| It's a cliche -- and a fact -- that we live in a global
village. In this age of fraternity and satellite television we share in the dramas that
unfold in the course of human events every day. We at India Today have a proud tradition
of sparing no expense to bring you first-hand reports of epoch-making events: the demise
of communism in Russia, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the ascent of Nelson Mandela, the
death of Princess Diana. The travails of US President Bill Clinton are the latest example.
There is clearly unprecedented interest in the drama of sex, lies and politics unfolding
on Capitol Hill. But beyond the salacious details lie fundamental questions about the
implications of a disabled American presidency in a unipolar world: Can Clinton survive?
If he does, will he be a lame-duck president? To answer these questions we flew Deputy
Editor Swapan Dasgupta to Washington DC. "I have never seen a society and media in so
much turmoil over the private life of one man," says Dasgupta, who also covered
Princess Diana's funeral. However, given the saturation coverage in the US, we changed the
cover of our international edition. Our readers across the world will instead read the
inside story of the RSS' influence on the Indian Government. Back home, we stumbled on a story that is worlds and eras removed from
Zippergate. It began with an obscure news item about water-drilling rigs in the middle of
the Thar desert. We uncovered the fascinating story of a determined scientific search for
a fabled piece of our mythology, the lost river Sarasvati. But this isn't just about myths
and history. The Sarasvati's remnants could bring new life to India's parched northwest.
From ancient history to modern human frailty, we have it all.
(Aroon Purie) |
