White
Elephants
Using coalition compulsions as a fig leaf, parties have kept
alive 20 dead and useless ministries at a cost of over Rs 74,000
crore only to expand their umbrella of patronage and pelf
Cutting through the clutter of extremism, Hindus and
Muslims of Kutch show an alternative route to spiritualism
by holding joint katha at dargas. India Today's Uday
Mahurkar draws inspiration from them.
A purification ceremony at the Guruvayur temple has
the state Government pushing to change ancient temple
rituals and customs even as some groups lash out at
the ruling cpi(m) for ‘targeting’ only Hindu
places of worship.
To build an instant connect with target audiences, advertisers
and brands are indulging in lewd commercials for a range
of products, from communication services to toothbrushes.
The first military dictator of Pakistan misreads
global developments and spells out his dislike of
India in his self-serving memoirs spanning a turbulent
period in the history of the subcontinent.
The local body polls in the state
was both a revolution and a revelation: in a zero-violence
voting the established order was uprooted, with 70 per
cent of the seats going to women mostly under 30.
The re-emergence of a 1985 plan to repatriate non-local
employees and create extra posts for them in their respective
regions threatens to destabilise the entire administrative
machinery of the state.
Poor training, inadequate equipment, delayed reforms
and lack of accountability. Why the death count mounts
when the Indian police open fire to control marauding
mobs.
From cha-cha to disco to break-dance, the movie industry
has broken boundaries on the dance floor. Now the
boogie brigade is learning the subtle art of waltzing
feet and shimmying hips.
COVER
STORY: USELESS MINISTRIES
