On January 12, several Ministers of the West Bengal government gathered at a conference room on Sagar Island, situated at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal — the southernmost tip of the State — to brief mediapersons on the arrangements for the Gangasagar Mela 2025. Lakhs of pilgrims visit the island every year to … Read more
It’s January 31, a Friday. As the clock struck eight, Kondla Sambhu Reddi, 62, puts on his off-white dhoti and a wrinkled white shirt to go to the weekly shandy. He steps out of his wooden hut and checks the dried bamboo shoots hanging on a string in the verandah. The weakened current of … Read more
If ever an installation was to epitomise the fury of a man cheated of his life’s savings, then the one in the parking lot 72 in Tower B of Chander Kunj Army Towers on Silversand Island, Vytilla, Kochi, would come close. On the floor, spread out like a floral carpet are concrete flakes of different … Read more
Vikas Walkar (left), father of Shraddha Walkar, who was brutally murdered, allegedly by her live-in partner, in 2022. | Photo Credit: The Hindu I spoke to Vikas Walkar for the first time when every journalist wanted an exclusive interview with him. Walkar was the father of Shraddha Walkar, who had been brutally murdered, allegedly by … Read more
The Supreme Court on January 30, 2025, permitted High Courts to appoint retired judges on an ad-hoc basis to address the mounting backlog of cases. However, these judges were authorised to hear only criminal appeals as part of a bench led by a sitting judge. Is appointing ad-hoc judges a viable means to reduce backlog? … Read more
Leafield (Oxford), Midnight, Feb. 13.: Last night’s gale which at times reached a velocity of 68 miles an hour was accompanied by heavy rain and gauges in London area recorded a fall of 1/4 of an inch. Reports from many parts of the country state that large areas are again under water and as rain … Read more
Madras, Feb. 13: All the higher secondary and Central schools in the country will switch over in June 1975 to the new pattern of education — a 10-year general schooling followed by a two-year higher secondary/pre-degree course and a three-year degree course. These schools now provide a 11-year education at the end of which students … Read more
The Sharavati river that takes birth at Ambutirtha in Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district flows for about 130 km through some of the most scenic and ecologically diverse regions of Karnataka in the Western Ghats before reaching the Arabian Sea. It has also been a major source of electricity production in Karnataka. The river water … Read more
The night of January 28 shimmered with devotion and festivity as the Muslim community in Hyderabad gathered to observe Shab-e-Miraj, the first sacred night of worship before Ramzan. At Bahadurpura crossroads in Old City, the rich aroma of biryani curled through the air, wafting from ‘AK Caterers & Cooking Services’ where Mohammed Ilyas battled the … Read more
Founder of Liana Trust, Gerard Martin (right) during a demonstration of venom extraction at the Serpentarium with Lisa Gonslaves (left) at Rathnapuri near Hunsur in Mysuru district. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT For long known as the land of snake charmers as dubbed by colonialists, India is also the world’s snakebite capital with an estimated … Read more