There goes a story from the pre-independence India, when a very young revolutionary from Punjab was awaiting his turn to be sent to the gallows. This was Kartar Singh Sarabha, all of 19 years old and one of the 27 other revolutionaries to be punished for their alleged roles in Lahore Controversy. His grandfather came to meet him in Lahore jail. "Kartar Singh," he said, "We are not even sure that the country will benefit from your death. Why are you wasting your life?" In reply, Kartar Singh reminded his grandfather of certain relatives who died of Cholera, plague or other diseases. "So, would you want your grandson to die of an ailment instead? Is this death not a thousand times better than that?” He quizzed, rendering the old man speechless. (Read in Hindi)

This 1869-batch ICS officer could have evolved into a seasoned civil servant. But his dismissal from the service, on flimsy ground in 1874, led to reorientation of priorities. And, Surendranath Banerjee came to the arena of public life. (Read in Hindi)

One of the legendary triumvirate – Lal-Bal-Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and  Bipin Chandra Pal) of India’s freedom movement against the British colonial rule, Lala Lajpat Rai was a multi-faceted personality and led a life of ceaseless activity dedicated to a self-less service to the nation. (Read in Hindi)

In the mid-1870s a light-complexioned and handsomely built man in his 30s could be seen running through the streets of Pune with a thali (plate) and ladle in his hands. Striking the thali with the ladle, he would announce his forthcoming speaking engagement. “All should come to Shaniwar-wada grounds this evening”, he would call. “Our country must be free. The Englishmen must be driven out. The ways and means of doing it, I shall explain in my speech”

Zurich: From politicians and celebrities, companies and organizations to individuals of certain nationalities and the socially disadvantaged, the list of parties affected by hate speech in social media is long. Insulting, threatening or derogatory comments are commonplace in today's digital world. The potential consequences of such virtual witch-hunts - whether justified or otherwise - include a loss of reputation, resignations, losing one's job, social isolation or falling share prices. Predominant opinion suggests that it is the supposed online anonymity which decreases the inhibitions of trolls on the internet.

Jet lag can be a real buzzkill when flying across multiple time zones, and most travelers assume their first several days in a new locale will be spent catching up on sleep and letting their body clocks adjust. However, jet lag doesn’t always have to intrude on your fun. According to a Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine sleep specialist, there are a few ways to “body-hack” your jet lag before your plane leaves the tarmac.

When PM Narendra Modi suggested to the United Nations that we should celebrate an International Day of Yoga, a record number of UN Member States accepted the proposition and passed a resolution without even a vote. Last year 192 nations celebrated this day on June 21. The Universal acceptance of this proposition indicates that the representatives of the different nations had either experienced yoga and heard about yoga or read about its benefits and thus there was no need to discuss or debate or vote on yoga.

The recently concluded one month long Simhasta Kumbh, traditional assembling of millions of religiously charged devotees in Ujjain to fulfil the long cherished desire of getting Moksha i.e. getting rid of trapping in the endless cycle of birth and death was full of novelties this year.

“The holy bath of Kumbh equals is Punya or Religious merit to thousands of Kartik Snanas, hundreds of Magh Snanas, and crores of Narmada Snasas during Vaishakh month. The fuits of Kumbh Snan are equal to the fruits of thousands of Asvamedha Yajnas, hundreds of Vaipaiyee Yajnas and lakh of journeys around the earth”. - Skand Purana.

London: Frequent viewers of soft-core pornography, such as photographs of naked and semi-naked female models, are unlikely to think positively about women and are likely to have become desensitised to soft-core pornography common in newspapers, advertising and the media.