"Indians have become fire-fighters. We respond from crisis to crisis, blunder from scandal to scandal. As a result there is no sense of leadership, no vision for the future. On malnutrition, sanitation, quality of education, we are a scandal where even parts of Africa would be embarrassed."
Social scientist Shivram Vishwanathan (Deccan Chronicle, January 1)
"Competent performance of judges. American judges allow half an hour and no more. Origin-ality, imagination and talent have become scarce."
Former judge Krishna Iyer on the huge backlog of cases in Indian courts (Business Standard, January 4)
"What concerns me — and what must concern all enlightened citizens — is that 42 percent of our children are still underweight. This is an unacceptably high occurrence."
Prime minister Manmohan Singh releasing a hunger and malnutrition report on January 10
"The decisions about language need to be made in terms of what is in the best interest of the child in the long run. That requires thinking ahead and not confusing the child’s interest with that of the family or the larger community. Of course, this is also a very American perspective."
Renowned educationist and Harvard University professor Dr. Howard Gardner on the medium of instruction debate in India (The Hindu, January 18)
"For me, education is the most important thing. I have been from village to village in Africa looking for girls like myself and families desperate for education."
US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey at the Jaipur Literary Festival (January 23)
"They (bureaucrats) seem threatened by an educated, seemingly capable person, and all their energies are channelled towards hampering her work. Such people thrive on casteism and bribes, so much so that even without legal documents or proof of any wrongdoing, they ‘stay’ panchayat projects."
Sarpanch of Soda village in Rajasthan, Chhavi Rajawat in Business Today (January 30)