Of day-dreaming, living in home of poetry, benevolence in India
Poet and novelist Simon Armitage lives in West Yorkshire, but his true home is that numinous place called poetry. He likes to think of himself as a man who hangs …
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A diplomat remembers Mandela…: ‘Gandhi of Our Time’
Madiba, as South Africa’s national icon and liberator was fondly called, has said his final goodbye to this world where he scripted a new anthem of liberation for his nation …
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What Mandela means for India: A Gandhian, a great soul, an icon of change
An iconic non-violent revolutionary, the liberator of South Africa and the creator of a rainbow nation, Nelson Mandela had a deeper spiritual connection with India that transcended the political realm. …
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Mandela forever: A true Gandhian, a giant for justice
South African liberation leader and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison and became his country’s first black president, died at his home December 5 at the …
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From serene lakes to historic landmarks, Chiang Kai-shek forever in Taiwan
I stood in front of the Sun Moon Lake and let the gentle breeze flirt with my hair. As the azure blue reflection of the sky fell on the water, …
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Colombia’s resurrection: Criss-crossing freedom and enchantment
Landing at the Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena de Indias, on Caribbean Sea’s Gulf of Darien, Jesus, our driver, took us straight to the city’s historic centre to exchange …
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Identity and Citizenship: An Indian Perspective
India counts amongst its citizens the third largest Muslim population in the world and the largest Muslim minority anywhere. It is a truism that the human being is a social …
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Cultural alchemy: Catching up with Bollywood & Bharatnatyam in Peru
LIMA: Say “My Name is Khan” in the Peruvian capital, and you are going to be feted like a king. It sounds a tad exaggerated, but thousands of miles away, …
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In Mesoamerica: Retracing glories of Mayan culture
Leaving Mexico City and its hillsides covered thick with humble dwellings of the poor, we drove through the remarkable southern and northern Sierras, furrowed with deep canyons, dimpled with lakes, …
Read MoreUnmasking honour killings in India
Just a few days ago, a couple was brutally murdered in Haryana’s Rohtak district for defying their village caste traditions, and eloping to get married. They were adults, mind you! …
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