The princess is dead but long live her secrets. Princess of Wales Diana had used businessman Gulu Lalvani to make her lover, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, jealous. Sensational claims like these were made by Paul Burrell, her butler who was recently cleared of stealing her possessions.

SERVING SCANDAL: Burrell and Diana (below)

In a statement to the police, Burrell revealed intimate details of her affair with the doctor. He said that she was "totally in love" with Khan and was "begging him" to marry her. Burrell let on that she went out to meet Khan on her birthday wearing nothing but a fur coat. She planned to arrange a job for him in South Africa, where she wanted to live with him. In an effort to make Khan jealous, she went out with Binatone Managing Director Lalvani and got photographed with him.

Buckingham Palace has more to worry about. Allegations of a homosexual rape in Prince Charles' office are out in the dailies. Charles has now ordered an inquiry to stem the flow of allegations. If only it was that easy.

-Ishara Bhasi

Buddha Smiles

The name is misleading. But not the content. Rajesh Touchriver and Sai George's story of Siva, a Sri Lankan Tamil fleeing the strife-torn island, could be that of any of the nine million fellow citizens who have sought asylum in foreign shores, and the seven million internally displaced Tamils. The film, In the Name of the Buddha-which was featured at the Oslo International Film Festival in the Norwegian capital-is a vivid and lurid portrayal of terror along with a prayer for peace in the island-nation.

STRIFE AND SHANTI: Portraying the battle for peace in Sri Lanka

"We have focused on the flagrant violations of human rights from the standpoint of a helpless victim," explains Touchriver (a literal translation of his Malayalam surname, Thodupuzha). Neither is the LTTE absolved for its brutal ways nor are the excesses of the Sri Lankan and Indian security forces discounted.

"I was particularly moved by the story of a refugee who took asylum and completed his studies in London, before bringing his entire family to the UK," says Touchriver. "The theme kept haunting our imagination for nine years," says George, son of yesteryear Malayalam film producer and director K.S. Antony. The film is in English, Hindi, Tamil and Sinhala to capture the local flavour. The backdrop, though, for most of the film is Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

-Amarnath K. Menon

US ELECTIONS
Winning the Democratic Way

THE LAWMAKERS: (from left) Chaudhary, Dandekar and Barve

A record number of 28 Indian Americans contested for various elected offices in the US mid-term polls, but only three were successful-Swati Dandekar from Iowa, Kumar Barve from Maryland and Satveer Chaudhary from Minnesota. All three contested for the state legislatures on Democratic Party ticket.

Most in the news was Dandekar. She took a spirited stance against her Republican opponent Karen Balderston, who sent an e-mail to a conservative political action committee which read: "Without having had a growing-up experience in Iowa ... how is this person adequately prepared to represent Midwest American values, let alone understand the constitutional rights guaranteed to us in writing by our Founding Fathers (not her Founding Fathers)?" The outcry that followed forced Republicans to abandon their candidate and helped the 50-year-old Dandekar to become the first Indian-American woman lawmaker.

The other winners, Barve and Chaudhary, are both veterans. It is the fourth term for the 43-year-old from Montgomery, Maryland and the second term for Chaudhary, Minnesota's youngest legislator. However, all the six Indian Americans in the fray for the Congress lost their bid. Washington is still some way off.

-Anil Padmanabhan