Convict Queen
Though AIADMK leader Jayalalitha was debarred from contesting the elections on grounds of her conviction in a corruption case, she was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Will her aggressive game plan work? And should popular mandate overrule judicial verdicts?

Great Call Of China
Indian entrepreneurs are eagerly joining the swiftly growing queue to set up shop in China.
The land once considered forbidden has suddenly become
the hottest destination for Indian businessmen.

Looking East
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Malaysia may have achieved little on Quattrochi's extradition and India's greater ties with ASEAN, but it showed there is more to their bilateral relations than these two issues.

Mother's Day
Stalinist methods played a vital role in the humiliating finale of M. Karunanidhi's dynastic ambition.

Readying For Nukes For the first time after India became a nuclear power, the Army stages a nuclear war game to check preparedness.

BOOKS

Culture In Primary Colours

A journey into the many provinces of Orissa's vibrant heritage

By Jasleen Dhamija

Marg has a reputation for bringing out publications with excellent layouts and good pictorial reproductions. So if at times the text is lightweight one would overlook it for the visual experience. Orissa Revisited is the fourth volume by Marg which concentrates on this region. Thomas E. Donaldson's article on Bhubaneswar as a temple town complex is excellent. His depth of knowledge and the evocative quality of his writing carries the reader to the sites, unlike the rather pedantic articles on early Kalahandi by Mohanty and Misra which leave many a question unanswered.

"The Buddhist Heritage" by Debala Mitra is an in-depth study that mentions Orissa's contacts with South-east Asia and China which date to pre-Buddhist times. This topic is not taken up by either the editor or any of the writers. The earliest Indian traders must have been from Orissa for they were known as Kalingas and till date Indians are referred to as Kling, though the term has at present a pejorative connotation. These early contacts influenced many a tradition of South-east Asia and in turn influenced us.

"Conserving the temple of Lord Jagannath" by Gopal E. Chauley, reads like an archeological survey report. The plates which show the Narasimha temple before and after its plaster is removed, when the details of the exquisite form of the temple emerge, are the only interesting feature. It would have been of interest if a few details had also been shown to give readers an idea of the quality of the carving. Sunil Kothari's article on Odissi is written with his usual evocative flow. One wonders, though, since Marg has recently brought out a complete edition on Odissi by the same author, why they felt the need for this article which adds nothing to what has already been written. Unless, of course, it was to pad the contents of the edition.

In "Traditional Painting", Eberhard Fisher and Dinnath Pathy's claim that not much has been written on the subject is inaccurate. Excellent research was conducted by local art historians and poets and later by a number of scholars, many of whom are listed in the article's bibliography. To term Patachitra as painting on textiles is a misnomer, as cloth is used like a canvas, a technique that produces a totally different effect. Also, an example of an Andhra Kalamkari is wrongly attributed to Orissa. Not only is it stylistically the Andhra Kalam, but even part of the text is in Telugu. Gayatri Sinha's "Modern Art Movement" laments that "ancient centres of classical art like Orissa have lagged far behind". This, however, is the hallmark of India's contemporary scene when regional cultural heritage was paid no attention by the art schools in their curriculum.

Orissa Revisited would have been a far better volume had it been planned cogently. A well-edited text, which one expects of a scholarly publication, would not have different ways of spelling the same names. Marg finally acknowledged in this edition the contribution of Mulk Raj Anand, who began Marg in the first half of the last century and despite all odds kept it going.

MetroScape

Delhi Cinema:
"Flicks Down Under"

Mumbai Restaurant:
Karma

Kolkata Restaurant:
Teej

The Madhya Pradesh governor orders a CBI inquiry into a land allotment by the chief minister to the Nai Duniya group, kicking off a constitutional crisis. INDIA TODAY Special Correspondent Neeraj Mishra reports in
Conflict Of Interest.