We asked colleagues, present and past, to reflect on a man who has made such a difference to their lives and careers. Here it is then, a rich collection of memories that offer enchanting glimpses of the enigmatic Ajit Balakrishnan.

As Prabhakaran was leaving his house, Rajiv Gandhi called his son Rahul and asked him to fetch his (Gandhi's) bulletproof jacket. He put the jacket on Prabhakaran's back and remarked with his usual charming smile: "Take care of yourself."

On the night of July 5, the Tigers launched their first kamikaze operation. Miller took the wheels of the explosive-packed truck, smiled at everyone as he turned the ignition key and drove it slowly towards the Sri Lankan military camp. A few moments later all of Jaffna heard a thunderous explosion that brought the complex crashing down in clouds of dust. Miller had given birth to a deadly tactic that Prabhakaran would employ time and again with devastating consequences to Sri Lanka -- and India. A fascinating excerpt from M R Narayan Swamy's must read new book, The Rout Of Prabhakaran.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.

They realised that the Portuguese were better prepared to defend Daman than Dadra and Nagar Haveli. If reinforcements from Daman were to reach Silvassa, there was no chance of defeating the Portuguese. They decided that cutting Daman's communication lines would have to be their top priority before attacking Silvassa. A fascinating excerpt from Neelesh Kulkarni's new book, Uprising-The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Musheer Khan, younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan (9), saved his side from a total collapse with an innings of rare maturity that belied his 19 tender years.

Images from the US Open men's singles second round matches, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Thursday.

The Indian hockey team that won a second successive Olympic bronze for the country here on Thursday featured 11 players, who will come back as two-time medallists from the quadrennial showpiece.

IMAGES from the 1st T20I between Zimbabwe and India played in Harare on Saturday

The best-case scenario is that the BJP will top out at around 50 seats in UP -- a drop of 12 from the 62 it had won in 2019. Taken in tandem with Maharashtra and Karnataka, this is what is likely to put paid to the BJP's ambitions of a third term for Modi, argues Prem Panicker.

Images from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium, Hyderabad, on Sunday.

Sanju Samson's entertaining half-century went in vain as Rajasthan Royals suffered a 20-run defeat against Delhi Capitals.

IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, on Saturday.

Bowlers need to find "innovative ways to execute deliveries with a touch of "anti-skill" to challenge the range-hitting batsmen in the ongoing IPL, reckons Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.

Images from the IPL 2024 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rajasthan Royals pulled off the highest run chase in the history of IPL to edge Kolkata Knight Riders by two wickets.

Mayank Yadav (3/27) stole the limelight with his searing pace as Lucknow Super Giants humbled Punjab Kings by 21 runs.

The Islamic State of Iran and Syria has claimed responsibility for the massive attack on concert hall in the Russian capital, CNN reported.

IMAGES from the Women's Premier League match played between Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday

Tom Straker's six-wicket haul and Harry Dixon's fifty inspired Australia to a tense one-wicket victory over brave Pakistan in the semifinal in Benoni on Thursday, setting up their ICC Under-19 World Cup final against defending champions India.

Dhas (116, 101 balls) and Saharan (100, 107 balls), who added 215 off 202 balls, lifted India from a tricky 62/3 to a formidable 297/5 after they opted to bat first.

Images from India's 3rd T20 International against Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Guterres urged members of the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and appealed for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared.

PHOTOS from the 5th T20I match between India and Australia played in Bengaluru on Sunday

Virat Kohli anchored another tricky chase with perfection after Mohammad Shami's sizzling five-wicket haul as India outclassed New Zealand by four wickets.

In an unprecedented attack that few Israelis saw coming on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on Saturday, Hamas fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several other party leaders were detained on Tuesday night as they held a dharna at the Union Rural Development Ministry office in New Delhi demanding a meeting with the minister and released around three hours later.

The G20 declaration, which hit snags on the language to describe the Ukraine war, amounted to a 'coup' for host Prime Minister Narendra Modi though the final compromise statement reflected a stand far softer than those the United States and its Western allies have adopted on Russia, the world media said on Sunday.

As India progresses towards formulating its own model of theaterisation, the public must get involved in the debate because in the end, it affects the well-being of the entire nation, asserts Biswajit Dasgupta.

There is the problem of regions in the North East being theatre for power-play by nations with borders and influences converging in those parts, which in turn requires a sizable presence of the armed forces, notes Shyam G Menon.

'The United States should not, by this logic, expect India to create military distractions along the Line of Actual Control, hold up Chinese shipping in the Indian Ocean, or even openly provide intelligence or basing for US forces transiting the region.'

Central Zone bowlers led by captain Shivam Mavi (4/43) silenced the big guns in the West Zone batting line-up to restrict them to 216 for 8.

Gujarat Titans knocked Royal Challengers Bangalore out of IPL 2023 with a six-wicket win, allowing Mumbai Indians to sneak through as the fourth team in the play-offs.

Rajasthan Royals cruised to a nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders to resurrect their play-off hopes.

Mr Modi might have questions to ask himself on the most formidable strategic challenge before India that he inherited from the United Progressive Alliance: The triangulation between China and Pakistan. The failure to break out of it, or even loosen it a bit, is something to reflect on, notes Shekhar Gupta.

Manchester City needed a second-half penalty from striker Erling Haaland to break the resistance of a dogged Crystal Palace.

India were 3-0 up in the 42nd minute before Paul-Philipp Kaufmann and Michel Struthoff struck for Germany in the 44th and 57th minutes respectively.

Playing in their opening match of the Women's Premier League, the Delhi Capitals began their season on a positive note as they handed Royal Challengers Bangalore a big defeat at the Brabourne Stadium.

The opposition MLAs staged a demonstration in front of the premises before the commencement of assembly proceedings condemning the arrest of Vaishali resident Raj Kapoor Singh, whose son Army jawan Jai Kishore Singh had died fighting Chinese troops in Galwan.

Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, on Friday.