There is a strange irony playing out in full public view, yet many refuse to see it. While the sons and daughters of our political leaders board flights to London, Boston, Singapore and Sydney, to study, the message sent to our local youth standing in dusty classrooms back home is…
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.
He Goes Ahead..!
While watching the New Year celebrations on television, a strange though very ordinary thing happened. It was not yet New Year in Chicago, where I was, but the New Year had already arrived elsewhere. India had welcomed it with fireworks and selfies. China had stepped into it with colour and…
Oath in the Capital..!
While the rest of the world sits with diaries open and gym memberships renewed, resolving to drink more water and scroll less, something far more honest happens in the capital of India. An army gathers. Not to change. Not to improve. But to reaffirm continuity. This is not a resolution…
Make Resolutions With Purpose..!
January has a smell to it. Somewhere between a new diary and a gym membership that has not yet been ignored. We make resolutions with great ceremony. We announce them like New Year speeches. This year I will wake early. This year I will eat wisely. This year I will…
Burning the Old Man..!
If there is one thing I would happily burn tonight, it would be India’s national factory of fake news. Not a symbolic spark, but a proper Indian bonfire, the kind that crackles loudly, attracts a crowd, and can be seen from several mohallas away. Because this factory has grown too…
As Indians, Live Your Faith This Year..!
Some of the most powerful sermons are never preached from pulpits, they are lived out in everyday moments, in taxis, queues, offices, and homes. This New Year, my sermon came from the front seat of an Uber in Chicago. I had entered the wrong address, and so was taken to…
Smile Sir, Smile..!
I watched you on television sir, entering a church on Christmas Day, a cathedral in the capital, cameras clicking as faithfully as your folded hands. It was reported to be your first visit to a church. Congratulations sir. Though I must say, you did not need to march in as…
Thrashing Santa..!
Poor Santa. This year he really did have a rough time. In malls, at parties, across cities and small towns in India, Santa was thrashed. Parties where he made an appearance were ransacked. Even poor roadside vendors selling red caps with white pompoms were not spared. It was as if…
Holding On For Dear Life..!
One of the most horrifying memories of my early working years was travelling in the Mumbai local trains, hanging on to a metal bar with the desperation of a man who had suddenly discovered how much he liked living. If you have never done it, let me explain. You try…
Your Story Isn’t Over..!
As the year closes there is always that awkward pause. It sits somewhere between the last cup of tea and the pillow that beckons. We look back and quietly count the days that could have been better. The words ‘if only’ parade past our minds like a highlight reel of…
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.