60 and getting sexier?

Sixty years of independence and the mood is dichotomous. India-shining-style optimism is colliding with the stark reality of 250 million still below the poverty line and two of our most important newspapers reflect this divide in the usual, predictable ways. The Times of India is replete with gung-ho proclamations. The front page screams “60 and getting sexier”and a hefty supplement serves up a list of 60 “makers and shakers”. The tone is relentlessly upbeat. There is no mention of the other side of the story, of the ‘other’ India as it is often called.