Krishna Janmashtami greetings! “You have the right to work, but for the work's sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working. Never give way to laziness, either.” — Bhagwat Gita

Hearty congrats to the new Railway Board chairman. Shri Satish Kumar is appointed to the top job in Railways 'cos he is competent, not 'cos there is reservation for it. That's how it should be. Quotas at entry level - Yes! Promotion to higher levels - Based on competence!

Hermann Hesse has showered such philosophical praise on trees. "Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree."

Wrong. Against Ethics and Freedom of the press. 1) Is it the job of Govt to bribe SM influencers for self-promotion? 2) Does Constitution permit Govt to silence criticism with jail threat?

A.G. Noorani, 94, was a Jnana Yogi, a giant among India’s public intellectuals. His command over facts of history— especially India’s journey in the modern era — was awe-inspiring I did not always agree with his views, but my admiration for him never diminished Rest in Peace!

Why India should cooperate more with China — here is one among hundreds of reasons. India must reject any infrastructure construction that is not world-class.

Today I paid my respects to Dr B.R. Ambedkar, one of the world’s greatest social reformers. He lived for 22 years in a tiny 2-room house (2nd floor of this chawl building) in a working-class locality in Parel, Mumbai. No adversity can stop the rise of great personalities.

Should India have such education ministers? Ones who have made “book burning “ their ministerial mission? News in today’s ToI.

Dear Sharad Pawar ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, Uddhav Thackeray ji, this form of protest (‘Jode Maara’ - Beat with a shoe’) is WRONG. Your alliance is bound to win the coming Assembly election in Maharashtra. Why are you dirtying the political culture in this once-progressive state?

BJP leaders, please explain this. Claim: India is the Mother of Democracy. Action: Ban discussion on political matters in India’s premier Social Science institute.

Respectful Teachers’ Day greetings to all gurus of the world. PM Nehru often used to go to Rashtrapati Bhavan late night to have discussions on philosophical matters with Scholar-President Dr S. Radhakrishnan. Does such PM-President Chintan happen even now? Just asking.

A dosa breakfast made my day!

This one of the best moments in the history of sports. Messi pays tribute to his friend and teammate Luis Suarez on his retirement from football — and the entire stadium in Uruguay erupts in applause.

The respect Nehru — and India — commanded internationally. This video is for those who lose no opportunity to belittle Nehru.

India’s political leaders should refrain from using foreign soil to conduct fights against their domestic ideological or political opponents. Not good for our national interests. Not good for our national honour.

Dear #RahulGandhi, you are misrepresenting India on foreign soil. Don’t do it. Not good for India. Not good for you.

I pray to God Almighty for speedy and full recovery of Comrade Sitaram, my good friend of many decades.

My final Lal Salaam to Comrade Sitaram Yechury. I knew him since 1985, when we went together to the Soviet Union. (Seen here with our common friend Alexander Kadakin, the late Russian Ambassador.) Despite my later journey from the Left to BJP, I always respected him for his

I went to the office of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in Delhi yesterday to pay my respects to my friend and comrade Sitaram Yechury. You were a devoted Indian. You dedicated your life to fight for justice, peace and a better world. God has now taken you close to Him.

India needs more Sitarams. Comrade Sitaram Yechury was a staunch opponent of the BJP. But Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji admired him... and it was reciprocated in ample measure. "Convey my regards to Advaniji," he once told me. Read my tribute to this outstanding communist leader