Wildlife Watchers: An Encounter With The Mighty Bamera Tiger, Star Of Bandhavgarh

By BHAVANA MENON | INNLIVE

A tribute to the tiger reserve's resident celebrity and one of India’s largest and most charismatic big cats.

I first heard of a tiger named Bamera in the summer of 2010, while we were doing a survey in the buffer villages of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. At the time, he had gained notoriety for lifting cattle and had planted a certain degree of fear in the minds of the villagers. “Bahut bada hai sahab, itna bada tiger humne aaj tak nahi dekha (He's huge. We've never seen such a big tiger)," spluttered a resident of the village from which Bamera got his name.

Cash-For-Votes Scams Are Here To Stay – And The Election Commission Seems Unable To Deal

By RADHAKRISHNA | INNLIVE

The Rajya Sabha polls have put the focus back on the urgent need for electoral reforms.

The alleged horse trading in Karnataka, exposed by a sting operation in the run-up to the Rajya Sabha polls has once against brought the focus on whether the Election Commission, despite its best intentions, has the power to take any effective steps to curb the abuse of money power during elections.

Space Exploration: A Glimpse Of A Supermassive 'Black Hole' Operations

By SARAH WILLIAMS | INNLIVE

Astronomers have detected clumpy gas clouds on the verge of being swallowed by a supermassive black hole, rushing towards it at over 537,000 miles an hour.

Being devoured by a supermassive black hole must surely be one of the scariest ways to go. But we know very little about these cosmic monsters and their feeding process. Despite years of study, astronomers are still learning about how and what they eat in order to grow and evolve.

Aaj Ka Censor Raj: How Pahlaj Nihalani Is Terrorising Bollywood's Filmmakers?

By RAMAN KAPOOR | INNLIVE

There were a few days to go for the release ofNH10 - Anushka Sharma's debut film as a producer. In the corridors of the preview theatre where the movie was being screened for members of the Central Board of Film Certification, a tense Anurag Kashyap (co-producer) was pacing up and down. Along with him were waiting Anushka, NH10's director Navdeep Singh and the other co-producers - Madhu Mantena, Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Karnesh Sharma.

Human Interest: Now, Indian Sparrows Too Migrated To Australia And Newzeland

By ASHRAF HUSSAIN | INNLIVE

In Australia and Newzeland, like so many other countries, the house sparrow is one of the five most commonly seen birds in backyards and gardens. This is a result of intentional introductions over the past two centuries.

The story of how house sparrows came to Australia and Newzeland has several new twists. Recent research shows just how much effort was made to introduce the species as an early form of bio-control (almost a century before the cane toad was introduced to help control the cane beetle).

Frank Opinion: When Did Civil Service Become Synonymous With Self-Service?

By NAMRATA GOSWAMI | INNLIVE

In 2008, I was in Chandel district of Manipur on field work. As I went about listening to local people's stories about their lives and aspirations, most of them kept praising this particular woman administrator, an IAS officer. She was from South India, they said, and yet she was able to blend in with local people and was very responsive to their needs. As I walked towards the office of the Block Development Officer (BDO), 

I understood what they meant. It was an office with an open door, and there were no "middle men" to stop people from meeting the officer. The people waiting outside did not have the look of being intimidated by power.

Saturday Tadka: How Fat Became Our Friend - Expert Reveals Why It's Time To Ditch Low Calorie Foods Which Are Packed With Sugar?

By NEWSCOP } INNLIVE

• Experts warn against dieting on low fat yoghurt, rice crackers and cereals
• 99 per cent fat-free products are often low in fibre and full of added sugar
• Rebecca Charlotte Reynolds, nutrition lecturer from Sydney, explains

For years we were told the secret to staying slim and healthy was a low fat, low calorie diet.

But the tide has begun to turn - and the countless products claiming to be 'light', 'lean' or '99 per cent fat-free' are becoming increasingly demonised.

Analysis: Narendra Modi's Five-Nation Tour: India Setting New Terms Of Diplomacy Around The World

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

With the conclusion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-nation tour on Friday, the strategic objectives of Indian diplomacy seem to be getting a clearer focus in contrast to the ambivalence of the past.

This seems to be the dominant view of Indian diplomats, who play important roles in defining the terms of engagement with foreign countries. Apart from looking at Modi’s visit from the prism of his roaring reception in US, the Indian government is attaching equal significance to his visits to Afghanistan-Qatar and Switzerland-Mexico.