The little-known Brokpa tribals of Ladakh, who claim to have been vegans for some 2,200 years of their existence, are slowly opting for an alternative diet including dairy products, eggs and meat -- thanks to climate change.


Climate change effect: Ladakhi tribe no longer vegan


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Little did Himalayan landscape photographer Ashok Dilwali's late father realise the creative juices he was unleashing when he presented to his son a Baby Brownie camera when he was just eight. Today, his oeuvre comprises a staggering 25 publications -- the latest came out last month -- the bulk of them on the Himalayas and half a dozen on religious and philosophical themes.


A photographer's quarter-century Himalayan obsession


At a time when the English publishing industry is booming in the country, writers in Indian languages claim that it is difficult for them to make a living through writing alone. But this has neither subdued their interest nor do they ever plan to quit writing, even if that means writing for a single reader.


Against all odds: Where poetry is passion and not profession


"I like our situation very much," wrote English novelist Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra describing the profound impact that Bath had upon her first visit.


Jane Austen's city: Roman-built baths and elegant spas still entice (Travelogue)


From Johnny Lever's "Johny Aala Re", Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shekhar Suman judging "Laughter Challenge" to the popular "Comedy Nights with Kapil" -- comedy in India, like most other fields, has largely been male dominated. But women are slowly taking centrestage, say content makers and comedians.


Queens of comedy: Breaking stereotypes on the humour circuit


Is your disability or health disorder coming in the way of leading a normal social life or settling down? If so, take a leaf out of the lives of scores of such people who have come together on a social platform to help themselves find a suitable life partner or simply have a good time.


Where people with disabilities, health disorders find a match (Lifestyle Feature)


Social networking platforms have dramatically changed the way we communicate. The next wave is here in enterprise social networks to help employees, partners, buyers/sellers and other stakeholders collaborate in real-time, brainstorm, mitigate fears and get quick responses.


How Microsoft's 'Kaizala' leads enterprise social networks (Tech Trend)


While Arundhati Roys comeback novel has once again made the cut for the just announced Man Booker Prize longlist, the other books that are running for the 50,000 pound award make it one of the most diverse lists in the race for a literary award in the recent years.


Neck and neck race for Man Booker, too close to call for Arundhati Roy 


There was a time when Urdu couplets written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Ghalib were read from books or heard at 'mushairas' (poetry recitations). But now a Delhi-based artist is giving a pop-culture twist to Urdu literature by taking it to t-shirts, coffee mugs and posters.


Promoting Urdu through visual arts 


Prakash Chandra Azad, a native of Bihar who comes from the Mahadalit community and works with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), is now doing well and leading a happy and prosperous life.


Bihar Mahadalits gain jobs with fluent spoken English


There is an endless splendour of natural beauty that would strike you on a visit to Meghalaya. Thick pine forests, green hills, countless waterfalls gushing down the slopes, low-hanging clouds and the like. One, however, also cannot miss the passion of the ordinary people -- their love for potted plants, for instance. Or modified cars.


Meghalaya and modified automobiles - an age-old love affair (Lifestyle Feature)


Fiction and nonfiction, the two conventional genres of literature, are distinct in their narratives, structure and style. But acclaimed writer Amitava Kumar has challenged this "fixed distinction" in his new novel, saying he wanted to "mess with" it.


Wanted to mess with distinction between fiction and nonfiction: Author Amitava Kumar


Even though six of India's least developed states -- among eight high-focus states in government jargon -- spent more on education per elementary school student in 2014-2015 when compared to 2011-2012, learning outcomes of students did not improve, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of expenditure data and learning outcomes.


More money for education in key states, but little progress in learning


Olive oil is a gift of God, especially due to the numerous health benefits it offers. It is a gold standard when it comes to edible oil.


Busting four myths about olive oil


Over the next seven years, India could save $5 billion (Rs 33,500 crore) in healthcare and related costs if it eliminates child marriage and early childbirth, according to a new report by the World Bank and International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), a global research institute.


Economic case for ending child marriage, early birth


Noted Italian geologist and cave explorer Francesco Sauro, who has led successful expeditions to one of the world's oldest cave systems in Venezuela's Tepui mountains, is gearing up to explore the "lost world" in India's Meghalaya, which harbours some of the longest and deepest cave systems in the world.


Italian speleologist set to explore Meghalaya's caves


Tragedy struck this widow twice in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. First, she watched her husband die of snakebite. Then, her young son was mauled to death by a Royal Bengal tiger.


Rebuilding lives of Sundarbans' 'tiger widows' (Societal Feature)


A look at the top 10 highest-selling "Crime, Thriller and Mystery" writers on Amazon India introduces us to the likes of Agatha Christie, Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon and James Patterson. The only two Indian writers in the list are Ashwin Sanghi and Ravi Subramanian.


Of murders and unpredictable twists: Author Ravi Subramanian on thriller writing


Standing by a lake, with forested hills on one side and snow-capped Himalayan peaks on the other, was an unforgettable moment for me in Pokhara, the picturesque Nepalese city that is arguably its tourism capital.


A lake, forests, mountains...Pokhara has many delights (Travelogue)


Brutally sidelined by critics, made fun of by several headline authors and even rejected for its "average and below-average" standard of writing, the continued rise of popular fiction in India is a story of optimism against an elitist point of view.


This monsoon, it's raining romances for readers of popular fiction


Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh's capital city recently launched India's first fully-automated bicycle-sharing system as part of its second anniversary of the Smart Cities programme. This development comes just three weeks after Mysuru, Karnataka launched the country's first city-level bicycle-sharing project.

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