I was at a dinner the other day when the speaker a small dapper billionaire, who had built up an empire, spoke at length about his humble beginnings. “I owe my success,” he said, “to my mother, who was just a municipal teacher. But she though widowed in her early…
Leaders With Brawn..!
Maybe you don’t know, or just maybe you don’t want to read between the lines but with recent pictures of a bare chested Putin flexing muscle, or another talking about the size of his chest, there’s a new breed of leader bosses emerging even in our own country: “For centuries,”…
Don’t Ask for Approval..!
Most of us seek approval. How often I’ve seen a child or maybe an adult rushing home from school or work, eyes all aglow, “I’ve done well in my exam!” shouts the child to his parents, “I’ve got a fantastic order today!” says the man to his wife and they…
Scowling Over An Insult..!
In ancient Greece and Rome, the Stoics, a group of philosophers who preached the value of emotional resilience — and whose teachings have plenty of modern-day devotees — urged adherents to let insults go. “Many have taken small injuries much more seriously to heart than they need,” wrote the Stoic…
Safe House..!
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you in a safe house!” says the police officer reassuringly to the frightened but bold person who has decided to testify against his criminal boss! And time and again as such a courageous person decides to stand up against the powerful, and testify in a court,…
Colourful People..!
It’s always amused me some, that in the US a black man is called ‘coloured’. I guess to the white man of the old days, anything that was not white was coloured. Today, though it’s not about the coloured folk of America I am going to write about but people,…
Your Hidden Talent..!
It was one of those days when you suddenly have time and you don’t know what to do with it; the wedding ceremony I’d attended was over by four in the afternoon and the reception was late in the evening; somehow the idea of traveling home and returning didn’t appeal…
Happy Easter, It’s the Police..!
Today the amphitheater lies decayed and unused, and as the sea winds from Marine Drive just across the railway tracks sweeps across the once famous open air theatre now lying in ruins, its resigned silence speaks about rock concerts, jazz yatras, tamashas and lavani shows held here in days long…
Noise Outside my Window..!
“Chip-chip! Chip-chip! Chip-chip! Chip-chip!” The squirrel outside my window was making quite a racket this afternoon. “Stop the racket!” I said as I opened the window and stared harshly at him. “Quite a tough stare you’ve got considering your wife made you a good breakfast!” said the squirrel, grinning gleefully,…
Remember Good Friday, Not the Moghuls..!
Was listening to Shashi Tharoor speak very eloquently on how the British looted India and about the atrocities committed. I have visited New Zealand and the United States, where the natives keep reminding the white people of the crimes perpetrated against them by early settlers. The old grudges keep the…
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.