EDITOR'S NOTE: Read the Note. 
  

PERSONALITY (PROFILE/MRS RAJANI KUMAR): Freedom-lover extraordinaire
A fighter. That is what Mrs Rajani Kumar, the founding principal of Delhi’s prestigious Springdales School, has been. English by birth, Mrs Kumar came to India way back in 1946 with her marriage to a freedom-fighters’ family. Nourished on democracy and anti-fascism – as a child she had been brought up with anti-colonial ideals — her marriage and her presence in pre-Independence India contributed to an awakening in her a spirit of freedom.   Read the Article. 
 

COVER STORY: Giving peace a chance
The season of peace is at hand with India and Pakistan playing major roles. The doors of mistrust and suspicion were shut firmly when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf agreed that a constructive dialogue alone could promote the normalization of relations between the two perpetually hostile nations. Indeed, both sides have taken the first steps but a lot remains to be done. Read the Article. 
 

COVER STORY (INDIA-PAK TRADE): Awaiting a new beginning
Peace would mean development and trade. The business community in Pakistan has welcomed SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) and considers it essential for trade and the economic progress of Pakistan. There could be a rapid growth in exports from India as both nations have the potential to team up to improve their respective economies and face the challenges and competition from countries like China  Read an interview.
 

DIPLOMACY: The truth behind the dark cloud
Indian and American relations have been looking up for quite sometime now. The single dark cloud, which has the potential to create problems in what can best be described as a cosy relationship, is the outsourcing issue. And in an election year, US politicians are cashing in to exploit the situation.  Read an interview.    
    

DIPLOMACY: Towards a stronger US-India relationship
Excerpts from US Ambassador David C. Mulford’s speech to the Confederation of Indian Industry on 23 March, 2004   Read the Article. 
 

VOICES: Trade prospects between Bhutan and India are bright
Lyonpo Dago Tshering, Bhutan’s Ambassador to New Delhi, talks about his tiny country’s relations with India, the problem of militants from the North-east and the social and political changes taking place in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan.   Read an interview.   
  

REGION (GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL): Poised for a new era of relationship
A lot seems to be happening on the economic, industrial, trade and commerce as well as the political front between the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India. The age-old Indo-Arabian ties have matured over the years and a new dimension has now entered the bond.   Read the Article.  
  

PLACES (INTERNATIONAL TRAVELOUGE): Istanbul and Ephesus
Diplomatist Publisher and Managing Editor visited Turkey for four days back in January (2004). While they admit that they only experienced the ‘snowflake on the tip of the iceberg’ in terms of tourism attractions of Turkey, they share their story with our readers Read the Article.
  

PLACES (DOMESTIC GETAWAY): In search of the one-horned rhino
Diplomatist Publisher and Managing Editor spent a weekend at Kaziranga National Park back in March (2004), with hopes of viewing the endangered one-horned Rhino. They weren’t disappointed as the following short travelogue points out  Read the Article.  
 

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION (INDIA-ISRAEL RELATION): Strategic cooperation and more 
India shares many commonalities with Israel. Both countries are democracies with 5,000 years of history. Both have weathered the storm of hostilities and fought wars in every decade of their existence.  Read the Article.
  

FUTURE ALLIANCES: Rainbow on the international horizon
India, Brazil and South Africa are the likely candidates to represent Asia, Latin America and Africa in the UN Security Council. Brazil is South America’s largest economy and one of the world’s top ten economies. South Africa is a unique combination of a highly developed first world infrastructure and a large emergent market economy. India, on the other hand, is a global leader in software and biotechnology and along with China the two best performing economies today. This “Rainbow” coalition between the three giants cannot be disregarded. Read an interview.    
  

SOCIETY: Indian women through Mexican eyes
Alexandra Sanchez Gavito is a political activist, a journalist, a professor, a feminist, an active participant in her country’s civic movements – which led to a wide range of electoral reforms and consequently the ushering in of a new political era in Mexico — and a woman. Read the information.
  

SOCIETY: Women: Suppressed through the ages
History records that women were always considered second-class citizens. The Indian woman has always been viewed from a male point of view and modern times is no exception to the rule. Read the information.
  

BUSINESS: Brand India
Is India still viewed as a land of snake charmers, elephants and rope tricks? What about the phenomenal strides the country has made in the last 50 years? Over the years, we have witnessed Brand India becoming increasingly distorted in the absence of efforts to manage and develop its associations. The only obvious way out is Branding, or rather re-Branding India.  Read the Article.
 

HEALTH (NGO WATCH): Ahelping hand to end AIDS
There is no denying the fact that large parts of the country is in the grip of AIDS. The epidemic is so widespread that experts have opined that at the end of the century, India would have the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest number of HIV infections. Perturbed over the growth of the disease, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has started a programme through its Indian wing, Avahan to stem the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in India. Read the Article.  
  

ENVIRONMENT (NATIONAL NGO): Saving the Doon Valley
SAVE, a NGO, is committed to the cause of a better natural environment in the Himalayan and Tarai region Read the Article. 
  

ASEAN-India FTA: A New Horizon 
India has emmerged as a productive and profitable investment destination in Asia. Process of ASEAN-India economic integration is one of the most significant developments of the country in the last decade.  Read the Article.  
 

INDIA: Making A Difference   
Today, the Indian voice seems to have acquired a stentorian tone that has begun to carry considerable weight in international political and social forums that will eventually trickle down, affect, and benefit all Indians and those connected with India.   Read the Article.     
  

Republic of CUBA  
Cuba, also called the ‘Pearl of the Antilles’, has subtropical climate, adequate rainfall, significant minerals resources, and vast areas of fertile land suitable for farming. Geographically, Cuba is situated under the area of limestone platform of Yucatan, Florida, and Bahamas. Along the western coast, Cuba has beautiful and unusual range of Guanahacabibes Peninsula covered with eroded limestone. Thick pine forests—major sources of the country’s limber industry—cover most parts of the island.  Read the Article.  

CUBA-INDIA Relations   
Traditionally, Cuba-India relations have been warm and friendly. Cuba raised the level of its mission in India in 1972 to that of an ambassador and India followed suit in 1974. In 1960, the first Indian Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, met Mr. Fidel Castro in New York and Mr. Che Guevara visited India in July 1959. Both countries have maintained closed contacts with each other in various international forums like NAM, WTO, and UN.  Read the Article.  

INTERVIEW: India & Cuba are Natural Allies   
Cuba’s relationship with India is based on the perceptions of our foreign policy, and the guideline of our foreign policy is to have the best possible relation with all Third World countries.  Read an Interview.    
  

India-Canada Cooperation
Economist more accurately quoted the India of today as a ‘tiger on the prowl’. The symbolism of Tata Steel’s recent takeover of Anglo-Dutch Corus Group plc, the Birla Group’s purchase of Novelis Inc (a former subsidiary of Canada’s Alcan), and the recent transfer of Teleglobe International Holding Ltd to three Indian powerhouses send an unmistakable message to business leaders in Canada and elsewhere: India has arrived.  Read the Article.      
  

ATHENS: A Feast for the History Buff 
Of course, Athens’ most famous attraction is the Acropolis. Therefore, we picked a hotel in the old quarter, called Plaka, with a view of the famous piece of rock topped by the Parthenon. Plaka is an area of restaurants, jewellery stores, tourist shops, and cafes. It also has a great flea market with an antique section. Though it is quite touristy, Plaka is arguably the nicest neighbourhood in central Athens. Most of the restaurants are typical tourist places but the food is good and reasonably priced, as is the traditional Greek drink ouzo. Strong? Don’t ask! I can’t remember! Read the Article.     
  

Russia-India Geopolitical Project
India is the second biggest buyer of Russian weapons after China. And in terms of the qualitative substance of military-technical cooperation, New Delhi is a unique and still unparalleled partner of Moscow.   Read the Article.    
  

Energy and Transport Linkages: Between Central Asia and South Asia  
Being the sixth largest energy consumer in the world, India’s crude imports are expected to double in a decade. India’s major problem is connectivity with central Asian countries. India needs to get actively involved in linking the north-south corridor through the corridor continuum in south Asia and even beyond to south east Asia.  Read the Article.      
   

Fulbright Lecture Series: US Foreign Policy in 21st Century  
“Mutual relationship between two countries depends on specific factors, such as democratic governance, economic interdependence, and international collaborations” — Ms. Frances O’Neal  Read the Article.       
  

INTERVIEW: Indian companies have found good opportunities to cooperate with Finnish companies  
President Halonen had a very successful visit to India. There were three dimensions to the visit: the first one was to meet the political leadership of India to discuss and review bilateral issues, multilateral issues, and international affairs. In practical terms, this meant meeting the President, the Prime Minister, the leader of the Congress Party, the leader of the opposition, and so on. The second dimension was to promote trade and economic relations between Finland and India. In practical terms this meant that the delegation accompanying President Halonen included the Finnish Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen who held his own talks with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath. Also, the President was accompanied by a high-level business delegation.  Read the Article.  
 

JEAN SIBELIUS: An ode to the master composer   
Jean Sibelius, one of the greatest composers of all time, was born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius on December 08, 1865 into a Swedish-speaking family in Hämeenlinna in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. When he was 11-year-old, he was sent to the Hämeenlinna Normaalilyseo, one of the first Finnish language schools in the country. His introduction to the Finnish language unfolded before him the Finnish national epic—Kalevala, which had a profound effect on his compositions. Other important influences included the Swedish lyric poets, Runeberg and Rydberg, and most important of all, Finnish landscape and nature. When he was in his 20s, Sibelius decided to change his first name from Johan to Jean in an attempt to internationalise his name, and then onwards he was known as Jean Sibelius.  Read the Article.   
 

The Movement for Women's Empowerment Propels World's Decision Makers   
International Women’s Day, in fact, is the story of ordinary women as makers of history. The struggle to participate in the society on equality basis is centuries old. The United Nations has designated March 08, as the day of the woman, many advanced nations also having a national holiday..  Read the Article.  
 

The Great Mexican Art: Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo   
The year 2007 marks the 50th death anniversary of one of the most prominent artists of the last century—Diego María Rivera. Rivera’s legacy to modern Mexican art is decisive in his murals and his canvases, and he gained international acclaim as a leader of the Mexican mural movement. Rivera took his art to the public, to the streets and buildings, always managing a precise, direct, and realist style, but full of social content. Featuring stylised representations of the working classes and indigenous cultures, and espousing revolutionary ideals in his murals of the 1920s and 1930s, Rivera developed a new, modern imagery expressing Mexican national identity. Essentially famous as a muralist, Rivera ranks among the great artists of the 20th Century.  Read the Article.