Random Thoughts

The Economist cover page- Hats off to humanity

The cover photo on the latest edition (Nov29-Dec5’08) of The Economist hogs attention. The photo accompanied by the headline ‘Terror in India’ is about a police officer in the Maharashtra State squad helping a badly bruised infant with some water.

The Indian and international media is abuzz with pictures of last week’s terror attacks on Mumbai, the capital city of the western state of Maharashtra and the financial hub of India. But the one chosen by The Economist on its front page stands out among all. No other photo captures the theme of the moment as nicely as this one.

While other images capture the gross vandalism and a sense of anarchy created by the terrorists, the one carried by The Economist simply narrates that at the end of all the violence what remains is a touch of humanity. While other images in a way tell how well the job was done thus encouraging the evil, the one used by The Economist mocks and snaps at the very mission of the evil to ruin humanity.

Those who regularly read The Economist would be familiar with the style of the British weekly newspaper to put the human aspect forth in starkest of the calamities. I still remember the cover of the Tsunami related edition of the 165 year old chronicle. It featured a small kid with tears almost frozen in his eyes, left hand holding a half eaten piece of bread and the other hand clasped by an elderly person. Again the picture was about the hope that is eternal rather than the devastation caused by the deadly ocean waves.

The Economist’s philosophy of admiring and saluting the indomitable human spirit is worth an applause.

Labels: Matters of life

posted by Ranjit @ 12/01/2008 10:40:00 pm