“The push for universal health and education more often than not, comes when the country is poor, not when it is rich. That builds the middle class.”
Dipankar Gupta, eminent sociologist on his new book Revolution from Above (Governance Now, August 1)
“All in all, more than one quarter of Australians were born abroad — the highest percentage of any developed nation. Whether all Australians accept it or not, the countrys demography has passed a point of no return.”
Cover story ‘Australia — The true face of the lucky country (Time, August 19)
“The people are fighting back. India, in short, is getting ready for the next freedom struggles, the next million mutinies.”
R. Jagannathan, editor in Independence Day special issue of Forbes India (August 23)
“Cleaning up water supplies, especially by building sewage systems, would do far more good against malnutrition than doling out more grain. Just a simple hand-washing campaign could be of huge help.”
The Economist on Indias Food Security Bill (August 24)
“By denying the unprecedented poverty decline that has happened, they run down growth and harm the poor in the process.”
Arvind Panagariya, professor at Columbia University, on post-liberalisation Indias economic growth (Times of India, August 24)
“Those who cant stomach the defeat, you can commit suicide.”
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, to supporters of prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, after Mugabe bested him in a controversial July 31 election (Time, August 26)
“People of India have become smarter today… with a much more robust population and middle class who want more colleges than some mandir or masjid.”
Sachin Pilot, Union corporate affairs minister, on the Ram mandir issue (Times of India, August 28)
“How have we come to live in a country where it is more normal for a driver who has caused an accident to keep driving than to stop?”
Mitali Saran on a culture that penalises people for taking responsibility (Business Standard, August 31)
