Tussle Within
As the war drags on, the US discovers the perils of allying with a dictator who wants to appear a statesman abroad and a politician at home.

Battle Weary Wasteland
An exclusive photo feature captures images of Afghan life during unending conflict.

Down and Out
An account of sebi's undoing under D.R. Mehta and the tasks for a new team that will be at the helm in the regulatory body early next year.

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Battle fatigue is something which happens to soldiers in a war, not to non-combatants. Not so in the first war of the 21st century. There is a palpable sense of war-weariness among TV viewers and readers about the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

SPOT THE GURU: Ravi Shankar with Prasannarajan in Kolkata

As the war enters its fourth week, the daily images are the same-of fighter aircraft streaking from ships, endless bombing raids, the clinical Pentagon briefings, the bizarre press conferences of the Taliban in Islamabad, wounded Afghan civilians, Islamic protesters on the streets, Northern Alliance commanders waiting for the real battle, President Musharraf constantly squealing about India only to be greeted by a stony silence by his Indian counterpart. There is a muchness of the same. To break this monotony, we decided to run a totally different cover story.

Running parallel to the world going gung-ho over war is the phenomenon of people trying to be at peace with themselves.

Many have regarded India as the repository of spiritual wisdom in the world. The Rajneesh cult exported that reputation. Today, the world's most rapidly expanding school of spiritualism has its roots in Bangalore. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living has spread to 135 countries, is a UN-affiliate and also boasts a high-powered celebrity devotee list. Senior Editor S. Prasannarajan, our resident guru of matters philosophical, underwent the Art of Living course and spent time with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. What elevates the Art of Living from the mere mumbo-jumbo or even lofty ideology is, he says, the specific physical discipline and mental code of conduct it involves. "In the age of fear, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the CEO of Smile Inc," he says.

I hope reading his story will bring some joy to your heart in these bleak times.

(Aroon Purie)

P.S: We couldn't, of course, ignore the war. We chose to present it differently through the haunting images captured by Chief Photographer Dilip Banerjee, who spent five weeks in Afghanistan

MetroScape

Banglore: Pub

Delhi: Furniture Store

Kolkata: Restaurant