The Importance Of Being Brajesh
The Opposition and the Sangh Parivar launch an attack on the Prime Minister's Office by targeting the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra. The Vajpayee camp finds itself fighting a grim political battle to retain credibility even as the Establishment tries to discredit the Tehelka allegations. An analysis.

Supercrat In His Labyrinth
There are 240 secretaries to the Government, but N. K. Singh is always a cut above-in style, networking, and power. The economic policy wizard gets defensive.

The Ways And Means Of Ranjan
Ranjan Bhattacharya's role as nursemaid to Atal Bihari Vajpayee gives the fun-loving foster son-in-law
the image of one who dabbles in government decisions.

Congress' Coalition Flight Grounded
With sceptic constituents, Congress President Sonia Gandhi's
plan to form an alliance just before the assembly elections in five states, may backfire.

Desperately Seeking loopholes
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Samata Party find discrepancies
in the charges levelled against them by Tehelka. But it's just details.

Nursery Of Hate
The week-long violence in Kanpur has cooled down, but the spectre of the Students Islamic Movement of India still looms large. A look at the reach of India's in-house Taliban.

Vroom Service
The four-stroke motorcycle overtakes middle-class India's greatest icon since the valve radio set, as sales of the doughty old scooter stagnate in spite of a spirited fightback.

George Cross
The FIR against Sonia Gandhi's private secretary is a plain corruption issue says the CBI. But, an embarrassed Congress complains of vendetta.

Nothing Official About It
The payment crisis is temporarily stemmed, but clandestine financing ticks like a time bomb.

METROSCAPE

OZZIES: OUT ON THE TOWN After their mighty fall at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, the Australian cricket team, in Chennai for the final Test, revived their flagging spirits with an evening of music, magic and beer at Mayajaal, Pentamedia's multiplex on the outskirts of the city. Despite the company of filmstars Jyothika (above right, with K. Srikkanth), Goutami and Prasanth, among others, wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist (above left) wasn't appeased. "Where's Nagma?" he bellowed. Try the locker room.

-Arun Ram

Bye Bye Birdie

Two men place white balls on the 10 mm carpet of grass and thwack them like the darn things had said something bad about their mothers. Then, they walk off followed by a crowd of onlookers. The Wills Indian Open golf tournament 2001 is in progress at the Classic Golf Resort, 9 km off the Delhi-Jaipur highway outside Gurgaon and these two men, Thai Thongchai Jaidee and Scotsman Ross Bain, are among 156 golfers from 17 countries who have gathered for the tournament. In the end, Jaidee won. He and Bain were tied at 16-under till the final fairway and it was only when Bain landed in the bunker approaching the 18th hole that the contest was decided. Indians Arjun Atwal finished joint third while defending champ Jyoti Randhawa ended up joint 15th. When journalists converged on the winner they were faced with a situation. Jaidee speaks English like most of us speak Thai. But he managed a thank you speech, which is more than one can say of the gent who delivered the vote of thanks, praising the Asian PGA for "helping from the backside" and a red-faced moment later clarified that he had meant from behind the scenes.

-Samrat Choudhury

SCENE THIS? A Ladakhi play based on a Jataka tale. A Sanskrit production starring National Award winning film actor Mohanlal. With the promise of all this and more, the curtain rose on bharat rang mahotsav 2001, the third national theatre festival organised by the National School of Drama in Delhi last week. Over 24 days, 70 theatre groups, which include actors like Naseeruddin Shah, get to perform plays by directors Ratan thiyam (Chakravyuh, seen here in the picture), habib tanvir and nadira babbar among others, and in languages like bundeli, chhattisgarhi, Manipuri and kannada.

-Anna M.M. Vetticad

MetroScape
The Itch For Kitsch
When Kitsch Kitsch Hota Hai opened to an overflowing house at Delhi's India Habitat Centre last week, people didn't quite know what to expect.
more...

Looking Glass


Delhi Exhibition: Unbuilt India-Vision 2001

Delhi Music:
Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival, 2001

Delhi: Showroom
Interiors Espania

The 457-acre estate of the Roerichs near Bangalore is in a pathetic condition. But does anyone care, asks INDIA TODAY's Principal Correspondent Stephen David in Despatches.