The Supercrat
Brajesh Mishra, Vajpayee's principal secretary, has emerged as a strong power centre. But his critics say he has bitten off more than he can chew and has become the target of a proxy war against the prime minister.

Going Beyond Square One
India and Pakistan make subtle shifts in their positions on Kashmir, raising hopes of a renewed dialogue and restoration of peace. Much will depend on what happens during Ramzan.

Fifth Column
by Tavleen Singh
Multinational Myths

Prime Movers

Action Manifested

AUTHORSPEAK

SUNJOY MONGA

Walk in the Park

A naturalist, a wildlife photographer and a cinematographer. You're thinking rugged, earthy, perhaps very loud about ecological issues? Meet Sunjoy Monga and stock perceptions beat a quick retreat. Monga, 38, is every inch a city slicker (buzzing cell phone, and all), speaks swiftly, albeit softly. You do meet with passion though, centred in curious, owl-like eyes. Especially when he talks about his first book, City Forest-Mumbai's National Park (India Book House).

With over 200 breathtaking photographs, the volume is as much a celebration of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park's biodiversity as it is of its creator's 31-year association with the area. And while Monga is casual about his hobby-to-profession transition, you know that the work that has gone into this photo extravaganza is anything but offhand. There's a definite agenda here, one that he admits to. "I hope people realise through this book and even otherwise that the city forest is much more than just a picnic spot. That's why I've taken up the issue of water in one section. The park's lakes meet up to 5 per cent of Mumbai's water requirements. More Mumbaikars need to awaken to the fact that there is an opportunity right in their backyards to see how lakes and forests function and to learn how that equation eventually affects them."

The inspiration to photographically depict the relation between people and a suburban forest kept Monga going even as others questioned why he wasn't writing about bigger sanctuaries. "There couldn't have been a better forest than this to make a book out of for the simple reason that you can walk in and take pictures at leisure, something you can't do in a park like Ranthambore," he points out. It's this democratic love for nature that makes him love clicking insects and spiderwebs as much as photogenic big cats. The affection shows in his images and in the text. The biggest compliment that Monga receives is "when a reader goes through the book in one go and then promptly follows that up with a trip to the park". Well, that's the whole idea, isn't it?

-Natasha Israni

MetroScape
Celebrating India
Trikaya Grey of Delhi and Concept Communication of Mumbai, tied for the top at India Today's "My India My Pride" ad contest. So they were given an equitable deal of Rs 7.5 lakh each.
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