“I worked on the book for five years,
and when it appeared I remember reading
those reviews and thinking that it’s
over. I should give up this business and
maybe work in a bank.”
– Poet and
novelist Jeet Thayil, whose book
“Narcopolis” won the $50,000 DSC
Prize for fiction set in South Asia, despite receiving poor
reviews initially. (NDTV.com)
“Please, we are both very vibrant
people. I actually have a marigold turban
like your hair in addition to all the other
colors.”
– American Idol contestant Gurpreet Singh Sarin, aka ‘The Turbanator,’
successfully persuading
judge Nicki Minaj to cast her vote in his favor and send
him to the next round. (FirstPost.com)
“ Without an unqualified constitutional
amendment that guarantees this
freedom, as the American Constitution’s
First Amendment does, the country cannot
fairly claim to be the ‘world’s largest democracy.’”
– Author and New York University
professor Suketu Mehta, writing about India’s
recent freedom of speech lapses. (New York Times)
“ We’ve got to stop being the stupid
party. It’s time for a new Republican Party
that talks like adults.”
– Louisiana Governor
and potential 2016 presidential
candidate Bobby Jindal, giving the
the keynote speech at a meeting of the Republican
National Committee.
“ It is very exciting to serve
in an Administration that has so
many great Indian-Americans
serving.”
– Rajiv Shah, Administrator
of United States
Agency for International Development,
speaking at the
first-ever inaugural ball organized
by Indian-Americans
in Washington, D.C., to celebrate President Obama’s
second term in office. (The Hindu)
“ My parents left India to pursue
their dreams, and years later, I have
come to India to pursue mine. Full
circle!”
– British-born, U.S.-raised
actor Samrat Chakrabarti, who
traveled to Mumbai for the release
of two films in which
he plays contrasting roles:
Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroop
and Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s
Children. (IANS)
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]