INDIAN BRAINS have been poached globally for a long, long time. Yet, if one gets down to listing the luminaries still aglow in the hallowed Indian skies, the list turns out to be unmanageable. Nevertheless, an earnest effort has been made in this rather concise book on Indian talent to list the greats in all spheres of life – be it politics, media, business, culture, media, business, culture, films, sports or other fields. This collector’s book marks the nation’s golden jubilee of Independence. Stalwarts in all the above-mentioned fields have been featured. However, that should in no way suggest that the list ends there. In fact, selecting these personalities was an uphill task. For every five persons we chose, there were 20 others who were left out. There has been a conscious effort to limit the scope of this volume. Two factors have been made the criteria – only those living will feature; and out of these, only the ones making waves this year will figure. As many a critic may point out, every category seems to be limited, dealing with only a very select few who matter. But then, we felt that was the only way to distinguish our effort from a veritable who’s who or a talent hunt. We thought it was appropriate to open the book with leading political personalities as this happens to be the most powerful sphere in society, a sphere which has raised as many discussions as it has eyebrows, deals as it does with, perhaps, the most brittle era of Indian politics. In shaping the future of the nation, our representatives in and out of Parliament have had a big hand.

The present times though have been uncertain, with Government after government falling without completing the five-year tenure. Gowda lasted 18-months, Gujral even lesser, and Vajpayee has barely managed to scrape through the numbers game. But it was this very liquid state that threw up hitherto unknown faces and personalities on the most happening arena in the nation. But again a select few make their presence in this book.Same is the case with the Media and Economy sections. In the first, Editors, barons and columnists of mainstream newspapers, magazines and electronics media figure. One must point out here that the all-powerful media barons have been the most inaccessible of personalities. In more than one case, the office of a particular personality refused access to either the profile or the photograph of the proprietor. Most put this to a carefully-nurtured low-profile existence. The black and white photographs in this section are a fallout of this closed-door policy. In the Economy section, only the top few business houses figure, for instance, the Ambanis who have been in and out of Forbes and other rich lists. Then there is the section on the technocrats and bureaucrats who have been moulding the nation into treading with speed, but care, in the fast lane of economic reforms.

The choice was most difficult in the Culture section, and herein lies the greatness of our nation, extraordinarily rich in heritage of every hue. Singers abound as do instrumentalists and theatre personalities. In reverence to the volume of the book, only the more established of the established persons figure.

Miscellany, is the last but not least of sections, a let-go epilogue. From films to sports to activists to achievers in other areas – they are all there. We felt India Matters needed a freak-out namaste. Hence, the colourful closing section.

We pen off with an appeal: Do not consider the preface as a mere apology for the misses. Peruse through the pages and appreciate the hits and rare pictures and the very readable texts that we have managed to put to print, despite a time and space constraint. It has been our endeavour to bring to the notice of the world how our achievers, young and old, have added to the halo of India. In reading about them, perhaps, many more would emulate and score yet again.