How could there be a revival of the entirely forgettable Hindi movie song of the mid-nineties, Ole Ole? What was the lifespan of these meaningless songs of the “beat and catchy tune” type that had replaced the ones with the unforgettable lyrics and melodies of the ’sixties and ’seventies? Why were people at the next table in the restaurant or Read More

According to data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Indore, Jabalpur, and Raipur are among India’s most accident-prone cities. The map, above, shows us the number of road accidents per one lakh people, represented by the size of the circle and its severity (deaths per 100 road accidents). The severity of the accident is represented by the Read More

What is the one quality the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has that most of his predecessors lacked? Excellent oratorial skills, points out Virender Kapoor. Inspired by the charisma and eloquence of Modi, management guru Virender Kapoor recently released the book Speaking the Modi Way, in which he talks about how you can become a great leader like him. Presenting Read More

On Friday, September 2, trade unions associated with the Left parties have called for a countrywide general strike of workers. Tapan Kumar Sen, general secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s trade union, and a Rajya Sabha MP, spoke to Rediff.com‘s Syed Firdaus Ashraf on why workers across the nation are going on a strike. Why Read More

The Rio Olympics hoopla has settled down. Given our track record, we Indians will jump into the bandwagon only in 2020, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics. But there are athletes who practice day in and day out to be part of the mega event. One among them is the talented hockey player, Rani Rampal. The 21-year-old striker hails Read More

A dominant India scripted a sensational 4-1 win over higher-ranked Puerto Rico in an international football friendly at the Andheri Sports Complex stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. India were down 0-1 in the seventh minute with Emmanuel Sanchez scoring off a penalty kick, but the hosts went on to dominate the visitors, ranked 38 places above them, with some slick Read More

A pencil-thin alley leads to the main entrance of Mother House, the 4-storeyed grey building with brown-shuttered windows. 54A AJC, Bose Road in central Kolkata — the worldwide headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa — radiates peace and a palpable sense of energy. On Sunday, September 3, St Peter’s Square in Vatican City will Read More

On August 31, wrapping up his three-day visit to the United States, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flew from Washington to Philadelphia to visit Boeing’s rotorcraft facility, where India’s Chinook helicopters will be built, starting next year. Business Standard visited the Philadelphia unit ahead of that visit. Parrikar was taken to a former locomotive manufacturing plant, which Boeing has transformed into Read More

‘For a country to be secular, it is not enough that its Constitution and government are secular. It is equally necessary that its society and individual citizens are secular,’ Dr Madhav Godbole writes in his just released book, Secularism — India at a crossroads. Dr Godbole served as a bureaucrat for 33 years before resigning as Union home secretary after Read More

Gene Wilder was the king of the pause. A gifted comedic actor can do many things with a pause, and Wilder — who had a sensational knack for stretching a halt — did them all. The standard Gene Wilder gag is one where he reacts to a straightforward line or event, but, thanks to the commanding pause before this reaction, Read More