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.


Affection to defection: No room for run-of-the-mill TV shows (2013 In Retrospect)


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The $1.8-trillion Indian economy suffered its worst slowdown in over a decade with growth below 5 percent for four straight quarters, amid threats of a ratings downgrade, even as policymakers and analysts now feel the worst may be over and the country will steadily move towards a higher rate of expansion.


Indian economy logged lowest growth in a decade (2013 in Retrospect)


The resilient $270-billion plus Indian IT industry returned to the higher growth trajectory in 2013 and is hoping to gain momentum in the ensuing year for a greater share of the global multi-billion dollar outsourcing market.


Higher growth returns to Indian IT industry (2013 in Retrospect)


With over 900 million telephone connections, India remained the world's second largest telecommunications market in 2013, recovering from the bumpy ride the year before, but made little progress to jump to the next generation of services.


Transition year for Indian telecom's growth story (2013 in Retrospect)


The Indian rupee was among the worst performing currencies this year, hitting a record low of 68.85 against the dollar due to the weak domestic economy and speculation over scaling back of stimulus, or extra printing of notes, by the US.


Rupee suffers reality check, speculation hits further (2013 in Retrospect)


The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund may have written off gold as an investment option but the yellow metal shows no sign of losing its sheen in India. In 2013, not only did gold prices witness an upward march to touch Rs.34,600 per 10 grams, the demand also remained somewhat intact.


Minor blemishes apart, gold still shines for Indians (2013 in Retrospect)


Asma Naseem began her primary education in 1990 in a small village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. Six months after she started going to her two-room school, her family decided that she deserved a better education. Her father then shifted, with four-year-old Asma, to Delhi.


Jamia: The brave new face of Muslim girls (Special Feature)


Emotions speak louder than words! Google India's crossborder friendship ad or jewellery brand Tanishq's latest commercial about second marriage are cases in point - these few seconds-long human stories are not only touching hearts and minds of all age groups but indicate how corporate social responsibility (CSR) has evolved.


Indian ad world: Emotions are the new rational (Business Feature)


Three years ago, Fatimahbehn had to travel a minimum of 10 km to buy groceries from her village situated in the far western arid land of Gujarat's Kutch district. Today, she has opened her own shop - thanks to a CSR initiative by food and agriculture major Cargill to improve the social and economic status of women in her village of 641 inhabitants.


Writing new chapters in a Kutch village's history


People of Indian origin holding high positions in the Obama administration:


The President's Men of Indian origin (To go with All the President's 'Desi' men and women)


As Nisha Desai Biswal officially became Washington's first Indian-American pointperson for South and Central Asia last week, her boss mentioned that she is known as "somebody who speaks softly and carries a big stick".


All the President's 'Desi' men and women (Special Feature)


"Contemporary black-and-white cinema...why not?" exclaim a clutch of international filmmakers who have opted to make their feature film debuts with black-and-white cinema that exquisitely weaves in light and shadow effects to create magic from monochrome.


Magic from monochrome: International filmmakers debut with B/W films (Cinema Trends)


Barkha (name changed) was just 12 when she came to Delhi from West Bengal to work as a domestic help, her only option to escape the life of grinding poverty back home. She started working as a maid at the home of a doctor in West Delhi, and hoped her life would change for the better.


Battered housemaids: Growing trend, violated rights


As saffron flowers bloom and farmers begin harvesting  the royal spice, the fields in this south Kashmir town are a riot of  colour and fragrance these days.


Riot of colour, fragrance in Kashmir's saffron fields (Environment Feature)


He was a rickshaw puller and she was a celebrity author. There was no way Manoranjan Byapari would have met Mahasweta Devi. But destiny willed otherwise.


A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books


Over five decades ago, an aggressive trade union leader, George Fernandes, was tired and famished after leading a day-long agitation of taxi drivers.


Meet Mumbai's rags-to-riches Restaurant King (Foodie Trail)


With the wind and solar energy sector taking off in India, experts say it's time that the biogas initiative gained momentum. And with the advent of German technology coupled with Indian engineering, the synergy ensures the "best of both worlds" for the nation.


Indo-German biogas plant: Best of both worlds  (Environment Feature)


People are trying to become more innovative this Diwali while gifting relatives and contacts with more personalised stuff.  And e-commerce is playing a pivotal role in this.


Personalised, innovative gifts this Diwali


Twenty-five-year-old Raies Khan and Kheta Khan, 37, are among the younger generation of Manganiyars, a professional caste of Muslim musicians, whose international sojourns haven't just given them recognition and many wonderful memories but determination to evolve with changing times and adapt to contemporary musical notes.


Rajasthan's Manganiyars: Changing tunes with changing times


Manganiyar women are not allowed to perform on public platforms. But defying age-old rigid tradition that Rajasthan's musician community is associated with, Maangi Bai has carved a niche for herself in the men's world. She says where there is a will there is a way.


Guts and glory: Manganiyar women singers break with tradition (Feature, with images)


Fossilised dinosaur bones and eggs of gigantic creatures that  measured around 18-20 metres and weighed 10-13 tonnes, have been discovered from the Salbardi area, around 60 km from here in eastern Maharashtra, a geologist said here Saturday.

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