Quotable Quotes by Sanil

On his Kamal maama’s wedding:



“The wedding is over, now the ‘recession’ will start.”

On his Kamal maama’s wedding “reception”
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“What will I BE at Kamal’s maama’s wedding? Like a page boy, or ring bearer, what will I BE?”

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On India


“When we were on the bridge it felt like we were in Singapore, after we crossed the bridge, we are now back in India.”

On the Bandra-Worli Sea Link

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“What I like most about India is that if you have dollars, everything is way cheaper."
On comparison between India and Singapore
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Me: India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world
Sanil: Is that why all the roads are broken?

________________________________________________________________________________On Cricket


Sanil: “Is Kamal mama the best cricketer in the world?”

Me (sarcastically): “YES. He is better than even Tendulkar.”

Sanil (in all innocence): “Who?”

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“Can I be the batter?”

Well, as we are playing cricket and not baking, I assume you mean batsman?

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On Career Choices


Me: “I want to change my career. Do something different.”

Sanil: “Become an ice cream cooker!”
Me (contemplating sending my resume to Ben and Jerry)
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“I want to grow up and be a normal person. Not like a rockstar or race car driver, just a normal person who goes to office.”

On career plans that suddenly got very modest

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On stuff that makes me go “awwwwwww”


“You are the most importanest girl in my life”

About and to his mom (that’s me!)

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Sanil: “When I grow up I shall get 2 houses, one for you and one for me.”

Me (chocked up in tears): “Really? Wow!” But a house can cost more than a million dollars. Do you have a million dollars?”

Sanil (in all sincerity): “OK. I will go check my piggy bank.”
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“If you are scared you can hold my hand”

To his mom during a thunderstorm

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On girlfriends and such


“I will go for my honeymoon to Goa”

Talk about forward planning!
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Sanil (waving at the pretty girl across the street)

Me (in a teasing voice): “Is that your girlfriend?”

Sanil (matter of factly): She used to be.”

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And other random ones


“B maama is taking me to the hair designer to get my hair gelled”

Errrr its Hair Dresser, but I get the point

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"Whatever" is just a rude way of saying "Yes"
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“What if maama’s son is a daughter?”
On his keen desire to have a male cousin. Errr gender confusion?

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“I want to take a rocket ship and go to outer space where everything is FUNNER. Not like earth where everything is boring!”

On homework and other boring earthly stuff

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“Don’t say that! You are breaking my feelings!”

You mean ‘hurting’ your feelings, but I get the drift!


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Me: Congrats Sanil you came 3rd in the race (School sports day)
Sanil: Well I came ALMOST 2nd!
Me: That's a good spin on actually coming 3rd!

An Indian First!

Bal Thackeray recently made a statement about Sachin Tendulkar "You became run out in the pitch of Marathi minds" as Sachin had said that he was "an India first and a Marathi after".

Cut to many years ago at a Diwali party in Singapore (my very early years in the country), a British man was talking to a group of Indians about the festival and its significance. He also mentioned that Diwali was probably the biggest Indian festival. It was a rhetoric question- not a question at all- but it got a varied range of responses. “Actually it’s a Hindu festival, we Parsis don’t celebrate it”. “In East India where I come from, Durga Puja is much bigger”. SERIOUSLY!!!

Foreigners have difficulty grasping the concept of India and we choose to complicate it further by referring to ourselves as Gujuratis, Sindhis, Parsis, Christians, Bengalis…Who outside India gives a flying F%^$!

And frankly why should people in India care too? Your motherland rules and everything else come after. We are Indians FIRST! Why is that so difficult to comprehend?!

Secondly your origins should be attributed to your city- the city you grew up in, where you studied, which gave you your childhood school memories (and best friends for life), your “first time” teen years and perhaps even your career and life partner. It does not matter which religion you are, which caste you belong to, the city you grew you up in makes up a big part of who you are. You could be a Kashmiri who has been bought up in Gujarat or a Gujrati who has lived all his life in Chennai.

Then in the scheme of things enters your religion- practicing or not practicing- your religion is a key aspect of your values and beliefs system. I may go to the temple or gurudwara once a month and on special occasions (Diwali, birthdays), but that does not make me an less religious than a Muslim who prays 5 times a day and a Christian who goes for Sunday mass every week.

And FINALLY, LAST, ALL THE WAY DOWN, RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM (you get the drift) is your caste- Maloo, Bengali, Tulu, Sindhi, Punju, etc etc etc. It’s the least important part of who you are and should be.

We keep falling in the trap laid by the British Raj that was conceived to rule over us- “Divide and Rule”. It kept them in power for very many years.

Let’s break from those shackles. Isn’t it time enough?

So I am an Indian first, a Bombayite (or Mumbaikar with due respect to Balasaheb) next, a Hindu after and Sindhi last. What about you?