Editorial

It’s the spirit that matters

TRY AS I MIGHT, I can’t remember the number of times I have watched Mrs Doubtfire. Robin Williams is splendid in that movie, isn’t he? Or he was rather splendid, wasn’t he? What pains me most as I write this editorial is the sad fact of how a person who made so many people laugh actually died...

Cover Story

that forever smile

NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, MADHURI DIXIT-NENE GIVES IT HER ALL — BE IT MOVIES, DANCE OR MOTHERHOOD It sounds clichéd, but it really is her smile that you notice on the crowded sets. Madhuri Dixit Nene’s famous flash of pearlies lights up everything around her. There’s also the bubbling laughter, ...

UpToDate

Turning a new chapter

POLICY CHANGE// In a landmark decision, the BJP-led Central government scrapped the Planning Commission and is set to replace it with an eightmember thinktank. While addressing the nation from Red Fort on Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the dissolution of the 64-year-old Pl...

combating the Ebola virus

MEDICINE// Scientists have found how the deadly Ebola virus blocks and disables the body's natural immune response, a discovery that may guide the development of potential cures or vaccines. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the worst since the virus was first discovered four decades ago, has kille...

Losing the laughter

DEMISE// Celebrated American actor, comedian, film producer and screenwriter, Robin McLaurin Williams was found dead on August 11 and investigations have shown he committed suicide. An actor that brought energy and laughter to his roles, Williams was nominated for theAcademy Award for best actorthr...

VISTARA: Aiming for the skies

LAUNCH// Representatives of Tata- SIA Airlines Limited (TSAL), the aviation joint venture of Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, said on Monday the brand name of its new airline will be Vistara. Vistara is derived from the Sanskrit word Vistaar, which means limitless expanse. It aims to start oper...

Foreign Dispatches

Sandy goes to Amreeka

IT WAS a warm summer afternoon. There was already a winding queue by the time I got to the movie hall. No movie had generated so much buzz, definitely not such long lines or for that matter repeat viewers. It was a while before our group got to the ticket counter, giving everyone enough time to cat...

Social Agenda

IT’S A BIG BLOG WORLD OUT THERE

The Indian blogosphere has been growing tremendously over the past few years and while it attracts advertisers and money, the question is, has the quality increased alongside? The vast majority of our generation has had a fleeting encounter or passing fancy for blogging. Just as the lure of the int...

Platform1

The PM’s global outreach programme

Modi should continue to tread a cautious but determined path internationally LIKE ALL INDIAN Prime Ministers before him, Narendra Modi will be in the US soon to hold a summit meeting with US President Barack Obama. That meeting with Obama, one of the most powerful leaders of this world today, is no...

Issue

The Apple of IBM’s Eye

DEBJIT SAHA // Giants of the world unite! Well, all right, it wasn’t exactly a clarion call but two biggies of the tech world – Apple and IBM — did agree to join hands in July this year. The new IBM MobileFirst for iOS solutions will be built in an exclusive collaboration that draws on the dis...

Platform2

The real picture

Will Indian defence budgets ever fulfill India's vision WHEN FINANCE MINISTER Arun Jaitley set the defence budget at Rs 2.29 trillion for 2014-15, Rs 50 billion more than what the previous government agreed in an interim Budget earlier this year, was he any closer to achieving self reliance? The an...

Good Karma

CLEAN SWEEP

Waste warriors in Dehradoon is trying to clear the mess and show what it takes to keep India clean Being a foreigner does get her more attention, she says unabashedly, “It helps to open doors and people pay attention because you’re from another country.” But being white, she says,has its draw...

Reading Room

A travelogue with a difference

Here’s a book by IT professional Dev Prasad, which takes you through all places of significance in Krishna’s life, making it an excellent travel guide as well you CaN read it as a religious, spiritual book about the life and times of one of the greatest gods of Hinduism – Krishna. Or you can ...

Go Vedic

Gita Ramesh’s culinary book talks about the deep connection between food and Ayurveda, the ancient science of healthy living ayurveDa IS the world’s oldest known medical science, which originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Not just a healthcare system, Ayurveda is a lifestyle that promotes ...

Hitchhikers

All of AULI

Trek to a nearby village, simply breathe in the fresh mountain air or plan a ski trip in the next few months. Auli is a place that can be anything you want it to be It was not exactly easy to snuggle my hand out of the warm blanket to reach the phone and check the time. But unlike the winters in De...

Broad Canvas

Of art, losing oneself and missing the masterpieces

The thing about an art exhibition in a hallowed space is that even before you enter the gallery, wafts of air-conditioned air laden with smells of paints and public, emptiness and emotion reach you when the door opens and closes for the visitor before you. At least that’s what it does to me. Despi...