& 1 CON
India already has a gallery of epoch-makers .
Illustration by SAJITH KUMAR on Sonia Gandhi or best-selling author Durjoy Datta writes on peer Chetan Bhagat , our job gets easier . There was little or nothing to edit , chop and change . The outcome has been satisfying and insightful . Who better to write on Saina Nehwal than her coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand ? In his piece , Gopichand reveals there could be more talented players in the country , but where Nehwal outstrips everyone else is her deep reservoir of grit and determination . They could be in competition to win the hearts and minds of readers , but Durjoy candidly admits in his column that Bhagat ’ s celebrity status opened the doors for many aspiring writers like him .
These columns give us rare insights . Actor Manoj Bajpayee argues that filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is possibly a better scriptwriter than director . Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra makes a case for cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be placed on the same adulatory pedestal as the sport ’ s awe-inspiring genius , Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar .
That Sharmila Tagore has written on Bollywood diva Alia Bhatt is itself news . The elegant actress of yesteryears has made it all the more newsy , acknowledging that Alia has impressed everyone with her repertoire in a remarkably short time . New-age spiritual guru Sadhguru writing on Baba Ramdev is no less significant . Sadhguru argues that Ramdev , possibly more known than him and with a larger fan following , is a true original despite his many faults .
Other notables have also been equally forthcoming . Palash Sen , a practising doctor and lead singer of the band Euphoria , has opened his heart and dissected the true worth of fellow doctor , author and philosopher Atul Gawande . Vikas Bahl , the director of Queen and maker of a forthcoming biopic on Anand Kumar , founder of the Super 30 coaching centre that routinely propels students to pursue their IIT dream , has shone light on Kumar in a manner that no one else possibly could .
But since the good becomes great only in comparison to the bad , one suspected conman has made it to our list , with investigative journalist Aniruddha Bahal decoding how Nirav Modi defrauded banks to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore . Good or bad , the pen-portraits of our 21 game-changers have important lessons for us . So happy reading and Happy Independence Day ! O
20 August 2018 OUTLOOK 25