'The most striking comment Yasser Usman makes -- not only about Sanjay Dutt, but also our contemporary society -- is about the transformation that he goes through: From being a man who claimed Muslim blood to one who is a devotee of Hindu gods,' notes Uttaran Das Gupta.
'It has even been suggested that Modi and Amit Shah, however grudgingly, harbour admiration for her controlling streak and steely resilience,' says Sunil Sethi.
The great pity is that Mr Siddiqui has a remarkable, even inspiring, story to tell, feels Sunil Sethi.
Hardliner separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is caught in a piquant situation of being expelled from the Jamaat-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir, of which he has been a founding member and its leading light.
Karan Johar's biography will release in January.
Mohammad Sajjad salutes the memory of Mushirul Hasan -- historian, thinker, academic, institution builder, -- who passed into the ages this week.
'That's the beauty of Naveen.' 'His intermittent support to the NDA and Modi confuses BJP workers in Odisha.' 'It gives an impression that Naveen has a tacit understanding with the NDA and that the BJP will not really challenge him wholeheartedly.'
Nandita Puri clears the air about her biography on Om Puri, Unlikely Hero.
'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.'
'No civilised nation can thrive if it is possessed with the spirit of Hindutva.'
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."
'From the beginning (I have told her) "Whatever it may be -- you are losing or winning -- on the ground you're not going to cry!" She never cried.' '"I don't want you to project that you are a loser. You are a winner".' Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com speaks to Leela Raj about her famous daughter, now in the West Indies for the women's T20 World Cup.
Delhi-based Riticka Srivastav is bringing a smile on people's faces with her second-hand books.
"They have produced stale news. This is two years ago when there were differences in the Congress and I said I will form my own party. Where is the question of joining the BJP? I think there are too many channels and there is too little news," he said.
'It is exceptionally important for Hindus to once again get in touch with the foundation of Hinduism.' 'Aggressive evangelists are reducing Hinduism to its lowest common denominator.'
'Being authoritative is one thing -- Nehru was that -- but being authoritarian is quite another -- the current prime minister is clearly one.'
Former Chief Justice of India Rajendra Mal Lodha, who recommended overhaul of the cricket governance in India, said things would move fast in the Board of Control for Cricket in India after the newly-appointed administrators take charge of the Cricket Board after January 19.
'They will talk about secularism, but communalism -- they just won't say there exists such a beast.' 'It's harmful for society to brush it under the carpet.' 'If we talk about secularism, we must talk about communalism.'
How many times can you read the same book? Instead, T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan turns to different books by same writers for comfort.
'In being dismissive of Naveen, his colleagues showed incredible naivety.' 'On the few occasions that he put his foot down, the overconfident party leaders, who believed they were using him and not the other way around, failed to read the signs of what was to come.'
Sreehari Nair introduces you to three promising movies coming up.
Art historian Yashodhara Dalmia's book on the Sri Lankan artist, who fell so deeply for India that he even claimed Rajput descent, is a momentous publishing event, says Kishore Singh.
The death of his beloved wife was a blow Shashi Kapoor never recovered from, reveals Aseem Chhabra.
Here are some interesting facts about Melania Trump, wife of Donald Trump
'The wonderful thing about being a journalist is that when someone tries to muzzle your work, it's a badge of honour.' 'You know you've done something right,' Priyanka Pathak-Narain, the author of Godman To Tycoon: The Untold Story Of Baba Ramdev, tells Sunil Sethi.
Those familiar with Hindi poetry are aware of Rahim's elevated status in the medieval history of literature -- he is one of the triumvirate of doha writers, the other two being Kabir and Tulsidas.
There are several books that Aakar Patel wishes were being written but aren't. Fortunately, there's plenty coming up this year that he's eagerly awaiting.
'It is from her that present-day political stalwarts continue to draw lessons on testing the limits of Constitutional democracy, and whose slogans even her party's staunchest opponents imitate even after over 30 years of her death,' says Veenu Sandhu.
'She already knows two vaults and now I am teaching her a third one. She can perform any two but which two, that we have not decided. The basic training (for Handspring 540) has begun and after two months she will start performing'
And you thought Bollywood was just about making movies!
'In one mansion we visited, I was told the doors in the back courtyard had to be kept closed because to have the front and back doors open at the same time would result in Chettiar wealth flowing away,' notes Rahul Jacob after a memorable visit to Karaikudi.
images of Shivraj Singh Chouhan being carried by cops on his visit to Panna to take stock of the situation went viral.
On World Disability Day, in the presence of 150 differently abled soldiers, Lieutenant General P M Hariz, the Southern Army Commander, honoured the late Rediff.com columnist Flying Officer M P Anil Kumar.
'Bollywood's 'no prisoners taken' honesty comes as a big surprise.' 'I cannot think of a single judge, politician, sportsperson or bureaucrat being so forthright in their opinion of their contemporaries,' says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
Pavan K Varma, diplomat, writer and politician, embarks on a quest about Hinduism's great thinker's stay in Varanasi.
Rajasthan minister Vasudev Devnani said major changes are being made in school curriculum and biographies of freedom fighters will be included.
The army is celebrating the 17th Kargil Vijay Diwas to commemorate the victory in the war against Pakistan.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan launched ace tennis player Sania Mirza's autobiography 'Ace against Odds' at a function in Mumbai on Sunday. Sania, who will partner Prarthana Thombare from Maharashtra at the prestigious Olympics Games in Rio heaped praise on the latter, describing her as a very good tennis player. "I and Prarthana (Thombare) is the first pair, who has won a medal. In Asian Games we have won a women's doubles medal. But besides that, she is a young girl, and she is a good prospect for us.
How a bus conductor named Shivaji Gaekwad became the mega-phenomenon called Rajinikanth.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances