Author: Sharad Natani
In a riveting piece of numismatic history, rare Indian banknotes over a century old—once lost in the ill-fated shipwreck of SS Shirala—have resurfaced and fetched hefty sums at a London auction. These notes, fresh from a cargo long forgotten, are now prized as relics, their journey from disaster to desirability capturing imaginations across the world. The Story Behind the Notes What Happened: The SS Shirala was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in 1918 during World War I. On board were shipments including freshly printed Indian rupee notes. Thought lost forever, parts of the cargo washed ashore years later.…
In a moment of immense pride for India and its wildlife community, a breathtaking photograph of the elusive black tiger from Odisha’s Similipal National Park has been featured on the October 2025 cover of National Geographic magazine. This marks a milestone for Indian wildlife photography and global conservation awareness. The man behind this extraordinary shot is Prasenjeet Yadav, an acclaimed Indian wildlife photographer and National Geographic Explorer. His image captures the black tiger — also known as the pseudo-melanistic tiger — in its natural habitat, showcasing its striking dark stripes and rare beauty. Why This Tiger is Special Black tigers…
The night sky over Delhi-NCR turned into a live cosmic theatre on Friday when a rare, bright meteor blazed across the heavens, breaking apart spectacularly and leaving millions of residents stunned. The fiery celestial streak was witnessed across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and even as far as Aligarh. For a few dazzling seconds, it outshone the city lights and sent social media into a frenzy with hashtags like #DelhiMeteor and #SpaceSpectacle trending nationwide. A Shooting Star Like Never Before Videos posted online show a brilliant fireball racing through the night sky before bursting into multiple glowing fragments. Many called it…
The ceramic capital of India is rewriting its legacy. Khurja, long celebrated for its delicate pottery, is now home to Anokhi Duniya — the world’s first park built entirely from ceramic waste. This two-acre public space transforms more than 80 tonnes of discarded cups, plates, and vases into monumental art installations, showcasing how traditional craft can power a sustainable future. From Waste to Wonder Developed through a public-private partnership as part of the Yogi Adityanath government’s One District One Product (ODOP) push, Anokhi Duniya is an ambitious INR 5.86 crore project. It uses broken ceramics without melting or recycling them…
In a significant step to protect India’s rapidly digitizing urban hubs, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to immediately tighten cyber security measures across all smart cities under the Smart Cities Mission. Officials said the move reflects growing concerns over rising cyber threats and the increasing reliance on technology-driven governance and services. The directive was issued after a high-level conference on cyber safety organized earlier this month. CISOs for Every Smart City To build a robust cyber defense, the MHA has recommended that each smart city appoint a dedicated…
In a bold move to shake up India’s audit and consultancy ecosystem, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has scheduled a high-level meeting on September 23 to discuss regulatory changes aimed at fostering the rise of large, homegrown audit and consultancy firms — India’s own version of the “Big Four.” This initiative follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 call to create at least four globally competitive Indian firms capable of rivaling the likes of EY, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG in the $240-billion global consulting and auditing market. A Push to Transform India’s Audit Landscape The meeting, to be chaired by Shaktikanta…