Delhi Gymkhana

Erasing Colonial Symbols Won't Feed India's Families: A Call for Economic Pragmatism

But tearing down a clubhouse will not lower a family's grocery bill or write a line of exportable code. India's chance to close the gap with the economies that outran it will not wait for a hearing date in September, and neither should the country's attention.

Taslima Nasrin’s Return and the Politics of Selective Protection

Taslima Nasrin’s homecoming deserves to be welcomed. A writer should be able to return to a city she considers home without fearing violence. The harder test will come when the symbolism fades. Will the government protect her if her criticism becomes inconvenient to the people now celebrating her return?

Jewish Footprints and Connections that Shaped Sri Lanka’s History

Today, the Chabad Houses in Colombo and on Sri Lanka's southern coast have attracted considerable attention amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and rhetoric. It is noteworthy that Colombo once had an active synagogue, which served as a regular place of worship for British Jewish servicemen World War II

Repositioning India as the Capital of Buddhist Tourism: A Blueprint for a Global Destination

Buddhist tourism as an important tool of India’s soft power. The shared Buddhist heritage can help develop cultural ties with Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, South Korea, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and several other Buddhist-majority nations through cooperation in archaeology, monk-to-monk dialogues, youth programs, academic exchanges, and cultural festivals

More on Soft Power, Culture and Society

Real Kashmir football club spread positivity with 'above and beyond' outreach program

Ever since their promotion to the I-League in 2018, Real Kashmir FC have emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Indian football -- with a key reason behind it being the passionate support of their fans in Jammu and Kashmir

Transgender dancer declared threat to peace in Pakistan, expelled from district

Helen of Troy meet Chahat from Kohat. In a development that appears straight out of a tragicomedy, a member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has ordered the expulsion of the transgender dancer from the district for being a ‘threat to law and order’

Pakistani actor Bilal Abbas Kha wants to be directed by Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj

Pakistani actor Bilal Abbas Khan feels Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has an amazing understanding of cinema, and hopes to work with the filmmaker

Story of Kashmir's little-known 1947 hero and a lesser-known poet

Among all Kashmiris, the historic failure of Pakistan's Operation Gulmarg -- an invasion through the tribal raiders from NWFP to occupy Maharaj Hari Singhs Jammu and Kashmir in October-November 1947 -- is attributed to the National Conference (NC) activist Maqbool Sherwani of Baramulla

Demolition of 70-year-old cinema hall in Kabul draws protests

The Kabul Municipality started the demolition of a 70-year-old Park Cinema Hall in the downtown area of Kabul, Tolonews reported. The decision regarding the demolition was taken last week in a meeting of first Vice President Amrullah Saleh with security officials

People in Tamil Nadu village celebrate Kamala Harris victory with sweets and firecrackers

As the news of Kamala Harris' election as the new US vice president poured in, people of Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu in southern India celebrated the occasion by bursting firecrackers and distributing celebratory sweets

Boys travel 70 km to play football in Meghalaya

"The thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football" -- this memorable quote by English writer Terry Pratchett encapsulates the passion that can be evoked by the sport

With virtual reality video-immersive experience, Mahatma Gandhi goes digital

Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan and Prahlad Singh Patel on Friday inaugurated a 360-degree video-immersive experience of digital exhibits on Mahatma Gandhi installed at Gandhi Darshan in Delhi's Rajghat

Meet Seema Iqbal, who broke glass ceiling in male-dominated 'shayari' circuit

In the male-dominated shayari circuit of India, Seema Iqbal has broken the glass ceiling, using the Urdu language and its vast nuances that made people take note of her poetic creativity

Horses, rhinos evolved from strange hoofed animal in India: US study

Hoofed animals like horses and rhinos evolved from a strange sheep-sized animal that looked like a cross between a pig and a dog and roamed in India almost 55 million years ago., researchers have claimed

Kids' ideas to fight Covid turned into prototypes

A long-distance hugging device, a door handle that sanitises itself and a smartwatch that beeps when someone comes too close to you

US returns stolen antiquities worth millions to Pakistan

The United States has returned 45 stolen pieces of antiquities worth approximately $250,000 dating back to the Gandhara period to Pakistan

Education has given tolerance, patience to Indian Muslims: Filmmaker Kamaludeen

Popular award-winning Malayalam film director Kamaludeen, popularly known as Kamal, feels education has uplifted the Muslim community, which has largely led to the tolerance and patience of the community even in the extremely adverse conditions in which they are moving ahead

Bangladeshi author Shaheen Akhtar wins Asian Literary Award

Bangladeshi author Shaheen Akhtar has been awarded the 3rd Asian Literary Award for her novel Talaash (Mowla Brothers, 2009), which depicts the lasting suffering of Birangona women—survivors of sexual violence during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war

Syed Abid Hussain helps stranded Indians return home

More than 100 people stranded overseas have returned to their homeland thanks to the efforts of Syed Abid Hussain, 36, popularly known as Bajrangi Bhaijaan in real life after the Salman Khan-starring blockbuster