A basic device is helping Indians get online without being in front of a computer. The Question Box lets users tap into the Web via telephone operators. Its founders say it could help bridge the world's digital divide.

Thirty-two artists from eight SAARC countries and Myanmar showcased the soft power of art at a day-long exhibition titled "Puducherry Blues" here Saturday. The artists had met in a camp at the Dune Eco beach resort in Puducherry for a South Asian artists' camp in early March.

"The idea was to explore ways to further build bridges between India and Australia and enhance people-to-people networks to recommend best practice creative partnership strategies to enhance economic and cultural ties between the two countries," said Serafina Maiorano, chief executive officer of Advance.

Back door diplomacy between India and Pakistan has begun, SAMAA reported Wednesday. 10 member delegation of Pakistan under former Army Chief Janhagir Karamat has left for India for holding talks with Indian leadership.

For two hours, the packed theatre bridged the divide between India and Pakistan - torn by mutual distrust - with the strains of legendary ghazal singer Farida Khanum's mellifluous renditions of Urdu and Hindi nazams.

In his opening address to the conference last week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said "regional cooperation should enable freer movement of people, of goods, of services and of ideas," adding, "it should help us rediscover our shared heritage and build our common future."

The Times of India and Pakistan's largest media house, The Jang Group, launched Aman ki Asha with a commitment to peace... In the first phase, as we celebrated our common heritage, culture and food through performances and events, the response we got was more than overwhelming.

The long-standing friendship that India and South Africa share can be dated back a thousand years ago to the time of Mapungubwe, the centre of the largest kingdom in the subcontinent, when gold and ivory and other valuable commodities were traded in abundance between the two nations.