.com7 Feb 2019

Peter said he needed a broom to sweep his cell because, he joked, there are no vacuum cleaners in jail.

Sheena Bora Trial: Enter the Actor

Sheena Bora Trial: Enter the Actor

Rediff.com7 Feb 2019

Balbinder Singh Dhami, who has played an inspector, for over a year, in The Zee Horror Show, took on the role of a witness on Monday. It was a part he had no experience of.

Will Indrani nail Chidambaram?

Will Indrani nail Chidambaram?

Rediff.com7 Feb 2019

On Thursday, Indrani will be obligated to change into the green uniform sari she receives visitors in, as per jail rules, and meet the gentlemen from the income tax department. She may also at some point on Thursday video conference with Delhi in the INX Media-Karti Chidambaram case where she might become an approver.

Sheena Bora Trial: The Shrink Testifies

Sheena Bora Trial: The Shrink Testifies

Rediff.com30 Jan 2019

As he was giving evidence, Dr Matcheswalla peremptorily summoned the CBI representative over to the witness box and whispered something. Indrani Mukerjea's advocate Sudeep Pasbola immediately cut in, wondering what he was up to: "Please, please, please." Dr Matcheswalla, looking innocently startled, said: "I was asking if I can order for tea."

Sheena Bora Trial: Indrani didn't want Rahul around

Sheena Bora Trial: Indrani didn't want Rahul around

Rediff.com12 Jan 2019

The night before Sheena was allegedly killed, 'Indrani Madam instructed me to not send anyone up to her flat.' 'She told me to especially not allow Rahul Mukerjea.'

Sheena Bora Trial: What's Peter's crime?

Sheena Bora Trial: What's Peter's crime?

Rediff.com9 Jan 2019

The 25 odd witnesses that so far had given testimony had not come up with anything incriminating against Peter or the way Shivade characterised it -- "not even a whisper."

Sheena Bora case: Indrani spends her birthday in court

Sheena Bora case: Indrani spends her birthday in court

Rediff.com4 Jan 2019

Indrani is easily the most striking woman arriving in the court complex from jail on trial days. For those who don't know who she is, there is absurd puzzlement written large on faces when they bump into her. When she reaches or leaves the premises, one notices heads swivelling in jaw-dropping curiosity, as did a pair of transsexual undertrials who crossed her path at the last hearing of 2018, who were, not surprisingly, a less unusual sight than Indrani.

Sheena Bora Trial: Enter Sheena's dad

Sheena Bora Trial: Enter Sheena's dad

Rediff.com16 Dec 2018

Badami asked Das if Indrani was in the room. Das, whipping out his hand and pointing it at Indrani, announced: "Yes, she is right there." Indrani, who was looking down, through most of the hearing, momentarily raised her eyes, just a fraction and glanced at him. That was the first time either of them looked at each other. Till then, and later, Das refused to look at her, as if he was not able to, either out of anger or revulsion. It seemed mutual. Indrani too pretended throughout like he did not exist.

'In Indian politics you have to find a place for Hindus'

'In Indian politics you have to find a place for Hindus'

Rediff.com15 Dec 2018

Mark Tully on the India he loves.

The sheer pain of losing my father

The sheer pain of losing my father

Rediff.com13 Dec 2018

Time unkindly has a sole endeavour: To drag the person, whose death you are mourning, further and further away from your presence, to some far edge of your falsely anesthetised mind. So your memories are drained of colour, growing faint and grainy. You are left with a more and more distant recollections of that person, their laugh, their embrace, their voice and the moments surrounding their final departure. Vaihayasi P Daniel mourns her beloved father who passed away one December morning last year.

Sheena Bora Trial: What's wrong with Peter?

Sheena Bora Trial: What's wrong with Peter?

Rediff.com5 Dec 2018

He is, at the closing of 2018, a man quite different from the Peter Mukerjea who entered judicial custody three-and-a-half years ago. He is a man not yet convicted of a crime, but already suffering for it, like the hundreds that enter these courts every day and the thousands Peter shares jail space with in a central Mumbai prison.

'Tell me, who is today's enemy?'

'Tell me, who is today's enemy?'

Rediff.com4 Dec 2018

'There is no remorse over the Dadri lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq or of Pehlu Khan by cow vigilante groups.' 'But should you not have remorse for those who came to kill them?' 'They were Hindus. Do you accept that?' 'That to kill one Pehlu, 20 Hindus have become murderers.' Rajdeep Sardesai in conversation with Ravish Kumar.

Sheena Bora Trial: Peter wants to access his bank locker

Sheena Bora Trial: Peter wants to access his bank locker

Rediff.com28 Nov 2018

Peter told Judge Jagdale that there was only jewellery in the locker -- some of it that he had "gifted to my wife" and some that "she had received" at the time of their marriage, that the CBI had already inspected the locker in his presence and were aware of what was there.

Arun Shourie: How Modi can be beaten in 2019

Arun Shourie: How Modi can be beaten in 2019

Rediff.com21 Nov 2018

'The BJP has no presence where the regional parties are strong.' 'And we should think of the Congress and support the Congress in those places where it is the dominant regional party.' 'The leaders of the other parties (have to) get together on this simple principle of one candidate against the BJP candidate.'

'Hindutva has nothing to do with Hinduism'

'Hindutva has nothing to do with Hinduism'

Rediff.com17 Nov 2018

'No civilised nation can thrive if it is possessed with the spirit of Hindutva.'

Amitabh, Jaya and a musical book launch...

Amitabh, Jaya and a musical book launch...

Rediff.com16 Nov 2018

Amitabh: "There is a very famous limerick that aptly describes my presence tonight, ladies and gentleman: A funny young man from Clyde In a funeral carriage was spied; When asked, "Who is dead?" He giggled and said, "I don't know; I just came for the ride."

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