It was one of the strangest sights I’ve ever seen. No, not a politician paying his electricity bill, or a traffic cop refusing a bribe—though those would rank quite high on the “Miracles List.” This was something simpler. I was down South for a wedding. A grand affair. The kind…
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.
From Passion to Compassion…!
My granddaughter Emory, all of two, has discovered the wonder of water. Yes, that magical, glistening, splashy liquid that has the power to make a toddler giggle like no stand-up comedian ever could. But as any grandparent (or parent) knows, water play comes with its own manual titled How to…
Punish Our Engineers..!
Every time I hit a pothole; I feel I’ve just had a close encounter with a badly behaved asteroid. It jumps at my car without warning, crashes into my suspension system, and leaves me muttering words unfit for Sunday sermons. And while my poor vehicle groans from its underbelly, somewhere…
Too Much Rain..!
There’s a sloshing sound in my shoes, and it isn’t spiritual joy. It’s water. Rainwater. Precious, holy, long-prayed-for, utterly annoying rainwater. And as I squish my way across the housing society where I live, I hear my neighbor yell, “Bas karo Bhagwan, bas karo!” That’s Hindi for “Enough, God, enough!”…
No Ceasefire, Only Surrender..!
It’s a strange word—surrender. One we don’t like to touch, let alone use. It feels like failure, doesn’t it? Like waving a white flag while the enemy smirks and moves in for the selfie. We’d much rather say ceasefire, or truce, or negotiation, thank you very much. But surrender? No,…
Echoes from a Garden Bench..!
Yesterday, I attended a memorial meeting of a man who spoke softly but left deep impressions—Mr. Noronha. Ninety-five years old. The gathering was held in the garden where he once walked each morning, nodding at the trees, stopping to pat a stray, and sometimes humming under his breath. The weather…
Faith to be Cured..!
Many years ago, I attended a healing service of Pastor Benny Hinn, watched a parade of crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs parked at the back like a garage sale of broken dreams. The preacher waved his arms like a seasoned orchestra conductor, his voice reaching a crescendo, “You shall be healed!”…
Please Believe Us..!
So now we’re sending a delegation. Yes, a “Truth Team,” armed with PowerPoint presentations, handshakes, and Shashi Tharoor’s vocabulary, to convince the world: “This time, honest, we’re telling the truth.” Apparently, bombing terrorist camps, which was a much-needed act and done well and precisely, needs a footnote these days: “Please…
Ceremonial Power, Colonial Palaces..!
Some years ago, I had the privilege—or perhaps the irony—of being accommodated in a guest house inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan compound. Yes, the President’s house. It was just one of those rare opportunities that came my way. I woke up the next morning to the sight of peacocks strolling past…
Air-Vents All Clogged Sir..!
The AC in my bedroom conked out in the middle of the night. Not sputtered. Not whimpered. It just gave up, like a resigned bureaucrat on a Friday afternoon. One moment I was wrapped in Himalayan bliss, the next I was drenched in Sahara sweat. And so I tossed and…
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.