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

Eyecatchers

A Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
December 5, 2000: Anupam Kher lashes out at Zee TV for being "unprofessional" about asking him to leave the Sawaal Dus Crore Ka (SDCK) show, Ashutosh Rana as touted Kher's replacement. Doordarshan announces yet another game show, Knock-Out, with hunky Kabir Bedi as anchor. Just what's with these cross-firing channels, game shows and stars? Take these. Rana: "I can add new energy to the show." Kher, who let go five films for SDCK: "I'd have understood if I was replaced by Shah Rukh, Madhuri or Aishwarya." Bedi, who said "game" to DD's 9 p.m. show to be aired Sundays from January 28: "Amitabh's bloody good. But he's Monday to Thursday. I'm Sunday." Boy, will this one be worth watching.

Miss Perfect
Another Indian beauty queen. Another blind promise? Maybe not. Ritu Upadhyay, 23, crowned Miss India Worldwide 2000 in Florida last month-before that she was Miss India USA-is "not like the others". For one, she "did not take a year off life" to train to become a beauty queen like her Indian counterparts. What then does she do when she's not playing beauty queen? Says Upadhyay, a staff writer with Time magazine in New York, now in India to raise awareness on blindness: "I do charity. India has 12 million blind people. Seventy percent of that is preventable." Rehearsed? Nope. Little chance this miss will get her facts wrong.

Trading Places
It will be a classic role reversal. Penguin India CEO David Davidar's first book, The House of Blue Mangoes, to be out next December, will be edited by Suitable Boy Vikram Seth, whose books Davidar has published. Born out of a chat in a London restaurant when Seth said "you write, I'll edit", the book, to be published abroad by Orion and HarperCollins and in India by Penguin, was submitted in its second draft under the pseudonym S.H. Jayakar. Why? "I know most of the publishers," says Davidar, "so didn't want an unfair advantage." Davidar or Jayakar, we shall wait in earnest.

Right Choice
She's no. 43 on fortune's list of 50 Most Powerful Women in corporate America. And she's PepsiCo's president-designate. When India-born Indra Nooyi, 44, was PepsiCo's chief financial officer, Fortune had said she helped CEO Roger Enrico make "all the right moves". Enrico had said, "She's brilliant, and world-class." Nooyi had said, "Being a woman, and foreign-born, you have to be smarter than anyone else." Fizzy? Sure. Flat? Oh, never.

Compiled by Methil Renuka

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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.
more...

Looking Glass

Mumbai: Restaurants

Bangalore: Concert

Delhi: Restaurant

Ayodhya is an issue that is pre-determined. And it matters little in the present fuss that the foremost casualty is the truth, writes INDIA TODAY Deputy Editor Swapan Dasgupta in
Day Dreams.

Orissa's Chilika, the largest brackish water lake in Asia, is dying. But there is a concerted effort to restore its health. INDIA TODAY Special Correspondent Ruben Banerjee takes a look at the diagnosis and treatment in Despatches.