Last year I was given two invitations. One, to sing for a grand choir conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta, and the other, from a small church that needed a baritone voice. I remember sitting and thinking about it for a while. Zubin Mehta! The very name carries prestige, glory,…
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.
Heaven Sees Your Heart..!
I remember once being asked by a young man, “Sir, do I need to be baptized to become a Christian?” He looked at me with the same anxiety I had when applying for my visa to the US, afraid he might miss some official stamp that would deny him entry…
Read, Read, Read..!
With three of my books lying with the publishers, I decided to give myself a small holiday. Not a trip to the mountains or the beaches, but something even more thrilling, a journey through pages. I decided to go back to an old love, one that has stayed faithful through…
There’s a Story in Everyone..!
Every now and then, I meet someone who tells me, “Bob, I wish I could write too.” I look at them and smile, because what I really want to say is, “You can.” You see, there’s a story in everyone. In the vegetable vendor who wipes sweat off her forehead…
Iran, India and Hypocrisy..!
I read today that Iran, the same country where women are beaten, jailed and even killed for not wearing the hijab, witnessed quite a spectacle. The daughter of one of its senior defence and national security officials, a close aide to the Supreme Leader himself, walked down the aisle at…
Breaking Rules in Religion’s Name..!
A friend from Chennai told me that on Diwali night, the fireworks stopped at exactly ten o’clock. “People here actually obey the law,” he said proudly, “even when it’s a festival.” I sighed in disbelief, thinking of Mumbai where rules are treated as mere suggestions and laws as polite requests…
A Real Diwali..!
In the evenings I love sitting under my peepul tree and watching the darkness through the leaves. There is something soothing about that slow merging of light and night, as if the day is saying a polite goodbye. In the last few days, that same darkness is being threatened by…
I Am Worthy..!
A few years ago, a close friend of mine fell deep into alcoholism. It was heart-breaking to watch a bright, capable young man crumble into dependence on drink. One night he took his car and, completely drunk, drove all the way to Lonavala. I kept calling him again and again,…
Whose Armour Are You Wearing..?
It must have been quite a sight that day on the battlefield, a shepherd boy being dressed in royal armour. In 1st Samuel 17: 38-39, King Saul, thrilled that David was going to take on Goliath, placed his own bronze helmet on the boy’s head, fitted him with his tunic,…
Point Them to the Scoreboard..!
How easy it is these days to pull down noble people! One small clip, one twisted quote, one fake post, and a lifetime of service seems to crumble under the weight of slander. But what’s interesting is that those same noble souls, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Nehru, seldom have armies…
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.