India’s first astronaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retd) speaks to SNI’s Associate Editor Amitabh P Revi on his unforgettable space flight in 1984. He talks about the next Indian to follow him, the process of being chosen, whether he still speaks Russian and Shah Rukh Khan’s biopic. India’s only cosmonaut, so far, was in New Delhi to attend the unveiling of his portrait by Dr Vladimir Anisimov in the presence of the Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev in partnership with the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Enthusiasts think BRICS is taking on the US-led West. Critics think it is just a weak wannabe. In reality, BRICS is undergirding the new global order that will bring together friends and foes alike. A Deep Analysis by Drishtikone.
Swami Dhirendra Shastri called for a meat-free Navratri in Bengal. Parties answered by invoking Shakta tradition. A restricted rite, stripped of its disciplines, has become “culture”, and Bengal uses its first taste of political freedom in decades to flaunt the very decay that helped undo it.
