Abu Dhabi holds symposium on reading
Abu Dhabi, May 4 (IANS/WAM) The UAE National Media Council hosted a cultural symposium on ‘how to prepare a reading generation’. Speaking at the symposium on Tuesday were Ali Abu Al Reesh, a noted Emirati…
Books
Rare violet diamond to showcase private auction
Sydney, May 3 (IANS) Global mining giant Rio Tinto’s largest and most exquisite diamond, Argyle Violet, is expected to fetch a multi-million dollar bid when showcased as the dazzling centrepiece of Rio’s auction later this…
New measurement, fossils found at China’s longest cave
Beijing, May 3 (IANS) A team of Chinese and French speleologists have determined that China’s longest cave is around 186 km long, 25 km longer than a measurement from 2014. The cave researchers conducted a…
Escaping Vietnam/Afghanistan quagmires: when the superpowers sought India’s advice
By Vikas Datta New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Could America have stopped going down its ruinous road in Vietnam if Jawaharlal Nehru had responded to president John F. Kennedy’s plea for advice in 1961? Or…
ICCR to promote Andaman’s culture
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on Monday inked an agreement with the administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a strategic partnership to jointly promote the rich cultural…
Arresting portrayal of Balinese women
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) Balinese women immersed in their natural environment and in everyday life that expresses female role-play, cultural pluralism, spiritual intensity and the importance of nature is what is being showcased at…
Andamans gets a leg-up to showcase heritage
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) In a bid to open up the splendour of the seldom-visited Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, its rich culture and heritage are to be promoted in…
Goa, Google celebrate Mario Miranda’s 90th birth anniversary
Panaji, May 2 (IANS) Goa and Google were notable on Monday in celebrating the 90th birth anniversary of cartoonist Mario Miranda, the creator of iconic characters like Miss Fonseca and Godbole. Miranda was born to…
‘India, Pakistan were poised to sign peace treaty, but US played spoiler’
By Vikas Datta New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) India and Pakistan had agreed on a peace and no-war treaty and were on the verge of signing it in July 1984 before Pakistan President Zia ul-Haq,…
Historic cathedral in US ravaged by massive fire
New York, May 2 (IANS) A historic church here was destroyed by a massive fire on Sunday evening, causing minor injuries to four firefighters and one civilian. A massive fire was reported around 7.00 p.m….
The female body and a scientific case for curves
By Vikas Datta Title: Curvology; Author: David Bainbridge; Publisher: Portobello Books; Pages: 240; Price: Rs.499 It may seem only a preoccupation of curious adolescents or a subject of adult male titillation, but the obsession over…
Shah Jahan’s urs to begin on Tuesday
Agra, May 1 (IANS) The 361st annual urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal to immortalise his love for his queen Mumtaz Mahal, will begin Tuesday. The original graves of the…
Sikh art exhibit to spread awareness about identity in US
By Kavita Bajeli-Datt New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Even 15 years after 9/11, Sikhs in the US feel they are more likely to face profiling, bigotry and backlash than the average American because of the…
The return of the spectre: Is Karl Marx relevant today?
By Vikas Datta No other ideology has been so villified or pursued so assiduously, viewed with so much promise when implemented or junked most readily and enthusiastically when it ran into trouble, and above all,…
A ‘jingo imperialist’ called Rudyard Kipling
By M.R. Narayan Swamy Title: Kipling Sahib: The Raj Patriot; Author: Subhash Chopra; Publisher: New Millennium; Pages: 141; Price: Pounds 9.95 This is an autopsy of Joseph Rudyard Kipling, known to Indians in particular for…
Artists, historians slams DU decision to ban Bipan Chandra book
New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) A day after Delhi University decided to stop the sale or distribution of the Hindi edition of renowned historian Bipin Chandra’s “India’s Struggle for Independence”, artists and historians on Saturday…
Dance foundation launches crowd funding programm-
Mumbai, April 30 (IANS) FLY dance foundation, a non profit organisation, has launched a crowd funding campaign to support dancers from every walk of life. The foundation provides scholarship training programmes to talented children from…
A desperate mission to Karachi – and its strange objective
By Vikas Datta Title: The Karachi Deception; Author: Shatrujeet Nath; Publisher: Rupa Publications; Pages: 240; Price: Rs.295 The basic premise appears simple – after a turf war, the Indian security establishment okays a plan for…
DU stops sale, distribution of history book’s Hindi edition
New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Delhi University on Friday decided to stop the sale or distribution of the Hindi edition of ‘India’s Struggle for Independence (1757-1858)’ authored by historian Bipin Chandra in 1988. The book…
Deciding the world’s future: Environmental politics’ story and scope
By Vikas Datta Title: Environmental Politics – A Very Short Introduction; Author: Andrew Dobson ; Publisher: Oxford University Press; Pages: 152; Price: Rs.225 Global warming and COP-21, or specifically at home in India, the ‘odd-even’…