A RECENT ARTICLE on Brain Pickings stated that to “reap the fruits of genius, we must plant the seeds of practice and process”. And what if these ‘seeds’ are planted very early on? And, by the most influential figure in a child’s life—a parent? You get something close to a Barkha Dutt. Some hate her, some adore her. Whichever camp you might belong to, it is hard to ignore Barkha Dutt, the NDTV Group Editor and President of its Editorial Board. For most of us, she has been the face of hard-hitting war reportage ever since she burst into the scene—the tall, young woman armed with a mike and determination. From Kargil, she went on to cover nearly all major news of conflict and violence in India. She opened the doors for young women who dared to dream differently. We saw her from the safety of our homes, and wondered how it was to be her, in her place. This month we received the rare opportunity to ask her personally about her Kargil experiences, and of course, other media matter—corporatisation of the media space, role of women and the reinvention of a journalist, in the social media world. Some of her answers made us think, too, about the future of this industry. Armed with a camera and an opinion every one can be a journalist; or can they? Who is a journalist? What are the character traits of this creature? More importantly what makes an all right reporting different from an excellent one? Barkha also spoke of her influence, her mother, Prabha Dutt, a pioneer in her own right. There are several similarities between mother and daughter; the former was India’s first war correspondent and the latter was the first one to cover war reporting on television. A special mention of our Good Karma section. We have all heard of how charity begins at home. Kuku Arora has taken the adage a bit further, to work a small miracle. His model is worth mentioning because of its simplicity and sustainability—you and me can follow to make a big difference. For this month our favourite travel columnist has taken her much-deserved break. And we coaxed Chef Jerome Cousin of Rara Avis take us through his favourite French dishes. I await your responses on this issue, impatiently. Watch out for your health in this especially sizzling summer.