I BEGAN THIS year with a heart full of gratitude to a reader. A reader with a human touch. Towards the end of last year, we ran an article about unseen people who walk among us. One of them was young Swati Sen from Bhopal, an assistant at a department store.

Senior Special Correspondent Sravani Sarkar wrote this about her: “But for all her geniality, customers hardly notice her. She is just a fly on the wall.” Sen walked 7km one way to get to work, and then walked back home to cook for and care for her elderly parents. Sen’s plight did not go unnoticed by a reader of THE WEEK. He bought her a scooter on one strict condition—that he must never be named. How do I ever thank him? His generosity made all our work meaningful. Dear sir, I hope you are reading this and, across the many miles that separate us, I am reaching out to shake your hand. Thank you.

This anniversary edition comes with two exhaustive covers: Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, who retired recently, looks at India’s standing as a maritime power, and the road forward; Pranay Sanklecha writes on 10 philosophers and their famous works, against the backdrop of Robert M. Pirsig’s iconic book—Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance—turning 50 next year.

Senior Assistant Editor Soni Mishra writes about the Rushdie family’s erstwhile house in Delhi and how it features in what could be India’s longest-running civil suit. Chief Subeditor Susamma Joy Kurian has produced an excellent interview with Dr Abraham Verghese, whose book—The Covenant of Water—was picked by Oprah’s Book Club. Then there is the agony and ecstasy of the 12 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardees of this year, captured by Principal Correspondent Pooja Biraia Jaiswal. Let me not forget Senior Subeditor Karthik Ravindranath’s take on the rise and rise of women’s football, and Correspondent Nirmal Jovial’s dive into the world of people who help the police. There is enough and more in this twin issue, dear reader, to keep you reading into the new year!

This year has also been a year of final partings, as we lost four of our former colleagues: senior special correspondent Tapash Ganguly in February, resident editor K.S. Sachidananda Murthy in October and editor-in-charge T.R. Gopalakrishnan in November. December did not let us be, as former senior editor P. Aravindakshan passed away on the 15th, aged 90.

When THE WEEK was launched, he joined us from the Indian Express. He was editor V.K.B. Nair’s pick, just as Sachi was mine. As Kerala correspondent, he delivered many exclusives, including an interview with prime minister Indira Gandhi. He then joined the desk as senior editor and provided able leadership, before moving back to Thiruvananthapuram as resident editor of the Malayala Manorama.

As resident editor, he stepped into the shoes of a colossus, K.R. Chummar, and filled them comfortably—proving that he was adept in both Malayalam and English. A part of him remains with us, as his son Jayan Menon is chief of the Malayala Manorama’s Kozhikode bureau.

I have always wondered how Aravindakshan mustered the courage to jump ship from the Indian Express to a newsweekly that was not even launched. Perhaps, he knew instinctively that THE WEEK would go on to achieve great heights, as it has. I am ever grateful for his trust in us, just as I am for yours, dear reader. We would not have come this far without readers and journalists with a human touch. Thank you!

I wish you every blessing at Christmas, and in the year to come.