Rating agency Standard & Poor’s said India could become the first of the BRIC economies to lose its investment-grade status, sending the rupee on a downward slide. Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur reacted with this comment: ‘India is too complex a nation for S&P to apply its simplistic analysis to. India as part of BRIC was as much hype as its fall from this ‘club’ is.’ Sanjay Jha added: ‘S&P rating is silly and pretentious. It gives unwarranted advice on political management; the work of a Harvard fresher with a hangover.’ Pallavi Ghosh had a question: ‘Wonder whether people are more concerned about downgrade by S&P ratings or who becomes President?’ And from Nitin Pai: ‘The reaction to S&P observations reminds me of this Kannada proverb: Only when it comes out of the conch do people consider it holy water.’

Their poverty line
The Bombay Parsi Punchayet revised the definition of a poor Parsi as one who earns up to Rs 90,000 a month, in order to be eligible for a subsidised community apartment. Naturally, everyone had an opinion. Ramesh Srivats tweeted: ‘If a Parsi earns Rs 100,000 a month, he has a lakh of amenities. If he earns Rs 90,000 a month, he has a lack of amenities. Poor Parsi.’ Abdulla Madumoole, on the other hand, said: ‘I congratulate the Parsi community for defining poverty at Rs 90,000 per month. It shows how developed it is. Well done.’