Somewhere between the EMI for your fridge and the EMI for your scooter, corrupt Gujarat government officers have added one more installment option—bribes! Yes, in what could only be described as a jaw-dropping entry for the “You-Can’t-Make-This-Stuff-Up” awards, The Times of India reported that government officials in Ahmedabad are kindly…
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.
Jumping Off A Burning Plane..!
Ahmedabad, last week. A plane crashes. Catches fire. The horror unfolds in seconds. Two hundred and forty-one people perish in a flaming coffin. And one man—just one—jumps off before the inferno claims him. He doesn’t pray for the pilot to say something. Doesn’t wait for the safety card to start…
Wrecks and Our Ambitions..!
Sometimes, when the Wi-Fi is down at a seaside resort, and the coffee tastes suspiciously like punishment, I stare at the ocean and wonder if there’s more beneath the surface, and oddly enough, my thoughts sail straight to shipwrecks. Yes, shipwrecks. Not the ones caused by WhatsApp groups or political…
Spreading Myself Thick..!
Now that I’ve crossed the seven seas and a bit of turbulence to visit my children and grandchildren in the US, a strange thought tiptoes into my head: “How thin can I spread myself?” You see, the trip’s not just a ‘grandpa popping in for hugs and gifts’ routine. No…
You Can’t Be a Part-Time Father..!
Nope, I didn’t write this on Father’s Day. I waited. Like the real father should. Not for the cards, the badly drawn pictures, or the forwarded WhatsApp poems with piano music in the background. No, I waited for the noise to die down. For the digital parade to pass. And…
Why China..?
Just when I thought I’d figured out our foreign policy—a headline in today’s paper left me scratching what’s left of my head: Defence Minister Set to Visit China to Rebuild Ties. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for building bridges. But building one back to China, right after they…
Just Enough for God..!
It happens every Sunday. The bold are bustling, the extroverts elbowing, and the spiritually self-assured are busy sitting in the front pews as if God had given out VIP passes. And there, somewhere in the shadows of stained glass and holier than thou looks, is that quiet someone. You’ve seen…
Grounding the Dreamliner..!
So now, NDTV says, they’re talking about grounding all Boeing Dreamliners flying in India. Yes, the same plane that evokes dreamy sighs from frequent flyers and mild envy from budget travelers. And while one part of me says, “Yes, safety first,” the other part—a slightly more cynical fellow who sits…
After Seeing Them Off..!
There’s a peculiar silence that follows a goodbye. It’s the kind that lingers in the air long after the honk of the cab has faded or the aircraft has vanished into the sky. A quiet emptiness that whispers with hope, ‘they’re on their way now.’ But what happens when that…
Resignations, Accountability, and You..!
Years ago, while still young, I owned a contracting firm. One morning, I got a call that one of my workers had fallen from the scaffolding. By the time I reached, he was gone. A life snuffed out before tea break. The police came. Looked around. Jotted notes in well-worn…
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.