Atal Bihari Vajpayee would seek to placate the hawks in the RSS by stating that the writing of history should not be one-sided. At the same time, he would project a moderate 'Nehruvian' image of himself as the archetypal liberal politician who would strive to attain a balance between conflicting viewpoints. A fascinating profile of the former prime minister and Bharat Ratna by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Shankar Raghuraman.

Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said it would release 30 Sri Lankan fishermen and 19 boats on December 22 and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail on the island nation to take similar action at the same time to set free fishermen from the state and their boats.

Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world last week, in 16 images.

An Australian senator has criticised the government's decision to allow the Indian consular officials to assess the identity of 157 asylum seekers currently being held in a detention centre in the country.

Star debater, trailblazing athlete and Harvard medical student. Sana Raoof learnt from her immigrant family to be the best in whatever she does. Arthur J Pais finds what inspires this newly minted Soros Fellow.

The Indians were among 128 asylum seekers, travelling in three boats, intercepted last week and sent for offshore processing, the Australian Associated Press reported on Monday.

The couple had announced thier engagement seven months ago.

Hugo is not only a story about the wonderments of childhood, but is also a tribute to old world cinema.

Trailers that just make your jaw drop. Watch here!

Trailers that just make your jaw drop. Watch here!

'It is hard to connect this Hindu terror mastermind over-drive with the Swami Aseemanand of tribal simplicity and boundless energy, whom I have known since the last 11 years and interacted with closely.'

The politically-active actor has finished filming the latest Harold & Kumar instalment, the third of the series, and is ready to return to work with President Barrack Obama.

The actor, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, was in the Dupont Circle area of the US capital when a gunman stole his wallet and other belongings on Tuesday.

Previously, for nearly a decade, we had no body for analysis, assessment and follow-up action. Today we have three --- the JIC of the old vintage, the NSCS of the 1998-99 creation and the National Security Advisory Board, which came into existence in 1999 as a body of non-governmental analysts and advisers on national security. From a state of practically no analysis, we have gravitated to one of a plethora of analysis.

However, one younger Indian-American activist pointed out that 'this is the first time, a sitting president is actually going to be there at the Diwali observance.'

'India and US relations move forward on the basis of potential and opportunities in the context of our bilateral relations,' says India's ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar.

Maria Francisca Perello, girlfriend of Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, is seen at US Open VIP gallery in New York.

Summer releases these days often come with a pair of dark-glasses. Have a look.

The two-day 'Operation Vijay' celebrations from Saturday will mark the victory of Indian forces over their Pakistani army regulars ten years ago. All re-captured heights would be lit up during the celebrations.

Set in a stunning location, the old hunting lodge at Shivpuri's Madhav National Park offers breathtaking views of the sunset and rise over the lake.

Travel pro Peter Greenberg makes sense of the airline mess and finds ways to make the most of a tangled travel situation.

It's time to DETOX. Cleanse your bodies, clear your minds and reboot your entire system for the year ahead. Here are 10 spots that make getting your system back on track a luxurious experience.

That's one of the reasons behind the Vietnamese cosying up to India.

Patel was instrumental in securing the release of Australian hostage Douglas Wood after he was kidnapped in Iraq in 2005.

An Indian-origin man arrested on charges of trying to get his wife killed had paid the undercover policeman posing as a hit man the first installment of $900 and had given him a photo of his wife, police said.

With just over three months to go before the start of the 2007 cricket World Cup, much of Barbados is scarred by building cranes, road detours and construction sites.

India Wednesday expressed deep concern at the spurt in violence in Sri Lanka and called for giving a fresh start to the peace process in the island nation.\n\n

As many as 18 soldiers were killed in Puloly in two similar attacks early in December.

Chronology of major terror attacks in Indonesia dating back to 2000

The 2004 sporting year in quotes.

It will take a long time for the people of the picturesque coastline in Kollam to overcome the shock of the nightmare caused by the killer waves that claimed over 100 lives in the densely populated fishing hamlets of the district, in Kerala.

Three Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft on Sunday flew from Chennai and Bangalore airports carrying emergency and medical supplies to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was hit by an earthquake and tidal waves.