

Kajol called Karwa Chauth a fashion deal. The Kapoors' party proved her right
· 5 min read



Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana passes $1 million in North American premiere pre-sales
Five days before its November 5 release, Sacnilk put Nitesh Tiwari's epic at more than ₹24 crore in Indian advance sales and about $3.5 million overseas.
By Thoughtful India Staff||4 min read
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Naperville Diary

Townhouse Books and Café in St. Charles, IL — A Review by SAGA
SAGA reviews Townhouse Books & Café in St. Charles: an indie bookstore in an 1853 Victorian house on the Fox River — plus sandwiches and salads.
· 2 min read

Attention Naperville: Parents and Kids Together Will Make the Difference
ParentsMatterToo: free 6-week Parent Conversation Circles in Naperville starting April 4 — trained facilitators, practical strategies for resilient kids.
· 2 min read

Why Do Facebook Updates Resonate With Us?
Why a friend's Facebook update stays with you longer than a hundred scholarly articles — a Naperville writer on raw, unedited emotion and the case for
· 1 min read

Tips to Transform from the Summer Mode to School Routine
In some states, school is yet to start but in Midwest the schools have begun. It’s not easy for the kids and the families to switch from the summer mode to…
· 2 min read
Latest

Why French students are marching, and what Paris's unrest means for Indians
A month of lycée blockades over missing teachers and crumbling schools spilled into nationwide marches on October 17. What students want, what the government has said, what comes next, and what Indian students and travellers in France should check now.
· 6 min read

Dussehra on four plates: what Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu cook
Sonia Sharma follows the festival's last day through Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Ahmedabad and Chennai, with the trade routes behind the food and two home recipes you will not find in a sweet shop.
· 6 min read

Rubio heads to Mumbai with a say over the Russian oil tariff waiver
Marco Rubio meets S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on Tuesday, four days after a White House order paused a 100 percent tariff threat over Russian oil and gave his office a say in when that pause ends.
· 5 min read

Naperville-area schools let teachers decide on AI as New York and Los Angeles pause
New York and Los Angeles have paused most student use of AI this school year. Naperville 203 and Indian Prairie 204 leave much of it to the classroom teacher. The 203 board meets tonight.
· 6 min read

Ladakh's pashmina walks in Delhi, and the FTC has a word for shoppers
Four Ladakhi labels showed pashmina on the last day of Lakmé Fashion Week in Delhi. Before you buy one in America, know what the label is allowed to say.
· 5 min read

Jon Stewart doubts AI's universal high income, and E.M. Forster would too
On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart told the AI bosses to stop selling a cheque for everyone. A century of science fiction explains why that cheque is a trap.
· 6 min read

Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 cracks the US top 10 with a $3.2 million weekend
Nelson Dilipkumar's Tamil sequel finished ninth on the US weekend chart from 800 theatres, and trade trackers put its four-day worldwide gross above ₹400 crore.
· 4 min read

From India to Britain to America, gambling harm follows the betting app
South Asian gambling harm is often blamed on culture and shame. The research from India, Britain and the United States points to the product and the law.
· 4 min read

Homeland Security proposes ending the H-1B renewal shortcut, with comments due November 13
A proposed rule would remove the instruction that immigration officers defer to a worker's last approval when reviewing an H-1B extension. Indian-born workers held 72 percent of approved H-1B petitions in fiscal 2023.
· 4 min read
Stories worth the time
Long Reads

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Does October Actually Make Us Safer?
Does Cybersecurity Awareness Month make us safer? The research is mixed — October drills produce completion reports, while continuous training cuts phishing.
· 11 min read

A Therapist Tried AI Therapy on Himself. It Worked. He's Still Warning You.
A therapist tried AI therapy on himself after an assault and wrote about it in The Free Press. What the trials show, what can go wrong, and what it means
· 10 min read

Family Matter
A short story about a family that refuses to see what is wrong — an abusive home, a child who needs help — until a crisis forces the truth out.
· 10 min read

China, Balochistan and Pakistan: the new Great Game
In May 2011 Pakistan asked China to take over Gwadar port — and hinted at a naval base. Beijing said no. Inside the new Great Game.
· 16 min read
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Mind, body and tradition
Health & Spirituality

The 3:00 AM Awakening: Why Your Nervous System Surges in the Quiet of Night
Waking at 3 a.m. with a racing mind? Cortisol's early-morning rise and lighter second-half sleep explain most of it — the liver-glycogen story is only a
· 6 min read

Vamkukshi: What Ayurveda and Modern Science Actually Say About Sleeping on Your Left Side
Ayurveda's vamkukshi advises resting on the left side after meals. Modern reflux studies back the left-side habit, but the heart and lymph claims don't hold up.
· 4 min read

Yoga Diplomacy: How India Exports Wellness to the World
From ashrams to Instagram: how yoga became India's most successful cultural export, what was gained in translation, and who captures the value.
· 4 min read

Water Crisis: Cities Running Dry Across India
Groundwater falling a meter a year, 30-40% of treated water leaking from pipes. India's urban water crisis is already here — not a future warning.
· 4 min read