The Incomparable Ved Mehta

On a visit to India in 2013, writer Ved Mehta -- who passed into the ages on Sunday January 10, 2021 -- gave Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel a rare glimpse into his state of mind and what he......

An Indian legend you probably don't know about

In a corner of Kolkata lived a man who made Latin American music cool before urban India became hip to salsa.Sumit Bhattacharya remembers Monojit Datta, ace percussionist, guru and unknown legend.......

Pandit Jasraj: Indian classical music's greatest voice

Awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri, Pandit Jasraj also popularised semi-classical music like ‘haveli sangeet' and reached out to devotees with his......

Ram has entered the land of Durga

Mamata imposed affirmative action to the point of absurdity.This has naturally led to counter-action: The Hindus who never thought of themselves as Hindus are now banding behind the BJP, points out......

How to read a stock ticker

Ticker symbols offer quite a bit of information to savvy investors who know what to look for when they see a ticker. In addition to identifying a company, a ticker may indicate the exchange on......

The Pope gets an iPod

A group of Vatican Radio employees gave Pope Benedict XVI an iPod nano loaded with special Vatican Radio programming and classical music. Now that Vatican Radio offers podcasts in eight different......

72% of FII deals via bulk buying

Foreign institutional investors are not active in the secondary market alone -- they have been buying substantial chunks of shares in Indian companies by using global depository receipts,......

Want to listen to radio? Get on the Net

It was in the winter of 2001-02 that I made the e-acquaintance of an Italian systems engineer. During the course of an extended e-mail dialogue (we were playing correspondence chess) I lamented......

The Godfather: A Hell to Make

Despite the Oscars, the box office glory, and the universal acclaim, Francis Ford Coppola, I am sure, remembers The Godfather with as much frustration as pride.Like Michael Corleone, he got into it......

'Lataji proved perfection is possible in this imperfect world'

'Lataji, Ghalib, Beethoven and Shakespeare are far removed from the normal chain of human civilisation.''If they were just role models, how come no one was able to achieve an iota of their......

Lata Mangeshkar, as you have never seen her before

It was a rich and beautiful life. A life that touched millions. A voice that helped millions express their emotions. For Lata Mangeshkar was God-gifted genius. She loved music. Cricket was a......

'I never like watching my films'

'I don't look forward to seeing my films because this only sort of gives me a deep sense of dissatisfaction that I could have done better, and I lose my self-confidence.' IMAGE: Satyajit Ray in......

Sachin@50: 50 Interesting Facts

Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com On Monday, April 24, 2023, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will be 50 years old. For those of us who first saw him stride onto a cricket field aged 16 back in......

Are Computers Destroying Chess?

Cheating poses an existential challenge to chess.It's hard to know how it will be mitigated, but it must be, if chess is to continue being a legitimate sport, asserts Devangshu Datta. IMAGE: World......

'It was scored with the head of Diego and hand of God'

'I'm privileged, but only because that was God's will. God made me play well. He gave me the ability at birth.' IMAGE: Diego Maradona scores the infamous 'Hand of God' goal past England goalkeeper......

Russia still on the pitch but anthem ban could hurt

IMAGE: Russia players pose for a team group photo before the match. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters When a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) team played at the 1992 European championship......

The death of the yellow jersey

'Living in Brazil, I had internalised the football mythology of that country, the way I had learnt Mahabharata stories in my childhood.' 'The tragedy at the Maracana stadium in 1950, when a......