Quotes

"Most Irani cafes have a little 
wedge in the facade which would be rented to a paanwala from 
UP (Uttar Pradesh).”

Dr Simin Patel, scholar and founder 
director, Bombaywalla Historical Works, sunday mid-day, September 4, 2022

"For vada pao, it’s MG Road in Pune, for samosas, it is still Ahmednagar. I swear by bhelpuris from Kalyani and pani puris from Elco Market, Bombay.”

Meherwan Irani, chef, Chai Pani, 
The Indian Express, June 26, 2022

 "He (Khoram Zorabian) loved his chicken dhansak and butter 
chicken with crispy naan but ate only Zorabian Chicken, and would not eat a chicken dish if the 
restaurant didn’t stock Zorabian.”

Perizaad Zorabian, on her father 
who founded Zorabian Chicken, 
mid-day, June 9, 2022

"We baked biscuits in 1956 with no experience. For three months, batches prepared were like wood and we threw them in the sea! 
At closing time, 11 o’clock one night, I thought I must keep 
trying. By God’s grace the 
kharis turned out beautifully.”

Rustom Nasrabadi, proprietor, 
Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Stores, 
mid-day, March 21, 2022

"It has the typical charm of an 
old Bombay building, with wooden beams and teak doors. A front garden and high plinth afforded 
privacy. The house had a 
constant flow of visitors. It was 
rare when someone didn’t drop 
in to spend the evening.” 

Rashna Press, erstwhile resident, 
on Sargent House in Colaba, sunday 
mid-day, April 24, 2022

"In Sanskrit, Ashok means ‘without grief.’ The tree is often described as a Sorrowless Tree because Hanuman found Sita under it. The moment she saw him, Sita realized she would soon be rescued 
from Ravan’s clutches.”

Kitayun Rustom, environmental 
educationist, sunday mid-day, May 8, 2022

"In six months, trekkers will 
witness (in Matheran) batteries used in these (electric) vehicles that need to be replaced after a few months. Has anybody given a thought to battery disposal? These will be thrown in the valley. The chemicals and metals from the batteries will go into the river.”

Dr Rohinton Mehta, co-author, 
Matheran: A Mountaineering Manual, 
mid-day, July 29, 2022

"Jayeshbhai Jordaar should’ve done better numbers, I don’t see why it didn’t. There’s a lot that goes in which we don’t understand. The film is now on OTT (over the top streaming services) and people are saying, ‘Hey, this is a nice movie why didn’t it (work)?’ Now what can I say? Everything doesn’t have a tangible answer. Was it 
the marketing (or something 
else)? I don’t know.”

Boman Irani, actor, mid-day, 
June 17, 2022

"When I was starting out, I 
used to be the only female 
crew member other than the 
hairdressers. Today, the ratio 
is nearly 50-50. That speaks 
a lot about the transition in 
the last three decades.”

Farah Khan, director, whose mother 
Menaka Irani is a Parsi, The Times 
of India, July 4, 2022

"The problem is that most of the time people buy or adopt breeds without understanding the nature and needs of the dog. A big 
dog needs a lot of exercise to 
burn energy. Unless that is 
channeled correctly, the dog 
will tend to get frustrated and 
end up hurting someone when 
provoked or irritated further.”

Cyrus Cowasji, animal caregiver and
trainer, The Times of India, July 21, 2022

"Mentoring and coaching 
could be one of the largest 
segments three to five years 
down the line. Today, we put 
too much importance on the 
degree. Just because you 
have good, strong theoretical knowledge does not make you completely job ready.”

Ronnie Screwvala, co-founder 
and chairman, upGrad, a higher 
education platform, Mint, April 7, 2022

"Successful people do what 
unsuccessful people are not 
willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”

Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur,
quoted in Mouth & Foot Painting 
Artists notepad

"Most observers would conclude that defence research moves 
slowly in India. Our two largest projects, the main battle tank 
(Arjun) and the light combat 
aircraft (Tejas) have been 
underway for over 40 years. 
But both are far from being 
our main defence choice.”

Naushad Forbes, co-chairman, 
Forbes Marshall; past president, 
Confederation of Indian Industry; 
chairman, Centre for Technology 
Innovation and Economic Research 
and Ananta Aspen Centre, Business 
Standard, April 26, 2022

"Silence in the face of atrocity is not neutrality; silence in the face 
of atrocity is acquiescence.”

Samantha Power, administrator, 
United States Agency for 
International Development, The 
Washington Post, February 1, 2024

"In New India, if a Muslim demolishes a temple, he will be termed as a terrorist. If a Hindu demolishes a mosque, he will be conferred with a Bharat Ratna.”

Arundhati Roy, author, X (formerly 
twitter), February 3, 2024