Gender bender

Asian Games gold-medallist Pinki Pramanik was found to be male after a medical check-up. The news report prompted tweets like this one from Shirish Kunder: ‘Pramanik for President. At least she is man enough.' Pranav Sapra added: ‘Pinki Pramanik is the doubt in Mrs. Doubtfire.' There was this comment from the Ripper: ‘I too used to be a man trapped in a woman's body. But then I was born.' Sorav Jain had a question: ‘I wonder how the system failed to detect Pramanik's gender in the past? They are testing for womanhood now? We are such a shame!' Then there was this, from goDODOgo: ‘People continue to make fun of Pinki Pramanik and her alternate sexuality. That's cruel. It's not as if she chose to be born this way.'

The right candidate
And so, the debate on who ought to be elected President continued. Kiran Kumar S tweeted: ‘If we have to summarize this week's Presidential debate in India, it would be: Should Manmohan Singh move from one dummy role to another?' Faking News had this to say: ‘The rickshaw puller in Patna, drenched in sweat right now, can't wait to know who the new President will be.' Shiv Aroor had this point to make: ‘Best part about this tamasha is that Pratibha Patil gets a sense of just how desperate India is to eject her from Rashtrapati Bhavan.' Finally, from Angry Bombay Girl: ‘Katrina Kaif should be made President. Who else can eat mangoes like that? Talented girl she is.'

Daddy knows best
What are some of the things your father always said? This, among other examples, cropped up: ‘Do science. Arts and commerce are for people who can't manage science.'

The last word
From TV news channel favourite Suhel Seth: ‘Why don't we just make Rajendra Prasad the President in absentia, since the Government itself is working, as it seems, in absentia.'

- Lindsay Pereira is Editor, MiD DAY Online (twitter.com/lindsaypereira)