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India, officially theRepublic of India, is a country inSouth Asia. It is theseventh-largest country by area; themost populous country from June 2023 onwards; and since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by theIndian Ocean on the south, theArabian Sea on the southwest, and theBay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders withPakistan to the west;China,Nepal, andBhutan to the north; andBangladesh andMyanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is nearSri Lanka and theMaldives; itsAndaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border withThailand, Myanmar, andIndonesia. (Full article...)

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Ranaut in 2024

Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (pronounced[kəŋɡənaːraːɳoːʈʰ]; born 23 March 1986) is an Indian actress, filmmaker, and politician serving as aMember of Parliament, Lok Sabha fromMandi since June 2024. Known for her portrayals of strong-willed, unconventional women in female-ledHindi films, she is the recipient ofseveral awards, including fourNational Film Awards and fourFilmfare Awards, and has featured six times inForbes India'sCelebrity 100 list. In 2020, theGovernment of India honoured her with thePadma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award.

At the age of sixteen, Ranaut briefly took up modelling before being trained under theatre directorArvind Gaur. She made her film debut in the 2006 thrillerGangster, for which she was awarded theFilmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and received praise for portraying emotionally intense characters in the dramasWoh Lamhe... (2006),Life in a... Metro (2007) andFashion (2008). For the last of these, she won theNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared in the commercially successful filmsRaaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) andOnce Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) but was criticised for beingtypecast inneurotic roles. A comic role inTanu Weds Manu (2011) was well-received, though this was followed by a series of brief, glamorous roles. (Full article...)
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Core area of Western Chalukya architectural activity in modernKarnataka state, India

Western Chalukya architecture, also known asKalyani Chalukya orLater Chalukya architecture and broadly classified under theVesara Style, is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of theWestern Chalukya Empire in theTungabhadra region of modern centralKarnataka, India, during the 11th and 12th centuries. Western Chalukyan political influence was at its peak in theDeccan Plateau during this period. The centre of cultural and temple-building activity lay in the Tungabhadra region, where large medieval workshops built numerous monuments. These monuments, regional variants of pre-existingdravida (South Indian) temples, form a climax to the wider regional temple architecture tradition calledVesara orKarnata dravida. Temples of all sizes built by the Chalukyan architects during this era remain today as examples of the architectural style.

Most notable of the many buildings dating from this period are theMahadeva Temple at Itagi in theKoppal district, theKasivisvesvara Temple atLakkundi in theGadag district, theMallikarjuna Temple at Kuruvatti in theBellary district and theKallesvara Temple at Bagali in theDavangere district. Other monuments notable for their craftsmanship include theKaitabheshvara Temple in Kubatur andKedareshvara Temple in Balligavi, both in theShimoga district, theSiddhesvara Temple atHaveri in theHaveri district, the Amrtesvara Temple atAnnigeri in theDharwad district, the Sarasvati Temple inGadag, and theDodda Basappa Temple atDambal, both in theGadag district. (Full article...)
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Rashtrakuta control around 790 AD, during theTripartite Struggle

TheRashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of theIndian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakutainscription is a 7th-centurycopper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapur, a city in Central or West India. Other ruling Rashtrakuta clans from the same period mentioned in inscriptions were the kings ofAchalapur and the rulers ofKannauj. Several controversies exist regarding the origin of these early Rashtrakutas, their native homeland and their language.

The Elichpur clan was afeudatory of theBadami Chalukyas, and during the rule ofDantidurga, it overthrew ChalukyaKirtivarman II and went on to build an empire with theGulbarga region in modernKarnataka as its base. This clan came to be known as the Rashtrakutas ofManyakheta, rising to power inSouth India in 753 AD. At the same time thePala dynasty ofBengal and thePrathihara dynasty ofGurjaratra were gaining force in eastern and northwestern India respectively. An Arabic text,Silsilat al-Tawarikh (851), called the Rashtrakutas one of the four principal empires of the world. (Full article...)
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Shah in 2022

Shefali Shah (néeShetty; born 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Working primarily in independentHindi films, she has receivedmultiple local and foreign accolades for her performances. Shah's acting career started on the Gujarati stage before she debuted on television in 1993. After small parts on television and a brief stint with cinema inRangeela (1995), she gained wider recognition in 1997 for her role in the popular seriesHasratein. This was followed by lead roles in the TV seriesKabhie Kabhie (1997) andRaahein (1999). A supporting role in the crime filmSatya (1998) won her positive notice and aFilmfare Critics Award, and she soon shifted her focus to film acting starting with a lead role in the Gujarati dramaDariya Chhoru (1999).

Shah was selective about her roles through the following decades, resulting in intermittent film work, mostly in character parts and often to appreciation from critics. She appeared in the international co-productionMonsoon Wedding (2001) and the mainstream comedy-dramaWaqt: The Race Against Time (2005). In 2007, her portrayal ofKasturba Gandhi in the biographical dramaGandhi, My Father won her the Best Actress prize at theTokyo International Film Festival, and she received theNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the drama filmThe Last Lear. Among her subsequent film roles, she played a leading part inKucch Luv Jaisaa (2011) and was noted for her work in the social problem filmLakshmi (2014) and the ensemble dramaDil Dhadakne Do (2015). (Full article...)
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Kalidas (pronounced[kaːɭidaːs]transl. The Servant of Kali) is a 1931 Indianbiographical film directed byH. M. Reddy and produced byArdeshir Irani. It is notable for being the firstsound film in theTamil andTelugu languages, and the first sound film to be made in aDravidian language. It was based on the life of theSanskrit poetKalidasa, hence its namesake; it featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role andT. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead, withL. V. Prasad, Thevaram Rajambal, T. Susheela Devi, J. Sushila, and M. S. Santhanalakshmi in supporting roles.

Kalidas, principally in Tamil, contained additional dialogue in Telugu andHindi. While Rajalakshmi spoke Tamil, Venkatesan spoke only Telugu due to his lack of fluency in Tamil, and Prasad spoke only Hindi. Despite itsmythological theme, the film featured songs from much later time periods, such as the compositions ofCarnatic musician Tyagaraja, publicity songs of theIndian National Congress, and songs aboutMahatma Gandhi and theIndian independence movement. The sound was recorded using German-made technology.Kalidas was shot inBombay on the sets of India's first sound filmAlam Ara (1931) and was completed in eight days. (Full article...)
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Territory of theWestern Chalukyas (c. 1100 CE) in India (modern boundaries shown) and the empire's capital,Kalyani, in the modern Bidar district, Karnataka state, India

A large body ofWestern Chalukya literature in theKannada language was produced during the reign of theWestern Chalukya Empire (973–1200 CE) in what is nowsouthern India. This dynasty, which ruled most of thewestern Deccan in South India, is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty after its royal capital at Kalyani (nowBasavakalyan), and sometimes called the Later Chalukya dynasty for its theoretical relationship to the 6th-centuryChalukya dynasty ofBadami. For a brief period (1162–1183), theKalachuris of Kalyani, a dynasty of kings who had earlier migrated to theKarnataka region from central India and served asvassals for several generations, exploited the growing weakness of their overlords and annexed the Kalyani. Around 1183, the last Chalukya scion,Someshvara IV, overthrew the Kalachuris to regain control of the royal city. But his efforts were in vain, as other prominent Chalukya vassals in the Deccan, theHoysalas, theKakatiyas and theSeunas destroyed the remnants of the Chalukya power.

Kannada literature from this period is usually categorised into the linguistic phase called Old-Kannada. It constituted the bulk of the Chalukya court's textual production and pertained mostly to writings relating to the socio-religious development of theJain faith. The earliest well-known writers belonging to theShaiva faith are also from this period. Under the patronage of KalachuriKing Bijjala II, whose prime minister was the well-known Kannada poet andsocial reformer Basavanna, a native form of poetic literature calledVachana literature (lit "utterance", "saying" or "sentence") proliferated. The beginnings of theVachana poetic tradition in the Kannada-speaking region trace back to the early 11th century. Kannada literature written in thechampumetre, composed of prose and verse, was popularised by the Chalukyan court poets. However, with the advent of theVeerashaiva (lit, "brave devotees of the god Shiva") religious movement in the mid-12th century, poets favoured the nativetripadi (three-line verse composed of elevenganas or prosodic units),hadugabba (song-poem) andfree verse metres for their poems. (Full article...)
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India, officially theRepublic of India, is a country inSouth Asia. It is theseventh-largest country by area; themost populous country from June 2023 onwards; and since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by theIndian Ocean on the south, theArabian Sea on the southwest, and theBay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders withPakistan to the west;China,Nepal, andBhutan to the north; andBangladesh andMyanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is nearSri Lanka and theMaldives; itsAndaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border withThailand, Myanmar, andIndonesia.

Modern humans arrived on theIndian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, predominantly in isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in humangenetic diversity.Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of theIndus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into theIndus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, anarchaic form ofSanskrit, anIndo-European language, haddiffused into India from the northwest.Its hymns recorded the dawning ofHinduism in India. India's pre-existingDravidian languages were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400 BCE,caste had emerged within Hinduism, andBuddhism andJainism had arisen, proclaimingsocial orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knitMaurya andGupta Empires. Widespread creativity suffused this era, but the status of women declined, anduntouchability became an organized belief. InSouth India, theMiddle kingdoms exported Dravidian language scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms ofSoutheast Asia. (Full article...)
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Jinnah in 1945

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (bornMahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and thefounder ofPakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of theAll-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947 and then asPakistan's firstgovernor-general until his death.

Born atWazir Mansion inKarachi, Jinnah was trained as abarrister atLincoln's Inn inLondon,England. Upon his return toIndia, he enrolled at theBombay High Court, and took an interest in national politics, which eventually replaced his legal practice. Jinnah rose to prominence in theIndian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocatedHindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the 1916Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also become prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in theAll-India Home Rule League, and proposed afourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights ofMuslims in theIndian subcontinent. In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign ofsatyagraha, which he regarded aspolitical anarchy. (Full article...)
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InKruger National Park,South Africa

Theblack stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large bird in thestork family Ciconiidae. It was first described byCarl Linnaeus in the10th edition of hisSystema Naturae. Measuring on average 95 to 100 cm (37 to 39 in) from beak tip to end of tail with a 145-to-155 cm (57-to-61 in) wingspan, the adult black stork has mainly blackplumage, with white underparts, long red legs and a long pointed red beak. A widespread but uncommon species, it breeds in scattered locations across Europe (predominantly in Portugal and Spain, and central and eastern parts), and east across thePalearctic to the Pacific Ocean. It is a long-distancemigrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in theIndian subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing broad expanses of theMediterranean Sea and detours via theLevant in the east, theStrait of Sicily in the center, or theStrait of Gibraltar in the west. An isolated non-migratory population lives in Southern Africa.

Unlike the closely relatedwhite stork, the black stork is a shy and wary species. It is seen singly or in pairs, usually in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. It feeds onamphibians, smallfish andinsects, generally wading slowly in shallow water stalking its prey. Breeding pairs usually build nests in large forest trees—most commonlydeciduous but alsoconiferous—which can be seen from long distances, as well as on large boulders, or under overhanging ledges in mountainous areas. The female lays two to five greyish-whiteeggs, which become soiled over time in the nest.Incubation takes 32 to 38 days, with both sexes sharing duties, andfledging takes 60 to 71 days. (Full article...)
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Portrait byRudolf Swoboda, 1888

Mohammed Abdul Karim (1863 — 20 April 1909), also known as "the Munshi", was anIndian attendant ofQueen Victoria. He served her during the final fourteen years of her reign, gaining her maternal affection over that time.

Karim was born the son of a hospital assistant atLalitpur, nearJhansi inBritish India. In 1887, the year ofVictoria's Golden Jubilee, Karim was one of two Indians selected to become servants to the Queen. Victoria came to like him a great deal and gave him the title of "Munshi" ("clerk" or "teacher"). Victoria appointed him to be her Indian Secretary, showered him with honours, and obtained a land grant for him in India. (Full article...)
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Margarita with a Straw is a 2014 IndianHindi-languagedrama film directed byShonali Bose. It starsKalki Koechlin as an Indian teenager withcerebral palsy who relocates to America for her undergraduate education andcomes of age following her complex relationship with a blind girl, played bySayani Gupta.Revathi, Kuljeet Singh, andWilliam Moseley play supporting roles. Produced by Bose in partnership withViacom18 Motion Pictures,Margarita with a Straw was co-written by Bose and Nilesh Maniyar. The film deals with the challenging concepts ofsexuality,inclusion,self-love, andself-acceptance.

Bose conceived the idea for the film in January 2011 during a conversation withMalini Chib, her cousin and adisability rights activist, about the latter's desire to have a normalsex life. Inspired by Chib's story, Bose wrote the first draft of the film's script. After winning aSundance Mahindra Global Filmmaker Award for the draft, she modified the script to reflect her own perspective, incorporating several personal experiences into the narrative. Bose completed the screenplay with co-writer Maniyar and the advisory council of the Sundance Institute. (Full article...)
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Portrait byAlexander Bassano, 1882

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) wasQueen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 untilher death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days—which waslonger than those of any of her predecessors—constituted theVictorian era. It was a period of industrial, political, scientific, and military change within theUnited Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of theBritish Empire. In 1876, theBritish parliament voted to grant her the additional title ofEmpress of India.

Victoria was the daughter ofPrince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (the fourth son of KingGeorge III), andPrincess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the deaths of her father and grandfather in 1820, she wasraised under close supervision by her mother and hercomptroller,John Conroy. She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without survivinglegitimate issue. Victoria, aconstitutional monarch, attempted privately to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards ofpersonal morality. (Full article...)
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Male inSerengeti National Park, Tanzania

Thelion (Panthera leo) is a largecat of the genusPanthera, native toAfrica andIndia. It has a muscular, broad-chestedbody; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It issexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is asocial species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on medium-sized and largeungulates. The lion is anapex andkeystone predator.

The lion inhabitsgrasslands,savannahs, andshrublands. It is usually morediurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being activeat night andat twilight. During theNeolithic period, the lion ranged throughout Africa and Eurasia, from Southeast Europe to India, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations insub-Saharan Africa and one population inwestern India. It has been listed asVulnerable on theIUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood,habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. (Full article...)
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Satellite image of the tropical storm on May 13

The2003 Sri Lanka cyclone was a moderately powerfultropical cyclone that produced the worst flooding inSri Lanka in 56 years. The first storm of the2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over theBay of Bengal on May 10. Favorable environmental conditions allowed the system to intensify steadily while moving northwestward. The storm reached peakmaximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on May 13, making it avery severe cyclonic storm according to theIndia Meteorological Department (IMD), which is the officialRegional Specialized Meteorological Center for the basin. The cyclone drifted north over the central Bay of Bengal, gradually weakening due to heightenedwind shear. Turning eastward, the storm deteriorated to a deep depression on May 16 before it curved northeastward and re-intensified into a cyclonic storm. It came ashore in westernMyanmar and dissipated over land the following day.

In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the cyclone produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka while stationary in the central Bay of Bengal. The storm drew extensive moisture that coalesced in the mountainous portion of the island. A station atRatnapura recorded 366.1 mm (14.41 in) of rainfall in 18 hours on May 17, including 99.8 mm (3.93 in) in one hour. In southwestern Sri Lanka, the rainfall caused flooding and landslides that destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people. Overall damage totaled about $135 million (2003 USD), and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced some rainfall in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands of India and along the country's eastern coast. The storm funneled moisture away from the mainland, which possibly contributed to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people, and dropped heavy rainfall in Myanmar. (Full article...)
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Virupaksha temple atHampi, the sacred centre atVijayanagara, the royal capital

Vijayanagara literature in Kannada is the body of literature composed in theKannada language ofSouth India during the ascendancy of theVijayanagara Empire which lasted from the 14th through the 16th century. The Vijayanagara empire was established in 1336 byHarihara I and his brotherBukka Raya I. Although it lasted until 1664, its power declined after a major military defeat by the Shahi Sultanates in thebattle of Talikota in 1565. The empire is named after its capital cityVijayanagara, whose ruins surround modernHampi, now aWorld Heritage Site in Karnataka.

Kannada literature during this period consisted of writings relating to the socio-religious developments of theVeerashaiva andVaishnava faiths, and to a lesser extent to that ofJainism. Writing on secular topics was popular throughout this period. Authorship of these writings was not limited to poets and scholars alone. Significant literary contributions were made by members of the royal family, their ministers, army commanders of rank, nobility and the various subordinate rulers. In addition, a vast body of devotional folk literature was written by musical bards, mystics and saint-poets, influencing society in the empire. Writers of this period popularised use of the nativemetres:‹See RfD›shatpadi (six-line verse),‹See RfD›sangatya (compositions meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument), and‹See RfD›tripadi (three-line verse). (Full article...)
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Gay at peak intensity before making landfall on India, on 8 November

Typhoon Gay, also known as theKavali Cyclone of 1989, was a small but powerfultropical cyclone which caused more than 800 fatalities in and around theGulf of Thailand in November 1989. The worst typhoon to affect theMalay Peninsula in thirty-five years, Gay originated from amonsoon trough over the Gulf of Thailand in early November. Owing to favorable atmospheric conditions, the stormrapidly intensified, attaining winds over 120 km/h (75 mph) by 3 November. Later that day, Gay became the first typhoon since 1891 to makelandfall in Thailand, strikingChumphon Province with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). The small storm emerged into theBay of Bengal and gradually reorganized over the following days as it approached southeastern India. On 8 November, Gay attained its peak intensity as aCategory 5-equivalent cyclone with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). The cyclone then moved ashore nearKavali,Andhra Pradesh. Rapid weakening ensued inland, and Gay dissipated overMaharashtra early on 10 November.

The typhoon's rapid development took hundreds of vessels by surprise, leading to 275 offshore fatalities. Of these, 91 occurred after an oil drilling ship, theSeacrest, capsized amid 6–11 m (20–36 ft) swells. Across the Malay Peninsula, 588 people died from various storm-related incidents. Several towns in coastal Chumphon were destroyed. Losses throughout Thailand totaled฿11 billion (US $497 million). Striking India as a powerful cyclone, Gay damaged or destroyed about 20,000 homes inAndhra Pradesh, leaving 100,000 people homeless. In that country, 69 deaths and₹410 million (US $25.3 million) in damage were attributed to Gay. (Full article...)
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ABengal tigress inKanha Tiger Reserve, India

Thetiger (Panthera tigris) is a largecat and a member of the genusPanthera native toAsia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is traditionally classified into ninerecent subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies, mainland Asian tigers and the island tigers of theSunda Islands.

Throughout the tiger's range, it inhabits mainly forests, fromconiferous andtemperate broadleaf and mixed forests in theRussian Far East andNortheast China totropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests on theIndian subcontinent andSoutheast Asia. The tiger is anapex predator and preys mainly onungulates, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupieshome ranges, defending these from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years. When becoming independent, they leave their mother's home range and establish their own. (Full article...)
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TheKingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm insouthern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city ofMysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially throughout the kingdom's lifetime. While originally a feudal vassal under theVijayanagara Empire, it became aprincely state inBritish Raj from 1799 to 1947, marked in-between by major political changes.

The kingdom, which was founded and ruled for the most part by theWadiyars, initially served as a feudal vassal under theVijayanagara Empire. With the gradual decline of the Empire, the 16th-centuryTimmaraja Wodeyar II declared independence from it. The 17th century saw a steady expansion of its territory and, during the rules ofNarasaraja Wodeyar I andDevaraja Wodeyar II, the kingdom annexed large expanses of what is now southern Karnataka and parts ofTamil Nadu, becoming a formidable power in theDeccan. (Full article...)
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Basohli miniature, c. 1730.National Museum, New Delhi

Ganesha (/gəɳeɕᵊ/,Sanskrit:गणेश,IAST:Gaṇeśa), also spelledGanesh, and also known asGanapati,Vinayaka,Pillaiyar, andLambodara, is one of the best-known and most worshippeddeities in theHindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in theGanapatya sect. His depictions are found throughoutIndia.Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extendsto Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.

Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by hiselephant head and four arms. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck; the patron ofarts andsciences; and thedeva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked during writing sessions as a patron of letters and learning. Several texts relateanecdotes associated with his birth and exploits. (Full article...)
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Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an EnglishAnglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served asBishop of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42. The son of a rich landowner andcleric, Heber gained fame at theUniversity of Oxford as a poet. After graduation he made an extended tour of Scandinavia, Russia and Central Europe. Ordained in 1807, he took over his father's old parish,Hodnet, Shropshire. He also wrote hymns and general literature, including a study of the works of the 17th-centurycleric Jeremy Taylor.

He was consecrated Bishop ofCalcutta in October 1823. He travelled widely and worked to improve the spiritual and general living conditions of his flock. Arduous duties, a hostile climate and poor health led to his collapse and death after less than three years inIndia. Memorials were erected there and inSt Paul's Cathedral, London. A collection of his hymns appeared soon after his death. "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty" remains popular forTrinity Sunday, while "Brightest and Best" is frequently sung duringEpiphany. (Full article...)
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Portrait byCharles Dana Gibson,c. 1903

Margaret Ives Abbott (June 15, 1878 – June 10, 1955) was an Americanamateur golfer. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic event: thewomen's golf tournament at the1900 Summer Olympics.

Born inCalcutta (now Kolkata),British Raj, in 1878, Abbott moved with her family to Chicago in 1884. She joined theChicago Golf Club inWheaton, Illinois, where she received coaching fromCharles B. Macdonald andH. J. Whigham. In 1899, she traveled with her mother to Paris to study art. The following year, along with her mother, she signed up for a women's golf tournament without realizing that it was the second modern Olympics. Abbott won the tournament with a score of 47strokes; her mother tied for seventh place. Abbott received a porcelain bowl as a prize. (Full article...)
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Kal Ho Naa Ho (transl. Tomorrow may never come,pronounced [kəlɦoːnaːɦoː]), also abbreviated asKHNH, is a 2003 IndianHindi-languageromantic comedy drama film directed by debutantNikhil Advani from a script written byKaran Johar andNiranjan Iyengar, and produced byYash Johar underDharma Productions. The film starsShah Rukh Khan,Saif Ali Khan, andPreity Zinta, withJaya Bachchan,Sushma Seth,Reema Lagoo,Lillete Dubey, andDelnaaz Irani in supporting roles. In the film, Naina Catherine Kapur (Zinta) and Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan) fall in love, but a secret prevents him from reciprocating his feelings and results in a plan to set Naina up with her best friend, Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan).

Collaborating with Johar in a first,Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the original soundtrack and background score.Anil Mehta,Manish Malhotra, andSharmishta Roy were the cinematographer, costume designer and art director, respectively.Principal photography took place inToronto,New York City, andMumbai from January to October 2003. The soundtrack was released on 27 September 2003 to positive reviews; thetitle song, "It's The Time To Disco", "Kuch To Hua Hai", and "Pretty Woman" were particularly well-received. (Full article...)
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Phoolan Devi (Hindi:[pʰuː.lənd̪eː.ʋiː], 10 August 1963 – 25 July 2001), popularly known as theBandit Queen, was an Indiandacoit (bandit) who became a politician, serving as amember of parliament until her assassination. She was a woman of theMallah subcaste who grew up in poverty in a village in thestate ofUttar Pradesh, where her family was on the losing side of a land dispute which caused them many problems. After being married off at the age of eleven and beingsexually abused by various people, she joined a gang of dacoits. Her gang robbed higher-caste villages and held up trains and vehicles. When she punished her rapists and evaded capture by the authorities, she became a heroine to theOther Backward Classes who saw her as aRobin Hood figure. Phoolan Devi was chargedin absentia for the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which twentyThakur men were killed, allegedly on her command. After this event, theChief Minister of Uttar Pradesh resigned, and calls to apprehend her were amplified. She surrendered two years later in a carefully negotiated settlement and spent eleven years inGwalior prison, awaiting trial.

Phoolan Devi was released in 1994 after her charges were set aside. She subsequently became a politician and was elected as a member of parliament for theSamajwadi Party in 1996. She lost her seat in 1998, but regained it the following year. She was the incumbent at the time of her death in 2001. She was assassinated outside her house bySher Singh Rana, who was convicted for the murder in 2014. At the time of her death, she was still fighting against the reinstituted criminal charges, having lost a 1996 appeal to theSupreme Court to have the charges dropped. Phoolan Devi's worldwide fame grew after the release of the controversial 1994 filmBandit Queen, which told her life story in a way she did not approve of. Her life has also inspired several biographies and her dictated autobiography was entitledI, Phoolan Devi. There are varying accounts of her life because she told differing versions to suit her changing circumstances. (Full article...)
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Khan in 1991

PrinceSadruddin Aga Khan (17 January 1933 –12 May 2003) was a French-born statesman and activist who served asUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1966 to 1977, during which he reoriented the agency's focus beyond Europe and prepared it for an explosion of complex refugee issues. He was also a proponent of greater collaboration between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies. The Prince's interest in ecological issues led him to establish theBellerive Foundation in the late 1970s, and he was a knowledgeable and respected collector ofIslamic art.

Born in Paris, France, he was the son ofSir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan and Princess Andrée Aga Khan. He married twice, but had no children of his own. Prince Sadruddin died of cancer at the age of 70, and was buried in Switzerland. (Full article...)
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Nil Battey Sannata (lit. 'Zero Divided by Zero Equals Nothing'; slang for "Good for Nothing"), released internationally asThe New Classmate, is a 2015 Indian Hindi-languagecomedy drama film directed byAshwiny Iyer Tiwari in her feature debut. Produced byAanand L. Rai, Ajay Rai, and Alan McAlex under the banners ofColour Yellow Productions andJAR Pictures, the film was co-written by Iyer, Neeraj Singh, Pranjal Choudhary, andNitesh Tiwari.Swara Bhaskar starred as Chanda Sahay, a high-school drop-out household maid and single mother of a sullen young girl named Apeksha, played byRiya Shukla. The film's theme is a person's right to dream and change their lives, irrespective of social status.

Released in India on 22 April 2016,Nil Battey Sannata was distributed byEros International and garnered critical and audience acclaim. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, especially its narrative and realism, and the performances of the cast, Bhaskar's in particular. At the62nd Filmfare Awards, Iyer won theFilmfare Award for Best Debut Director, while Bhaskar and Shukla won theScreen Awards for Best Actress (Critics) and Best Child Artist respectively. The film did well at the box-office, collecting a total of around₹69 million (US$790,000) during its entire theatrical run. The same year, the film was remade inTamil asAmma Kanakku, with Iyer returning to direct. The following year, it was remade inMalayalam asUdaharanam Sujatha. (Full article...)

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Selected pictures

Image 1
Indian rhinoceros
Photograph credit:Charles James Sharp
TheIndian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a species ofrhinoceros that once ranged across the entire northern part of theIndian subcontinent. As a result of habitat destruction and climatic changes, its range was gradually reduced such that, by the 19th century, it survived only in southern Nepal, northernUttar Pradesh, northernBihar, northernWest Bengal, and in theBrahmaputra Valley inAssam. The species's range has since shrunk further, and its habitat is surrounded by human-dominated landscapes, so that in many areas, it occurs in cultivated areas, pastures, and secondary forests. It is currently listed as avulnerable species on theIUCN Red List. This adult male Indian rhinoceros was photographed on the banks of theGandaki River in Nepal.
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Image 2
Chota Imambara
Photograph:Muhammad Mahdi Karim
TheChota Imambara inLucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, is a mausoleum constructed by and forMuhammad Ali Shah, the thirdNawab ofAwadh, beginning in 1838.
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Image 3
Bangalore
Photograph:Muhammad Mahdi Karim
A panoramic view ofBangalore from Corporation Circle, withUB City to the left and Richmond area to the right.Kanteerava Indoor Stadium is in the foreground. The third largest city in India, the city is known as theSilicon Valley of India for its numerousIT exports.
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Siberian rubythroat
Photograph:JJ Harrison
TheSiberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) is a smallpasserine bird generally considered to be anOld World flycatcher of the family Muscicapidae. Thismigratory insectivorous species breeds in mixedconiferous forest with undergrowth inSiberia, where it nests near the ground. It winters inThailand,India andIndonesia. It is an extremely rare vagrant to Western Europe and the Aleutian Islands.
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Image 5
Fire breathing
Photo credit:Luc Viatour
A fire breather in the "Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band" ofIndia.Fire breathing, which is said to have originated in India, is the act of creating a largeflame by spraying, with one's mouth, aflammable liquid upon an open flame. A number oflegendary creatures are said to possess innate capabilities for fire breathing, most notablydragons.
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Leptosia nina
Photograph credit:Jeevan Jose
Leptosia nina, known as the psyche, is a species of butterfly in the familyPieridae (the sulphurs, yellows and whites), found in the Indian subcontinent, southeastern Asia, and Australia. It has a small wingspan of 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in). The upper side of the otherwise white forewing has a large, somewhat pear-shaped, black spot; this spot is also present on the underside which is scattered with greenish dots and speckles, sometimes arranged in bands. ThisL. nina butterfly was photographed inKerala, India.
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Nataraja
Photo:Los Angeles County Museum of Art
A statue of theHindu godShiva asNataraja, the Lord of Dance. In this form, Shiva performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for the godBrahma to start the process of creation. ATelugu andTamil concept, Shiva was first depicted as Nataraja in the famousChola bronzes and sculptures ofChidambaram. The form is present in most Shiva temples in South India, and is the main deity inChidambaram Temple, the foremostShaivist temple.
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Danaus genutia
Photograph:Vengolis
Danaus genutia, also known as the common tiger or striped tiger, is a species of butterfly found throughout India as well as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South-East Asia and Australia. It is a member of theDanainae group ofbrush-footed butterflies. Both sexes have tawny wings with veins marked with broad black bands, and the male has a pouch on its hindwing. The butterfly is found in scrub jungles, fallow land adjacent to habitation, and deciduous forests, preferring areas of moderate to heavy rainfall. Its most common food plants in peninsular India are small herbs, twiners and creepers from the familyAsclepiadaceae. The caterpillar ofD. genutia obtains poison by eating poisonous plants, which make the caterpillar and butterfly taste unpleasant to predators. It has some 16subspecies and although its evolutionary relationships are not completely resolved, it appears to be most closely related to theMalay tiger (D. affinis) and the white tiger.
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Cupha erymanthis
Photograph:Jkadavoor
Cupha erymanthis is a species ofbrush-footed butterfly found in forested areas of tropical South and Southeast Asia which may feed on liquids fromcarrion. This specimen was photographed inKadavoor,Kerala, India.
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Nelumbo nucifera
Photo credit:Peripitus
Thenational flower ofIndia,Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names, including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily. This plant is anaquatic perennial, though under favorable conditions its seeds may remain viable for many years.
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Alstroemeria
Photograph:Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Alstroemeria ×hybrida, anAlstroemeria hybrid, at theLal Bagh Botanical Gardens inBangalore, India. The genus consists of some 120 species and is native to South America.
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Indian roller
Photograph credit:Charles J. Sharp
TheIndian roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a member of the bird family Coraciidae, therollers. It occurs widely from the Arabian Peninsula to the Indian subcontinent and is designated asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List. The bird is best known for the aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. It is commonly found in open grassland and scrub forest habitats, and is often seen perched on roadside bare trees and wires, which give it a good view of the ground below where it finds its prey. Its diet consists mainly of insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, but also includes spiders, scorpions, amphibians and small reptiles. The largest population occurs in India, and several states in India have chosen it as their state bird.

This picture shows an Indian roller of thebenghalensissubspecies, photographed inKanha Tiger Reserve in the Indian state ofMadhya Pradesh.
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Round ribbontail ray
Photograph credit:Rucha Karkarey; edited byJohn Harrison
Theround ribbontail ray (Taeniura meyeni) is a species of stingray in the familyDasyatidae, found throughout the nearshore waters of the tropicalIndo-Pacific region. Reaching 1.8 m (6 ft) across, this large ray is characterized by a thick, rounded pectoral fin disc covered by smalltubercles on top, and a relatively short tail bearing a single venomous spine. The ray is well-camouflaged when lying on the seabed; it is largely nocturnal, and preys onmolluscs,crustaceans andbony fish. Mature females bear litters of up to seven pups, which are fed during gestation on "uterine milk", a product secreted by the walls of theoviduct. This round ribbontail ray was photographed inLakshadweep, India.
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Image 14
Pied bush chat
Photograph credit:Charles James Sharp
Thepied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a smallpasserine bird widely distributed in Asia. The males are black with white shoulder and vent patches, while the females are predominantly brownish. This species isinsectivorous, and like other chats hunts from a prominent low perch. This female pied bush chat was photographed inPench National Park, India.
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Image 15
Danaus genutia
Photograph credit:Charles James Sharp
Danaus genutia, the common tiger or striped tiger, is a species ofbrush-footed butterfly found in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, south-eastern Asia and Australia. It prefers areas of moderate to heavy rainfall, and typical habitats include scrubby jungle, deciduous forests and fallow land near habitations. The insect sequesterstoxins from plants, and advertises its unpalatability by having prominent markings and striking colour patterns. This adult male common tiger, of the subspeciesD. g. genutia, was photographed inKerala, India.
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Featured list –show another

This is aFeatured list, which the Wikipedia community considers to be the best lists on English Wikipedia.

Image 1
A flotilla of the Indian Navy's destroyers during Exercise Tropex 2023

Innaval terminology, adestroyer is a fast, manoueverable, long-distancewarship intended to escort larger vessels in afleet,convoy orbattle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers. Seventeen destroyers have served, or currently serve, in theIndian Navy. The navy operates 13 guided-missile destroyers from four classes:Visakhapatnam class,Kolkata class,Delhi class, andRajput class. Six other destroyers (threeR class and threeHunt class) have been decommissioned and scrapped.

India did not have any destroyers of its own until 1949. The R-classINS Ranjit, built in theUnited Kingdom, was the first destroyer commissioned in the Indian Navy. Two more of theR-class were later commissioned. ThreeHunt-class destroyers were commissioned in 1953 to succeed the R-class destroyers. These ships (all of which were built in the United Kingdom) were decommissioned by 1976, with the Hunt-classINS Godavari the last. (Full article...)
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Vikram Vedha is a 2017 IndianTamil-languageneo-noir action thriller film directed and written by the husband and wife duoPushkar–Gayathri and produced byS. Sashikanth under the banner ofYNOT Studios.R. Madhavan andVijay Sethupathi play the title characters Vikram and Vedha respectively.Shraddha Srinath,Kathir andVaralaxmi Sarathkumar play the other lead roles whilePrem,Achyuth Kumar,Hareesh Peradi andVivek Prasanna feature as supporting characters.Sam C. S. composed the film'ssoundtrack andscore. Richard Kevin andP. S. Vinod was in charge of the editing and cinematography respectively.

A contemporary adaptation of the Indian folktaleBaital Pachisi, the film follows Vikram, a police inspector who is decisive about good and evil, and the head of anencounter unit which is formed to track down and kill Vedha, a gangster. When the unit makes plans for another encounter, Vedha walks into the police station and voluntarily surrenders himself. He then tells Vikram three stories which bring about a change in the latter's perceptions of right and wrong. (Full article...)
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Kajol in 2020

Kajol is an Indian actress known for her work inHindi films. She is a recipient of more than 40 accolades into her credit. SixFilmfare Awards, oneBest Performance in a Negative Role forGupt: The Hidden Truth andrecord-tying fiveBest Actress for the romance musicalsDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the family dramaKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the tragedy romantic thrillerFanaa and the social dramaMy Name Is Khan. In addition to seven nominations. She has received fiveScreen Awards, fourZee Cine Awards, twoBollywood Movie Award, and one eachStardust Award andBengal Film Journalists' Association Awards.

Kajol made her acting debut withBekhudi (1992), and had commercial successes inBaazigar (1993), andYeh Dillagi (1994). Starring roles in the top-grossing romancesDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) andKuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) established her as a leading star in the 1990s and earned her two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
After making her debut in 1992 with the romanceBekhudi, Kajol received critical acclaim and theBengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress for playing an orphaned girl inUdhaar Ki Zindagi (1994). She won her firstFilmfare Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of anIndian non-resident in the romantic dramaDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), andBest Performance in a Negative Role for her performance as afemme fatale in the psychological thrillerGupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), becoming the first actress to win in the latter category. Additionally, she received theZee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female forGupt. (Full article...)
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Bowlers have taken fifty-three five-wicket hauls in Tests and two five-wicket hauls in One Day International matches played at Chepauk.

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (MAC), also known as the Chepauk Stadium or simply Chepauk due its location in the city's locality ofChepauk, is a sports ground inChennai, India that has hosted internationalcricket matches along with provincial games. Named afterM. A. Chidambaram, former President ofBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the venue was formerly known as the Madras Cricket Club ground. It has a capacity of 38,000 spectators for international matches. It is the home ground of theTamil Nadu cricket team and theIndian Premier League teamChennai Super Kings. The firstTest at this venue took place in 1934, betweenIndia andEngland. As of February 2021, it has hosted a further 33 Test matches. Chepauk has also staged 22One Day International (ODI) matches, the first of which was in 1987 whenAustralia defeated India in a group-match during the1987 World Cup.

In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer") refers to abowler taking five or morewickets in a singleinnings. This is regarded as a notable achievement. The first bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a Test match at Chepauk wasAmar Singh for India against England in 1934; he finished the innings withbowling figures of 7 wickets for 86 runs. Australia'sAshley Mallett became the first to take two five-wicket hauls in the same match at Chepauk, when he took 5 for 91 and 5 for 53 in the second and fourth innings of the fifth Test ofAustralia's 1969–70 tour of India.Narendra Hirwani is the most recent cricketer and the first Indian to taketwo five-wicket hauls on debut. He took 8 for 61 and 8 for 75 against theWest Indies during the fourth Test of the1987–88 series between the teams, which was held at this ground, and finished the match with bowling figures of 16 for 136. These are also the best match-figures by any bowler on Test debut. The best figures in Test cricket at Chepauk are 8 for 55, taken by India'sVinoo Mankad against England in 1952.Axar Patel took the most recent five-wicket haul at Chepauk, with figures of 5 for 60 against England in their2020–21 tour of India. As of September 2024, 33 bowlers have taken 53 Test match five-wicket hauls at this ground. (Full article...)
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TheNational President of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the chief executive authority of theBJP, and fills a number of roles, including chairing meetings of theNational Executive of the party and appointing the presidents of party subsidiaries, such itsyouth wing and farmer's wing. Any candidate for the presidency needs to have been a member of the party for at least 15 years. The president is nominally elected by an electoral college composed of members drawn from the party's National and State councils, but in practice is a consensus choice of senior members of the party. The term of the president is three years long, and individuals may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The president usually does not also hold a post within a government, and party chiefs have resigned the position to assume posts in Cabinet.

After the party's foundation in 1980,Atal Bihari Vajpayee became its first president. He later became theprime minister of India, the only BJP president to serve in that position to date. In 1986,Lal Krishna Advani was sworn in as the party president and has been the longest serving president over three different periods. As of 2022, 11 people have served as the president of the BJP, includingRajnath Singh andAmit Shah who have also served two terms.J. P. Nadda is the most recent president, having been appointed in January 2020. (Full article...)
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The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indianbiographical drama film directed byMilan Luthria and produced byShobha andEkta Kapoor. Inspired by the lives of such actresses asSilk Smitha andDisco Shanti, the film narrates the rise and fall of a dancing girl inTamil cinema.The Dirty Picture featuresVidya Balan in the lead role, and co-starsEmraan Hashmi,Tusshar Kapoor andNaseeruddin Shah.Rajat Arora wrote the screenplay, dialogues and lyrics for the film andVishal–Shekhar composed the music.

Made on a budget between₹170 million (US$1.9 million) and₹180 million (US$2.1 million),The Dirty Picture was released worldwide on 2 December 2011, and earned₹1.14 billion (US$13 million). The film garnered awards and nominations in several categories, with particular praise for Vidya's performance, the dialogues, and the costume design byNiharika Khan. As of 2012, the film has won 51 awards. (Full article...)
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Map shows the ruling parties in states and union territories

In theRepublic of India, achief minister is thehead of government of each of thetwenty-eight states and three of the eightunion territories. According to theConstitution of India, at the state level, thegovernor isde jure head, butde facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to thestate legislative assembly, the governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form thestate government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whosecouncil of ministers arecollectively responsible to the assembly. Out of the thirty incumbents, exceptTamil Nadu'sM. K. Stalin, all other chief ministers also act as the leader of the house in theirlegislative assemblies. Given they have the assembly's confidence, the chief minister's term is usually for a maximum of five years; there are no limits to thenumber of terms they can serve.

Mamata Banerjee the Chief Minister ofWest Bengal, who has thelongest continuous incumbency serving since 20 March 2011 (for 13 years, 299 days) andRekha Gupta ofDelhi are the only two incumbentfemale Chief Ministers. (Full article...)
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Shetty at the trailer launch ofBaahubali: The Beginning (2015)

Anushka Shetty is an Indian actress who appears inTelugu andTamil films. She is often considered one of the greatest, most influential actress in the history ofTelugu Cinema. With a cinematic career spanning over two decades, she has played pivotal roles in over 50 films. She is often hailed as the "Lady Superstar" of South Indian Cinema. She made her acting debut inPuri Jagannadh's 2005 Telugu filmSuper, and appeared inMahanandi, released later the same year. The following year, she had four releases, the first beingS. S. Rajamouli'sVikramarkudu, which helped her gain recognition, followed byAstram (a remake of the 1999Hindi filmSarfarosh), theSundar C-directedRendu, (which marked her debut in Tamil cinema), and a special appearance inAR Murugadoss' Telugu filmStalin. She had two releases in 2007:Lakshyam andDon. In 2008, she appeared in six films, includingOkka Magaadu,Swagatam andSouryam. In 2009, Shetty played two roles in the fantasyArundhati. She went on to win theNandi Special Jury Award and theFilmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for this film. Her next release that year wasBilla, a Telugu remake of the2007 Tamil film of the same name. Her final release in 2009 was her second Tamil feature film, themasala filmVettaikaaran, where she appeared as a medical student.
Shetty had a string of releases in 2010. She portrayed a prostitute inKrish'sVedam, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress. Despite critical acclaim, the film failed at the box office. None of her other releases in 2010 succeeded commercially, except for her sole Tamil release of the year, the masalaSingam. The following year, Anushka had two releases, both in Tamil. She reprised herVedam role in its remakeVaanam, then appeared as an advocate in theA. L. Vijay-directedDeiva Thirumagal, a loose adaptation of the American filmI Am Sam (2001). The following year, she also had two releases:Thaandavam in Tamil, andDamarukam in Telugu. Her first release in 2013 wasSuraj's Tamil masalaAlex Pandian, a critical and commercial failure. This was followed byMirchi in Telugu,Singam II (where she reprised her role fromSingam), andSelvaraghavan's Tamilromantic fantasyIrandaam Ulagam where she played three distinct roles. Her sole release of 2014 wasK. S. Ravikumar'sLingaa. (Full article...)
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TheIndian National Congress (INC) is one of the twomajor parties in thepolitical system of theRepublic of India.
As of 20 November 2024, INC is in power in the three states:Himachal Pradesh,Karnataka andTelangana. InTamil Nadu andJharkhand, it shares power with alliance partnersDravida Munnetra Kazhagam andJharkhand Mukti Morcha respectively. In the post-independence era, the party has governed most of India'sstates and union territories, and by extension, has the status of a "national party" in India.

According to theConstitution of India, at the state level, thegovernor isde jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Therefore, the chief minister is considered the head of government in his jurisdiction. Following elections to thestate legislative assembly, the governor usually invites the party or coalition with a majority of seats to form the government. The chief minister is appointed by the governor, who also appoints other ministers, known as thecouncil of ministers, based on the chief minister's advice. The council of ministers iscollectively responsible to the state legislative assembly, ensuring unified support for all governmental decisions. The Chief Minister's term is normally limited to five years if they have the assembly's confidence. There are no limits to thenumber of terms the chief minister can serve. The deputy chief minister is a member of the state government and usually the second highest ranking executive officer of their state's council of ministers. Because the deputy chief minister is not a constitutional office, the Chief Minister has significant influence over the scope of authority and duties the deputy chief minister can perform. A deputy chief minister usually holds a cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister. In the parliamentary system of government, the chief minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy chief minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government. (Full article...)
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Dil Dhadakne Do (transl.Let the Heart Beat) is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed byZoya Akhtar. Produced byRitesh Sidhwani andFarhan Akhtar, the film features anensemble cast consisting ofAnil Kapoor,Shefali Shah,Priyanka Chopra,Ranveer Singh,Anushka Sharma andFarhan Akhtar. The supporting cast also includesRahul Bose,Zarina Wahab,Vikrant Massey, Ridhima Sud,Pawan Chopra,Parmeet Sethi,Dolly Mattdo andManoj Pahwa. Akhtar co-wrote the screenplay with her friend and longtime collaboratorReema Kagti. The soundtrack was composed by the trioShankar–Ehsaan–Loy while the cinematography was provided by Carlos Catalan. Anand Subaya and Manan Mehta edited the film.

The film tells the story of the Mehras, a dysfunctionalPunjabi family who invite their family and friends along on a cruise trip to celebrate the parents' 30th wedding anniversary.Dil Dhadakne Do was released worldwide on 5 June 2015 to positive reviews from critics. The film grossed₹1.45 billion at global box office on a budget of₹580 million. The film garnered awards and nominations in a variety of categories with particular praise for Akhtar's direction, the performances, the music and costume design. (Full article...)
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Bachchan in 2013

Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work inHindi films. He made his acting debut oppositeKareena Kapoor inJ. P. Dutta's war dramaRefugee (2000), where his portrayal of the titular unnamed refugee earned a nomination for theFilmfare Best Male Debut Award. However, the film was a box office debacle alike his subsequent films, includingBas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai (2001), andShararat (2002). His career prospects improved in 2004, when he played a gangster inMani Ratnam's political dramaYuva and a police officer inSanjay Gadhvi's action thrillerDhoom. The former won him his firstFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the latter became one of the highest-grossing films of the year and his first commercial success.

In 2005, Bachchan teamed up with his father twice inRam Gopal Varma's thrillerSarkar and the crime comedyBunty Aur Babli. The latter was the second highest-grossing film of the year, and his performance inSarkar earned him a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, he appeared in theBengali filmAntarmahal (2005). 2006 proved to be key for Bachchan, as he received his third consecutive Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance inKaran Johar's musical romanceKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), and reprised his role in the action sequelDhoom 2 (2006), which became the highest grossing Bollywood film to that point. Bachchan next starred alongsideAishwarya Rai in Ratnam's critically and commercially successful dramaGuru (2007), a biopic inspired by the life of businessmanDhirubhai Ambani. His title role in the film was positively received. (Full article...)
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James Faulkner is one of the only four bowlers to take multiple five-wicket hauls and the only to take multiple five-wicket hauls in thesame season.

Incricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer") refers to abowler taking five or morewickets in a singleinnings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, especially inT20 cricket where a bowler can bowl a maximum of only 24balls (4overs). TheIndian Premier League (IPL) is a professionalTwenty20 cricket league in India, which has been held annually since itsfirst season in 2008. So far, 34 five-wicket hauls have been taken by different bowlers, of which only two five-wicket hauls have been taken outsideIndia. Players from twelve of the thirteen teams have taken five-wicket hauls;Kochi Tuskers Kerala is the only franchise for which a player has not taken a five-wicket haul.
The first five-wicket haul was taken bySohail Tanvir of theRajasthan Royals against theChennai Super Kings on 4 May 2008. He finished the game with 6 wickets. The most economical five-wicket haul was taken byAkash Madhwal of theMumbai Indians, who claimed five wickets with aneconomy rate of 1.43 in the2023 season.Yuzvendra Chahal of theRajasthan Royals took the least economical five-wicket haul, 5/40 bowling with an economy rate of 10.00 in2021.Anil Kumble is the oldest bowler to take a five-wicket haul, achieving the feat at the age of 38, whileJaydev Unadkat is the youngest, he was 21 when he took hisfirst five-for in2013. (Full article...)
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Aadukalam (transl. Arena) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-languagedrama film written and directed byVetrimaaran and produced by S. Kathiresan. Vetrimaaran co-wrote the dialogues with Vikram Sugumaran. The film starsDhanush andTaapsee Pannu withKishore,V. I. S. Jayapalan,Naren, andMurugadoss playing supporting roles. The musical score was composed byG. V. Prakash Kumar while the cinematography and editing were respectively handled byVelraj andKishore Te. The film's story revolves around Karuppu who is the understudy of an experiencedcockfighter, Pettaikaran. When Karuppu wins in a cockfight against Pettaikaran's rival Rathnasamy, Pettaikaran, who is initially happy, becomes jealous of Karuppu's newfound popularity and plots his downfall.

Produced on a budget of₹150-200 million,Aadukalam was released on 14 January 2011 and grossed₹300 million according to a February 2011 report byThe Economic Times. The film garnered awards and nominations in several categories, with particular praise for its direction, screenplay, Dhanush's performance, music, cinematography, and editing. The film has won 33 awards from 52 nominations. (Full article...)
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Kaththi (transl. Knife) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-languageaction film written and directed byAR Murugadoss. The film starsVijay andSamantha Ruth Prabhu whileSathish,Neil Nitin Mukesh andTota Roy Chowdhury play supporting roles. The film focuses on the attempts made by a petty thief Kathiresan (Vijay), thelook-alike of a jailedhydrology graduate Jeevanandham (Vijay), to lead a rebellion by farmers from the latter's village, Thanoothu. Kathiresan helps them fight against Chirag (Mukesh), the owner of asoft drink company who has exploited Thanoothu's water resources for his own profit. Produced byAllirajah Subaskaran and K. Karunamoorthy under their production companyLyca Productions, the soundtrack and score were composed byAnirudh Ravichander.George C. Williams andA. Sreekar Prasad were in charge of the cinematography and editing respectively.

Produced on a budget of₹700 million,Kaththi was released on 22 October 2014 to critical acclaim. It was commercially successful, grossing₹1.3 billion worldwide. The film won 14 awards from 33 nominations; its direction, story, screenplay, performances of the cast members, music, choreography and stunt direction have received the most attention from award groups. (Full article...)
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Harbhajan Singh has the third-highest number ofTest wickets by anoff spinner, behindSri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and India's Ravichandran Ashwin in test match cricket.

Incricket, afive-wicket haul (also known as a "fifer") refers to abowler taking five or morewickets in a singleinnings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, and as of October 2024^[update], only 54 bowlers have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers. A right-armoff break bowler,Harbhajan Singh has taken 417 wickets inTest, 269 wickets inOne Day International (ODI) and 25 wickets inTwenty20 International (T20I) matches forIndia. He has the second-highest number of five-wicket hauls (28) in international cricket—next toAnil Kumble—among Indian cricketers and the eleventh among overall.

Harbhajan made his Test debut againstAustralia in 1998. His first five-wicket haul came against the same team during thesecond Test of the 2000–01 series atEden Gardens. His six wickets for 73runs in the second innings of the match raised his tally to thirteen wickets in the match; his performance was instrumental in India winning the match after being forced tofollow-on. In the third Test of the series, he claimed fifteen wickets for 217 runs, includingcareer-best figures of eight wickets for 84 runs. The majority of his five-wicket hauls in Test cricket—seven out of his twenty-five—have come against Australia. (Full article...)
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ThePadma Bhushan is the third-highestcivilian award of theRepublic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive aSanad, a certificate signed by thePresident of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year onRepublic Day (26 January) and registered inThe Gazette of India—a publication used for official government notices and released weekly by the Department of Publication, under theMinistry of Urban Development. The conferral of the award is not considered official without its publication in theGazette. The names of recipients whose awards have been revoked or restored, both of which processes require the authority of the president, are archived and they are required to surrender their medal when their name is struck from the register; none of the conferments of Padma Bhushan during 2000–2009 have been revoked or restored. The recommendations are received from all thestate and the union territory governments, as well as fromMinistries of the Government of India, theBharat Ratna and thePadma Vibhushan awardees, the Institutes of Excellence, the Ministers, theChief Ministers and theGovernors of State, and theMembers of Parliament including private individuals.

When instituted in 1954, the Padma Bhushan was classified as "Dusra Varg" (Class II) under the three-tierPadma Vibhushan awards, which were preceded by the Bharat Ratna in hierarchy. On 15 January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards as the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and thePadma Shri. The criteria included "distinguished service of a high order in any field including service rendered by Government servants", but excluded those working with thepublic sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards; this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The design was also changed to the form that is currently in use; it portrays a circular-shaped toned bronze medallion1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm) in diameter and1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. The centrally placed pattern made of outer lines of a square of1+3⁄16 inches (30 mm) side is embossed with a knob carved within each of the outer angles of the pattern. A raised circular space of diameter1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm) is placed at the centre of the decoration. A centrally located lotus flower is embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma" is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus written inDevanagari script. TheState Emblem of India is displayed in the centre of the reverse side, together with the national motto of India, "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari script, which is inscribed on the lower edge. The rim, the edges and all embossing on either side is of standard gold with the text "Padma Bhushan" of gold gilt. The medal is suspended by a pink riband1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) in width with a broad white stripe in the middle. It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence of wearing of medals and decorations ofthe Indian civilian and military awards. (Full article...)
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Tabu at an event forDe De Pyaar De in 2019

Indian actressTabu appears primarily inHindi,Telugu, andTamil films. Her first credited role came as a teenager inDev Anand'sHum Naujawan (1985), and her first major role was in the Telugu filmCoolie No. 1 (1991). In 1994, Tabu received theFilmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the Hindi action dramaVijaypath, which marked her first of many collaborations with co-starAjay Devgn. The year 1996 was key for Tabu. Her performance as a young woman affected by thePunjab insurgency inGulzar'sMaachis proved to be a breakthrough, winning her theNational Film Award for Best Actress. Also that year, Tabu won theFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for the romanceNinne Pelladata, and featured alongsideGovinda in the comedy filmSaajan Chale Sasural.

Tabu had a brief role in the war filmBorder, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997, and portrayed a village girl oppositeAnil Kapoor in thePriyadarshan-directed dramaVirasat. Among her 1999 releases were two of the top-grossing Bollywood films of the year—the comedyBiwi No.1, and the family dramaHum Saath-Saath Hain. She also starred as the rebellious daughter of a corrupt politician in Gulzar's critically praised dramaHu Tu Tu (1999). The following year, she starred inKandukondain Kandukondain, a Tamil adaptation ofSense and Sensibility, and played a submissive homemaker in the bilingual dramaAstitva. Tabu garnered a second National Film Award for Best Actress for portraying a bar dancer inMadhur Bhandarkar's crime dramaChandni Bar (2001). In 2003, she starred in the Bengali filmAbar Aranye, and portrayed a character based onLady Macbeth, inMaqbool—an adaptation ofMacbeth fromVishal Bhardwaj. Following a few commercial failures, Tabu played triple roles inM. F. Husain's musical dramaMeenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. Tabu's first international project came withMira Nair'sadaptation ofJhumpa Lahiri's novelThe Namesake. InR. Balki'sCheeni Kum (2007), Tabu starred alongsideAmitabh Bachchan as a woman romantically involved with a much older man; the role earned her a record fourthFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. (Full article...)
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Thenational president of the Indian National Congress is thechief executive of theIndian National Congress (INC), one of the principal political parties in India. Constitutionally, the president is elected by an electoral college composed of members drawn from thePradesh Congress Committees and members of theAll India Congress Committee (AICC). In the event of any emergency because of any cause such as the death or resignation of the president elected as above, the most senior general secretary discharges the routine functions of the president until theWorking Committee appoints a provisional president pending the election of a regular president by the AICC. The president of the party has effectively been the party's national leader, head of the party's organisation, head of the Working Committee, the chief spokesman, and all chief Congress committees.

After the party's foundation in December 1885,Womesh Chandra Banerjee became its first president. From 1885 to 1933, the presidency had a term of one year only. From 1933 onwards, there was no such fixed term for the president. DuringJawaharlal Nehru's premiership, he rarely held the Presidency of INC, even though he was always head of the Parliamentary Party. Despite being a party with a structure, Congress underIndira Gandhi did not hold any organisational elections after 1978. In 1978, Gandhi split from the INC and formed a new opposition party, popularly called Congress (I), which thenational election commission declared to be the real Indian National Congress for the1980 general election. Gandhi institutionalised the practice of having the same person as the Congress president and the prime minister of India after the formation of Congress (I). Her successorsRajiv Gandhi andP. V. Narasimha Rao also continued that practice. Nonetheless, in 2004, when the Congress was voted back into power,Manmohan Singh became the first and only prime minister not to be the president of the party since establishment of the practice of the president holding both positions. (Full article...)
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Studio publicity photograph of Bachchan in 2009

Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television host and former politician who primarily works inHindi films. He made his acting debut in 1969 withSaat Hindustani, and narratedMrinal Sen'sBhuvan Shome (1969). He later appeared as Dr. Bhaskar Banerjee inHrishikesh Mukherjee'sAnand (1971), for which he won theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1973, Bachchan played his breakthrough role of Inspector Vijay Khanna inPrakash Mehra's action filmZanjeer. He has since appeared in several films with the character name "Vijay". During the same year, he appeared inAbhimaan andNamak Haraam. For the latter, he received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He starred along withShashi Kapoor inYash Chopra'sDeewaar, which earned him widespread critical acclaim and popularity, made him wonFilmfare Award for Best Actor nomination. He was cited as the "angry young man" for his roles inDeewaar andZanjeer. Later he starred inRamesh Sippy'sSholay (1975), which is considered to beone of the greatest Indian films of all time. After appearing in the romantic dramaKabhie Kabhie (1976), Bachchan starred inManmohan Desai's highest grosser action-comedyAmar Akbar Anthony (1977). He again won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the latter. He then played dual roles ofDon and Vijay inDon (1978), which again earned him the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the consecutive year. All of them were huge blockbusters.

Bachchan's stardom continued to roar in the early 1980s, and his critically and commercially successful ventures in this period includeDostana (1980),Shaan (1980),Ram Balram (1980),Naseeb (1981),Lawaaris (1981),Kaalia (1981),Yaarana (1981),Satte Pe Satta (1982),Namak Halaal (1982),Khud-Daar (1982),Andha Kanoon (1983) andCoolie (1983). His performances in these films inDostana andShakti earned him the nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He suffered a near-fatal injury while shooting forCoolie. His workload decreased for the upcoming four years (1984–1987), but he found critical and commercial success inSharaabi (1984),Geraftaar (1985) andMard (1985). He returned to the screen with the box-office successShahenshah (1988). A year later, Bachchan played the role of gangster Vijay Deenanath Chauhan inMukul S. Anand'sAgneepath (1990) earned him theNational Film Award for Best Actor and later starred inHum (1991), which was a commercial success. Despite being a box-office failure, the former garnered him theNational Film Award for Best Actor and has since developed acult status. He also earned the Filmfare Award for Best Actor forHum, following which he took another break from acting. He then played Badshah Khan in Anand's 1992 dramaKhuda Gawah, for which he received a civilian award from thePresident of Afghanistan.Khuda Gawah, released on 8 May 1992, was also a critical and commercial success, and Bachchan's performance was well received both domestically and internationally. In 1996, he started his film production companyAmitabh Bachchan Corporation whose first releaseTere Mere Sapne (1996) was a box-office hit. Amitabh Bachchan is also known as the "Shahenshah" or "Big B" of Bollywood. (Full article...)
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TheChameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Mediaperson is an Indian journalism award named after Chameli Devi Jain, anIndian independence activist who became the firstJain woman to go to prison during India's independence struggle. The award was instituted in 1980 by The Media Foundation and is given to women in the field of journalism. According toBusiness Standard, the award is "perhaps India's longest running media award for women".

The Media Foundation was founded in 1979 byB. G. Verghese, Lakshmi Chand Jain, Prabhash Joshi,Ajit Bhattacharjea and N. S. Jagannathan. The award was instituted in 1980 by Verghese and the family of Chameli Devi. The criteria for selection include social concern, dedication, courage and compassion in the individual's work. Journalists in print, digital and broadcast are eligible including photographers, cartoonists and newspaper designers; the entries are judged by an independent jury. Preferences are given to rural or small-town journalists and journalists in regional Indian languages. (Full article...)
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Kapoor at an event in 2013

Karisma Kapoor is an Indian actress widely known for her work inHindi films. Kapoor made her acting debut at the age of seventeen with the romancePrem Qaidi in 1991, which was a box office hit. She then appeared in successful ventures, dramaSapne Sajan Ke (1992), and action dramaJigar (1992). Kapoor had her first commercial success in a leading role in romantic action dramaAnari (1993), which was a moderate success and was one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1993. Between 1993–1996 she featured in several highly successful films, including the comedy dramaRaja Babu (1994), action dramaSuhaag (1994), action comedyAndaz (1994), the comediesCoolie No. 1 (1995),Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), andHero No. 1 (1997), and the action thrillerJeet (1996). The success of these films marked a turning point in her career, and established Kapoor as one of the leading actresses in Hindi cinema.

Kapoor's career prospects improved in 1996 whenDharmesh Darshan cast her in his romantic dramaRaja Hindustani. With worldwide earnings of₹763.4 million (US$8.7 million), it emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year and the fourth highest-grossing film in India of the 1990s. The film earned her praise from critics, and Kapoor won her firstFilmfare Award for Best Actress. The following year, she received widespread recognition as well as theNational Film Award andFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying a headstrong dancer inDil To Pagal Hai, a musical romantic drama produced byYash Raj Films. Subsequently, she played leading roles in severalblockbuster films, including the comediesBiwi No.1 (1999), the ensemble family dramaHum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), and the romantic comedyDulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000). Her acclaimed performance of a disillusioned sister ofHrithik Roshan's character in the crime dramaFiza (2000) which earned her a second Best Actress award at Filmfare. The following year, she portrayed actressZubeida Begum in the biographical dramaZubeidaa (2001), won her aFilmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics). In 2002, she portrayed a troubled daughter-in-law in the revenge-seeking war dramaShakti: The Power. (Full article...)
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ThePadma Bhushan is the third-highestcivilian award of theRepublic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive aSanad, a certificate signed by thePresident of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year onRepublic Day (26 January) and registered inThe Gazette of India—a publication used for official government notices and released weekly by the Department of Publication, under theMinistry of Urban Development. The conferral of the award is not considered official without its publication in theGazette. The name of a recipient, whose award has been revoked or restored, both of which require the authority of the President, is archived and they are required to surrender their medal when their name is struck from the register. As of 2019^[update], none of the conferments of Padma Bhushan during the 2010s have been revoked or restored. The recommendations are received from all thestate and the union territory governments, as well as fromMinistries of the Government of India, theBharat Ratna and thePadma Vibhushan awardees, the Institutes of Excellence, theMinisters, theChief Ministers and theGovernors of State, and theMembers of Parliament including private individuals.

When instituted in 1954, the Padma Bhushan was classified as "Dusra Varg" (Class II) under the three-tierPadma Vibhushan awards, which were preceded by the Bharat Ratna in hierarchy. On 15 January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards as the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and thePadma Shri. The criteria included "distinguished service of a high order in any field including service rendered by Government servants", but excluded those working with thepublic sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards; this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The design was also changed to the form that is currently in use; it portrays a circular-shaped toned bronze medallion1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm) in diameter and1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. The centrally placed pattern made of outer lines of a square of1+3⁄16 inches (30 mm) side is embossed with a knob carved within each of the outer angles of the pattern. A raised circular space of diameter1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm) is placed at the centre of the decoration. A centrally located lotus flower is embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma" is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus written inDevanagari script. TheState Emblem of India is displayed in the centre of the reverse side, together with the national motto of India, "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari script, which is inscribed on the lower edge. The rim, the edges and all embossing on either side is of standard gold with the text "Padma Bhushan" of gold gilt. The medal is suspended by a pink riband1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) in width with a broad white stripe in the middle. It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence of wearing of medals and decorations ofthe Indian civilian and military awards. (Full article...)
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Warsi in 2010

Arshad Warsi started his career as an assistant director toMahesh Bhatt inKaash (1987). Warsi choreographed the title song ofRoop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), before making his acting debut in theAmitabh Bachchan-producedTere Mere Sapne (1996). It was followed byBetaabi (1997),Hero Hindustani (1998),Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet andTrishakti (both 1999), among others, but most of these films failed to do well at the box office. In 2003, he had his breakthrough by playing the comicsidekick Circuit inRajkumar Hirani's comedy-dramaMunna Bhai M.B.B.S. His performance garnered him theZee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role and received nominations for theFilmfare,IIFA,Screen andApsara Film Producers Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. Warsi won theGIFA Best Comedian Award for his role in the comedyHulchul (2004), and garnered critical acclaim for portraying a police officer in the crime dramaSehar (2005). He received his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in the romantic comedySalaam Namaste (2005).

In 2006, Warsi starred in theRohit Shetty-directed comedyGolmaal: Fun Unlimited, and reprised his role of Circuit in the sequelLage Raho Munna Bhai. His performance in the latter won him theFilmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role, among other awards. That same year, he played lead roles in the mysteryAnthony Kaun Hai? and the counter-terrorism dramaKabul Express. Warsi also hosted thefirst season of the reality television showBigg Boss for which he earned theIndian Television Academy Award for Best Anchor – Game/Quiz Show. In 2007, he played a footballer in the sports filmDhan Dhana Dhan Goal. The following year, he reteamed with Shetty forGolmaal Returns (2008), and played anintermittent explosive disorder patient in the comedyKrazzy 4 (2008). He won theScreen Award for Best Supporting Actor and received several nominations for playing a con man in the black comedyIshqiya (2010). Also in 2010, Warsi co-produced and starred in thesupernatural comedy-dramaHum Tum Aur Ghost, which performed poorly at the box office.Golmaal 3, the year's second-highest grossing Hindi film also featured him in a primary role. His first negative role came in 2013 with the action thrillerZila Ghaziabad, a critical and commercial failure. Warsi's portrayal of a lawyer in the comedy-dramaJolly LLB (2013), directed bySubhash Kapoor, garnered him several awards, including theIIFA Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role. His portrayal of a thief inDedh Ishqiya (2014) attracted critical praise. (Full article...)
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S. S. Rajamouli received several awards and nominations for directing the film.

Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 Indianepic historical fiction film written and directed byS. S. Rajamouli and produced byArka Media Works. Shot simultaneously inTelugu andTamil languages, the film starsPrabhas,Rana Daggubati,Anushka Shetty, andTamannaah whileSathyaraj,Ramya Krishnan andNassar appear in supporting roles. Thesoundtrack and music score was composed byM. M. Keeravani whileK. K. Senthil Kumar provided the cinematography.Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao,Sabu Cyril andV. Srinivas Mohan were in charge of the film's editing, art direction and special effects respectively.

The first oftwo cinematic parts,The Beginning opened worldwide on 10 July 2015 to critical acclaim and record-breaking box-office success, becoming thehighest-grossing film in India and the third-highest grossing Indian film worldwide, and thehighest-grossing South Indian film. Grossing over₹6.5 billion worldwide against a budget of₹1.2 billion, the film became the first South Indian film, and the first non-Hindi film to gross over₹1 billion in the dubbed Hindi version.The Beginning garnered several awards and nominations with praise for Rajamouli's direction, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the cast members. (Full article...)
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Kumar Sangakkara was the captain of the Deccan Chargers during their last season.

TheHyderabad Deccan Chargers (often abbreviated as DC) was a franchisecricket team based inHyderabad,Telangana, that competed in theIndian Premier League (IPL) from 2008 to 2012. The team was owned byDeccan Chronicle Holdings Limited who won the bid for the Hyderabad franchise atUS$107 million.VVS Laxman andRobin Singh were appointed as thecaptain and the coach for theirfirst season in 2008. After finishing last in that season, the DC sacked their coach and removed their captain and replaced them withDarren Lehmann andAdam Gilchrist under whom they won their only IPL title in 2009, when they defeated theRoyal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in thefinal. They reached the semi-finals again in 2010 but failed to reach past the group stages before the team was folded in 2012. They qualified for theChampions League Twenty20 only once, for the2009 season, but failed to advance past the group stage. Lehmann remained as the coach for the DC but they were forced to replace Gilchrist withKumar Sangakkara in2011 after they lost former to theKings XI Punjab in the2011 auction. Sangakkara remained as the captain until the middle of the2012 season before he was replaced byCameron White following the poor performances. Sangakkara later returned as captain as the move did not yield the desired results for the Deccan Chargers.

On 15 September 2012, the Deccan Chargers' IPL contract was terminated by theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which was concerned about overdue payments to the players. The Hyderabad franchise was later acquired by theSun TV Network for₹85.05crore (US$9.7 million) per year in a bid which also retained 20 players. (Full article...)

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Oopiri (transl. Breath) is a 2016 Indian bilingual comedy-drama film directed byVamshi Paidipally and produced byPVP Cinema. The film is shot simultaneously inTelugu andTamil languages; the latter titledThozha (transl. Friend). It stars Akkineni Nagarjuna,Karthi (in his Telugu debut) andTamannaah Bhatia whilePrakash Raj,Ali,Vivek,Jayasudha,Kalpana andTanikella Bharani playing supporting roles. The narrative focuses on the lives of Vikramaditya, a quadriplegic billionaire, and Seenu, his ex-convict caretaker, highlighting their realisation of the importance of life and relationships over money and disability.

Oopiri is a remake ofÉric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's French filmThe Intouchables (2011). The rights to remakeThe Intouchables were acquired byKaran Johar andGuneet Monga in May 2014, who later authorised PVP Cinema to produce adaptations in regional languages, makingOopiri its first remake.Principal photography took place from March 2015 to February 2016 in locations includingChennai,Hyderabad,Paris,Belgrade andNovi Sad.Gopi Sundar composed the film's music, whileP. S. Vinod was responsible for cinematography. Madhu andPraveen K. L. edited the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively. (Full article...)
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A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music is a biographical book by the author and television documentary producerNasreen Munni Kabir, containing her extensive conversations with the composerA. R. Rahman on the latter's life and career. It describes his birth inMadras (present-day Chennai) in 1967, his 29-year-long musical career, and his marriage in 1995 to Saira Banu, with whom he has three children. The book was published by Om Books International on 29 March 2011 and declared as a commercial success.

The Spirit of Music was the second work on Rahman, following the unauthorised biographyA. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm (2009) from Kamini Mathai. Kabir's first discussion with him about the book happened in 2003, while their conversations started in 2007 and ended four years later. Critical reviews to the book were mixed, some of which panned the author for providing less detail information about his Tamil songs. However, its question-and-answer format was generally praised. (Full article...)
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Publicity poster for film show at theCoronation Cinematograph and Variety Hall,Girgaon

Raja Harishchandra (‹See RfD›transl. King Harishchandra) is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced byDadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film.Raja Harishchandra featuresDattatraya Damodar Dabke,Anna Salunke, Bhalchandra Phalke and Gajanan Vasudev Sane. It is based on the legend ofHarishchandra, with Dabke portraying the title character. The film, being silent, had English,Marathi, andHindi-languageintertitles.

Phalke decided to make a feature film after watchingThe Life of Christ (1906) at a theatre inBombay in April 1911. In February 1912, he went to London for two weeks to learn filmmaking techniques and upon return founded Phalke Films Company. He imported the hardware required for filmmaking andexhibition from England, France, Germany, and the United States. Phalke shot a short filmAnkurachi Wadh (Growth of a Pea Plant) to attract investors for his venture. He published advertisements in various newspapers calling for the cast and crew. As no women were available to play female roles, male actors performed the female roles. Phalke was in charge ofscriptment, direction,production design,make-up, film editing, along withfilm processing.Trymbak B. Telang handled the camera. Phalke completed filming in six months and 27 days producing a film of 3,700 feet (1,100 m), about four reels. (Full article...)
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TheOxford Union debating chamber

During a debate at theOxford Union on 28 May 2015, the IndianMember of Parliament, diplomat and writerShashi Tharoor delivered a speech supporting the motion "Britain owesreparations to her former colonies". Tharoor was the seventh speaker in the debate, the final speaker from the proposition, and spoke for about fifteen minutes. While criticising the opposition, he argued thatBritish colonial rule damaged theIndian economy.

Tharoor began his speech by arguing that theeconomic progress of Britain from the 18th-century onwards was financed by the economic exploitation andde-industrialisation of British India. He cited other negative effects of colonial rule on India, such asfamines and the mandatory contribution of Indians toward the British war effort during theFirst andSecond World Wars. Tharoor argued that supposed benefits of British colonialism, such asrailways anddemocracy, were either constructed for the purposes of furthering economic exploitation or devised by Indians themselves. He ended his speech by suggesting that Britain pay onepound sterlingper annum for the next two centuries as symbolic reparation. The side in favour of the motion won, with 185 votes to 56. (Full article...)
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Matsya avatar byRaja Ravi Varma

Matsya (Sanskrit:मत्स्य,lit. 'fish') is the fishavatar of theHindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu'sten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man,Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya may be depicted as a giant fish, often golden in color, or anthropomorphically with the torso of Vishnu connected to the rear half of a fish.

The earliest account of Matsya is found in theShatapatha Brahmana, where Matsya is not associated with any particular deity. The fish-saviour later merges with the identity ofBrahma in post-Vedic era, and still later, becomes regarded with Vishnu. The legends associated with Matsya expand, evolve, and vary in Hindu texts. These legends have embedded symbolism, where a small fish with Manu's protection grows to become a big fish, and the fish saves the man who would be the progenitor of the next race of mankind. In later versions, Matsya slays ademon named Hayagriva who steals theVedas, and thus is lauded as the saviour of the scriptures. (Full article...)
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Lakshadweep (Malayalam:[lɐkʂɐd̪βʷiːbɨ̆]) is aunion territory ofIndia. It is anarchipelago of 36islands divided into three island subgroups: theAmindivi Islands in the north, theLaccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the11th parallel north), and the atoll ofMinicoy to the south of theNine Degree Channel. The islands are located between theArabian Sea to the west and theLaccadive Sea to the east, about 220–440 km (140–270 mi) off theMalabar Coast of mainland India.

The islands occupy a total land area of approximately 32.62 km² (12.59 sq mi) with a population of 64,473 as per the2011 census across the ten inhabited islands. There is a 132 km (82 mi) longcoastline with alagoon area of 4,200 km² (1,600 sq mi),territorial waters of 20,000 km² (7,700 sq mi) and anexclusive economic zone of 400,000 km² (150,000 sq mi). Lakshadweep is the northernmost island group of the exposed undersea mountain range, theChagos-Lakshadweep Ridge. The entire union territory is administered as asingle district withKavaratti as its capital. (Full article...)
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Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood's Bad Boy is a biography byYasser Usman, detailing the life and career of the Indian film actorSanjay Dutt. It chronicles his birth to actorsSunil Dutt andNargis, his relationship with the actressMadhuri Dixit, covered extensively in the media at the time, being jailed because of his involvement in theBombay riots, and his 47-year film career. The book was released on 13 March 2018 byJuggernaut Books and praised by critics.

Usman began writing the book in 2017 after meeting Dutt to talk about the latter's life and career. He spent eighteen months interviewing people who were close to him, including several of his school friends and teachers atThe Lawrence School, Sanawar, police officers and co-inmates when he was jailed, as well as politicians, filmmakers, and co-stars. He also watched all of Dutt's films, and collected books, magazines, journals and interviews with him. (Full article...)
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Mohabbatein (transl. Romances) is a 2000 Indian Hindi-languagemusical romantic drama film written and directed byAditya Chopra and produced byYash Chopra under his bannerYash Raj Films. The film starsAmitabh Bachchan withShah Rukh Khan andAishwarya Rai alongside newcomersUday Chopra,Shamita Shetty,Jugal Hansraj,Kim Sharma,Jimmy Sheirgill, andPreeti Jhangiani, and narrates the story of Narayan, the strict principal of Gurukul college whose daughter, Megha, commits suicide after he opposes her relationship with his student, Raj, who returns as a music teacher at the college to aid three young students rebel against Narayan's intolerance of love.

Originally planned to be Aditya Chopra's directorial debut,Mohabbatein became his second film afterDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). Its themes were inspired by those from the 1989 Americancoming-of-age dramaDead Poets Society. Theprincipal photography ofMohabbatein, which was filmed in the United Kingdom, was handled byManmohan Singh between October 1999 and July 2000.Sharmishta Roy andKaran Johar built the sets and designed the costumes, respectively. The duoJatin–Lalit composed its music whileAnand Bakshi wrote the lyrics. (Full article...)
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Tipu's Tiger in theV&A Museum, London showing the prostrate European being attacked

Tipu's Tiger,Tippu's Tiger orTipoo’s Tiger is an 18th-centuryautomaton created forTipu Sultan, the ruler of theKingdom of Mysore (present dayKarnataka) inIndia. The carved and painted wood casing represents atiger mauling a near life-size European man. Mechanisms inside the tiger and the man's body make one hand of the man move, emit a wailing sound from his mouth and grunts from the tiger. In addition a flap on the side of the tiger folds down to reveal the keyboard of a smallpipe organ with 18 notes.

The automaton incorporates Tipu's emblem, the tiger, and expresses his hatred of his enemy, the British of theEast India Company. It was taken from hissummer palace when East India Company troopsstormed Tipu's capital in 1799. TheGovernor General,Lord Mornington, sent the tiger to Britain initially intending it to be an exhibit in theTower of London. First exhibited to the London public in 1808 inEast India House, then the offices of the East India Company in London, it was transferred to theVictoria and Albert Museum in 1880. It now forms part of the permanent exhibit on the "Imperial courts of South India". From the moment it arrived in London to the present day, Tipu's Tiger has been a popular attraction to the public. (Full article...)
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Santosh Subramaniam (speltSanthosh Subramaniyam onscreen) is a 2008 IndianTamil-languageromantic comedy film directed byMohan Raja and produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram. The film starsRavi Mohan andGenelia whilePrakash Raj,Geetha andSayaji Shinde play supporting roles. It is a remake of theTelugu film,Bommarillu (2006). Genelia and Raj reprise their roles in the film, which revolves around a father and son relationship; the father dotes on his son, who resents the same. The son's choices and his ambitions to achieve something in life are subdued by his father.

The film entered production in July 2007 and in addition to being shot in India, was also shot at theSouth Island of New Zealand. The film's soundtrack was composed byDevi Sri Prasad, who retained most of the tunes he composed forBommarillu. (Full article...)
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Devotees pulling the Chariot

Thiruvarur (Tamil:[t̪iɾuʋaːɾuːɾ]) also spelt asTiruvarur is amunicipality in the Indianstate ofTamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters ofThiruvarur district andThiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing 360 tonnes (790,000 lb) and measuring 96 feet (29 m) tall is the largest temple chariot in India. Thiruvarur is the birthplace ofTyagaraja,Muthuswami Dikshitar andSyama Sastri, popularly known as theTrinity of Carnatic music of the 18th century CE. Thiruvarur Thiyagarajaa Swaamy temple is older than Tanjore big temple.

Thiruvarur was a part ofThanjavur district until 1991. The Odambokki river passes through the centre of the town. Thiruvarur covers an area of 10.47 km² (4.04 sq mi) and had a population of 58,301 as of 2011. Out of total population of Tiruvarur, 1,403,348 in the district, 257,795 are in urban area and 1,006,482 are in rural area. 65,220 households are in urban, 261,999 are in rural area. It is administered by aselection grade municipality. The town is a part of theCauvery delta region and agriculture is the major occupation. Roadways are the major means of transportation with a total of 94.06 km (58.45 mi) of district roads including three national highways passing through the town. The town was one of the five traditional capitals of theChola empire, with one of the emperors of the dynasty,Kulothunga Chola I, having it as his capital. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by theMedieval Cholas,Later Cholas, Later Pandyas,Vijayanagar Empire,Thanjavur Nayaks,Marathas and theBritish. The town is known for theThyagaraja temple, and the annual Asian biggestchariot festival held in the month of April. (Full article...)
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TheBugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) is apasserine birdspecies from thefamily Leiothrichidae closely related to theEmei Shan liocichla. First spotted in 1995 inArunachal Pradesh,India, it was described as a new species in 2006. The description was made without the collection of atype specimen as they were too few to risk killing one. It is thought to be an endangered species, with a small population, and a very restricted distribution range within which commercial development threatens the habitat. (Full article...)
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1: Nenokkadine (transl. 1: I am alone) is a 2014 Indian Telugu-languagepsychological action thriller film directed bySukumar. Produced by 14 Reels Entertainment and distributed byEros International, the film starsMahesh Babu andKriti Sanon (in her film debut) in lead roles.Nassar,Pradeep Rawat, andKelly Dorji appear in supporting roles. The story follows Gautham, a rock musician suffering fromschizophrenia and missing 25 percent of his brain'sgrey matter, as he embarks on a quest to find his parents with the help of his girlfriend, Sameera, a journalist.

Sukumar began working on the film's script after completing100% Love (2011), using a bus driver's tale about a boy claiming his parents were murdered on his bus as the foundation.1: Nenokkadine features cinematography byR. Rathnavelu and editing by Karthika Srinivas. The music was composed byDevi Sri Prasad.Principal photography commenced in April 2012 and concluded in October 2013. Filming took place in various locations includingLondon,Belfast,Bangkok, and Indian cities such asHyderabad,Mumbai,Goa,Chennai, andBangalore. Produced on a budget of ₹60–70crore, it was the most expensive Telugu film at the time of its release. (Full article...)
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Aval Appadithan (transl. That is how she is) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-languagedrama film directed byC. Rudraiah in his directorial debut, and co-written by him withSomasundareshwar. The film was produced by Rudhraiya in association with theM.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. It starsSripriya,Kamal Haasan andRajinikanth, whileIlaiyaraaja composed the film's music. The plot revolves around Manju (Sripriya) and the difficulties she faces in her life, due to her romantic relationships, resulting in her developing an aggressive and cynical nature towards men.

Aval Appadithan was released on 30 October 1978, onDiwali day. Although the film received positive critical reception, it was not a box office success at the time of its release. However, the film began to develop an audience after directorsBharathiraja andMrinal Sen commented positively about it. The film was noted for its stylish filmmaking, screenplay, and dialogue, a large portion of which was in English. (Full article...)
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Trapped is a 2016 Indiansurvival drama film directed byVikramaditya Motwane, who also co-produced it withAnurag Kashyap,Vikas Bahl andMadhu Mantena under the banner ofPhantom Films. The film starsRajkummar Rao as a call centre employee who gets trapped in his apartment room without food, water, and electricity, andGeetanjali Thapa as his girlfriend.

Motwane got the idea for the film from an e-mail from writer Amit Joshi. He liked the idea and asked Joshi to send a full script, which he received a month later. The script was later re-written by Joshi andHardik Mehta who turned the 130-page draft into 40 pages.Trapped was primarily shot over a period of 20 days, at an apartment in Mumbai. The film's music and background score were composed byAlokananda Dasgupta, with lyrics by Rajeshwari Dasgupta. Siddharth Diwan was the cinematographer, and Nitin Baid was the editor. (Full article...)
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Salt Sathyagraga Memorial Stupa – a memorial of the historic salt march carried out in Vedaranyam in 1930

Vedaranyam (Tamil:[ʋeːdaːɾaɳjam]) (also spelt asVedaraniam andVedaranniyam) is a town inNagapattinam district in theIndian state ofTamil Nadu. The town is named after the presiding deity of theVedaranyeswarar Temple. The recorded history of Vedaranyam is known from medieval Chola period of the 9th century and has been ruled, at different times, by theMedieval Cholas,Later Cholas, Later Pandyas,Vijayanagar Empire and theBritish. During India's independence struggle,C. Rajagopalachari, who would later become independent India's firstGovernor-General, launched asalt march in Vedaranyam parallel to theDandi March launched byGandhi in 1930 to protest against the sales tax levied on salt extraction.

Vedaranyam comes under theVedaranyam assembly constituency which elects a member to theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years and it is a part of theNagapattinam (Lok Sabha constituency) which elects its Member of Parliament (MP) once in five years. The town is administered by the Vedaranyam municipality, which covers an area of 36.26 km² (14.00 sq mi). As of 2011, the town had a population of 34,266. Vedaranyam was a part ofThanjavur District till 1991 andNagapattinam District from then on. The town is a part of the fertileCauvery delta region, but salt extraction and prawn cultivation are the major occupations. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to Vedaranyam and the nearest Airport isTiruchirapalli Airport, located 135 km (84 mi) away from the town. On 17 November 2018, Vedaranyam was devastated byCyclone Gaja. (Full article...)
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Chhinnamasta, 19th century lithograph

Chhinnamasta (Sanskrit:छिन्नमस्ता,Chinnamastā :"She whose head is severed"), often spelledChinnamasta, and also calledChhinnamastika,Chhinnamasta Kali,Prachanda Chandika andJogani Maa (in western states of India), is aHindu goddess (Devi). She is one of theMahavidyas, ten goddesses from the esoteric tradition ofTantra, and a ferocious aspect ofMahadevi, the Hindu Mother goddess. The self-decapitated nude goddess, usually standing or seated on a divinecopulating couple, holding her own severed head in one hand and ascimitar in another. Threejets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants.

Chhinnamasta is a goddess of contradictions. She symbolises both aspects of Devi: a life-giver and a life-taker. She is considered both a symbol of sexual self-control and an embodiment of sexual energy, depending upon interpretation. She represents death, temporality, and destruction as well as life, immortality, and recreation. The goddess conveys spiritual self-realization and the awakening of thekundalini – spiritual energy. The legends of Chhinnamasta emphasise herself-sacrifice – sometimes coupled with a maternal element – sexual dominance, and self-destructive fury. (Full article...)
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Maheshinte Prathikaaram (transl. Mahesh's Revenge) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-languagecomedy drama film directed byDileesh Pothan, in his directorial debut and produced byAashiq Abu. The film starsFahadh Faasil in the title role alongside a supporting cast includingAparna Balamurali,Anusree,Alencier Ley Lopez andSoubin Shahir. Written bySyam Pushkaran, the story is based on an incident in the life of Thampan Purushan fromThuravoor, Cherthala.Shyju Khalid was the film's cinematographer, and the music was composed byBijibal.

Maheshinte Prathikaaram's development began in 2013 when Pothan was working as an associate director for Abu (who was directingIdukki Gold, co-written by Pushkaran). Pushkaran suggested a story idea to Pothan which was based on an incident in his native village. At Pothan's insistence, Pushkaran wrote the screenplay that year and Abu later became interested in producing the film. Production was scheduled to commence from December 2014 after completing the casting process but, due to scheduling conflicts, it was postponed to August 2015.Principal photography began in early August inIdukki and nearby locations, where it was predominantly filmed. Shooting was completed in late October. (Full article...)
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Srimanthudu (transl. Wealthy Man) is a 2015 Indian Telugu-languageaction drama film written and directed byKoratala Siva. The film is produced byMythri Movie Makers andG. Mahesh Babu Entertainment. The film starsMahesh Babu,Shruti Haasan,Jagapati Babu andRajendra Prasad.Sampath Raj,Mukesh Rishi,Sukanya andHarish Uthaman appear in supporting roles. It was distributed globally byEros International.

The film tells the story of Harsha Vardhan (Mahesh Babu), a young man who inherits a business empire from his father Ravikanth (played by Jagapati Babu). Urged by his friend Charuseela (Haasan) to learn about his and his father's ancestral roots in a remote village named Devarakota, Harsha adopts the village and spends some time trying to improve thestandard of living of the local people and the infrastructure of the village. His efforts anger the local crime boss Sashi (played by Sampath Raj) and his brother Venkata Ratnam, a politician (played by Mukesh Rishi). (Full article...)
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Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) is ahighly venomous snake in thefamily Viperidae native toSouth Asia. It wasdescribed in 1797 byGeorge Shaw andFrederick Polydore Nodder. It is named afterPatrick Russell. Known for its extremely painful bite, it is considered one of the most dangerousbig four snakes in India. (Full article...)
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Vedic Mathematics is a book written by IndianShankaracharyaBharati Krishna Tirtha and first published in 1965. It contains a list of mathematical techniques which were falsely claimed to contain advanced mathematical knowledge. The book was posthumously published under its deceptive title by editor V. S. Agrawala, who noted in the foreword that the claim of Vedic origin, made by the original author and implied by the title, was unsupported.

Neither Krishna Tirtha nor Agrawala were able to produce sources, and scholars unanimously note it to be a compendium of methods for increasing the speed of elementary mathematical calculations sharing no overlap with historicalmathematical developments during the Vedic period. Nonetheless, there has been a proliferation of publications in this area and multiple attempts to integrate the subject into mainstream education at the state level byright-wing Hindu nationalist governments. (Full article...)
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TheSack of Delhi occurred from 17 January to 22 February 1757, carried out by theDurrani Empire under the Afghan kingAhmad Shah Durrani. Delhi, the capital of theMughal Empire, experiencedmultiple invasions by the Afghans during the 18th century.

Thedecline of the Mughal Empire began with the death ofEmperor Aurangzeb on 3 March 1707. The Mughals faced numerous invasions from theMaratha Confederacy and internal conflicts over succession. The Mughals continued declining underMuhammad Shah, allowing adventurers such asNader Shah toinvade Mughal territories andsack Delhi. Following Nader Shah's death, his eastern domains were taken over by Ahmad Shah Durrani, who formed the Durrani Empire and centered his power base inKandahar, Afghanistan. Afterthree invasions by the Afghans, the Mughals lost numerous territories includingKashmir, Punjab, andSindh. (Full article...)
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TheIndian National Congress (INC) is one of the two majorpolitical parties in India. The prominent members of the party are the presidentSonia Gandhi, vice-presidentRahul Gandhi, former prime ministerManmohan Singh andPriyanka Gandhi. INC took part in the elections alongside other members of theUnited Progressive Alliance. On the fourth anniversary of the second United Progressive Alliance government, the INC announced that its campaign for the election would be led by Prime minister Manmohan Singh, party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

Burson-Marsteller,JWT andDentsu were contracted to provide an image makeover to the party and Rahul Gandhi. In its election manifesto, INC promised "Right to Health", "Right to homestead", "Right to social security" and "Right to pension". During the elections, Congress leaders criticised theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidateNarendra Modi for being involved in low level politics. They accused Modi of favouring businessmen. The party campaigned throughout India, but suffered its worst ever defeat, winning only 44 seats over 543 constituencies; the BJP won the election and was able to form a government with a majority for the first time since the victory ofRajiv Gandhi in1984. After the results were announced both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi offered to resign from their posts in the party but theCongress Working Committee rejected their resignations and criticised the government's communication strategy for the party's defeat. (Full article...)
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Mandanna promotingChhaava in 2025

Rashmika Mandanna (/ɾɐɕmɪkɑ mɐn̪d̪ɑn̪ːɑ/ born 5 April 1996) is an Indian actress who primaily works inTelugu andHindi films. Her accolades include fourSIIMA Awards and aFilmfare Award South. One of South India's highest-paid actresses, she was featured inForbes India's 2024 list of "30 Under 30".

After a brief modelling career, Mandanna made her acting debut with the Kannada romantic comedyKirik Party (2016), and found further commercial success in the action pictureAnjani Putra and romanceChamak (both 2017). In Telugu cinema, she had her breakthrough with the romantic comedyGeetha Govindam (2018), which earned her theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She played the leading lady in the action comediesDevadas (2018),Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020) andBheeshma (2020), as well as in the Tamil action filmSulthan (2021). Even so, her inclination towards androcentric films drew criticism for providing limited scope to showcase her acting abilities. (Full article...)
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Kodandera Madappa Cariappa (28 January 1899 – 15 May 1993) was an Indian military officer and diplomat who was the IndianCommander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of theIndian Army. He led Indian forces on the Western Front during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1947. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949. He is one of only two Indian Army officers to hold thefive-star rank of Field Marshal; the other being Field MarshalSam Manekshaw.

His distinguished military career spanned almost three decades. Born inMadikeri, Kodagu, Cariappa joined theBritish Indian Army shortly after the end ofWorld War I, and was commissioned as a temporaryfirst lieutenant into the2/88 Carnatic Infantry. He was transferred between multiple regiments early in his career before settling on1/7 Rajputs, which became his permanent regiment. (Full article...)

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9 March 2025 –: Ininternational cricket,India wins the2025 ICC Champions Trophy by defeatingNew Zealand in thefinal.(AP)
7 March 2025 –2025 United States federal mass layoffs: TheNative American Rights Fund, on behalf of fiveIndigenous American students and three tribes, theCheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, thePrairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and thePueblo of Isleta, file a lawsuit against theUnited States Department of the Interior and theBureau of Indian Education (BIE) for allegedwrongful dismissals of BIE schoolteachers.(AP)
28 February 2025 –2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season: Three people are killed astropical cyclone Garance makes landfall inRéunion in theIndian Ocean.(AP)
25 February 2025 –2025 Thiruvananthapuram mass murder: A man brutally beat ( five people, including his brother, girlfriend, to death with a hammer inThiruvananthapuram,Kerala, South India.gulfnews Economic Times
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Did you know...

... that in 1884Motibai Kapadia's father allowed her to study alongside men in India?
... thatZakir Husain was the first Muslim and the firstgovernor of a state to be electedPresident of India?
... that a Bangladeshi diplomatic mission in Indiawas attacked by Hindu extremists protesting the arrest ofa Hindu monk?
... that thehistory of philosophy in India is characterized by its combined interest in thenature of reality, theways of arriving at knowledge, and the spiritual question of how to reachenlightenment?
... thatAbdul Ghani Azhari wroteQadim Tarikh-e-Gujjar inUrdu, detailing the ancient history ofGujjars in India?
... that in its 1962 election campaign, theSocialist Party of India demanded that twice-yearly inter-caste dining be made a mandatory criterion for government employment?