About five years ago, when Financial Times journalist and author Victor Mallet began living in Delhi, he was shocked to discover that the Yamuna -- "this beautiful river of Indian legend and art" -- was chocked with untreated sewage and industrial waste after it had passed through the city on its way to Mathura, Agra and on to join the Ganga at Allahabad. He wondered "how a river so sacred to so many Indians could also be so polluted and neglected" and then set out to record the plight of the Ganga.


'It is not impossible to clean the Ganga, but it's very difficult'


IANS Automatic

Motherhood transcends gender. Unconditional love knows no caste barriers.


Transwomen turn teachers for Dalit children in Bengal (Social Feature)


A few days ago, this columnist was using an ATM machine while travelling and it warned me to "beware of robbery attempts" while simultaneously stealing my money through ridiculous bank fees.


Getting away with crimes (The Funny Side)


Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan may have stopped making headlines every other day but his tenure is enough inspiration for leading thriller writer Ravi Subramanian to pen a novel with RBI governor at its centre and demonetisation perhaps its climax.


RBI Governor at centre of Ravi Subramanian's next thriller


Eminent artist Jatin Das is all set to exhibit a staggering 500 portraits -- many of which have never been on display before -- at Lalit Kala Akademi here.


Jatin Das to exhibit 500 portraits at Lalit Kala Akademi


In India's fertile mobile landscape, dominated by Chinese manufacturers (along with South Korean giant Samsung at the top) an urge to obtain "signature" handsets has charmed buyers from diverse fields -- from telecom honchos to cricket moguls, from Bollywood heartthrobs to now e-commerce giants.


Will Flipkart's own smartphone capture a billion hearts? (Tech Trend)


An exclusive photo exhibition is being organised by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust to commemorate the centenary of the former Prime Ministers birth.


Photo exhibition to mark Indira Gandhi's centenary year


The literary scene was quite different when Bookaroo -- Indias first childrens literature festival -- began its humble journey. This year, it turns 10 and over 60 award-winning writers, illustrators, poets and storytellers, from 18 countries will enthrall young audiences here.


India's first children's literature festival turns 10, host of activities on offer


For Ghazala Tasneem, October 31 was not a normal day. It was the day her dream came true and she was rewarded for her hard struggle of three years. She was selected for the Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination with 65th rank and can soon aspire to be a judge.


Winds of change: Muslim girls embrace education, aim high (IANS Special Series)


Announcing the launch of Future Relics, an interactive installation that takes participants on a shared journey, connecting the past with the present whilst looking to the future, Google Arts and Culture unveiled its first lab experiment in India on Friday.


Google Arts and Culture unveils its first lab experiment in India


One of the most sought-after destinations for tourists visiting Uttarakhand, Nainital has remained an abode of eternal charm, but very few are aware of the Lok Sanskriti Sangrahalaya, a private museum in Bhimtal that houses several rare art objects. Its owner, now in his late 70s, continues to strive day and night on its upkeep.


Preserving local culture through a unique museum


One of the most anticipated festival of arts for children, "Indradhanush Dilli" is all set to return to the Capital for its tenth edition. Organised by Society for the Upliftment of National Arts of India (SUNAINA), in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, the six-day event will see a plethora of events taking place.


Indradhanush Dilli returns to Delhi for 10th edition, to host numerous events for kids


For India's first blade-runner Major Devinder Pal Singh (retd), legendary Canadian athlete Terry Fox was a greater inspiration than world's most well-known prosthetics-enabled athlete, South African Oscar Pistorious, who is currently in prison for murdering his girlfriend.


Canadian amputee athlete Terry Fox inspired India's first blade runner (Human Interest Feature)


Armed with just water bottles and sticks, a group of poor tribal women in Muturkham village of Purbi Singhbhum district of Jharkhand trekked miles to the sal forest that surrounded their habitat. Their mission: To save the forest from being plundered and denuded by the "forest mafia".


Women power: How a forest was saved from timber mafia (IANS Special Series)


Indian-born scientist Aruni Bhatnagar is all set to install a $14.50 million "unique urban laboratory" in the US that will study the effect of green plantations on combating cardiovascular diseases. His research interests include cardiovascular effects of environmental pollutants, atherosclerosis, injury from loss of blood to the heart muscle, cardiovascular complications of diabetes and sepsis.


Indian-born scientist attempts treating hearts via urban forests (Science Feature)


With the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Man Booker Prize -- the two most coveted literary honours -- having been awarded earlier in October, the literary season has indeed set in.


Five books to look forward to in November 2017


A reader notified me of a mass sex-change taking place in his country. Half the male fish in some British lowland rivers have female characteristics, and many can now lay eggs, research indicates.


Transgender fish may have a message for us (The Funny Side)


For Nirmala Maurya, 32, running and managing the home became tedious and she began a different life swimming against the social current. For Nirmala, from Arjunpur Pathak village, her journey of self-reliance and financial independence began in 2010 when she was approached by Rangsutra, a community-owned craft company of over a thousand artisans from remote regions of India which boasts of "ensuring sustainable livelihoods and regular employment for rural artisans".


Empowering village women: An IKEA initiative


There is something about India's Northeast that makes it markedly different from the rest of India, and it's not just the Mongoloid features of its people. At the risk of offence to "mainstream" Indians, it's a much more civilised and cultured segment than the rest of the country.


Mizoram montage: Fierce civic pride of a former insurgent tribe (Travel Jottings)


Kishan Lal Ahir, a farmer in Ummedpura village of this district in southern Rajasthan, is a happy man today as he can sow two crops a year instead of the one he used to due to water scarcity.


Bounty in the pits: Water conservation trenches change face of Rajasthan villages


A reader said she saw me in her city. "But I've never been there," I said. "I just have a common face."

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