The little boy stood all naked in the bathroom enjoying the warm water his mother was pouring on him, his ears taking in the Sanskrit verse imagining that the water from the brass bucket was a mix of waters from India’s seven holy rivers -- Ganga, Yamuna, Godawari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, and Cauvery. To the culturally uninitiated, the verse may appear like a poet’s imagination. But millions upon millions of Indians have found the words inscribed indelibly on their heads and hearts. No accurate ..

Fifty years ago, on December 16, 1971, the signing of the historic Instrument of Surrender paved way for the birth of a new nation Bangladesh. Soon, the world’s map changed. The region’s geography changed. As years passed by, geopolitical situation evolved, throwing open a plethora of issues that having a bearing on the regional dynamics. In the Swarnim Vijay ..

The 1971 India-Pakistan War, or Bangladesh Liberation War, is also referred to as ‘The Lightning Campaign’. For, since the first direct military confrontation began on December 3, 1971, it took only 13 days for the war to end. The war, which saw a well-synchronised action of forces from the Indian side, came to an end on December 16, 1971, with the Pakistani General Lt Gen AAK Niazi signing the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ in Dacca in presence of Indian General Lt Gen J S Aurora. To understand how the ..

Shubreet Kaur Q. I had an affair 10 years ago, we were in a relation. He broke with me due to incompatibility, I got married, but divorced due to domestic violence and other issues. Recently, I saw him on social media and contacted him. He is not responding to my messages but stalking, even my message box is full with messages like,missyour ex,doyoustillloveyour exfromunknown sources.Ionlywantedtoresolve somemisunderstandingthat’s whyI contacted,butIdon'twanthimasboyfriendagain.What will be the right ..

Y ears ago, when some of them started swimming, they were doing so against the current. They were only a handful, mostly mocked at by the larger society. Regardless, they persisted -- eventually attracting others, too, to join the difficult and even lonely swim. All they had in their favour was faith, an unshakable one. On its strength, they kept fighting the tide. Their numbers swelled slowly but surely. And in time, the current, too, changed its direction. Today, they swim in the direction of the ..

R omanticism never operates on the mechanics of objectivity. It blooms in a glow of delirium that a magical moment throws up with a sudden spurt. This nation of romantics experienced that moment in Tokyo when life tip-toed into an old flame to rekindle a love affair that India has had with the game of hockey. That intimacy is back with a Bronze! Love has blossomed, yet again. The Bronze medal Indian men’s hockey team has earned to end an excruciating pain of over four decades in Olympics has the potential ..

Q. I have known this for some time now. My mother has been cheating on my father. She has had many affairs over the years of which some were friends and some relatives. I can't understand what’s the problem with her. I even talked about this to her and she herself didn't know the answer. She keeps apologising to me about her past and I even decided to forgive her as I don't know what is the exact cause. But she drew the wrong conclusion to this and maybe she thinks I am supporting her to make new ..

Q. Hello mam. My daughter is currently doing her masters in clinical psychology. In future she wants to work as a professor and also wants to practice counselling in clinical setup as a part time job. But her first priority is to become a professor. She is preparing for NET as well. After completing her masters what shall she do first? MPhil or PhD? What would be better? Also, without RCI licence, can she practice as a psychologist in any hospital or other clinics?..

Q. I am from Chhattisgarh pursuing B.Sc Computer Science. My problem is that my mother is in an extra-marital affair since 6 months. I have listened to her conversations with that man and she don't know this. She confidently chit chat with him all day long and gets irritated if we ask her to do some work. She blindly believes the man and do whatever he says. I also talked to him over the phone when my mother requested me. She told me that they are good friends and know each other since childhood. ..

S D, Bhilai Q. I passed engineering a few years ago. I lost my good job during Corona and now with difficulty I found another one which is not in line with my specialty. I don’t enjoy the work; I work from home and they load it all on me. I hate it and want to leave it, but my family wants me to continue to suffer because of the money. Every day I have fights and I am feeling stressed and depressed. They shoot me down and ask me to continue. I hate everyone for doing this to me. Can you guide me, ..

The series of cyber attacks on financial capital Mumbai, National Stock Exchange (NSE), on the IT systems of two coronavirus vaccine-makers Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech in the last few months was assertion of China’s asymmetric warfare changing gears even as troops of both the countries go through the disengagement process at friction points in eastern Ladakh. ..

Q. I am in a friendship with a boy for 2.5 years. He is an influencer.We were communicating on social media, because of our jobs at different places.We broke due to misunderstanding and then again we reconciled. But I'm not close with him like before as I'm upset with the past damage. But suddenly I feel someone is stalking. Worst is requests for sex, physical relationship etc. I’m a decent girl. My friend is the culprit? Why is he doing so?..

Q. I am a student studying in Class 12. I have a major issue of concentration. Due to overthinking, I make up scenarios in my mind and keep thinking about it again and again. If I am going outside for a party or to my friend’s house that means I cannot study that day after coming back due to overthinking that moments and making scenarios in my head. I often compare myself with others and feel very upset as I am trying to be more social because..

Ans. I can appreciate your dilemma about enjoying reading books and writing stories and wanting to make a career in the same area. Your parents are interested in pushing you into a course of engineering and hence admitted you to IIT coaching. Since becoming an author and a successful one at that is a high- risk career option, most parents feel anxious about making it a career choice right away. There are many ways of going about it. One way is to get into English language and literature..

I t is this unwavering faith in the Divine Mother that gives many of us the strength to keep striving in life inspite of failures, big or small. But then, it is probably also the blind faith among some of us that makes them commit sins sans any remorse. Clinging on to positivism, given the world that we live in today, we definitely need the former clan to grow stronger. And what better time to seek Ma Durga’s blessings than the Durgotsava. In a land brimming with festivals, there are none like the ..

M illions saw the apple fall. But Newton asked why. Millions were aware of the fact that a chewing gum can easily be removed with a piece of paper and that this paper with the gum, after a point of time sets and hardens. But it was young Binish Desai, all of eleven years old then, who pondered and wondered why. His curiosity got the better of him, and it’s not without reason that we say that curiosity is the engine of achievement. For, it was this hard ball made of a mixture of chewing gum and paper ..

Q: You would say that everything appears to be fine with me -- a good job, apparent good health, a decent house, a fairly happy marriage, a little nice kid, and a career that often brings good news of pay hike or promotion, even in these COVID-19 times. I go to work -- from home. I spend whatever time with family. Yet, I have lost interest in things. I have lost appetite, and get disturbed when my wife pushes me to eat. My nights are spent staring in the darkness as I cannot enjoy sound sleep. I feel ..