'You are one of the drops that make that ocean, but when you leave it makes no difference to the ocean.'
'When the Executive can do whatever they want, why bother having an election?'
'General Sam Manekshaw looked from left to right and said, "Gentlemen, I have come to have a look at you. I am taking a good look at your faces. When I come back after the war is over, some faces may not be here".'
'China doesn't want to settle the boundary dispute because that gives them a reason to pick a fight with India.'
'Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bengal can be the game changers of 2024.'
An army of government staff all over India conduct the world's greatest democratic exercise. Archana Masih/Rediff.com glimpses how they do it in the pivotal Saran constituency in North Bihar.
'There was not a moment when the guns were out of action.'
India is celebrating one of its biggest festivals commemorating the victory of good over evil. In Bihar, which is in the middle of its biggest election campaign, festivities are in full swing. Archana Masih set out to capture the mood on the street of small town India and discovered some things that one no longer finds.
Havelock should be your destination for 2024. It is love at every sight!
'She was not just a fan; she knew the game and could differentiate between a good cricketer and a great cricketer.'
'Seven hundred farmers lost their lives.' 'The protesting farmers were demonised and called names like andolanjiwi, Khalistani, anti-national.'
'Looking back, there is every chance that I would not have opted for Kota.'' 'The biggest flaw is that your personality gets blocked.' 'It took me two years to get back to 'being human' again.'
'The Khalistanis get bulk of the money from abroad.' 'Where did Amritpal's Mercedes come from, which costs well over Rs 60 lakhs?' 'Where does his fleet of vehicles come from?' 'Local Punjabis can certainly not contribute this kind of money.'
'There is something in our desh ki mitti that has held us together.'
'So many conquerors, colonisers, cultures came and went, but we withstood them and rose up again.'
'We failed as a country because those who should have been there to say goodbye did not show up.'
'It is commendable that India is able to persuade all sides.' 'It shows that India counts and finally, we are reaching a position where we can find a place in the sun at the global level.'
'BJP's ultimate ambition is to control Bihar independently.'
'We have to work for our victories.' 'We have to offer a better alternative governance model.' 'Not just criticise the current government.' 'You have to build bridges, learn from what has gone wrong and create a party for all people.'
'Unlike on the western and eastern borders where there is an enemy at the gate, here there is an invisible enemy which is building its own capability and can come into play at a time and place of his choosing.'
'The politics that is now being played in Punjab doesn't contribute towards peace and tranquillity.'
'Why can't the Supreme Court say that secularism is part of the basic structure of the Constitution, and therefore, steps must be taken to operationalise it?'
'There have been equal or more casualties on the Chinese side.' 'Our soldiers are hardy and strong and far superior than the Chinese.'
After five months of a rigorous training, the Agniveervayus passed out of the Airmen Training School, impressing the audience with the skills they had acquired in just 22 weeks of training at the IAF base.
'The world is watching carefully. The choices India makes today have consequences beyond its borders.'
'It conveys the impression that there is not enough talent available among the serving officers.' 'That does not reflect well on the professionalism of officer corps.'
'US officials must grapple with the possibility that one of its closest partners attempted an extrajudicial killing on its soil.' 'This is not something that friends typically do to friends.'
'There is only one common feature between Gorbachev and Putin.' 'They are both patriots, and both try to save Russia and make it great.' 'But in very, very, different ways.'
'He not only immerses himself into the character, but he wears it.' 'He does not let even a fragment of himself show while he's playing the part.'
'These are people whom very few give importance and they were doing a mammoth job for the nation.'
'You can attack and conspire to weaken us, but you cannot destroy the Congress permanently.'
'By design or default, the BJP's election strategy militated against the very essence of Karnataka politics and the idea of Karnataka.'
Kate Forbes studied at Woodstock School for 3 years, and lived in India for 8 years. 'She has a heart for service and we are excited she has reached great heights at such a young age,' said her teacher Sanjaya Mark.
'Unfortunately, there is no movement towards peace in Manipur.'
More rural women are having babies in government hospitals. Facilities have improved, but Bihar has is a long way to go in public health.
'Narasimha Rao asked me why China was doing so well in attracting foreign investments and I gave my frank opinion.' 'I told him that giving thrust to exports had to be a national effort.' 'But in India, the system was very centralised in the Government of India and the state governments had no role to play.'
General Bipin Rawat was given the guideline by the prime minister to achieve the integration of the three forces by the 75th year of India's Independence. This should be carried forward with utmost speed.
'If Trudeau chooses to repeat his allegations in his UN speech on Friday, it would create a whole new escalation.'
'The tank battle was fought at ranges of 300-700 metres.' 'It was a rare example of the complete destruction of a squadron by another squadron.'
'If I talk about my parents' sacrifices, this conversation will never end,' says Lieutenant Loveneet Singh.
The Ashokan Pillar in Kolhua, Bihar, is one of India's best maintained historical sites.
