Sahitya Chaprak Diwali Ank 2025

We have witnessed airplanes being hijacked, and we are familiar with pirates of the sea, but the hijacking of a train must be considered a rare event. However, this astonishing incident occurred in Pakistan's Balochistan, once again bringing the Balochistan issue to the world's forefront. The problem of Balochistan, which has become severe today, did not just begin with the creation of Pakistan but has roots stretching back long before. The historical roots of Balochistan ca

India is known to the world as a land of scholars. Since antiquity, foreign cultures have been captivated by Indian art, knowledge, science, society, and traditions. The Harappan Civilisation, one of the four great ancient civilisations of the world, stands even today as a prime example of India's sophisticated societal structure. From ancient to modern times, Indian society has undergone numerous transformations. Many great thinkers have walked this land, guiding the nation

If someone were to ask me who feels the greatest joy at the first rain, I would say it is the people of a drought-stricken village. A peacock may dance with its plumage unfurled, a poet's soul may sprout new leaves, and city dwellers may savour tea and fritters on their balconies, but when the first drop of rain touches the face of a person parched by drought, words themselves fall short of describing their ecstasy. The word ‘village’ conjures an idyllic image: lush green hi

A Meeting of Icons, a Union of Hearts, a Surrender of Egos Last year, on the 8th of November, P.L. Deshpande’s birth anniversary, I posted an unpublished account and a photograph on social media—a moment I had been urged never to reveal. It was the story of a meeting between Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray and the literary giant P.L. Deshpande. Balasaheb himself had forbidden me from publishing it, but the profound lesson in civility that these two titans of the Marathi w

Jaisā dīpe dipu lāvije Tetha koṇa ādila oḷakhije Taisā sarvasve maja bhaje To mīcī hoūna ṭhāke (When one lamp is lit from another, who can tell which was the first? In the same way, one who worships me with their entire being, themselves becomes Me.) These lines by the revered poet-saint Dnyaneshwar Mauli come to my mind on this auspicious occasion of Deepavali. My guru, the Bhavagandharva Padma Shri Pandit Hridaynathji Mangeshkar, always says, "Padmaja, when your notes find

Let him leap, let him posture! It is I who will bring him to his knees. I once mistook him for an eagle, but he turned out to be nothing more than a frog. I remember when he first appeared at my door, wearing a cap of pristine white. He stood with folded hands, a servile smile plastered on his face. His words, when he spoke, were reassuring. His professed secularism felt like a creed, and I saw in him a man of principle, of unwavering conviction. This, I thought, is a man wh

At any happy occasion in our home, amidst a crowd of relatives, the moment someone would say, “Tara, it’s your turn to take an ,” my Aai (Mother)—Tara by her maiden name, Shanta after marriage—would instantly recite a witty traditional couplet. The moment anyone asked, “Who’s up for a game of cards?” she would be the first to say, “Let’s play rummy!” This enthusiasm remained undiminished even after she turned sixty. And more often than not, she was the one who would win the g

The Sage on the Throne: Modi's Twelve-Year Culmination On September 17th of this year, the Prime Minister of the nation and the paramount leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Damodardas Modi , completes his 75th year. In another eight months, on May 22, 2026, he will complete twelve years in the office of Prime Minister. In our nation’s ancient tradition, a period of twelve years is known as a —a cycle of intense ascetic devotion—and it holds a profound significance

I’ve begun to suspect that a new literary genre is taking root these days: the ‘autobiographical obituary.’ When an individual, particularly a writer, passes away, articles are written ostensibly to discuss their work, their contributions, and their literature. But in the process, the author of the tribute ends up writing a great deal about themselves. “He was so appreciative of my work,” they will write, or “He held me in such high regard,” or “He always used to tell me how

Song and life, for me, have been a beautiful journey on two parallel tracks. In truth, this is likely the case for all of you, but from my perspective, this synergy has been paramount. Whenever I reminisce about the events, the moments, the paths, and the turning points of my life, the songs that accompanied them inevitably come to mind. Whether I heard them at the time of the event or long after, they resurface, and I find myself floating on their melodies, living my subseq

The morning of July 25, 2024, brought with it the sorrowful news of Father’s passing. The grief was profound, and all day, a cascade of memories swirled in my mind. My acquaintance with Father Francis Dibrito began at a symposium in Pune. The topic was ‘How Religion Has Evolved Through Time.’ Father was deeply impressed by my address, in which I presented a rather bold thesis: that since the concepts of God and religion are human creations, they can never be superior to huma

Youth is not merely a stage of life; it is a cascade of dreams, a wellspring of optimism, and a delicate sprout of self-confidence wrestling with the tempests of social uncertainty. Every generation forges its own values. The youth of today are dismantling traditional frameworks to build new paths. It is for this reason that if we look at them not with a lens of criticism, but with one of understanding, we will see the light of tomorrow. "This generation is lost," "they have

Here is the corrected version of the text. The original was already very well-written, so the corrections are minor, focusing primarily on standardizing spelling and ensuring flow. If one were to define the current epoch, it might aptly be called the Age of Shifting Loyalties. Words like ‘devotion’ and ‘commitment’ seem to have been relegated to the dictionary, their very resonance lost to time. This erosion of allegiance, this game of faithlessness, begins where all things

An immensely wealthy American, upon celebrating his centenary, was in the midst of a media interview when his secretary approached him. “Sir,” he announced, “the people to whom you promised donations have arrived.” The industrialist instructed his secretary to bring the chequebooks and, upon their arrival, pressed his thumb upon each cheque. The assembled journalists, astonished to see that he could not even sign his name, asked him, “Sir, you cannot even write your signature

June 27, 2025. It was 10:30 in the morning. Our Jetstar flight soared into the sky from Sydney Airport, marking the beginning of a journey to a truly offbeat destination: Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock. Located approximately 2,800 km from Sydney, it is a natural marvel so extraordinary that UNESCO has recognized it as a World Heritage site. We had a pleasant three-hour flight. The weather was beautiful, with not a hint of turbulence. Below us, there was little to see but

Language is the fundamental element that gives meaning to human existence. Behind every word that dances on our tongue lies a culture, a geography, a specific time, and the people who lived in it. While every language has a formal, official version, it also possesses a flourishing dialect, a spoken variant that contains the very essence of its people's lives. Ahirani is one such expressive, beloved, and rich dialect. In Maharashtra, Marathi is the standard language. Just as

This isn't one of those high-stakes murder mysteries, a breathless thriller about a gruesome crime and the genius detective who solves it by pulling a universe from a single thread of evidence. No, this is a lighter, more curious tale. It’s a story about the extraordinary lengths people will go to for their livelihood, the absurd situations they can orchestrate, and the complex knots they can tie. It is a story about how, with a calm head, the police can navigate these mazes,

In the city of Gurdaspur in Punjab lived Samsher Bahadur, who had only one son. Samsher Bahadur himself was a Wing Commander in the Air Force, and his family’s legacy was one of valor. For three generations, his ancestors had demonstrated their mettle in the armed forces. His was a family of warriors who carried their lives on the palms of their hands for the sake of the nation. Indeed, certain regions of our country give birth to such bravehearts, for whom sacrificing their

Bharat’s Turbulent Skies: A Collision of Grand Ambitions and Grounded Realities On June 12, 2025, the skies over Ahmedabad witnessed a horrific tragedy. Flight AK-171 of Air India, a symbol of national pride, became a fireball, its smoldering wreckage scattering across the ground and extinguishing 274 lives in an instant. The disaster is a chilling echo of the 2010 Air India Express crash in Mangalore that killed 158 people. Such incidents force us to confront the complex and

Street brawls at a young age. Hooliganism with his peers. Spouting every curse word imaginable without even knowing their meaning. Petty theft at home. Sneaking off to smoke bidis and chew tobacco. Bunking school to hang out with gangs at their dens. And when the headmaster demanded to see his parents, convincing a friend or someone close to pose as a brother or sister-in-law to speak on his behalf… I was introduced to a boy who had done all of this. What could a boy like thi