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Sunday,
January 25, 2004
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STATE OF THE REPUBLIC
India Shining, dimly
L.H. Naqvi
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India arrives. India Inc. India Shining. Is all this just hype? Do such catch-words reflect the real India? On the eve of Republic Day, two writers, a generation apart, find that there are
no clear-cut answers.
I
HATE
being pushed, I hate being jostled. I hate being frisked. In 1975, I had
to endure all this because my office could not find a more junior
reporter to cover the Republic Day parade. (That is how important it is
as a journalistic event.) Since the invitation was for two, my wife came
along to witness the display of military might followed by the state
tableaux. In between, we caught a glimpse of exhausted schoolchildren
dancing their way in and out of Rajpath.
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Gen Next proud of Brand India
Muneeza Naqvi
WE
had been summoned for one of our famous family
"discussions", very often a euphemism for heated debate
or quiet sulking. My father wanted to know when I had last watched
the Republic Day parade. I seriously couldn’t remember, but I’m
pretty sure it’s never been on my agenda, post my 10th birthday.
From
mofussil mantri to natty neta
Chetna Keer Banerjee
TWEED
coats, Armani jackets and solitaires have done to our Nehru cap and khadi-dominated
political wardrobes what power dressing did to corporate India. The
new-age CEOs of India Inc have changed the way our republic looks and
dresses.
Magicians make merry
Ashok Malik
THE
popularity of the Harry Potter series worldwide has had an unlikely
fallout in India: magic, as a form of entertainment, is getting a fresh
boost. Children are once again being drawn to the masters of illusion,
abandoning their electronic gizmos and games for a taste of pure fantasy
and fun.
Black
is beautiful
Mythology describes
exotic black pearls as ‘beams of heavenly light, given to human
beings as a symbol of harmony, love and beauty’. Today, these
pearls, harvested in the Polynesian Islands, have become the favourite
gem in the international circuit, says Vimla
Patil.
EVERY
gem has some exotic legend attached to it. One such jewel is the
Tahitian black pearl. Legend says that this gem illuminated the
heavens and was used by gods to create the firmament of bright stars.
A symbol of harmony and beauty, it was given by the gods to humans as
a token of love.
Broken
bits of wisdom
Rooma Mehra
I
SHARE, undoubtedly, with a lot of other people, a special attachment
to things that are fragile.. small mementos sometimes preserved
lovingly for years. An attachment that threatens to become more and
more obsessive, as their sentimental value multiplies.
A
Sa(i)f bet
Avinash Kalla
After Kal Ho Naa Ho becoming the biggest hit of the year, Saif Ali Khan today features in the list of Bollywood's most talked about actors. He's on top of the wishlist of leading filmmakers. With the release of his first single-hero film Ek Haseena Thi, he hopes to get the viewers’ stamp of approval on his versatility.
IT
has taken a dozen years for Vicky Sehgal of Yeh Dillagi to
become Rohit Patel of Kal Ho Naa Ho. And by Jove, what a
transformation it has been. From a rabble-rousing, long-haired son of sapnon
ki rani Sharmila Tagore and Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Saif
has blossomed into a suave star with a fan following from Ludhiana to
London and from New Delhi to New York---in fact, wherever there's an
Indian diaspora there are people who throng to movies featuring Saif.
Wedding
planner
Smart and
assertive, there's just no messing with the Mast Mast Raveena
Tandon. She makes for good copy with her spade-for-spade talk. In an
interview with Vickey Lalwani, Ravishing
Ravs speaks about her courtship and impending marriage
SHE
has never minced words and neither is this time an exception.
"Why shouldn't I always say it as it is? At the risk of sounding
boastful, let me say today that I am the happiest person in the world.
I have found my soulmate, Anil Thadani."
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