It has not rained in Chennai since about 4 pm, a little after Cyclone Vardah hit the Tamil Nadu coast on Monday afternoon making landfall about 15 km away from the capital. But after a one-hour lull, strong winds have started to blow again. The cyclone struck land with a wind speed of 120 and 130 kmph, bringing with it heavy rain that lashed the coast in Tamil Nadu and […]
For Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, it’s definitely not a game anymore. A new teaser for the fourth season of Sherlock shows the 40-year-old actor’s titular character in a dark place. The preview begins with a voiceover, “The roads we walk have demons beneath and yours have been waiting for a very long time.” The villain, played by Toby Jones, seems to exert power over Sherlock Holmes in the teaser. “What’s the […]
One of India’s most successful HIV interventions is currently facing a policy glitch it cannot easily overcome: love affairs. In Sonagachi, the largest red-light district of South Asia, in the heart of Kolkata, sex is solicited for a price, and the odds of finding an empathetic lover also come with a rider: unprotected sex. For sex workers, the distinction is necessary for specific clients commonly referred to as ‘babus’ with […]
In 2007, Trivani Acharya spent sleepless nights trying to track down two girls who had disappeared after expressing their desire to be rescued from the field of sex trade. She suspected that the girls who were sisters and had come from Bhutan, were in danger. Not willing to give up, she sent two of her staff members to Delhi on receiving a clue that they had been sent there. Twice […]
The ruling AIADMK on Sunday said 470 persons had died of “shock” after the demise of party supremo and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5, and announced a relief of Rs 3 lakhs each to the families. The party released a list of 190 persons, who had died of shock, and said the toll of such persons stood at 470. Condoling their death, the party announced […]
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday underwent a kidney transplant at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Sources revealed that the transplant procedure began at 8:30 a.m and successfully ended at around 2:30 p.m on Saturday December 10. The surgery was performed by AIIMS Director MC Misra and Sub-Dean VK Bansal apart from a few other senior doctors. The minister has been shifted to […]
The 204-year-old Madras Literary Society in Chennai is getting a new lease of life, thanks to youthful volunteers and a social media campaign. Karthik Subramanian finds out more. The sight takes your breath away. As you step in, you encounter bookshelf after bookshelf rising up from the floor to the ceiling. It is as though you have stumbled upon a waterfall of books. The Madras Literary Society library located in the […]
Gita Jayanti, celebrated to mark the anniversary of the Bhagvat Gita, the only holy text whose birthday is honoured with a Jayanti The Bhagvad Gita is an infinite ocean of wisdom. But however incomprehensible its vastness, it’s never daunting; it beckons and nudges one gently to take a dip in its sublime waters. And every time one does so, there are exquisite gems in store for the taking. A handful […]
Earlier a number of studies have shown that wrapping food in newspapers is very unhealthy and unsafe for consumption. Now, the Food, Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) is echoing the same thoughts and warning that such unhealthy practice can be injurious to health even if the food is prepared in a safe and hygienic manner. Since the ink used in newspapers has multiple bioactive materials with known negative […]
If demonetisation fails, I will take the blame, Modi had reportedly told the Cabinet. In the past month, there has been plenty of debate on the pros and cons of demonetisation, the most radical monetary reform since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. However, what has remained buried under a shroud of mystery until now is the identity of the brains behind the policy. Now, in a […]
