--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was flying over India now, still…" description: "\"“He was flying over India now, still making notes. He remembered hearing an Indian politician on TV talking about the British prime minister and being ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/salman-rushdie-153_margaret-thatcher_he-was-flying-over-india-now-still-makin_2143462.jpg" --- # He was flying over India now, still making notes. He… ![“He was flying over India now, still making notes. He remembered hearing an Indian politician on TV talking about the British prime minister and being unable to pronounce her name properly. “Mrs. Torture,” he kept saying. “Mrs. Margaret Torture.” This was unaccountably funny.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/salman-rushdie-153_margaret-thatcher_he-was-flying-over-india-now-still-makin_2143462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/salman-rushdie-153_margaret-thatcher_he-was-flying-over-india-now-still-makin_2143462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/salman-rushdie-153_margaret-thatcher_he-was-flying-over-india-now-still-makin_2143462.jpg) > ““He was flying over India now, still making notes. He remembered hearing an Indian politician on TV talking about the British prime minister and being unable to pronounce her name properly. “Mrs. Torture,” he kept saying. “Mrs. Margaret Torture.” This was unaccountably funny.”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character finds humor in mispronouncing a foreign name, highlighting cultural misunderstandings. **In simple terms:** Mispronunciation can be funny. Key Takeaway Notice cultural quirks. Themes humor culture miscommunication Mood witty observational Type satirical literary When to use this quote - travel - political satire - language learning Key Concepts linguistics colonial legacy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we laugh at language errors? - What does this reveal about power dynamics? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kept Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-saying/) [Margaret thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-thatcher/) [Margaret Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-torture-4473393/) [Mrs Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mrs-torture-4473392/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime-minister/) [Remembered Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered-hearing-4473395/) [Saying Mrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-mrs-4473394/) ## Related quotes > [“... He remembered once hearing his grandmother... say plaintively: "Why daughter, I presume I can go without -- BUT I CAN'T ECONOMIZE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-remembered-once-hearing-his-grandmother-say-plaintively-why/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [I only met Margaret Thatcher twice. The thing that I thought about meeting her was how extraordinarily intelligent she was. You really had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-only-met-margaret-thatcher-twice-the-thing-that-i-thought-about/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Everyone thought I was going to fall down on my shoes and I kept saying, 'Well if I do I'll just get up!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-guinness/everyone-thought-i-was-going-to-fall-down-on-my-shoes-and-i-kept/) [Daphne Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-guinness/) > [For many years, despite what I thought were really punitive decisions about women in the church, I stayed and stayed and stayed. I kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/for-many-years-despite-what-i-thought-were-really-punitive-decisions/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I knew I wanted to be an actor. I just kept saying, "Until somebody tells me to stop, until I have to go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-just-kept-saying-until-somebody/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [“I kept saying ‘always’ to her today, ‘always always always,’ and she just kept talking over me and not saying it back. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-kept-saying-always-to-her-today-always-always-always-and-she-just/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Yes, everybody has bullied me. They kept saying I was nasal and what not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atif-aslam/yes-everybody-has-bullied-me-they-kept-saying-i-was-nasal-and-what-not/) [Atif Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atif-aslam/) > [I thought I was going to do some cult, cool, late-night interviewing thing on BBC2. But everyone kept saying: 'No, Michael, you're teatime, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/i-thought-i-was-going-to-do-some-cult-cool-late-night-interviewing/) [Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/) > [“I kept saying her name and she would ask What? and I’d say her name again. I’m not afraid of how this sounds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-kept-saying-her-name-and-she-would-ask-what-and-i-d-say-her-name/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“And when the governor kept saying how 'we' wanted you to do this; and 'we' wanted you to do that, I kept looking round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sillitoe/and-when-the-governor-kept-saying-how-we-wanted-you-to-do-this-and-we/) [Alan Sillitoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sillitoe/) > [“Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-haine/heard-about-the-guy-who-fell-off-a-skyscraper-on-his-way-down-past/) [La Haine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-haine/) > [But Mary Elizabeth felt different. She kept saying it was an "articulate" film. So "articulate." And I guess it was. The thing is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/but-mary-elizabeth-felt-different-she-kept-saying-it-was-an/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [Cocaine was different. It kept saying, "You haven't had enough." I became an abuser almost instantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/cocaine-was-different-it-kept-saying-you-haven-t-had-enough-i-became/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I kept saying I got sick of listening to people's productions, like people who had no ideas, no songs, nothing to say but could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierce/i-kept-saying-i-got-sick-of-listening-to-people-s-productions-like/) [Jason Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierce/) > [I said, maybe you need to take a risk with someone else. But they kept saying no, we want you to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kagame/i-said-maybe-you-need-to-take-a-risk-with-someone-else-but-they-kept/) [Paul Kagame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kagame/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Margaret thatcher quotes > [In a way, the debate about Margaret Thatcher in Britain has just gotten fossilized in this notion that she is either this she-devil who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllida-lloyd/in-a-way-the-debate-about-margaret-thatcher-in-britain-has-just/) [Phyllida Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllida-lloyd/) > [ \[Margaret Thatcher\] is a woman who, when she wrote her entry for "Who's Who," didn't include her mother. Now whether that was corrected in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/margaret-thatcher-is-a-woman-who-when-she-wrote-her-entry-for-who-s/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I often compare Margaret Thatcher with Florence Nightingale. She stalks through the wards of our hospitals as a lady with a lamp. Unfortunately, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/i-often-compare-margaret-thatcher-with-florence-nightingale-she/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [“The Prime Minister says that she has given the French President a piece of her mind – this is not a gift I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/the-prime-minister-says-that-she-has-given-the-french-president-a/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [They didn't even like Margaret Thatcher but at least there was Margaret Thatcher. There have been women, you know, Sonia Gandhi for heaven's sakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-clinton/they-didn-t-even-like-margaret-thatcher-but-at-least-there-was/) [Kate Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-clinton/) > [If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/if-there-is-a-better-singer-in-england-than-craig-david-then-i-am/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [ I think psychologically \[Margaret Thatcher\] is really worth studying. I am reading Charles Moore's biography of her, and he has gotten us right there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-psychologically-margaret-thatcher-is-really-worth-studying-i/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I am not running as Son of Margaret Thatcher. I have my own priorities and my own programmes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-major/i-am-not-running-as-son-of-margaret-thatcher-i-have-my-own-priorities/) [John Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-major/) > [Margaret Thatcher had more impact on the world than any woman ruler since Catherine the Great of Russia. Not only did she turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/margaret-thatcher-had-more-impact-on-the-world-than-any-woman-ruler/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [She ( Margaret Thatcher )is democratic enough to talk down to anyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mitchell/she-margaret-thatcher-is-democratic-enough-to-talk-down-to-anyone/) [Austin Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-mitchell/) > [Britain's done a lot of changing in the past 50 years. The decline of manufacturing and heavy industry under Margaret Thatcher ripped the economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/britain-s-done-a-lot-of-changing-in-the-past-50-years-the-decline-of/) [Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/) > [Her iron will won international respect. Her unabashed femininity gained women's. Margaret Thatcher was a lady's lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-burfitt-dons/her-iron-will-won-international-respect-her-unabashed-femininity/) [Louise Burfitt-Dons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-burfitt-dons/) > [Margaret Thatcher was a great leader for her nation at a pivotal and a perilous time. So, I find the comparison flattering, but that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/margaret-thatcher-was-a-great-leader-for-her-nation-at-a-pivotal-and/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Of course Margaret Thatcher was a remarkable and strong-willed figure but she was also a pragmatist, just as ready to upset her right wing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/of-course-margaret-thatcher-was-a-remarkable-and-strong-willed-figure/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) [Browse all 152 Margaret thatcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-thatcher/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He was flying over India now, still making notes. 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