Vandals Of History Afghanistan's Taliban regime remains undeterred from its hard-line agenda of destroying historically valuable Buddhist idols. A look at the present regime and its slide to orthodox fundamentalism at a time when a drought has ravaged its economy and people.

Taking On the Family
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Yadav is once again facing a tough fight for survival--this time prompted by a near revolt in the RJD fuelled by rumours of a dynastic takeover. Ranjan Yadav has emerged as a potential rival to Rabri Devi, enjoying the support of both the party rebels and the NDA allies.

Chennai Confusion
The upshot of the great Tamil circus: Jayalalitha needs Moopanar, but not the Congress.

Creepy Acquisition
With Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha determined to bring corporate payslips comprehensively into the taxman's dragnet, the salaried class is having a few palpitations. For them, it means that a long era of tax-free emoluments is coming to an end.

"Indians lack unity"
Two of cricket's finest brains met for a rare conversation:Bishen Singh Bedi takes on the role of interviewer for Aaj Tak, seeking to get into the mind of Australian captain Stephen Waugh.

Revenge Of the Bears The sudden fall in share-prices points to yet another rigging controversy, and raises questions about the efficacy and credibility of SEBI as a regulator.

RASHNA IMHASLY-GANDHY
Doctor of the Soul

Soothing strains of classical Indian music in the background, the fragrance of traditional dhoop. Entering psychologist Rashna Imhasly-Gandhy's south Delhi home is a bit like coming to rest in a peaceful cocoon, away from the madding crowd and the feverish pace of life in the big city. Just what the doctor prescribed for a
troubled mind.

A specialist in marital counselling ("there isn't much scope for any other kind in India"), 54-year-old Imhasly-Gandhy calls herself "a doctor of the soul" in a society where there is "so much dysfunction under the surface, so many split lives". The lady is all poise as she elaborates on the ideas behind The Psychology of Love: Wisdom of Indian Mythology (Roli Books), which "began as
a handbook" for those she counsels so that they could become familiar with the concepts she uses as part of therapy. That, she reckoned, would help them participate better in the journey to mental peace. The end product, though, is no handbook but a comprehensive work meant for those with an academic interest in the subject. Beginning on a personal note, the book goes on to explore love using myths and symbols of traditional Indian and western thought. So Shiva, Radha-Krishna and Kama are used along with the Tristan-Isolde legend to illustrate this powerful emotion. Influences? Carl Jung, whose study gave her "a beautiful monocle" to view her subject through, and Heinrich Zimmer, whose works revealed to her the "secret language" of the mind. The interpretation of dreams forms an important element of her analysis.

The most interesting aspect is the synergy that Imhasly-Gandhy has been able to generate between the westernised discipline of psychology and India's spiritual heritage. During the 17 years she spent in Switzerland (where she met her Swiss diplomat husband, who was once her German language teacher), she extensively used Indian symbols to enliven her lecture tours in Europe. Indian culture, according to her, "has great universality" and "sometimes you need to go to distant lands to realise the value of what you have at home". She certainly did.

-Shuchi Sinha

MetroScape
Triple Act
What I would love to do more than anything else in the world is to write another play," says Gurcharan Das. "But I don't know if I have the courage." He should have dollops of it, going by the audience reaction to his 9 Jakhoo Hill--performed to mark the release of Three English Plays by Das --at Delhi's India Habitat Centre
last week.
more...

Looking Glass

Delhi and Mumbai: Adventure One Sport

Mumbai: Smooth Bar

Delhi: Good Earth Showroom

Polo, like many other events, is bringing about the resurgence of the almost forgotten royals. A chance, writes INDIA TODAY's Principal Correspondent Anshul Avijit, to say Maharaja again with an unctuous post-modernist gusto in Despatches.

"The only obvious competition is in bhangra," say the Pakistani duo of the music group, Strings, in conversation with INDIA TODAY's Sonia Faleiro in
Interviews.