The busy architect picked up his ringing phone, ““Yes Father?” he asked, “What can I do for you?” “I am in a fix,” said the worried voice of the priest. “Why? Has your church collapsed? Is the roof leaking? Are the walls crumbling?” “No, no, no,” said the priest, “the…
Mission Accomplished Sir…!
And as I hear about our brave soldiers fighting for the country in the cold heights against a brutal Chinese army, I am reminded of a young Indian army officer serving in the dangerous Jammu and Kashmir region who received information that terrorists were firing indiscriminately onto the public at…
Walking On The Inner Side..!
One very frightening sight on our roads is to see grown- ups walking with their children on the outer side. The little child tugs and pulls and skips and hops and sometimes even breaks loose from his or her father’s or mother’s hand and that could spell disaster as the…
Both Oars In The Water..!
The other day there was a friendly debate on a WhatsApp group about building a successful enterprise, where one of us talked about faith and the other that hard work was all that was needed, and finally a third joined in who agreed that hard work was needed in any…
Changing my Watchman..!
The watchman outside my gate was fast asleep. He was old, and wanting to return to his village, “We need to change the watchman!” I said as I glanced wearily from my window at his sleeping form. “What?” shouted the wife, jumping out of bed and staring at me with…
What Is the World Saying?
A few days ago, I was asked to be a Moderator on the new National Education Policy. The debate was conducted by the Atomic Energy Junior College in Tarapore. Much of the debate was on the three language formula and also the using of the mother tongue as a means…
And the Award Goes to..!
And finally, the vaccine came out and every single person was given the antidote against the dreaded virus, and the world went back to business, and games, and politics and parties and weddings, just like the world did before. In a town in some part of the world, the locals…
Young Bosses..!
The man walking next to me pushed himself as he walked faster and faster. “Hey, “I said, “What are you trying to win? The marathon?” “I need to keep myself physically fit,” he puffed. “You are,” I said, “but why this extra effort? You aren’t going to get any younger.”…
Building Bridges Out of Fear..!
Leaders across the world have a choice when they come to power, whether to burn bridges or build ones! They watch two communities sparring with each other all the time, and instead of wading in the waters and building a bridge, they decide to further increase the conflict, escalate the…
A Heart On Fire..!
I looked at a motley lot of people who had come to me to learn the art of public speaking. As I began the talk my heart sank; they looked anything but people who would one day get up and wax eloquent. There was a shy school girl who couldn’t…
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.