A fortnight ago, when Delhi was abuzz with much activity following the Jawaharlal Nehru University fiasco, a small number of people were quietly trying to bring different communities together through Jashn-e-Rekhta. The Urdu festival, in its second edition at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, was organised for those who knew Urdu, wanted to know Urdu, loved it or …

Hari Chand sits at Café Coffee Day, a stone’s throw away from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Inside the enormous belly of the stadium is a tartan track. Hari Chand has an unrealised dream there. If fulfilled, it would have made him the undisputed long-distance running champion in India. For a lot of people, who have bothered to …

A heady mix of rustic and contemporary notes and global rhythms — Rajasthan folk festival encourages and promotes people’s music Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) is different. It is music from dawn to midnight and beyond. It coincides with Sharad purnima — the brightest full moon each year. From finding one’s way in the dark before dawn, to get …

Communal harmony has been a natural way of life with Indian musicians throughout the ages. Uniting people and finding the underlying binding thread between them was a part of their innate thought process The world of Indian classical music has been an age-old treasure house of unpolitised unity and pluralism. As stated by vocalist late Ustad Amir Khan, “one may …

भारतीय रेल दुनियाँ की सबसे विस्तृत रेल सेवाओं में से एक है। भारतीय रेल की पटरियों का जाल पूरे भारत में लगभग 71 हज़ार मील में फैला हुआ है। यह हर साल लगभग 9 अरब लोगों को उनकी मंज़िल तक पहुँचाती है। निःसंदेह छुक-छुक करती रेल में खिड़की पर बैठ कर खूबसूरत नज़रों को देखने से बेहतर कुछ भी नहीं …

Young girls and women from all backgrounds are trying their hand out at henna art, which has made Eid eve look all the more attractive. Henna artists had erected their make shift stalls or coordinated with the plush beauty parlours of the city for catering to the rush of women, who wish to adorn their hands. Majority of these henna …

Sawai Jai Singh II — It was all very, very romantic. The night sky above the Amber fort, atop the craggy hills overlooking what is now Jaipur city, was at its most enchanting. And on a terrace watching the moon and the stars were a princess and a king. The princess had only that day been rescued by the king …

Malvika Iyer is the essence of courage and optimism. At 13, a freak accident caused her to lose both her hands and severely damaged her legs, raising serious doubts about whether she would ever walk again. But young Malvika braved the odds and emerged victorious. Today she is a dedicated social worker, a motivational speaker and model for accessible clothing …

Muni Pulak Sagar Ji — A divine soul was born, in a very small but fortunate, Dhamtri village in Chattisgarh; this soul was none other than Muni Pulak Sagar Ji Maharaj. His birth brought happiness, wealth, respect and peace in the house of Shri. Bhikamchand Ji and Smt. Gopi Bai Jain, parents of this child. His name before Deeksha was …

Dadi Pudumjee is a leading puppeteer in India and the founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992. He is the President of UNIMA and past member of the General Council of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. His university education was in Pune later at the NID National Institute of Design and …