Danish Raza

Fake news warriors: Meet the people who debunk fake news, one post at a time

There’s a deluge of fake news on social media and some TV news channels, leading to the spread of dangerous disinformation. This has fuelled the rise of fact-checking websites such as AltNews, Boomlive and SMHoaxslayer that bust these lies.

‘We can’t trust anyone’: 8 months after Junaid’s killing, his family fights on

In July 2017, Junaid was allegedly stabbed to death, his brother and cousins injured on board a Delhi-Mathura train after an argument over seat sharing triggered a mob attack on them.

Ever heard of antakshari of couplets or baitbaazi?

The Urdu Heritage festival being hosted in Delhi (Feb 15-20, 2018) will feature baitbaazi competition.

Mian, Biwi aur Wagah: An Indo-Pak story told through letters

The play that tackles the themes of letter-writing, partition and nostalgia, is in Delhi as part of its first international tour.

From Dalit activist to Gujarat MLA: Tracking Jignesh Mevani’s journey

Jignesh Mevani, the firebrand lawyer-activist, has been a relentless champion of Dalit rights. He plunged into electoral politics and emerged victorious. Will he be able to make a successful transition from activist to legislator?

A month after Afrazul was hacked to death, a look at his journey from Malda to Rajsamand

HT puts together the struggles, aspirations, life and death of the migrant from West Bengal who was brutally murdered in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district.

Is it curtains for Delhi’s Daryaganj book market?

Daryaganj book market has not been allowed on the past two Sundays for the ASEAN Summit and Republic Day but traders allege it’s a plan to uproot them.

We teach girls to be safe instead of telling boys not to rape: Rose McGowan at HTLS 2017

Rose McGowan, who came forward about getting raped by producer Harvey Weinstein, also said the issue of sexual abuse is not limited to Hollywood.

HTLS 2017: Vikas Khanna, Gaggan Anand say intelligence, aggression and rock and roll attitude the way ahead for Indian chefs

Vikas Khanna and Gaggan Anand, at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, have a tip for chefs — ‘Give up your life and pick up the knife’.

After digital spike, cash gains currency in this neighbourhood

Critics and the Opposition have labelled demonetisation as the largest money-laundering scheme that destroyed the economy and put people through months of hardship as they struggled for cash.

How uncle-nephew duo stole 50 mn litres oil from India’s largest onshore fields

Over a period of five years, Bhoor Singh Rajpurohit and his nephew Gautam allegedly stole 50 million litres of crude oil from the country’s largest onshore oilfield in Rajasthan. This is how they pulled off the staggering theft.

HT Youth Survey: India’s young are self-centred, will do almost anything for themselves

In this age of instant coffee, noodles and gratification, Indian youth are not willing to wait patiently for anything. They’re determined to get what their hearts are set on, even if it means lying to their parents or violating rules

Let’s talk about sex, within rules and conventions, say India’s youth

BHU unrest is a result of systemic flaws and misogynistic regulations

Students protests at BHU came in the backdrop of increasing incidents of sexual harassment at the campus, failure of the administration to deal with them and absence of any grievance redress mechanism

How Chhattisgarh govt betrayed hundreds of SPOs it used against Maoists

In 2005, Chhattisgarh government galvanised and armed more than 6,000 villagers to fight Maoists. Abandoned by the state, they are now staring at a bleak future.

What Seema Mustafa’s memoir, Azadi’s Daughter, tells you about Indian Muslims

Azadi’s Daughter puts into perspective the incidents of communal violence that are becoming common, specifically in Uttar Pradesh. It attempts to make sense of the present by analysing the past.

Pankaj Tripathi, the scene-stealer of ‘Gurgaon’

Gangs of Wasseypur actor’s latest outing on screen

‘We forgive you’: How a Kerala nun’s family embraced her murderer

In 1995, Sister Rani Maria was murdered near Indore. Ahead of her beatification this November, HT recounts the moving story of how her family forgave the killer and accepted him as their own

Fake news warriors: Meet the people who debunk fake news, one post at a time

There’s a deluge of fake news on social media and some TV news channels, leading to the spread of dangerous disinformation. But there are websites such as AltNews, Boomlive and SMHoaxslayer which regularly call out such lies

I was part of the Saxena family: How my secular neighbourhood in UP split along communal lines

The author in his subsequent visits could see the social fabric changing for worse. “Unlike earlier when we would chat about concerns of our locality, it became more about us and them,” he writes.

I saw it on WhatsApp: Why people believe hoaxes on the messaging app

In many cases of lynching, fake messages circulated on WhatsApp added to the problem.

‘I saw it on WhatsApp’: Why people believe hoaxes on the messaging app

In many cases of lynching, fake messages circulated on WhatsApp added to the problem.

Soz khwani: Songs of lament from the battle of Karbala

This weekend, dastangoi performer Askari Naqvi introduces Delhi audiences to the Awadhi tradition of soz khwani, in which deeply emotional songs of mourning are sung at religious gatherings.

At Delhi’s Jama Masjid, nobody goes hungry during iftar

In Jama Masjid, roughly 500 people come every evening empty handed, with the hope of getting an iftar platter.

Muslim law board advisory won’t curb triple talaq cases, say women’s rights groups

Many people, including a few members of the AIMPLB, believe the proposed advisory does not take ground realities into consideration.

Boys from Vepery: A fascinating story about the Irish migration to India

A documentary, titled Boys from Vepery by Fokiya Akhtar, explores the migration of members of the Irish community to India during the Great Famine of Ireland during 1840-50.

Meet the young Kashmiris behind viral videos telling stories of the Valley

As yet another social media ban hits the Valley, HT meets young men and women who, despite the risks, film protests and upload the videos to tell their version of the Kashmir story.

Dancing with the wolves: A peek into the life of Bihar’s Anaarkali of Ara

In rural Bihar, a wedding is incomplete without women dancers swinging to saucy Bhojpuri songs in front of a male audience. HT attends an all-night performance and follows a dancer to see what lies behind the grind and glamour.

Saba Qamar: English is a status symbol in our society

In an interview to HT, Pakistani actor Saba Qamar talks about the experience of being part of an Indian film and how much she relates with her character in her upcoming film Hindi Medium.

Why Punjab won’t give up on luck, and the paper lottery

Why is the paper lottery so popular in Punjab, how does it work and what do winners do with the prize