Compromise Man: Pillai	She Factor:Rau

DELHI Anxiety is mounting in the Congress. While the much-awaited AICC revamp now seems aeons away, changes in three state Congress units-Maharashtra, Orissa and Kerala-have revealed the new approach of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. She has refused to cast her lot with any one faction and opted instead for people without any political baggage or factional godfathers. This has naturally put partymen in a quandary. In Maharashtra, she chose Prabha Rau as she wanted to project her as the first woman chief minister of the state.

In Kerala, Thennala Balakrishna Pillai scored because he was not allied with any group. In Orissa, Sonia decided to play the Dalit card by appointing Keonjhar district MLA Jayadev Jena who is from the ginger Basant Biswal group. If she carries the trend to the AICC, the heads of many heavyweights might roll during the reshuffle and so they are all trying to protect their turf.

-By Lakshmi Iyer

The Dog Show

BHOPAL Golu-a German Shepherd-loves Uma Bharati so much that he will kill to be by her side at all times, be it at press conferences, dinners, meetings at the home office or strolls in the garden. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister indulges equally in Golu and is least embarrassed by his uninvited presence at such meetings. Neither are most people who frequent her house. Initially senior officers visiting her residence used to get uneasy at the sight of the healthy, ferocious Golu but soon realised Bharati was in complete control.

Bharati has several dogs-German Shepherds and Labradors-to fill the huge ministerial bungalows that she has stayed in so far. But no one is complaining so long as Golu keeps her in good cheer during those meetings with her officials.

-By Neeraj Mishra

Literary Tour

It's raining gods: Raje

DELHI Foreign Minister Natwar Singh's erudition is never in question, but unquestionably he is at his best when he wields the literary brush on his own diplomatic experiences. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who received Singh's latest book, Heart to Heart, (apparently named after his bypass surgery) from the minister recently had a variety of essays, sketches and articles written from 1985 to 2002 to choose from. Singh's canvas is large: from Don Bradman's exquisite stroke-play to the double standards of Henry Kissinger, from Indira Gandhi to her son Rajiv. It is not just that he was at hand to witness S. Radhakrishnan patting Mao Zedong on the cheek and airily declare that he did the same to "Stalin and the Pope", but that these experiences form a delightful meeting point for history and literature.

-By Indrani Bagchi

SKODA SUPERB Rs 24 lakh

Space Odyssey

More space is more expensive, but not in a Skoda Superb. It has the rear-seat space and comfort of a Mercedes S-class, and the price tag of a C-class. The V6-powered Superb is perfect for the chauffeur-driven-comfort-oriented suspension and a wood and leather lined gentlemen's club of a cabin. It's no Merc but if you want to barge around in comfort all day, the Superb is a fantastic value option.

-By Vardhan Kondvikar, Autocar India