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

Sounds of Silence

For the children of a lesser god, the evening of December 2 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Bangalore was special. For 90 minutes a costume drama called Women of India, depicting lives of women in Indian history, was brought to life by 100 hearing-impaired children from three Bangalore and Hosur schools. Said Harini Janspal, a partially deaf student of Mount Carmel College: "We cannot hear the sound of the music but we can hear the vibrations of our hearts." Karnataka Governor V.S. Rama Devi, who cancelled two other appointments to stay for the play directed by Syed Sallaludin Pasha, was moved to tears. And after the show, she walked up the stage and, one by one, shook hands with all the kids. Almost all wanted to do the same.

-Stephen David

College Dressing

Did anyone think of this before? Chiragh Din, the Mumbai-based shirtmakers who pride themselves on their kaleidoscopic flamboyance (a colour doesn't exist if it hasn't splashed their shirt), decided to do a college-hopping mobile fashion show in Mumbai last week. There was a collapssible set that could easily be huddled in a van and the runway, though a bit cramped, managed to take the weight of the models like Tarun Raghavan and Fleur Xavier parading a blend of body-hugging casuals and equally snug club clothes. Students from St Xavier's and Jai Hind colleges, of course, hoorayed widly, but would stop suddenly when emcee, Channel V veejay Gaurav, would blast his desparate one-liners: "I'm Lisa Ray, but you can call me Gaurav on Saturdays." Sad.

-Himanshi Dhawan

Back Problem

It was M.F. Husain's cinematic ode to the Indian woman (her posterior actually) that left everyone quite befuddled at the closing of the third International Film Festival of Mumbai. How is someone supposed to react to a tortuous three-hour artist's obsession with the anatomy of a popular film actress? There were people who walked out after two hours saying "this was the maximum respect" they could give Husain, and that they "couldn't bear it any longer". Before the film Gaja Gamini began, a paintbrush-wielding Husain insisted that he wasn't pampering audience's needs, but had made a movie showing a "woman in her most sensuous form". Wonder why we were all thinking that this was only all about Ms Madhuri Dixit?

But Husain's physiognomic outpouring didn't end there-an exhibition of photographs and sketches from the film were also exhibited at Pundole Art Gallery to coincide with the premiere. Here Husain's quote was: "Through the film I wanted to disturb the audience in an aesthetic way." He certainly got the first part right.

-Natasha Israni and Himanshi Dhawan

more...

Top

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.