Even after giving almost 40 years of his life to government service, retired civil servant S.K. Misra felt his work was still not complete. The former bureaucrat felt that the experience he had gained and the reputation he had built could be better used for public service. Thus began his second innings.


A retired civil servant's tireless quest to preserve rural heritage (IANS Special Series)


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Mumbai-based Shantadevi, once a meek woman disowned by her husband, soon sat atop a colossal drug empire she built over decades. Her real-life story opens the new thriller "Queens of Crime" where Sushant Singh, host of crime-based TV series "Savdhaan India", and his co-author Kulpreet Yadav decipher what sends women down the road of crime.


Crime not men's monopoly, Sushant Singh on debut crime book


Most Indians may still need a push to visit art galleries and museums, but when the national capital's favourite commuting mode Metro Rail doubles up as a contemporary art gallery itself, it is not uncommon to see Delhiwallahs stop, look and even click an occasional selfie.


Art of commuting: Delhi metro stations double up as art galleries (Art Feature)


It's home to the world's first revolving cable car, a glacier cave, a Cliff Walk over Europe's highest suspension bridge, a multi-seater open-to-the-sky Ice Flyer chair lift and a glacier park - to name just a few of its attractions.


Indians flock to Switzerland's Engelberg-Titlis multi-activity mountain trail (Travelogue)


Croatia-born Bharatanatyam danseuse Nikolina Nikoleski, who was encouraged to pursue dance forms and sports from childhood, finds to her delight that more and more Indian youngsters are taking to physical expression.


'Physical expression now encouraged among Indian youth'


This weekend, journey into the innermost chambers of the diary and mind of renowned Indian poet-scholar A K Ramanujan; Hop onto a train - or eighty - that take you around the world; And finally, begin the 100-day sojourn to a healthier and well-exercised brain.


A weekend of unusual journeys (IANS Books This Weekend)


The diary of Anne Frank, a young chronicler of the horrors of the Nazis' genocide of the Jews, offers a beacon of hope - and humanity - to the millions who read her thoughts, written while hiding with her family for two years before being betrayed and sent to the death camps. Reflecting on her life 75 years after her arrest, and death, is a travelling exhibition that has come briefly to Delhi.


A look at the Holocaust through Anne Frank's eyes


Launched in 1959, the French comic classic 'Asterix' boasts having sold an unmatched 370 million copies in more than 100 languages. After capturing the global comics market, the series is now available for Hindi readers - after five years of painstaking translation.


Now, Hindi innings for French bestseller Asterix comics


Polo, often thought of as a game of the rich, has also been generally dominated by men. However, a quiet revolution is taking place at the very place where it all started - the northeast Indian state of Manipur, which is considered the birthplace of modern polo.


How polo-playing Manipuri women are breaking barriers, leading a quiet revolution (IANS Special Series)


The plight of refugees and their constant state of movement and instability became the central theme of "1 Sq Ft", a contemporary dance act by Manipuri choreographer Surjit Nongmeikapam, who was first inspired by the horrors of the World World II wreckage in Manipur.


Manipuri dancer explores human cost of war


In a packed auditorium, a short film begins with the opening scene of a young woman worried about attending a meeting with her injured foot. Her friend cautions her that if she does not wear high heels she wont be able to make a good impression. The woman heeds the advice but even before she can make it to the meeting, she stumbles and her heels fall off.


Budding talent: Filmmaking gives freedom, confidence to young girls (IANS Special Series)


A chance meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2015 in New Delhi inspired Bengaluru-based Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej to dedicate his life and music to the cause of environment.


How a chance meeting with PM inspired this Grammy winner to dedicate music to environment (IANS Special Series)


"For one sip of water, we create permanent plastic junk," artist Arunkumar H.G. remarked about 100-ml bottles that are part of our high-consumption lifestyle.


Gurugram artists create eye-opening art installations from plastic trash


From tribal hamlets to Paris, Araku coffee has come a long way and is set to lure the taste buds of New York's coffee aficionados this year.


From tribal hamlets to world markets: The amazing journey of Araku coffee (Business Feature)


Publishing one's first novel is often more complicated than what the process may seem but Neel Mullick, whose "Dark Blossom" -- endorsed by veteran writer Ruskin Bond -- has just hit the stands, says that there is "no substitute for great storytelling".


No substitute for great storytelling: Debutant novelist


One often thinks of Indian prisons as dingy, cramped cells with their mean and often dehumanised inmates waiting for redemption. So it comes as a surprise when a group of prisoners takes to stage and gets applauded for performing a play written by Rabindranath Tagore or when paintings made by inmates are appreciated by art connoisseurs and get sold at art exhibitions for thousands of rupees.


How art is reforming prisoners, giving them second chance at life (IANS Special Series)


Ever dreamt of adopting a lion, a crocodile or a Himalayan black bear or any wild animal?


Adopt an animal at Tripura Zoo (Societal Feature)


For five days every January the Pink City of Jaipur becomes the centre of attraction as literary stalwarts from India and abroad assemble in huge numbers -- spanning languages, genres and themes -- to participate in the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). This has been happening for over a decade.


Kolkata takes on Jaipur in literary face-off


Private lessons that leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma has been imparting to billionaires and celebrities have now found their way into his new book "The 5 AM Club", which the globally renowned author of "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", says can change the life of its readers.


One hour a day can change your life: Robin Sharma (IANS Interview)


As millions of devotees continue to gather in the Kumbh nagri to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, a timely book throws light on the "divine purity" of the Ganga, with its findings suggesting that the pious river has been synonymous with the "threshold of the afterlife" since time immemorial.


Ganga synonymous with threshold of afterlife, says new book


You could be fined Rs 2,000 for drinking beer on a Goa beach, but thanks to an innovative green initiative, 10 beer bottle caps or 20 used cigarette butts can fetch you a beer in Goa, if you exchange them at a pop-up waste-bar. The idea is to engage beach visitors in activities that create awareness about environment and conservation, while also cleaning the beaches.