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The fire burns brightly for Palani lesbian couple
"We can't live without each other," say the young women. "Our love for and understanding of each other will not diminish with age. Nor will we regret our decision later, or want a man in our life, a child, or whatever."
Iran looking to Beijing to break out of US shackles
'The Iranian quest for missile and nuclear technology, to neutralise the Pakistani advantage, can come only from Beijing. Any success on this count will swing the Iranian armed forces in Khattami's favour and silence the conservatives.' Sreedhar analyses the Chinese foreign minister's visit to Teheran.
The Clinton visit: Hype and Reality
'America is no longer siding with Pakistan. That's apparent. But that does not automatically translate into a 'tilt' towards India. America is doing what it has always been doing: assertively promoting its interests. America's interests today demand closer engagement with India than Pakistan,' says Professor Brahma Chellaney.
The 'Mercy Man' of Ahmedabad
A man in Ahmedabad shows that will is all you need to help poor.
Making Peace With Oscar
'The influence of South Asians is -- at least during these few days -- vastly disproportionate to their numbers. Most desis toil away from the spotlight, whether they are cab drivers or medical personnel or Wall Street bankers or Capitol Hill lobbyists. Their anonymous work helps, in a small way, make this country tick,' says Sreenath Sreenivasan.
Me 'n' Bill
'Frankly, the only way you're going to get anywhere near Clinton,' said a well-connected friend of mine, 'is to go to the Mahaveer Hospital, which he is visiting this morning, and pose as a TB patient.'
India's Vietnam
The IPKF in Sri Lanka: 10 Years On. A gripping series on what went wrong.
A break with the past
'The real significance of this joint vision is that the political leadership at the highest level has decided to take personal responsibility and pilot the future together,' says C P Bhambri.
Remembering the Forgotten Heroes
The Indian Army has officially constructed a huge war memorial at Tawang to acknowledging the sacrifice made by 2420 soldiers in 1862 war with China for which the troops were
ill-prepared.
At the last frontier, Indian troops battle cold, loneliness
'The troops have to be constantly on guard and supremely fit to survive in these conditions. Some of our posts are above 16,000 to 17,000 feet and it is not easy to remain focused on the job unless there is high motivation,' says Brigadier V D I Devavaram, commander of India's forward-most brigade.
The Americans are coming, the Americans are coming
'Clinton's visit down south will be an affirmation of not just the shift in
emphasis from politics to economics (and within that a move from
traditional industry to high tech - or in Americanese, from Dow to Nasdaq), but also a celebration of India's growing strength as a federation,' feels S B Ramanujam.
Is Clinton safe in Pakistan?
'Given the surcharged atmosphere in the Indian subcontinent, it will not be beyond imagination to apprehend that blame for any untoward incident in Pakistan will be put squarely in the Indian lap,' fears Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
Run, Rabbit, Run
'My father is going to die tomorrow, at 10.30 am. That's when the doctors are finally, mercifully, going to disconnect his life-support system. He is in the ICU on this, the last night of his life and I am lying on a bench in the hospital lobby downstairs. It's funny the thoughts that pass through my mind as I keep this one final, lonely vigil.' Anvarali Khan's moving memoir.
Desperately seeking Bill
'Since General Musharraf assumed power, except Mullah Rabbani, head of the Taleban government, no important visitor has come to Pakistan. A visit by the sole superpower will be a great morale booster and provide legitimacy for his rule,' feels defence analyst Sreedhar.
'My uncle told Mrs Gandhi the PVC is not for officers, but soldiers'
'When I was in the Congress my uncle would always tell me he did not like
the party in which I was.' Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam recalls his uncle, General P P Kumaramangalam, the former aarmy chief who passed into the ages on Monday, March 13.
Chinks in the armour
Major projects for the development of missiles, armaments, Light Combat Aircraft, radar and electronic warfare systems languish in DRDO laboratories. So much so that the armed forces complain that DRDO is incapable of producing what they want. What ails India's premier defence research organisation? An investigation.
How fallible Washington's South Asia policy is to Islamabad's fears and foibles
'Can Pakistan deliver bin Laden or bring the Taliban leadership to the negotiating table? Not likely, because it has lost effective control over the jehadi outfits. It has gradually become a vortex of bilious religious irredentism in the region, creating a "Frankenstein" it cannot control,' says South Asia expert Dr Anupam Srivastava.
C'est la vie!
A record of the life on an aircraft carrier.
C'est la guerre!
Josy Joseph was there when the Indian Navy engaged the French in a mock war. An exclusive from aboard France's only aircraft carrier P A Foch.
There is no need for alarm bells to go off
'Shortening a training course means cutting out the "frills" ... this may slightly affect the officer's confidence in himself, but nothing to really be alarmed about. Life in the battalion will iron out these wrinkles!' says Colonel John Taylor (retd).
'The fallacy of showing the LOC as running northeast to the Karakoram Pass must be exposed'
Pakistan and the world must know that India's defence of the integrity of its own territory, including that within its own side of the LOC, is not and cannot be held to be escalatory and that the aggressor and his victim cannot be bracketed and placed on par. rediff.com presents the executive summary of the Kargil Review Committee report.
'The country can no longer afford such ad hoc functioning'
'An effective and appropriate national security planning and decision-making structure for India in the nuclear age is overdue, taking account of the revolution in military affairs and threats of proxy war and terrorism and the imperative of modernising the Armed Forces.' rediff.com presents the executive summary of the Kargil Review Committee report.
'Kargil highlighted the gross inadequacies in the nation's surveillance capability'
'Every effort must be made and adequate funds provided to ensure that a capability of world standards is developed indigenously and put in place in the shortest possible time.' rediff.com presents the executive summary of the Kargil Review Committee report.
'The Kargil battle was fought with less than optimum communications capability'
'Despite the challenge of terrorism over the past many years, the Indian Army and other security forces have lagged behind in the quality of their surveillance and communication equipment, although technologically superior equipment is readily available the world over. rediff.com presents the executive summary of the Kargil Review Committee report.
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