73 quotes found
"They gave us the language but it is only we who know how to use it"
"Under its first two Indian editors [The Illustrated Weekly] became a vehicle of Indian culture devoting most of its pages to art, sculpture, classical dance and pretty pictures of flowers, birds, and dencing belles. It did not touch controversial subjects, was strictly apolitical and asexual (save occasional blurred reproductions of Khajuraho or Konarak). It earned a well-deserved reputation for dull respectability. I changed all that. What was a four-wheeled victoria taking well-draped ladies out to eat the Indian air I made a noisy rumbustious, jet-propelled vehicle of information, controversy and amusement. I tore up the unwritten norms of gentility, both visual and linguistic… . And slowly the circulation built up, till the Illustrated did become a weekly habit of the English-reading pseudo-elite of the country. It became the most widely read journal in Asia (barring Japan) because it reflected all the contending points of view on every conceivable subject: politics, economics, religion, and the arts."
"What matters most is whether or not India will continue to remain a secular state committed to socialism or become a Hindu Rashtra wearing a secular mask with an agenda of its own, including building a mammoth [[w:Ram Janmabhoomi|Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, preserving the Ram Setu and other relics associated with Hinduism. The choice is between an India of the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru on the one side (secular), and those of Vir Savarkar and Guru Golwalkar on the other (Hindutva). By no stretch of the imagination can it be called secular. We have to choose between remaining what we are or opt to become a Hindu Rashtra."
"More than a bomb or gun/ The footwear is a potent weapon,/ For, what years of shouting couldn’t do/ A momentary missile has done/ And, in the bargain, blackened/ A Journalist’s profession;/ Even if justice has won/ Even Bush to Chidambaram/ It is becoming a bit too common;/ Thank God, it is as yet with danger fraught/ Thank God, my wife has yet used it not."
"Nelli was an unknown little village till over three thousand people were slain in one orgy of killing. It was Bangladeshi refugees killing Bengalis and Assamese; Assamese and Bengalis killing each other; tribals killing non-tribals; Muslims killing Hindus and Christians; Christians killing Hindus."
"It was the Congress leaders who instigated mobs in 1984 and got more than 3000 people killed. I must give due credit to RSS and the BJP for showing courage and protecting helpless Sikhs during those difficult days. No less a person than Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself intervened at a couple of places to help poor taxi drivers."
"When I was in England as a student, socialism was much talked about among us. We read and discussed Bertrand Russell and attended lectures by Harold J. Laski. I have not retained many socialistic ideas, but I am still an agnostic."
"This is one of those things - a contradiction. It was an emotional issue for me. I was born and raised in a Sikh family. I still keep my beard and turban and identify myself with the Sikh community."
"R.S.S is a communal organization and dangerous to the country's secular fabric. Look what they did to Muslims in Gujarat. However, they take a different approach with the Sikhs. During the 1984 Sikh pogrom, they did save many Sikh lives. R.S.S. volunteers participated during the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa in 1999. They consider the Khalsa to be a military wing of Hinduism and their savior."
"Sikhs are kesadhari Hindus. Their religious source is Hinduism. Sikhism is a tradition developed within Hinduism. Guru Granth Sahib reflects Vedantic philosophy and Japji Sahib is based on the Upanishads."
"Why not all three? I have worked hard on each (stated with pride and an endearing smile)."
"I base my opinion on historical evidence. After Guru Gobind Singh's death, Sikh peasantry rose in arms under Banda Bahadur. Then Jats in the Sikh Misl [armed groups] fought all through the 18th century to establish Khalsa raj [rule]. Out of the 12 Sikh misls, 9 were headed by Jat chiefs. In this struggle, they made tremendous sacrifices. If one generation was wiped out, the next generation took up arms. Finally, they emerged victorious at the end of the century."
"Indians have sex more often in their brains and not where it should be. Sex is an elemental passion. It's an integral part of our life. All human relationship is based on the desire to have sex. It's human to have desire for sex and when it is not fulfilled, it comes out in *******ed forms. That is why celibacy does not work. The desire to have multiple partners is also normal. Married people commit adultery in their mind - happy married life is a façade. I have a collection of sex jokes, which I hope will be published posthumously."
"You are being dishonest if you are not writing about sex in your book. It is very natural and normal. Well, I have earned the name of 'dirty old man' but there is not much sex in my books. What I have written is very serious stuff - biography, history, religious texts, etc."
"I am disappointed in him. He was an able and clean man. I supported him initially. After 1984, Sikhs did not want to vote for Congress. I put forward his name. He came to thank me. But when he was the Home Minister, and he came with his bodyguards in tow, during an event, I took the liberty to say, "You sowed the seed of communalism in the country and the country will pay for it." Advani doesn't womanize; such men are dangerous."
"I supported her [Indira Gandhi] when I thought she was right in imposing the emergency. With some reservations, I supported the Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975. Let me explain why. I concede that the right to protest is integral to democracy. You can have public meetings to criticize or condemn government actions. You can take out processions, call for strikes and closure of businesses. But there must not be any coercion or violence. If there is any, it is the duty of the government to suppress it by force, if necessary."
"But when she curbed the freedom of press during the emergency, I withdrew my support. Indira Gandhi had the habit of snubbing whoever opposed her. She was waiting for a chance to snub me. I never gave her the chance as I never met her after that."
"My mind is no dirtier than most men's. I am honest and I say it. Fantasising is a common phenomenon and there's no censorship here."
"I've always been indifferent to dressing. Amita Malik got it right when she put me among the worst dressed men in India. But yes, I am a born joker."
"No, love is an ephemeral and illusive concept, it doesn't last; lust lasts."
"Very important. A sense of belonging, and that's why I gave up the Padma Bhushan after Operation Bluestar. I was the only Indian to criticise Bhindranwale. I called him a homicidal maniac when I was in The Hindustan Times. And he threatened to finish us all. And then I had all this security for 15 years. They've all gone now. Nobody wants to kill me anymore."
"I’ve no patience with Hindi films. I find them so unreal. But some I was taken to, like Raj Kapoor’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram."
"Yes, in fact I was almost single-handed in protesting about holding the prisoners of war. It was largely on the pressure of Mujibur Rahman that Mrs Gandhi was holding them. Because she obviously recognised Bangladesh and his (Mujibur's) stand was clear: Let them recognise Bangladesh as an independent state and then we will free them. And that's what we did later."
"I don't think so. I don't think any editor can make a difference to a daily paper because more than half, even three quarters is wire material and from correspondents in different places all over the country. And foreign news. And really the only thing the editor has is writing the editorials."
"Well, my faith--if there is any, because I am an agnostic--I have faith in good people which I think is all that one can do. The principle I tried to follow is: Try not to lie, because then you tie yourself up in knots; you have to follow it up with other lies. The only religion I subscribe to is the one word--ahimsa--try not to hurt."
"In a public figure, if he tries to put himself out as a man of great virtue then it is justified in exposing him. If he has a little mistress tucked away or frequents massage parlours, then it's his business. But if he in addition preaches morality then I think he should be exposed."
"...but religion I think should be completely separated (from journalism). I have no grievance against people who believe in God, go to places of worship and waste a lot of time in prayer. It's their business, if they get something out of it, they are welcome. But institutionalised religion is a breeding ground for prejudice and hatred without exception and therefore I have very little use for it and I criticise insitutionalising religion and fatwas and hukumnamas and things like that. I think they should be banned if the government has the courage to say: mind your own business and don't stick your nose into things that don't concern you strictly.That is possible in the kind of society we have in India."
"I write what I believe in and don't care a damn about the consequences."
"I think humour can be a very lethal weapon.You make somebody a laughing stock and you kill him. But most journalists don't do it. They get angry, which doesn't serve the purpose."
"I have to teach myself to do nothing. In the last phase of a man's life, according to the Hindu tradition, you're meant to be a forest dweller."
"I am trying hardest to see no one, because I find it tiresome. I have people descending on me and flattering me. I fall for flattery."
"I couldn't give a damn, [he said]. Writing is where I succeeded. I was a flop in everything else."
"Penguin Books India has had a long and wonderful association with Khushwant Singh. He has delighted generations of readers, and we are immensely proud to present 'Khushwantnama: The Lessons of My Life' on his 98th birthday,""
"Full of spirit, wit and good sense and as free of humbug as the man himself, The Freethinker’s Prayer Book by Khushwant Singh, is a book of inspiration, comfort and entertainment for every discerning reader."
"In this eclectic and deeply personal collection, India’s grand old man of letters brings together precepts, prayers and practical advice by prophets, poets and philosophers, and his favourite passages from the seminal texts of the world’s major faiths. The Bible and the Granth Sahib speak to us from these pages, as do the Quran and the Vedas. The songs of mystics and saints like Kabir, Rumi and Teresa of vila mix with the verse of poets like Ghalib, Tagore and Keats. In the final section of "The Freethinker’s Prayer Book by Khushwant Singh", he shares some of his own life codes and those of the rebels and mavericks he most admires."
"At long last, shortly before he would turn 100, Khushwant Singh has gone. India loses a pleasant writer and frequently humorous political and social commentator. He was a forthright spokesman of the Nehruvian English-speaking elite, at one time even the direct press chief of Jawaharlal Nehru himself... But he had the virtue of being able to take a laugh at himself, much in contrast to the pompousness and self-importance of most secularists."
"Another expression of this tendency is the induction of Muslim divines into Sikh history, e.g. the by now widespread story that the foundation stone of the Hari Mandir was laid by the Sufi pîr Mian Mir. After this story was repeated again and again in his weekly column by Khushwant Singh, Sita Ram Goel wrote a detailed survey of the oldest and modernst sources pertaining to the construction of the Hari Mandir, found no trace of Mian Mir there, and concluded: "I request you to ... stop propping up a blatant forgery simply because it has become popular and is being patronised by those who control the neo-Sikh establishment." Khushwant Singh never mentioned Mian Mir again."
"When a man who is drinking neat gin starts talking about his mother he is past all argument."
""I did not ask for objections, but for comments, or helpful suggestions. I looked for more loyalty from you, Captain Hornblower." That made the whole argument pointless. If Leighton only wanted servile agreement there was no sense in continuing."
"The lucky man is he who knows how much to leave to chance."
"Many of the Hornblower books were superb examples of their craft, and Forester remains unequaled for dynamism of narrative and precision of encounter: his single ship actions are surely the best ever described."
"Perhaps the most mysterious member of Queen. Deacon was never one for the spotlight, but with his writing and composing contributions within the confines of Queen, Deacon had his share of legendary moments. He composed hits like "You’re My Best Friend" and "I Want to Break Free" and is likely best known for two of the most iconic bass intros of all time with "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure." Arguably one of the most underrated members of an iconic band in music history, Deacon retired from playing in the late 1990s."
"William’s reign did indeed prove to be long, but it was far from peaceful. While he wore the crown, England experienced greater and more seismic change than at any point before or since.…The old ruling elite of England were swept away in their thousands and replaced by continental newcomers, who spoke a different language and had very different views about the way society should be ordered."
"Thanks to the Domesday Book, we know more about eleventh-century England than any other medieval society anywhere in the world."
"If the tumults of the eleventh century had taught the English anything, however, it was that a hereditary claim to power could easily be trumped by other factors. Violence was one, as the Vikings had shown. Virtue was another."
"Welsh politics were extremely volatile, even by medieval standards, with almost constant fighting between rival ruling dynasties, and an occasional tendency to spill across the border into England."
"The ruthless answer is do I want to keep reading because my reading pile is huge... Is there a story or character I’m compelled by?"
"Doing this job is like studying for an exam that you are never prepped for. The workload never ever goes away. I’ve got literally hundreds of scripts, any time of a given month or week."
"Engage with other women, both younger and older, and stand firm against any negativity. I wish someone had shared this wisdom with me."
"Equality and diversity require collective attention and commitment. Those with industry experience should focus on creating opportunities for diverse talent."
"If I can deliver a strong script, compelling characters, and ensure they are well taken care of during their time with us, everything will fall into place."
"“Tell the truth, even if that truth is sometimes unpalatable.”"
"How do you get your boss to like you? It’s now developed into something more, because it’s earned the right to do that. So I’m really looking forward to the audience getting to see storylines that are opening up more."
"I think really what we look for are good stories, well told, with something to say. We tend to really lean into strong female characters, and we look for something that has a moral center, even if sometimes that moral center looks like a cold, dark heart."
"I think it’s gut instinct, really. Sometimes, in something like Industry, that was inspired by wanting to look in that world."
"There are lots of things in life that happen that we need to address, and we shouldn’t shy away and just think, ‘Okay, well, that’s a bit tough’ or ‘That’s a bit that is very out there,’ but actually it’s all based on stuff that actually happens."
"The collection of down from the nests of s was a common practice among Eskimos and, in Iceland, the wild Eider Duck is farmed. In the early 1960s there were about 200 Eider farms in Iceland holding some 250,000 nesting females, each producing an average of 19 g. of cleaned down."
"The is perhaps the evolutionary link between the , and the . The Mallard has been domesticated for over 2,500 years. the Romans initiated the process in Europe, and the Malays in Asia."
"Man's interest in consuming , as well as in using their feathers for warmth and their fat for lighting and heating, was behind their early domestication. Two goose species were involved, the and the , and two ducks, the and the . Features of all wildfowl domestication include large size, a reduced number of tail and wing feathers, flightlessness, rapid maturation, an increased clutch size, long breeding season, loss of 'broodiness' (so that the technique of artificial incubation becomes necessary at an early stage), loss of aggression, a polygamous mating system, and the laying down of abdominal fat."
"Kear was instrumental in efforts to save the — from extinction. Over-exploitation and the introduction of the predatory to the had reduced an estimated 18th-century population of 25,000 to less than 30 by 1949. Three birds taken into captivity and sent to the WWT's , , headquarters formed the basis of a captive breeding programme. Thus were 200 reintroduced to Hawaii by the WWT during the 1960s, and more than 2,200 by the early 1990s. In the late 1970s, she moved from Slimbridge to become curator of in the north-west, making her the first woman in charge of a regional centre. She developed it into one of the most important in the WWT chain. It now attracts up to 20,000 and 1,300 s each winter, with large numbers of people enjoying the spectacle."
"I was a child yet I was to be a child in the forefronts."
"lost my childhood which should have been all joy."
"I learned at that age that playing was a waste of time."
"My mother used to say, I learned reverence and silence at the age of fun and laughter."
"I would consider even running a departure from reverence."
"I wish to express my thanks to Prof J W Nicholson for useful suggestions."
"The aim of this paper is to put forward a theory of the simple Zeeman effect which possesses the same general features as those of the corresponding theory."
"In the case of the Stark effect already developed by Epstein and Schwarzschild."
"There are certain very small flies, known as . The females of this species carry a dagger at the end of the abdomen, a dual-purpose tubular dagger. This dagger is known as the , or in more common terms, the organ for laying eggs. The female ichneumon stabs a in the back and lays an egg in its body. The egg hatches, the grub emerges and feeds on the green fly."
"... every shark is a survivor of an extremely archaic race, older even than the , and there is no need to describe what everyone, and especially the ocean-going seamen, think of sharks."
"... we have to remember that the description given us by Herodotus represents the entry of the into . It is the starting-point of the phoenix myth as we know it today, the foundation of the story told by Métral, and the only solid evidence we have concerning the phoenix itself."
"Some territories are used for feeding alone and these are defended outside the breeding season. The is a well-known example. . In winter male and female occupy separate territories for feeding only."
"During the first half of the present century those who visited and examined collections of Early Netherlandish Paintings were like explorers voyaging on a wild and unknown ocean without a chart; some of them making careful observations, and jotting down on their maps any land of the existence and extent of which they had acquired certain proof, and noting its characteristic features ; others, however, in their eagerness to make discoveries quickly, and to acquire renown, mistaking sandbanks and rocks seen through the mists for hitherto undiscovered countries, giving them names, dilating in elegant language on their beauties, and for a time obtaining the reputation of having added to the world's knowledge."