Music composer M.S. Viswanathan dead

Music composer M.S. Viswanathan dead

Southern music composer M.S. Viswanathan, who has over 750 films to his credit, died at a private hospital here on Tuesday. He was 87. MSV, as he was fondly called by the members of Tamil filmdom, was undergoing treatment at Fortis Malar hospital for old-age related ailments and breathing problem. “He passed away around 4.30 […]

Amitabh praises concept of ‘I Am Mr Mother’

Amitabh praises concept of ‘I Am Mr Mother’

Upcoming quirky film “I Am Mr Mother”, directed by I. A. Siddique has impressed everyone who has seen the rushes of the unusual drama but one endorsement that will mean much to the makers is the praise by megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The film’s lead actor, Gabriel Vats had the opportunity to meet Amitabh at the […]

670 million in rural areas live on Rs.33 per day

670 million in rural areas live on Rs.33 per day

Seventy-five percent of rural households in India have a monthly income of less than Rs.5,000 ($79), 51 percent of households make a living from manual labour, 28 percent (over 50 million) of households do not have mobile phones or any form of communication. More than 70 million rural households face some form of exclusion, either from assets or […]

BRICS, development and the emerging world order

BRICS, development and the emerging world order

The acronym BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is attributed to economist Jim O’Neill of the Goldman Sachs, who initially coined the term and hypothesized their rise at the turn of the century. Today, BRICS together account for 30 percent of global land, 43 percent of global population, 17.3 percent of the world’s […]

Pak high commision invites Kashmir separatists for Eid milan

Pak high commision invites Kashmir separatists for Eid milan

The Pakistan High Commission in India has invited Hurriyat leaders and other separatists from Kashmir to its Eid Milan party to be held on July 21. “There is nothing unusual about our invite to Hurriyat leaders,” Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit told IANS. He said Pakistan will continue to extend its support to the people […]

1984 riots: When silence spoke so unmistakably

1984 riots: When silence spoke so unmistakably

President Zail Singh could not get through to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi when he needed most to, when thousands upon thousands of Sikhs needed him to, urgently. It was after all a matter of life and death for them. “We tried all day,” Tarlochan Singh, press secretary to the president through those deathly days […]

Lhasa – between heaven and earth (Travelogue)

Lhasa – between heaven and earth (Travelogue)

If there is anything between heaven and earth, it’s Qinghai – the Tibet Plateau in southwestern China. Surrounded by chuckling mountains, abounding with virgin biodiversity at an elevation of over 4,000 metres, it’s also known as the Roof of the World or Third Pole of the Earth. The plateau is no longer an enigma. For, […]

Bollywood continues to serenade Chinese audience

Bollywood continues to serenade Chinese audience

Aamir Khan-starrer “PK” is set to become the highest income-earning Indian movie in China where Bollywood films are gaining in popularity and its songs can be heard even in ringtones. Following its release across 4,500 screens in China on May 22, “PK” made more than 120 million yuan (around $20 million) — and it remains […]