A traditional Hindu wedding is not merely a social contract. It is a sacred ceremony conducted by priests in the presence of friends and relatives – and occasionally a few uninvited guests. Rituals vary across states and communities, but one feature remains constant – the solemnity of the occasion. The priest chants mantras. The sacred…
Every extended family has that one relative at weddings – the man who offers confident advice on everything from the catering to the Constitution. Nobody asked. Nobody benefits. But the confidence is breathtaking. In Indian politics, the role is increasingly played by Rahul Gandhi. The latest performance came during the debate on the LPG crisis,…
Potholes do not usually feature in stories of resurrection in our country. They are better known for dispatching motorists to orthopaedic wards – and occasionally to the next world. Yet a news report from Uttar Pradesh suggests that our cratered highways may possess powers hitherto unrecognised by modern medicine. The Bareilly-Haridwar highway, part of NH-74,…
Bollywood has produced many larger-than-life heroes on screen. But now and then, real life throws up someone who quietly surpasses them all. Actor Sonu Sood, often cast as the villain in films across Hindi and regional cinema, has once again shown that off-screen he plays a far nobler role. As tensions in the Middle East…
Filmmaker P. Suneel Kumar Reddy on ‘Cockroach’, his new film about crime, compassion and society’s selective empathy, releasing today (Friday) Filmmaker P. Suneel Kumar Reddy has rarely taken the familiar road. From ‘Sontha Ooru’ to ‘Gangaputrulu’, from ‘Gulf’ to ‘Valasa’, his cinema has consistently turned its gaze toward lives that rarely appear in the mainstream…
In the holy month of restraint, reflection, and repentance, a man was nearly butchered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Saleem Wastik, a 50-year-old YouTuber, was allegedly slashed repeatedly inside his office by two men who had been loitering outside the premises. The helmeted men struck at his neck, abdomen, and ear before fleeing on a motorcycle,…
First, the disclaimer. The video in circulation is AI-generated – entirely fictional, produced by pixels with a sense of humour. It shows Congress dynast and Leader of the Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi ji, seated inside the party war room – known more popularly as the ‘lie factory’. Beside him sits the ever-vigilant Congress spokesperson, Supriya…
Somewhere in a brightly lit studio – location unknown, channel unidentified, date untraceable – a Pakistani news anchor recently discovered a shortcut to prosperity. Not through exports, innovation or painful reform. Not through productivity or fiscal discipline, but through data crunching. If you add what is visible to what is invisible, she announced with admirable…
A viral video from Germany shows a man, apparently observing Ramadan, storming into a store and flinging food off the shelves — as though flour packets and biscuit tins had personally offended his piety. His demand is simple: ban food sales during fasting hours and force Germans to fast against their will. Elsewhere in parts…
A man walks into a ‘five-star hospital’ in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, with chest pain. After a battery of tests, he is told he has a blockage. It is ‘critical’. Surgery is ‘immediate’. The estimate – Rs 12 lakh. His fixed deposits tremble. EMIs march past his eyes. SIPs look suddenly suicidal. But life, he decides,…
