Vagator, one of Goa's more picturesque beaches and a stunning backdrop for Bollywood cult classics like "Dil Chahta Hai", is in the news for the wrong reason.


Bad news dogs Goa's picture-perfect Vagator beach (Environment Feature)


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What V. More (name changed), a tourist from Mumbai, was fantasizing about was soft, feminine hands kneading his shoulderblades and his back, slick with aromatic oil.


Sex, lies and Goa's massage parlours (Feature)


It is Sunday and in a park in south Delhi's Shahpur Jat urban village, a 17-year-old boy is talking about the environment, hygiene and sanitation to a discerning audience of children. It is not an unusual activity, but a weekly classroom session offering holistic education to the deprived and those studying in government schools.


Youth choose innovative ways for community service (Feature)


A colleague recently visited Lahore to cover a fashion show. She enjoyed her sojourn but experienced a poignant episode when returning which she immortalised on Facebook. "An incident that made me feel bad about the existence of a border between India and Pakistan...There was a 60-year-old man who touched Indian soil and started crying the moment he crossed the border today. Reason - he was not given a visa for the past 28 years to meet his son in Kolkata and today he got that... Are government policies more important than human emotions?"


This near and yet so far: India/Pakistan travelogues by Indians/Pakistanis (Column: Bookends)


Picture this: Robots braving bullets while ferrying weapons and ammunition to soldiers on the battle front. Or, a robotic arm resembling the human variety that can work in hazardous areas like blast furnaces. Students at IIT-Roorkee are swotting to turn these ideas into reality.


Onward robotic soldiers: IIT students pioneer cutting-edge research  (Technology Feature)


He is hailed as a "god" by children of poor tribals of Odisha, a man who sought to overcome the deprivation of his childhood to build an impressive institution that is now one of the state's pride and a beacon hope for thousands of tribal families.


One man's extraordinary mission to uplift tribal children (Education Feature) 


A new initiative has India partnering with African countries to empower African women by developing skills that already exist within them.


India-Africa initiative empowering African women 


Hunger pangs of people in non-metro cities and towns across the country are driving up the online food business.


Feeling hungry? Go online! (Foodie Trail)


Criminal behavior can be changed by imparting education. Towards this, the capital's Tihar Jail, one of the largest in Asia, is vigorously conducting a literacy campaign among its teeming inmates, 20 percent of whom are unlettered and a staggering 65 percent have not even studied till Class  10.


Educating the criminal mind: Tihar shows a way out (Education Feature)


Vertical farming, drip irrigation, soil solarisation and the like were terms that mystified Deepak Khatker, a 40-year-old farmer, when he first visited the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables here a couple of years ago. Intrigued, he adopted the Israeli farming skills and, within months, saw production increase a staggering five-fold.


Revolutionising Indian farming - with Israeli technology (Agriculture Feature/With Images)


Over five years after their houses were washed away by the Kosi river in the worst floods in Bihar in half a century, Karee Devi and Ramji Das - and hundreds of others like them - are still awaiting the construction of their houses under the state government's rehabilitation and reconstruction project.


Five years on, hundreds of Bihar flood victims await homes  (Feature)


India is helping in the empowerment of African women through a unique initiative being undertaken in coordination with the internationally-renowned National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.


India's basket programme empowers African women (Feature)


Sakshi (name changed) was just 13 years old when she was sexually assaulted by a relative who had come to live with her and her family in their south Delhi home.


Sexual assault can cause behavioral changes in children (Social Feature)


Just as you leave the Mall, the hill station's main shopping street, towards the chief minister's official residence, the narrow road meanders its way to a heritage hotel owned by the erstwhile royal family of Jubbal that has an enduring link to Bollywood.


Ex-royal who has seen both sides of Bollywood (Cinema Feature)


As they rejoice over timely snowfall that ensures the perennial water reservoirs of the Valley would not run dry this summer, the harsh winter has also evoked among Kashmiris a sense of absolute dependence on the outside world for essential supplies.


Amid snowfall, Kashmiris realize dependence on outside world (Environment Feature)


December-January is the season when the rest of the world descends on Goa. The local real-estate market heats up; so does the entertainment sector and the focus on Goa's vibrant if less controversial food culture. No wonder then that we are seeing food-related books make it to the market at this time of the year.


Who's where on the Goan food map (Foodie Trail)


Hope is at hand for an Indian gynaecologist who has worked for 45 years in Ghana without a permanent residency permit and is currently being sheltered in the ward of a local hospital.


An Indian doctor who devoted her lifetime to Ghana (Feature)


Bollywood is a man's world, they say. But female screen scorchers like Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha surprised the audiences and critics with their performances this year, while others like Nimrat Kaur and Huma Qureshi impressed with their finesse in non-commercial outings.


Actresses who stood out among Bollywood's men (2013 in Retrospect)


Economic slowdown, inflationary pressures, volatility in foreign exchange and stock markets, together with liquidity crunch and costly debt, took a toll on India's real estate sector in 2013, with investor sentiment taking a severe beating despite a number of reform initiatives undertaken by the government.


Despite key reforms, India's realty industry remained stressed (2013 in retrospect) (Special to IANS)


Non-fiction ruled the roost in 2013, with many revelations the works threw up making for screaming headlines . These juicy tidbits also helped in boosting sales across India.


A year when non-fiction made headlines (2013 in Retrospect)


Typical saas-bhau or family dramas have outlived their sell-by date! The collapse of "Chhanchhan" and "Dil Ki Nazar Se Khoobsurat" sent out a loud and clear message that viewers want fresh and innovative content.

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