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From The Editor In Chief
Nearly
two years ago, in the issue dated January 19, 1998, we almost put Vishwanathan
Anand on the cover. But when he lost the World Chess Championship final
I wrote in my letter, "losers don't make covers". That line
was the result of some hard-headed appraisal of newsworthiness. It also
brought us a flood of angry letters in protest against the harshness of
that epithet. I am delighted to say that it does not apply to Anand anymore.
His comprehensive victory in the World Championship final in Teheran is
about the best way to end what has been a dismal year even by the traditionally
lacklustre standards of Indian sport. In the 701 issues of INDIA TODAY
before this one, we have put sport on the cover 35 times. Not once have
we been privileged to feature a world champion, not unless you count the
Indian cricket team that won the Prudential Cup in 1983. That tournament
comprised eight countries; fide, the body that runs chess, has affiliates
in 156. The difference is telling.
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| Singh
(Centre) and Ugra (right) with Anand in Tehran |
There are
other strikingly different qualities too about Anand. From the time he
won the World Junior Championship as a shy teenager in 1987, he has lived
in a fish-bowl. A whole nation has watched him grow up-and burdened him
with its expectations. He has responded with both success and dignity.
Intelligent, polite and instantly likeable, he is every middle-class mother-in-law's
dream. He is also a refreshing change from brash, nouveau riche cricketers.
Says Associate Editor Sharda Ugra, who flew down to Iran with Principal
Photographer Bandeep Singh to watch Anand win his $660,000 prize: "Not
only is Anand probably richer than the biggest Indian cricketer, he's
also the most influential Indian sportsman in terms of his impact on his
sport." Anand, a computer buff, is already being spoken of as the
man who'll take chess into the new century. That apart, as the filmi dialogue
goes, "Kabhi kabhi kuch jeetne ke liye kuch harna bhi padta hai,
aur har kar jeetnewale ko baazigar kehte hain." So here are three
cheers to the Baazigar and to the New Year.
(Aroon
Purie)
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METRO TODAY
Among
the major spin-offs of developing the LCA is the mountain of confidence
that India's aeronautical engineers have gained. But there's still plenty
to do, writes INDIA TODAY Deputy Editor Raj Chengappa in
