There was a time when peace meant something beautiful. It meant neighbours chatting at the gate. It meant children playing cricket without worrying about which side of the street they lived on. It meant laughter floating out of living rooms and chai shared between people with different ideas and beliefs….
Robert Clements is a journalist and newspaper columnist. With an estimated 6 million readership, his column, Bob’s Banter is published in over 30 newspapers and magazines in nearly every state in India, as well as in the top newspapers of Bangladesh, London and Dubai and is also translated into Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
Just an Indigo Thought..!
Chaos reigns in the skies. Delayed flights, stranded passengers, cancelled schedules, and angry crowds waving boarding passes like protest flags. As I watch this spectacle, a thought tiptoes into my mind. India has the maximum number of road accidents in the world. And many of these accidents happen because drivers…
Preparations for Christmas..!
There was a time when the first of December arrived with the mellow voice of Jim Reeves singing “Silver Bells” or “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Suddenly the neighbourhood stirred. Curtains were pushed aside, children peeped out, mothers smiled knowingly, and fathers nodded that it was time to pull out…
Are We Back at School?
How quickly we grow up and imagine we have stopped behaving like children.But all it takes is a little observation and suddenly the entire political landscape looks like the school playground we all once knew so well. Do you remember those days?The strong fellow in class. The one with bulging…
Not Losing Any Sleep..!
The headlines screamed that the dollar had breached the ninety-rupee mark! Just a year ago it was around eighty-four rupees to a dollar. Six rupees in a few months. Then my eyes travelled to the next column where the Chief Economic Advisor calmly announced that he was not losing any…
The Redevelopment Dream..!
There is a magical moment in the life of every old housing society when its tired walls suddenly begin to glow like gold. Paint does not do the glowing. Nor does mopping the staircase or replacing the broken tube lights. No, the glow begins when someone whispers the word redevelopment….
Nothing’s Different This Christmas..!
There’s nothing different this Christmas season. Two thousand years ago a baby was born in a stable, wrapped in cloth, placed in a manger. Yet the king trembled. Soldiers were sent out into the night with swords drawn and eyes searching for the child. Babies were slaughtered in Bethlehem because…
Setting Negativity Aside.. !
The Prime Minister spoke a few days ago, standing tall and confident at the start of the winter session, and he asked the opposition to set their negativity aside. It sounded wonderful. It sounded noble. I almost clapped. Almost. Because before anyone can set negativity aside, one must first understand…
The Malabar Parotta..!
Two days ago, my wife and I took a ride on the metro to the city and had our favourite Malabar parottas in a restaurant at Flora Fountain. In the next table a pretty girl, waved her flashy coconut oiled hair, as a guy nearby smiled at her. Since the…
Science, Faith and Language..!
There are times when I wonder how many brilliant minds have been silenced because someone in flowing robes said that science and faith are enemies. I imagine those minds of yore pacing up and down prison floors or waiting for the crackle of flames under their feet, as they were…
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.