Quotes

"While the word ‘masjid’ is 
commonly associated with Islam,  
it is also a Jewish word and is used for synagogues. That’s why the Masjid Bandar Station on the Harbour line is not named after any Islamic place of worship, but the first synagogue that was opened in Bombay, namely the Gate of Mercy Synagogue which is the oldest 
synagogue in the city.”

Dr Shehernaz Nalwalla, vice president, Asiatic Society of Mumbai and chairperson, Mumbai Research Centre, MumbaiMirror, August 4, 2025

"My father was very strong — a 
gymnast and a boxer. Without 
knowing it, he taught me to fight through adversity. I believe there’s only one thing worse than failure: 
not trying. I don’t mind falling 10 times, but I won’t give up.”

Farokh Messman, father of Theobroma 
founders Kainaz Messman Harchandrai 
and Tina Messman Wykes,  Sunday 
MumbaiMirror, August 3, 2025

"As an educator, that’s what 
excites me about J. B. Petit  High School for Girls. It’s a space that allows children to discover who they can be. They leave knowing that nothing can hold them back.”

Friyana Pardiwalla, principal and alumna, 
J. B.  Petit High School for Girls, Sunday 
MumbaiMirror, July 13, 2025

"Human beings are born with 
different capacities. If they are 
free, they are not equal. And if 
they are equal, they are not free.” 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian author, submitted by reader Aarmin Banaji

"People are surprised at my diction given I’m a Parsi. I was trained on 
the sets. For example, (actor) 
Balraj (Sahni) ji told my mother not to keep a Hindi or Urdu tutor and instead let me sing songs so 
that my diction improved.”

Honey Irani, child artiste and screen writer, The Indian Express, May 11, 2025

"My friend had asked me, ‘Don’t 
you want love?’ I told him,  ‘If sex 
can exist without love then why 
can’t love exist without sex?’”

Naina Shahri, a queer-affirmative therapist, about asexual people who do not experience general attraction towards individuals of any gender, sunday mid-day, May 4, 2025

"Of course, to some people, the 
idea of an artificial intelligence co-founder might sound scary. But imagine this, no work-life balance debates, no emotional conflicts, no sulking co-founder drama. Just pure clarity and decision-making support. 
That’s a huge advantage.”

Ronnie Screwvala, co-founder, UpGrad, 
The Economic Times, April 29, 2025

"(US President Donald) Trump 
saying ‘Make America Great Again’ when he’s literally destroying 
the academic institutions that 
have made America great 
— that’s a great irony.”

Daniel Schrag, Harvard scientist, 
Sunday Times of India, March 23, 2025