Development, too, has been on Nitish’s priority list. The 
NDA government has built and repaired thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of bridges all across the state. “Earlier it used to take more than three hours to reach Patna from Arrah, which is just 60 km away. Now it takes just an hour because the road has been widened and re-laid,” says Vijay Manjul, an Arrah restaurant owner.
"If I have not brought the moon for the people of Bihar, I have certainly made Bihar a place where they can live and pursue their vocation fearlessly. This is my biggest achievement," Nitish said while releasing the progress report on his government’s four years in power. He completed four years in office on November 24, 2009.
The RJD-LJP combine has charged the Nitish government with corruption, misrule and criminalisation of power. "The people of the state have declared that the Nitish government has failed on all fronts," state RJD president Abdul Bari Siddiqui said while talking to TSI from Patna.
The RJD has asserted that reports of the CAG have exposed the hollowness of the claim of good governance. "Corruption has surfaced in most of the state's departments and the CM has failed to rein it in," RJD general secretary Ram Kripal Yadav told TSI. The RJD has released a “chargesheet” against the government.
Ram Kripal said the CM had told the Assembly that there would be more than 1,44,000 crore rupees of investment in the state, but there is nothing on the ground. The NCP has also released a “Black Paper” against the NDA government chastising it for widespread corruption and misrule. NCP leader Tariq Anwar has said that Nitish Kumar has been a complete failure as chief minister.
Countering the Opposition, the CM asserts that Bihar is poised to be one of the leading states in India. “The central government and other state governments have not only applauded some of the innovative schemes started by us but have adopted them as well,” Nitish says.
The Bihar government has been lauded by none other than the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who publicly said the state had made progress in the infrastructure, education and health sectors in the past four years. If Bihar kept up the momentum, it would achieve 8-9 per cent economic growth, he added.
NDA government has built and repaired thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of bridges all across the state. “Earlier it used to take more than three hours to reach Patna from Arrah, which is just 60 km away. Now it takes just an hour because the road has been widened and re-laid,” says Vijay Manjul, an Arrah restaurant owner."If I have not brought the moon for the people of Bihar, I have certainly made Bihar a place where they can live and pursue their vocation fearlessly. This is my biggest achievement," Nitish said while releasing the progress report on his government’s four years in power. He completed four years in office on November 24, 2009.
The RJD-LJP combine has charged the Nitish government with corruption, misrule and criminalisation of power. "The people of the state have declared that the Nitish government has failed on all fronts," state RJD president Abdul Bari Siddiqui said while talking to TSI from Patna.
The RJD has asserted that reports of the CAG have exposed the hollowness of the claim of good governance. "Corruption has surfaced in most of the state's departments and the CM has failed to rein it in," RJD general secretary Ram Kripal Yadav told TSI. The RJD has released a “chargesheet” against the government.
Ram Kripal said the CM had told the Assembly that there would be more than 1,44,000 crore rupees of investment in the state, but there is nothing on the ground. The NCP has also released a “Black Paper” against the NDA government chastising it for widespread corruption and misrule. NCP leader Tariq Anwar has said that Nitish Kumar has been a complete failure as chief minister.
Countering the Opposition, the CM asserts that Bihar is poised to be one of the leading states in India. “The central government and other state governments have not only applauded some of the innovative schemes started by us but have adopted them as well,” Nitish says.
The Bihar government has been lauded by none other than the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who publicly said the state had made progress in the infrastructure, education and health sectors in the past four years. If Bihar kept up the momentum, it would achieve 8-9 per cent economic growth, he added.
about the toughest biking roads. It would immediately remind the readers of the danger-fraught Leh-Manali road. Major Chetna Sharma, the mother of a four year old and wife of an Army officer, successfully led a motorcycle expedition team on the same precarious route with fourteen other male colleagues. She is a serving officer of the Corp of Signals of the Indian Army. For her, duty comes first.
I've never done it. I have no plans to celebrate it this year either. This day will be like another day for me.
a Tamil family which had moved abroad fearing anti-Tamil riots. I spoke at a small gathering on the topic 'Tamil Nadu media and the issues of Sri Lankan Tamils'. As elsewhere, here too the people were less than forthcoming in talking about the post-war situation. But I could understand why this was; also why the few who spoke were so upset with the way Tamil politicians in Tamil Nadu hoped the reports of Prabhakaran being alive were true, and along with these the possibility of renewed war.
leather, the wind in the hair and the throb between the legs (the bike, that is) is considered the greatest of kicks? Or, the one where the ultimate high is claimed to be afforded by cushy upholstery allowing for a liberating “I’m-in-control” moxie even as the engine makes the 5000 rpm sound and unleashes the studs..? “I dig both worlds,” says the man whose job is the envy of every auto enthusiast. Bijoy Kumar, Editor of Business Standard Motoring magazine, despite his best efforts to be neutral, lets slip his bias for bikes when he says, “Cars are good wife material but motorcycles are full blown affairs you never want to let go!” Tarun Sachar, however, minces no words when it comes to promoting “automotive nirvana”. This petrolhead at Team-BHP – India’s largest automobile community whose raison d’etre is to redline the Indian car scene – sounds dangerously loyal when she (oh yes!) says, “Size counts! Cars, being bigger and better, exude power, confidence and luxury and have the capability of trampling any puny little thing that comes their way (multiplier effect for SUVs).” So does ‘bigger’ really mean ‘better’? The bikers are not breaking into a sweat just yet.
1948 had already dealt a heavy blow to the newly-formed nation. The assassination of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan on October 16, 1951, at a public meeting at Municipal Park, (now Liaquat Bagh), Rawalpindi, plunged the country into a serious constitutional, political and identity crisis. “After Jinnah, Khan was the only leader with nationwide standing. His murder shifted leadership to regional satraps. These leaders had their support base in one province or another. This leadership found it difficult to create consensus on constitution-making cutting across boundaries. Pakistani politics got fragmented as a result,” Dr Hasan Askari-Rizvi, Pakistan’s top defence analyst and a distinguished scholar told TSI. The uncertainty and chaos that engulfed Pakistan after Liaquat’s assassination under mysterious circumstances could be gauged from the fact that between 1947 and 1958, Pakistan had as many as seven prime ministers from different political parties and groups. Palace intrigues became the order of the day.
invited to preview book reading sessions, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for which she set her fastest record at 4251 words per minute!) and more recently, The Lost Symbol, in London. A teacher of accelerated learning courses and an author too, Anne shares the tricks of the trade with Indira Parthasarathy…
of the Bhakra–Nangal project to the nation, he had said: “This dam has been built with the unrelenting toil of man for the benefit of mankind and, therefore, is worthy of worship.” However, there are many who are now questioning the Nehruvian model of development. The Narmada Bachao Andolan says the Narmada project will displace more than 200,000 people apart from damaging the fragile ecology of the region. In 1947, India had 300 large dams. By the year 2000, the number rose to over 4000, more than half of them built between 1971 and 1989. India is today ranked third in the world in dam building, after US and China. But can we do without that distinction? 
to me as a river from which I am withdrawn like a log after a flood.” This is how Rudyard Kipling described the Grand Trunk Road, which is the very heartline of the Indian subcontinent. No other road can match the history, culture and spirit of this road that links Kolkata to Kabul in a 1,600-mile stretch. The foundation of the road was laid in the Mauryan period, In the 16th century, it was rebuilt afresh by Emperor Sher Shah Suri. The Sadak-e-Azam, as it was then known, is universally recognised as the precursor of GT Road. The road bears testimony to the famed unity in diversity of India. Moti Mahal on Great Queen Street, London, celebrates a special GT Road gourmet fare that includes Qabali Seviyan, Barra Peshawari, Aloo Sialkoti, Lucknow Makhmali Seekh and much more! 
ochre-coloured robes, represent an aspect of India that is ageless. These ascetics and itinerant monks roam the cities, towns, and ghats of India in search of salvation. They have done so for centuries. Their bodies and foreheads are often smeared with ash and vermilion. They survive primarily on alms though many are attached to akhadas located in various holy places like Banaras and Haridwar. Usually, they are masters of yoga and can perform some tricks. 
Vishnu. More than 4.5 crore pilgrims flock to this hill shrine for 60 days every year. “Sabarimalai temple of Lord Ayyappa, Kerala, is the most famous Hindu pilgrim centre in south India and is the second largest pilgrim gathering centre in the world after Mecca,’’ says a senior journalist Babu Krishnakala. The temple is at least 4000 to 4500 years old. 
pi Hotels was first started by Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins of coastal Karnataka. Udupi hotels are famous for their idli, vada and dosa. Udupi hotels were once confined to Bangalore and Mumbai. Now we see them even in Varanasi, Rishikesh and Manali. They are everywhere. Udupi hotels have now transformed themselves to keep pace with the fast food era. In Bangalore, ‘Darshini’a a new avatar of the Udupi joint, opened its doors. 
everything from idli-dosa and chhole-kulche to aloo-tikki, kathi rolls and jhalmuri, not to mention an indigenous variety of chowmien that smells more of Chandni Chowk than China. They mushroom at any spot in a city that promises brisk business: outside colleges and offices, around fair grounds and in the heart of busy markets. The variety of cuisine is as remarkable as the quality on offer. Street food vendors are among India's most enterprising businessmen - they rustle up anything the sells, alter their inventory whenever necessary and are quick on their feet, moving from one place to another in search of greener pastures. And there is nobody to beat the ubiquitous panipuri wallah. Variously called phuchka, gupchup and gol-gappa, this delicious concoction is probably the hottest selling of the lot. It's a gastronome's delight, but a strong digestive system is an absolute must.
paramilitary force of India, it was last year when Anil was finally selected to join the elite NSG or National Security Guard on deputation. His eyes had then glowed at the very thought of wearing the black uniform and be part of one of the world’s best anti-terror units. The high rejection rates of 70-75% notwithstanding, Anil scalped through all hurdles to emerge as a toughened commando ready for any eventuality. Yet when 26/11 happened last year, the likes of him were not given the clarion call for duty. It was the chaps from army in NSG who handled it on their own while many like him, in spite of wearing the coveted black uniform, having the same rigours of training, were engaged in roles of VIP protection from the very beginning. As a professional, for him duty is duty but deep inside a few unanswered questions like ‘why are the army chaps never put to VIP protection duty or why men like him are never assigned works in the likes of 26/11 hostage rescue operations, hurts and haunts him. For, he at heart knows there’s nothing that an Army chap in NSG does, which he cannot.
JD(S) that had performed poorly are trying their best to improve their tallies. And to that effect, they are banking on dynasty. Some of Congress candidates were born into families that have been in politics for long. Priyank Kharge is the son of Union Minister S Mallikarjuna Kharge; Priya Krishnappa is son of Congress MLA, M Krishnappa and TK Yogeesh is son of former Congress MLA TM Krishnappa. None of them is a fresher or downwardly mobile. This time parties (particularly the Congress) have encouraged only those young leaders who are somebody’s close kin. It seems that the Congress perchance has taken the dynastic route to play it safe; although DK Shiva Kumar, KPCC working president, does say, “We are not for dynastic politics. The candidates who are contesting in the five constituencies are all party workers. We fielded them because they did good work for the party"
idea of a sovereign Khalistan – it has never been an election issue – there are radical pockets in Canada, Europe and the US that continue to battle for “the cause”. In all three countries the pro-Khalistan movement remains alive through rallies and conventions, and the Internet has copious material on the controversial subject.
curve, many companies jumped onto the bandwagon of establishing their ‘presence’ on Second Life. This amounted to little more than just a nice-looking static 3D space, very much resembling an extension of themes and concepts used in the companies’ existing 2D websites. The expectation was ‘if we build it… people will come’, completely ignoring the basic fact that a user needs a compelling reason to visit a virtual location just as he does to visit a company’s website. This saw many major companies like American Apparel, Wells Fargo, Armani, Dell, et al launch huge campaigns and see them fail.
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