“To write a biography about Modi will be very difficult because he doesn’t write. He only tweets and someone else writes his tweets.”
Ramachandra Guha on the ‘Art and craft of historical biography’ at the Times Litfest, Bangalore (February 5)
“I have begun to fear now, because even girls have started drinking beer. The tolerance limit is being crossed.”
Mohan Parrikar, Goa chief minister, addressing the State Youth Parliament (February 9)
“So why does Tharoor’s English charm and impress dorky middle-class Indians? Because we are still Macaulay’s misfits and mimics, some of us. Also, because English is the language of aspiration and advancement in India. Not so long ago, children were told to circle difficult words in newspaper editorials and learn them. This is why Indian kids abroad regularly win spelling bee contests. They notice language, having grown up with more than one.”
Amulya Gopalkrishnan in ‘Why are we so charmed by (Shashi) Tharoor’s English’ (Times of India, February 11)
“If the coach had a firearm in his locker, when he ran at this guy (the shooter)… he wouldn’t have had to run. He would have shot him and that would have been the end of it.”
Donald Trump, US president, on arming teachers after a mass shooting in a Florida school (February 22)
“The culture here is one of success based upon academic excellence, studying, learning, practising and having a good job and a great life…That’s a lot like Singapore study, study, work hard and you get an MBA, you will have a Mercedes, but where is the creativity? The creativity gets left out. When your behaviour is too predictable and structured, everyone is similar. Look at a small country like New Zealand, their writers, singers, athletes, it’s a whole different world.”
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple on the Indian education system (Sunday Times of India, February 25)
