I hate to lose my connection with the great city of Calcutta. — Mark Tully

"Though I was born in India (Kolkata), I was taught how not to become an Indian."

"It struck me that a sense of uncertainty about ways of reaching God is what makes Hinduism different. Because of its ability to adapt, so many faiths could thrive here."

"Since I expressed my views...in July last year, I have sought to negotiate a position which would allow me to defend my stance in public, especially when it is questioned. The BBC has required that I do not speak on matters on which my stance is already known. That is not acceptable to me. I have therefore asked the corporation to accept my resignation as South Asia correspondent."

"I had rather thought I was yesterdays man."

"I remember, too, the kudos being born in Calcutta gave me by making me stand-out as a rarity when, at the age of 10, I found myself in the highly competitive society of a British boarding school. To boost my kudos even further, I would boast that I was born in the "Second City of the British Empire"."

"Few foreigners manage to get under the skin of the worlds biggest democracy the way he does, and fewer still can write about it with the clarity and insight he brings to all his work."