WHITHER the Indian Republic? This question has been with us for over five decades simply because our problems have not only multiplied but have also got complicated as the people at the helm of affairs have allowed them to drift. They have lacked the political will to govern the country decisively and in a determined manner.

Making of the Tricolour
Rashmi-Sudha Puri
AS a child in the 1940s, the sight of the the flag of the Indian National Congress (we were told that was our national flag) would give us goose pimples, set the body tingling with excitement and evoke a curious feeling of identification and belonging. The story of its metamorphosis into our actual National Flag on August 15, 1947, is long and interesting.

‘Pretties’ of Shimla
Alluring once again
Rama Sharma
ONCE known as the ‘Pretties of Shimla’, the beautiful nineteenth century heritage buildings in Shimla which are under the direct control of the Government of India are getting a facelift.

Editor Extraordinary
Abu Abraham
A great editor of a great newspaper died recently. He was David Astor, editor of The Observer, Sunday weekly of London. Astor was editor from 1948-75 and he died at the age of 89. Obituaries have described him as one of the most influential newspaper editors of the 20th century.