Top 10 Colleges
Of India
As admission time approaches, students face the dilemma of making a choice from among the 10,000-odd colleges. INDIA TODAY-Gallup's fifth survey ranks the centres of excellence on key factors. The best in Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Medicine and Engineering.

Foreign Policy Privatised
Leaked letters in London imply that Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, trusted the Hindujas more than the Indian High Commission. The brothers even negotiated with Prime Minister Tony Blair on CTBT.

The Heat Is On
The Raja of Bihar is in trouble again. The CBI has filed yet another chargesheet against him in the multi-crore fodder scam, this time in Jharkhand. A non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him has Laloo in a panic.

Fuzzy Logic
Key nations, including India, are briefed by aides of Bush on the new nuclear doctrine he proposes, but find that there are more questions than answers.

Consumed By Hunger
Maharashtra has a surfeit of foodgrain. Yet, over 500 infants have died in Nandurbar district since January this year of malnutrition and related complications.

METROSCAPE

Tough Act To Follow

Corporate sponsorship and younger talent notwithstanding, the annual festival of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) has perhaps run out of great causes and worthy inheritors. What else can explain the presence of only one new play (Surya Ke Waris by Jayadev Hattangady) and another modified one (M S Sathyu's Bakri changed to Bakri.com) amongst the eight that were performed at the fortnight-long event. The 100-member IPTA has always promoted "theatre with a message" rather than extravagant sets and costumes to capture interest. And though performances at Prithvi Theatre ran to packed audiences, this "message" was missing. All is not lost though ... gauging by the enthusiastic response to the ipta workshops.

-Himanshi Dhawan

Needing A Lift

MUSCLE MAN: Sunil Kumar at the Asian Powerlifting Championships

When Sunil Kumar dropped the 300 kg weight off his back, it took a dozen strongmen to put it back on the stand. Normally one would employ a crane to lift weights like these, but at the Asian Powerlifting Championships at Shah Auditorium, Delhi, the human muscle on display was obviously not the ordinary kind. F. Dmitry of Kazakhstan (110-kg category) aggregated 922.5 kg-more than the weight of two Maruti cars-in his three lifts, an Asian record. Throughout the five-day competition, 200-odd men and women from 14 countries performed similar feats of brute strength. Eventually Kazakhstan won the senior men's team title and Chinese Taipei the women's. Indians also flexed their muscle: Sarala Shetty did a squat with 250 kg on her shoulders, an Asian record. Rakesh Kumar lifted 350 kg for the dead lift, another Asian record. But unfortunately the cash state awards are missing-powerlifting is not an Olympic sport.

-Samrat Choudhury

Divine Diva

MYTHOLOGICAL MIRTH: Hema Malini (centre) in Mahalakshmi

It was a prospect-laden evening: sparkler for a performer, singers of repute and organisers with enterprise. Small wonder then that the 14-sequence ballet staged by Hema Malini and her group at Delhi's Kamani Auditorium last week won applause from Union Ministers L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

Perhaps the divine theme-Mahalakshmi was strung together with episodes from Indian mythology-was at work. But no less striking was the music by Ravindra Jain, the voices of Suresh Wadkar and Kavitha Krishnamurthy and Hema looking every bit the goddess she portrayed. If only then the performance wasn't so riddled with Bollywood flavour-on occasion stopping short of a B-grade mythological. For organisers, Samagam, though all that mattered was the receptive audience and a worthy precedent.

-Riju Dave Mehta

MetroScape

Summer Of 2001
Flippant and elusive, he can best be described by what he is not. Meet
Bryn Adams in an uncharacteristically forthcoming mood.
more...

Looking Glass

Delhi Concert:
"United for Gujarat"

Mumbai Ceramics:
Zareen Mistry

Mumbai Club Music:
Melting Pot