Front page headlines of a leading national English daily yesterday carried news that the tiger population had increased by five hundred tigers! Not in the fourth or fifth page, but headlines on the front page at the same time as the more important news of twenty one of our country’s…
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.
Trying to Live Longer..!
A well-meaning reader of my column sent me a video, which speaks very emphatically about books which should have been in the Bible, that contained methods to live longer. These books according to the video were left out by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. The video goes on to…
Get Rich Scams and Us..!
As I read about people who are fooled by online and other scams, I realize that many people try to circumvent hard work by easy and quick get rich ways. But except for the miniscule few, all of us will only meet success through sheer hard work. Hard works pays…
Bowling a Maiden Over..!
If you think our maidens are not into cricket you should hear what happened to my fictitious bachelor friend Prem when he returned home after a night out with the boys: His mother who’s been longing to see a bahu in her home looked at him strangely: “When will you…
Speechless and Silent..!
My voice is playing truant again, and I remember an incident a few years ago, just before a choral concert, when my voice took a walk! “Come back!” I shouted silently, but only a hoarse guttural sound came out of my tired throat. “Laryngitis,” said my doctor wife with a…
Political Godmen Teachers..!
“Bob!” said the voice at the other end, “You would fit well as the principal of our godmen school!” It was a few hours after reaching the Godman School, I was summoned hastily for a meeting, “What’s the hurry?” I asked the committee member who had come to my lavish…
The Wheelchair..!
These were words I saw in a mosque in Fatehpur Sikri: “The world is a bridge, pass over it, but build not your dwelling there!” The great Fuller was one day taken to the Bank of England, where one of the clerks showed him some gold bars. He took one…
Wasted Biceps and Triceps..!
Now, I could be talkin’ ‘bout about any one of the ageing Khans or maybe any other actor: So I see one of the ageing Khans trying to show his bare chest to the public, he loves pulling off upper wear and inner wear to flex chest muscle for all…
The Right and Left Hand of Giving..!
Have been watching with curious interest my younger daughter’s little baby on its road to discovery: As she slowly starts discovering those loose appendages that seem to be always around, belong to her. Suddenly she discovers that the strange items that always accidentally hit her face and carry ten strange…
A Collector’s Item..!
Many years ago, a young priest told me he was going to do his doctorate. Now, I know that doctorates for priests in our country are a dime a dozen and many small colleges and seminaries offer the same, “Why do you want to do it?” I asked. “So that…
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.