Something doing the rounds of WhatsApp forwards is of India marching forward with gigantic steps, because a billionaire in India is now the third richest man in the world! From potholed roads, broken bridges, polluted cities, and monstrous slums we laud this feat! Is that how we measure the financial…
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.
Democracy of Convincing, Not Bulldozers..!
It’s not a ruffian who uttered these strong words, nor a member of a fringe group, but the Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, who according to the Times of India said, ‘Kejriwal would be stripped and sent back’! The Deputy Speaker is not talking of a rapist, or some…
Rahul’s Long Walk..!
As Rahul carries on his long trek through our vast country, there’s something happening. This isn’t a walk galvanizing people to hate their neighbours as most other recent walks have been. This is a walk, in which we are seeing compassion at work! Compassion is simply a kind, friendly presence…
Flirting Dangerously With Death..!
The Maharashtra chief minister proudly announces he was once a autorickshaw driver, that’s good, but I hope he’s not flirting with politics as I see rickshaws flirting with death: It lay smashed on the side of the road. Frail and pathetic, like a small defenseless animal that had been ripped…
When You Trust Nobody..!
Many of us reach a stage when we stop trusting others. A friend of mine lent his empty house free to others whenever they needed it for weddings and other functions, till one day the person he gave it to, didn’t give him back his key till my friend asked…
God Speaks Out Loud and Clear..!
“God doesn’t speak anymore!” whispered the frail old lady to her daughter, who sat by her bedside one Christmas eve, “Not the way he spoke to Abraham and Isaac, not anymore, not the way He spoke to Moses and the others, God doesn’t speak anymore, though I pray to Him…
National Security in Lilliput..!
In the island of Lilliput, the people were unhappy; they wanted to change from the gods of their forefathers to another God. “He’s a living God!” they said. “Well we’ve all been living with the same gods for centuries!” sneered the chief. “But we would like to try out this…
Problems as Big as a Ship..!
A close friend of mine sent me this WhatsApp message, which read, ‘Your problems might be as big as a ship, but God will give you a solution as wide as the ocean!’ I pondered on this awhile this morning, and slowly realized there was a lot of truth in…
Praying Over a Septic Tank..!
A teacher pointed out a young child to me, “She’s good,” said the teacher, “she knows all the answers but hesitates to put up her hand!” “Why?” I asked bewildered. “She’s scared to be wrong!” said the teacher. A humorous story has it that a newly appointed young clergy person…
A Ghost Wearing a Helmet..!
‘A ghost wearing a helmet,’ I said watching the eerie figure of a skeleton dancing up and down in front of me. ‘I thought you guys had a thick skull, I never knew ghost wore helmets.’ ‘If I’d only worn one when I was alive, I wouldn’t be a ghost…
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.