The Luckies
The Labelled, Urban, Chilled, Kicked-with-life Indians are here. The most fortunate ever if only for the choices before it, this generation is glib, global, cocky and informed-and chases success with an awesome spending power.

Wages Of Peace
The Centre's decision to extend its cease-fire with the NSCN(I-M)
to three other north-east states leads to large-scale violence
in Manipur.

Man Of Letters
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's skill with the quill has the PMO busy acknowledging his missives. And on occasion agreeing to his demands.

Civil Lines
Pervez Musharraf's assuming the office of President is being seen as a bid to legitimise his position. A look at what this means in the context of his India visit.

Peace In Pipeline
India wants to put on Iran the onus of ensuring safe transit of gas.

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Every generation defines itself in some way. For many it was in relation to momentous events like the Great Wars, the Depression and the freedom struggle. In recent times though, the generations are defining themselves by lifestyle, particularly since the time of the Baby Boomers or Midnight's Children as we know them in India. In the 1960s and '70s, there were the hippies and the rebels. The greed-is-good backlash that followed produced the Me-Generation and the Yuppies of the 1980s. The Indian version of this surfaced with the coinage of "Puppies" by india today in reference to the flamboyant lifestyle of Punjabi Yuppies.

In the past few years, we have noticed the emergence of a very different generation. The confident product of a time when India has opened its doors to the world and embraced economic reform. Their world is one that has shrunk with satellite TV and the Internet, providing them with images and information about global lifestyles. This is a generation that lives in relative peace, away from conflict, unaware of shortages and restrictions that existed only a decade ago. For sheer choice and the range of opportunities available to these young people, we have called them the Lucky Generation. They are India's first true "global souls" who feel equally at home in Mumbai or Manhattan, New Delhi or New York.

Principal Correspondent Anshul Avijit with his carefully dishevelled look was the magazine's bridgehead to this generation. Although at the ripe old age of 30 he was on the edge of this generation, it gave him the advantage of taking a dispassionate but close look at what makes the Luckies tick. Says Avijit: "This is a generation that does not apologise for getting what it wants and loves flaunting it." That said, when the Luckies grow to maturity they will do well to remember that not everyone in India is quite so fortunate.

(Aroon Purie)

MetroScape

Delhi Decorative Art: D'addomio

Kolkata Restaurant: Thai Tonight

A Hare Krishna cult member's spiritual quest meets with a rude end. But he isn't the only one on trial. The credibility of the Orissa police is equally at stake, writes INDIA TODAY's Special Correspondent Ruben Banerjee in
Sleaze And Salvation