Buddha’s message of love bought solace to mankind
Thakur Paramjit
INDIA, the land of diverse religious faiths, has produced many saints, among them Buddha, whose teaching inspired the people to follow the path of Buddhism. Thailand has adopted Buddhism as its national religion. An estimated 94 per cent of the Thai population follows Buddhism.

Tales from the top of a tree
G.K. Sharma
"FOR the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen — God bless her."

Secrets of staying together
Kulwinder Sandhu
AS a psychiatrist and family therapist, he often spends his days listening to the details of other people’s love affairs. Why would someone would be willing to risk so much for so little? Narendra Chauhan interviewed 100 couples who came to him because one or both partners had become involved outside the marriage.

When forest wealth goes up in flames
R.K. Luna
WITH the arrival of summers, reports about forest fires keep pouring in from the Shivalik Hills, lower Himalayas and the plains until the outbreak of the monsoon. Forest fires are a constant cause of worry as they are a significant factor in the degradation of forests, which have already shrunk considerably.

The importance of being Gauhar Jan
Pran Nevile
GAUHAR Jan of Calcutta, who became a legend at the turn of the 20th century was one of the most renowned and charismatic performing artistes of her time. The first artiste to be recorded in India by the famous Fred Gaisburg way back in 1902, Gauhar Jan recorded her song only a year after the invention of wax recording.

ON THE SANDS OF TIME — 1985
When films explored new vistas
M.L. Dhawan
IN Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala, the peace and calm of a Gujarati village is disturbed when a despotic subedar Naseeruddin Shah makes life hellish for the women of the village. The menfolk dance to his tunes as he caresses his extravagant moustache.

Doctoring success!
Surabhi Khosla
IN 1982 when he set out to be a hero along with the likes of Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, and Kamal Haasan, he had a distinct advantage. He was a star son. And no mean star son at that. His mother, Nutan, was one of the most brilliant actresses to have ever graced the silver screen.

Of rude rajas & whimsical despots
K.R.N. Swamy
FAMOUS as rich, wilful and despotic rulers, many Indian maharajas in their heyday often displayed a contrary nature which was puzzling and interesting. For example in the early 1900s, the most famous astrologer of Bombay was invited by the Maharaja of Indore to come and foretell his future.

RESPONSE
Buddha and the Mahayana tradition
P.S. Sawhney
A long time back I had read about the statue of Lord Buddha which was proposed to come up at a suitable site in Bihar. From the Press reports I had also gathered that it was going to be the highest statue anywhere in the world and its height would be about 150 metres.