With his first three-year term as a Member of Parliament in New Zealand behind him, Mumbai-born Mahesh Bindra is biding his time for the next phase of his engagement in his adopted country's public life.


Mumbai-born Mahesh Bindra hopes for 2nd term in NZ parliament (Diaspora Feature)


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Amritsar has always been famous for its rich food, but when international-level chefs descend on this Sikh holy city next month to fill the city with the aroma of their food art, it will be a culinary treat of a different kind.


In Punjab's food capital, international chefs to showcase culinary art (Food Feature)


Jazz -- a genre with the ability to embrace varied cultures -- has evolved exponentially in the past century-and-a-half and is today a major form of musical expression. But what is it that exactly gives a "jazzy characteristic" to a musical note?


From dance music to a vehicle of happiness, different ways to look at jazz (Music Feature)


South Asian countries may be in the late league of nations joining the bandwagon of literary prizes -- the likes of Booker and Pulitzer prizes are many decades old while the subcontinent's counterparts are just beginning to find a footing -- but the trends emerging from them show a staggering rise of women authors, writing on a multitude of themes, in diverse genres and languages.


Women writers come to fore in South Asia


If the ultimate test of good cooking is how easily mutton comes off the bone, the tony Indian Accent here, set amongst waterbodies and immense greenery, is way ahead of the pack.


'You've got to commune with your food, get your spirit into it' (Foodie Trail-Delhi)


When Roshan Lal, a 40-year-old rickshawpuller, got his son Rakesh admitted to a government school in Delhi, all he wanted for him was to get a decent education. Since he could not afford to pay for a private school, all that was on his mind was that "government school mein kuch toh seekh hi lega" (at least, he would learn something there).


How Delhi schools are revolutionising education, one teacher at a time (IANS Special Series)


As a child, Shubhangi Swarup, who has set off a whisper in the contemporary fiction space with her debut novel "Latitudes of Longing", was fascinated by the history of landscapes. Her mother, a poet herself, would often tell her that the mountains and seas are more connected than they seem, and to stand in the snow desert of Ladakh -- in the presence of marine fossils -- could spur anyone's imagination. But despite all the scientific evidence, she felt disbelief.


Human imagination has been trapped in rooms of our own creation: Novelist Shubhangi Swarup


Star hotel chefs are of two kinds -- one who turns adventurous at the request of a guest who says he is game for new dishes, and the other who does not like to veer away from the restaurant's menu card. At the newly opened Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa near here, one encounters chefs of the former kind.


Adventurous chefs, yummy food, four-hands tandem massage - bliss at Sheraton Grand (Foodie Trail-Chennai)


At first glance, it looked like an oversized brown puff bloated at the centre. Then, Executive Chef Simran Singh Thapar gently sliced away at the edges and lifted the lid to reveal a gently steaming spring chicken, the aroma taking one back to its origin, Kot Kapura in Punjab.


'Unsung Recipes of India' weave a nostalgic tale at Kiyan (Foodie Trail-Delhi)


The mere mention of Italian cuisine brings to mind the aroma of fresh herbs, savoury soft cheese, homemade pasta and Margherita pizza accompanied with some quality wine.


La Brezza's got what it takes but could do with some tweaking (Foodie Trail-Greater Noida)


In the race for a Smart City tag, heritage structures in Agra are under threat, stakeholders say. The haphazard growth of urban clusters encroaching on the free space around monuments and the alarming rise in pollution levels have compelled rethinking whether becoming a Smart City was the answer to Agras problems.


Smart City or Heritage City? That seems to be Agra's dilemma


For India's commercial real estate, which is reviving after around four years of downturn, the concept of co-working spaces, popular across many countries, is attracting businesses and is growing in demand.


Concept of co-working spaces catching on in India (Business Feature)


Read a travel book about treks and trips across the Himalayas; know the story of two strangers who never meet but are connected through a series of handwritten letters -- written by one and discovered by the other; learn how to live life through your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond; and train yourself to supercharge your brain and improve your memory drastically and immediately.


Of travels, mysterious connections, life beyond 40s and supercharged brains (IANS Books This Weekend)


Book: Note by Note: The India Story 1947-2017; Authors: Ankur Bhardwaj, Seema Chishti and Sushant Singh; Publisher: HarperCollins; Pages: 327; Price: Rs 499


Noteworthy: Journey of a nation weaved through melodious narrative (Book Review)


Born in San Francisco in 1970, life was anything but planned for Sita Kaylin, who started working as a stripper during her college days to earn money. Fifteen years on and she penned a tell-all memoir that sums up her journey so far -- "Anything But a Wasted Life".


The only person who can make you feel judged is you, says stripper in her memoir


An exhibition of vintage cameras and some turn-of-the-century images that throw light upon the life of a former Nepalese Prime Minister opened for public viewing at the India Habitat Centre here on Monday.


Vintage cameras, turn-of-the-century images on display in Delhi


In the #litfest age of selfies and celebrities, Bhutans annual literary retreat resonates with a mix of the old-world charm and the contemporary vibe. Set to take place in the coming week amid the surreal setting of Thimphu, the extravaganza will open its doors to over 75 eminent personalities from the fields of writing, film and theatre.


Blessed by Indo-Bhutan wealth, stage set for annual literary retreat in the Himalayas (Curtain Raiser)


"Between the guns and guards, there were two dogs called Sassy and Sophie who would run around the prime ministers house, and also Ritu, the cat," journalist Saba Naqvi writes in her recent book "Shades of Saffron" in describing Atal Bihari Vajpayees personal life from close quarters.


Of travels, crime thrillers and a lifelong association: Vajpayee beyond-the-usual


At a time when diplomatic exchanges between India and Pakistan are at a standstill and cultural initiatives across the border have taken a backseat, the literary space has become the avenue for exchange of ideas, thoughts and perspectives between the two rival nations separated at birth.


Books break barriers as Indo-Pak cultural exchanges diminish


A critical presence in an arts residency is a source of a counter opinion, and can be a real boon for young ideating artists, said Serendipity Arts Foundation Director Smriti Rajgarhia on housing a resident critic -- an under explored concept in the Indian arts ecosystem.


Inside an arts residency: How open spaces help young artists freely ideate


GoDaddy, the world's largest Cloud platform dedicated to small and independent ventures, is empowering small and medium businesses (SMBs) in tier 2 and 3 cities of India and, to its surprise, is finding young women more keen to learn the skills needed to go online.

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