Ah, so once again we cut the ribbon, light the lamps, and smile for the cameras as our Prime Minister inaugurates ₹11,000 crore worth of highway projects to decongest Delhi! Bravo! The champagne corks must be popping in cement companies and contractors’ offices even as I write this. But pardon…
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.
We Offer You a New Vice President..!
Dear People of India, clap, shout and rejoice! We are delighted to soon offer you a brand-new Vice President. Yes, carefully selected, polished, and packaged, this is the model you’ve been waiting for: one who will sit, smile, nod—and most importantly, keep silent when asked uncomfortable questions. Dear People, you…
Today, I’m Getting that Ball..!
Ah, the joys of grandparenting! For the last few days, I’ve been surrounded by the children of my two daughters. But it’s little Layla—just eight months old—who has been eyeing me with a mix of suspicion and frustration. She can sit up when propped, roll over, and turn on a…
Disrespect to the Constitution..!
Ah, how easy it is nowadays to be guilty of “disrespecting the Constitution!” All you need to do is ask a question, and boom—you’re branded as a criminal, a rebel, or worse, an anti-national. Today it’s Rahul Gandhi. Tomorrow, it could be you. And who are the judges of such…
Raise a Toast to Trouble…!
He turned in bed and saw her silhouette against the dark. His wife, the psychologist, sat up, head bowed, thoughts heavy. “Something wrong?” he whispered. “Yes,” she sighed, “How do we get the money to send our daughter abroad for her studies?” In the darkness, he reached for courage, not…
Walking Behind a Devouring Fire…!
I remember as a child going to a part of the town I’d never seen before. My father walked ahead, and I, clutching his hand shuffled behind. The lanes were dark, the streetlights dim, and the shadows looked like they were ready to pounce. But I didn’t fear—because Dad knew…
When Two Bullies Fight..!
As I watch the US and Russia’s ongoing tiff, and India scampering between them like a schoolboy carrying notes between two brawling seniors, I’m reminded of a golden rule I follow in life, and very often in the housing society I live in: When two bullies fight—move out of the…
Independence Day and YOUR Independent Thinking..!
Today, the tricolour will be hoisted. The brass band will play the Jana Gana Mana. Politicians will stand straight—well, as straight as one can while still checking if the TV cameras are catching the good side of the face. There will be speeches—oh, the speeches! About our glorious past, our…
Stray Dogs and the Judiciary..!
Now Jeff, my fierce, handsome German Shepherd, has been gone nigh on three years. But this morning, as I read the news about the judiciary and stray dogs, I could have sworn I felt him beside me. And sure enough, from somewhere in the heavens, came that deep, throaty growl…
My Café Conclusion..!
I was sitting in a café in New York today, watching the world walk past my table. This was unlike other eateries—people came here alone, not with their families. Next to me was a white American who had initially jumped two steps when my wife nearly took his Coke from…
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.