Predictable, Placid, Timid
By Nonika Singh

"THE little man seems to have no firm roots, no sure loyalties to sustain his life and give it a centre. He is not aware of his history, his past being brief as it is. He has lived through no golden age he can recall in time of trouble," writes J.S. Mills about white collar workers in the West. Other western sociologists called middle class man, ‘man of corporation’, ‘man of organisation’, ‘a little man up for sale’ a little cog ready to be fitted in bureaucratic machinery’, with no history, politically impotent, socially indignant. Others found him repressive.

• A deity called education,
  by T. R. Vaid
  
  
• A rendezvous with fairies in springtime,
  by Rushin Bond
  
  
• Indian civilisation: Oldest and most influential,
  by S. S. Bhatti
  
  
• Misguided youth of the 90s,
  by M. L. Kashyap
  
  
• He lived an immaculate life,
  by R. K. Malhotra
  
  
• 19 not out,
  by Elia
  
  
• ENVIRONMENT: India's vandalised sanctuaries,
  by Sharad K. Soni
  
  
• TOURISM: A taste of simple life,
  by Deepti Gupta
  
  
• New problems of old age,
  by P. D. Shastri

• INTERVIEW: "I am creating my own idiom", Navtej Singh Johar tells Kuldip Dhiman
  
  
• TIME OFF: The sub-continent of Durga,
  by Manohar Malgonkar
  
  
• TRAVEL: Looking for peace in the mountains,
  by Christoph Kohler
  
  
• YOUR OPTION: On commitment,
  by Taru Bahl
  
  
• FITNESS: Eat well and keep the weight off,
  by Anup Deb Nath
  
  
• GARDEN LIFE: Garden surprises are a must,
  by Satish Narula
  
  
• A SOLDIER'S DIARY: Indian response to "Kargils",
  by K. S. Bajwa
  
  
• FEEDBACK: Withering harmony
  
  
• WIDE ANGLE: Action fails to click,
  by Ervell E. Menezes
  
  
• FILM & TV: Hunt for the missing persons,
  by Mukesh Khosla
  
  
• BOLLYWOOD BHELPURI: Moutho: Doing Punjab proud!,
  by Madhur Mittal