|
|
| April 10, 2000 | ||
|
 That
giant gushing sound you heard over the last two weeks was Bill Clinton,
returning in full measure the adulation of a mesmerised India. But at
Clinton's next stopover across the border, there was a frosty, deafening
silence. Clinton did some hard talking, admonishing the Pakistanis for
supporting known terrorists and allowing a dictatorship to continue.
Indeed, generalissimo Pervez Musharraf presides over a wobbling country.
The economy is tottering, and fundamentalists like the Jamaat-i-Islami are
unhappy as the moderate general shows no signs of moving to the right. For
India -- though many would like to believe otherwise -- this is bad news.
An isolated, bankrupt Pakistan might kickstart a move towards a
fundamentalist state. A paranoiac, chaotic, right-wing nation spells
trouble not just for India but also for the world. To understand what the
post-Clinton turmoil means to India, we sent our old Pakistan hand,
Associate Editor Harinder Baweja, to bring you this week's cover story.
Back home, it is time to focus serious attention on some of our own problems. One that's beginning to grow insidiously and dangerously is teenage alcoholism. There's no question that society is changing, old taboos are fading. Drink is no longer regarded as an evil, and drinking is mostly unsupervised. Doctors are now reporting an alarming spiral in the falling age of alcoholics. "True, this is a new age, but when teen drinking increases dropout rates, even crime, and affects family life, it means things are out of control," says Principal Correspondent Robin Abreu, who put the story together. Correspondents in five metros spent time at teen hangouts, sought out teen alcoholics, talked extensively to parents, doctors and experts to bring you this disturbing story of generational change. I've always believed change is desirable. Now I see how important it is to set some limits. .
(Aroon Purie) |
|
||||
| Top |
 © Living Media India Ltd |
