In Isaiah 58 verse 12 we hear God talking about a Repairer of the Breach. Which immediately makes me picture someone in overalls, holding a spanner, standing thoughtfully in front of a gigantic crack in humanity, scratching his head and saying, “Right then, let us get to work.” A Repairer…
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.
No Safety in Parliament?
I read the news and blinked twice. Then I rubbed my glasses. Then I read it again. The Prime Minister was advised not to attend Parliament because the Speaker could not guarantee his safety inside the House. I nearly spilt my morning coffee. Not because of terrorists. Not because of…
How to Become a Bore..!
There is a strange epidemic sweeping across drawing rooms, coffee shops, family lunches, office corridors, and unfortunately, even national television studios. It is called Opinion Diarrhoea. The uncontrollable urge to give one’s opinion on everything under the sun, moon, stars, and possibly on things happening in galaxies we have never…
Adulation and the Fall..!
Life has a wonderfully predictable script. A person begins with nothing. Works hard. Struggles heroically. Prays occasionally. Succeeds unexpectedly. And then trips spectacularly. Not because success is poisonous. But because applause is. Most people who fall do not slip on banana peels. They slip on compliments. At the beginning of…
Your Simple Lie Detector..!
One of the toughest challenges today is not traffic, pollution, or even rising blood pressure. It is figuring out whether the government is speaking the truth or performing for the national stage. Every morning, newspapers announce spectacular achievements. Television anchors shout even louder ones. We are told we have signed…
Only One Speed Saar..!
Because a wedding party was arriving at the YWCA International Guest House in Chennai, we were moved from an air conditioned room to a non AC one. Chennai weather being kind at this time of year, I was not bothered. A fan would do. I turned the regulator. Click. The…
The Indian Budget Tamasha..!
The Indian Budget is that annual national festival which arrives with great fanfare, deep mystery, and absolutely no guarantee of happiness. For one week before Budget Day, every Indian suddenly becomes an economist. Your vegetable vendor discusses fiscal deficit. Your neighbour explains capital expenditure. Your uncle forwards WhatsApp messages predicting…
Admitting We Are Weak..!
One of my favourite verses in the Bible is tucked away quietly in Isaiah chapter forty verse twenty nine. ‘He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ But like many verses we love, we sometimes love them selectively. We love the part…
Stop Performing to be Loved…!
Over the last week I have been spending time with people who were part of my growing up years. Schoolmates. College mates. Church friends. Choir companions. People who once shared classrooms, benches, hymn books, secrets, and occasionally punishment. I did something unusual. I kept quiet. I listened. I watched. And…
In the Debris of a Plane Crash..!
The news came like news always does these days. Casually. Between a cricket score and a discount sale. Someone powerful is suddenly no more. Not someone I supported. Not someone whose speeches I memorised. But someone who mattered in the larger scheme of things. Someone who occupied space in 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.