Just over two years ago I found myself speaking after three very eminent speakers. They had all painted a picture of our nation that made the audience shift uneasily in their seats. Shashi Tharoor had spoken, another respected voice had followed, and both had highlighted the challenges facing India. That…
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.
Bihar and Prashant Kishor..!
As I look at the Bihar election results, I am not going to spend time on the poor show by the opposition. I have always maintained that unless the Congress and other parties pull up their socks and come with a clear agenda for progress, they will continue to struggle….
The Seat and the Man..!
Had dinner with a retired government deputy secretary last night and as we spoke about his years in service, I decided to ask him a question that many powerful people quietly dread. I leaned forward and asked how it felt not having any power after retirement. For a moment he…
The Tempest Within..!
It was the most disturbed sleep he had ever had. He tossed and turned as though on a small boat battling angry waves. He felt the vessel shudder beneath him, ready to sink at any moment. The wind howled through his dream, the waves crashed, and the darkness around seemed…
Standing United Against Terror..!
Terror has raised its ugly head again, and with it comes the same dark questions that have haunted humanity for decades. Why do men choose to destroy instead of build? Why do they believe that spilling blood will prove a point? Terrorism is not courage. It is cowardice. It is…
The Editor and the Piano Player..!
There are two kinds of people who can make or break your creative spirit. The first is the editor who thinks he is a writer because he knows grammar. The second is the piano player who believes he or she is a singer because she can read music. Both forget…
A Land of Puppets..!
When I heard a few months ago, that Pakistan had promoted its army chief to Field Marshal, I could not help but laugh. Not because of any sense of humour the situation carried, but because it reminded me of a puppet show where the puppeteer suddenly pins a medal on…
After the Prodigal Returns..!
We have all heard the story of the Prodigal Son. The one who left home, squandered everything, and came back smelling of pigs and regret. And we love the part where the father runs out to meet him, hugs him, puts a ring on his finger and throws a grand…
Invoking Draconian Laws..!
There was a time when the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” echoed through every courtroom and classroom. It was not just a legal principle but the very foundation of justice. Today, that pillar trembles. For what we see around us is a steady erosion of that simple truth, replaced by…
Zohran Mamdani’s Win Through Merit..!
Every morning while in New York I had to walk past the mayor’s lovely villa, to get to the riverfront in Manhattan to do my morning walk, and today, as I read about young Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York’s mayoral elections, I felt a thrill ripple through me. Thirty-two…
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.