“Shyam Chainani’s (founder of the Bombay Environmental
Action Group) narrative is not a mere account of
strategies and tactics in a war to recover a vanishing
environment; it is also a story of idealism and courage, and
like a great epic, needs to be read for the many lessons
it imparts — not least regarding the courage of a few and the moral failures of many.”
Cyrus Guzder, businessman and social activist, Freedom First, February 2011
“The heart-rending message for the common person is to get ready for a bumpy ride with accelerated inflation.
There is nothing in the monetary policy which
would convince (people) that the situation would improve
in the ensuing few months.”
S. S. Tarapore, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, The Free Press Journal, January 31, 2011
“All those individuals... whom
the public call ‘Sophists’ and
envy for their skill, in fact teach nothing but the conventional views held by the mass of the people.”
Sheryar Ookerjee, author of Plato and the Arthasastra, November 2010
“A big bar went into the house of a Parsi gentleman, a civil engineer called Motiwala, it was worth
Rs 90,000. The great Parsi
honestly returned the gold bar
and he received a reward of
Rs 999, which he immediately donated in charity.”
Amrit Gangar, writer on the Bombay dockyard explosion of April 14, 1944, Mumbai Mirror, February 1, 2011
“I started writing because I had
no other choice. I was broke, unbelievably no-money-at-all
broke. I couldn’t even buy food
or cigarettes. I was sitting on the road and writing on a notebook which I had stolen from someone else. I’m writing, I’m filling up this book from edge to edge to save paper, and this Parsi gentleman saw me. He went into his home and got me an orange, a boiled egg, and three cigarettes.”
James Kelman, Glaswegian novelist,
DNA, January 25, 2011
“A study in India found that
two in five young men and
women believed that a woman cannot become pregnant the
first time she has sex. No
knowledge equals no protection.”
Shireen Jejeebhoy and K. G. Santhya, senior associate and associate at the Population Council, New Delhi, The Times of India, January 13, 2011
“Bombay prices had gone up a lot and maybe they will correct a little bit but I don’t see a correction yet. When demand goes up, it shouldn’t lead to price increases, it should lead to supply increases... However, in real estate, because of regulatory approvals, supply does not come in quickly.”
Adi Godrej, chairman, Godrej group,
DNA, December 31, 2010
“Godrej knows what makes India tick. We are at a point in Godrej’s history when our amazing past is meeting up with its spectacular future head on. Godrej is learning and relishing being young again.”
Jamshyd Godrej, chairman, Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Company, Business India, June 28-July 11, 2010
“People used to wait almost
10 years for a telephone. But today, be it a rickshaw puller
or a pan-shop owner, he has his own number, his own identity.
He is connected just like any billionaire is connected. It has
been made possible with pre-paid cards and low-cost phones.
It is a terrific equalizer.”
Ratan Tata, chairman, Tata group, The Economic Times, December 16, 2010
“What is happening is a very
sorry state of affairs if you look
at the big houses in India today. The Tatas are investing abroad, not in India. They want to, but
they can’t. They don’t get the
land. They have old land, they don’t get extension of the mining leases. Then someone accuses them of mining illegally.”
Deepak Parekh, chairman, HDFC, The Indian Express, December 14, 2010
“Luxury travellers are
more discerning... They
seek a luxurious custom
made holiday that showcases
their individual style over
monotonous experiences. It is
the feel of luxury which
makes them feel pampered
and different from the crowd.”
Kashmira Commissariat, chief operating officer, Outbound Division, Kuoni India,
Express Travelworld, December 2010
“Facebook has more power in determining who can speak and who can be heard around the globe than any Supreme Court justice, any king or any president.”
Jeffrey Rosen, law professor,
George Washington University,
Mint, December 14, 2010
“I never learnt anything
while I was talking.”
Larry King, CNN talk show host,
Reader’s Digest, December 2010
“Money isn’t everything,
but it sure keeps you in touch
with your children.”
J. P. Getty, late US industrialist,
Reader’s Digest, December 2010
“I really worry about
China. I am not sure that
in the end they want any
of us to win, or any of us
to be successful.”
Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and chief executive, General Electric, DNA, December 18, 2010