
Ayodhya broke a Guiness World Record by lighting over 3 lakh diyas on Diwali this year
The total number of lamps lit was 301,152, lit simultaneously for five minutes on the banks of the Saryu River, that runs through the holy city of Ayodhya.
By HT Correspondent | Hindustan Times, Delhi
UPDATED ON NOV 08, 2018 05:57 PM IST
Ayodhya, located in the North Indian state, Uttar Pradesh recently broke a Guinness World Record by lighting over 3 lakh clay oil lamps (diyas) on Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
The total number of lamps lit was 301,152, lit simultaneously for five minutes on the banks of the Saryu River, that runs through the holy city of Ayodhya.
The event was attended by South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The event also featured cultural performances from Laotian, Russian, Indian and Trinidadian artists.

Delhi’s Covid tales: 60+ Give a shot to life, say better safe!
By Henna Rakheja, Naina Arora and Digvijay, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:47 PM IST
As the Covid-19 vaccine becomes available to people aged above 60, and those above 45 with comorbidities, quite a few Delhi-NCR based popular personalities come forward to inspire others.

Banksy at work: Black hoodie, head torch, paint and freedom
Reuters, London
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:52 PM IST
British artist Banksy has shared a video of himself in the process of painting stencil graffiti of a prisoner escaping which appeared on Monday on the side of a former prison wall in the city of Reading.

American Academy of Arts and Letters expands, diversifies
AP, New York, American Academy Of Arts And Letters, Literature, Art, Architecture, National Museum Of African American History And Culture, Us Poet, Transformation, Cultural Institutions, Art And Culture, Culture, Cultural Improvement
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:17 PM IST
One of the country's oldest cultural instititutions, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, is undergoing some of its biggest changes in more than a century.

Lagerfeld's art, furniture collections to be auctioned in Monaco in autumn
Reuters, Paris
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 11:38 AM IST
Late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld's collections of artwork and furniture will be sold at auction in Monaco this autumn, auction house Sotheby's said in a statement.

Guinness Book's ‘master of monster vegetables’ grows world’s heaviest turnip
By Zarafshan Shiraz
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 11:27 AM IST
- Guinness World Records highlights Canada man as ‘the master of monster vegetables’ for working in his garden in the past year to grow ‘three colossal, record-breaking turnips - all of which have broken the record for the world’s heaviest turnip’

Mobile orchestra tries to bring cheer to Venezuelan streets
AP, Barquisimeto, Venezuela
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 10:03 AM IST
Orchestra music envelops the streets of a Venezuelan city every time a truck carrying musicians has made its way through traffic for the past year, capturing the attention of drivers and passers-by who take photos and stare at the vehicle.

Meet the young inheritors of the Sindhi legacy, with Saaz Aggarwal
UPDATED ON MAR 05, 2021 09:24 PM IST
The author’s new anthology, Sindhi Tapestry, features young people from around the world who have interpreted their identity in different ways, while acknowledging a shared history.

Life Hacks: What kind of storyteller are you, asks Charles Assisi
By Charles Assisi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 09:19 PM IST
There are those that inspire, while others seek only to impress; those whose stories are deep, precise and stay with you. What’s your favourite kind, and what kind are you?

The virtual, vicarious pleasures of home-decor games
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 09:12 PM IST
Start with an empty mansion, and decorate it using realistic furnishing, lighting, grand sculptures or trendy bits and bobs. It’s the great escape we didn’t know we needed in the lockdown.

Wheels up! Biker Harith Noah on his record-setting finish for India at Dakar 2021
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 09:10 PM IST
The 28-year-old just completed the world’s most dangerous bike rally. It all started with a little need for speed, he says.

Fighting fit: Four indigenous martial arts get a Khelo India boost
By Vanessa Viegas
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 08:53 PM IST
Kalaripayattu from Kerala, Mallakhamb from central India, Gatka from Punjab and Thang-ta from Manipur have been classified as sports. What comes next?

Why we fidget... and should you stop?
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 08:30 PM IST
There can be benefits to all the foot-tapping and twiddling of thumbs. It can even help focus the mind. So how much is too much?

Bin there, done that: Vani Murthy knows how to refuse
By Cherylann Mollan
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 08:24 PM IST
59-year-old social media influencer @wormrani posts about composting, terrace gardening and natural cleaning products. She also hands out a crash course on classic rock while she’s at it.

A calendar of truth and lies: The Weekly Puzzle by Dilip D’Souza
By By Dilip D’Souza
PUBLISHED ON MAR 05, 2021 07:52 PM IST
There are plenty of puzzles about liars and truth-tellers

Dalmia: Raza’s vibrant works with underlying meanings made him better known
By Navneet Vyasan
UPDATED ON MAR 05, 2021 06:24 PM IST
Yashodhara Dalmia’s biography on the legendary artist opens up a side to him which was never previously explored