And as the world below goes through their forty days of Lent, in my imagination, two heavenly angels, one senior and the other many years junior are sent on a tour of earth. “Why look so despondent little angel?” asked the senior angel, looking at the face of the young…
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.
Next to a Negro, She Stood..!
As I hear rumours that the government if voted to power again, will change the secular nature of the country do realise we will only have ourselves to blame for this future mess as what is being used by these cunning politicians are the very prejudices we have for each…
The Flag, a Fruit of the Root…!
The house with a flag flying atop it, looked with disdain at the neighbouring home, with no flag on it, “No flag?” it asked. “It’s an invisible one I fly!” said the home with no flag, “the people within my house don’t need a flag above expressing what they believe…
A Different Answer to Prayer..!
This happened a few years back when I flew back home. While meeting friends in New York, many would tell me how they longed to visit India, “But your flights are so long!” they groaned, “Seventeen long hours! How do you manage?” Well I’ve managed pretty well, I must say,…
Break those Breakable Toys..!
When doing my brisk walk every morning I keep my earphones on and listen to either good music or an inspirational message or sermon. Quite often I don’t take them off and as I sit in my garden later and sip my coffee I continue listening to what I’d put…
Delivering Judgements with Wrong Glasses..!
“These judges,” swore the village chieftain as he stood at the edge of his village along with his deputy and looked back at the village, somewhere near Lilliput, they ruled together, “something is wrong with their vision!” “I totally agree,” said his bald chief, “When almost the whole of our…
Police Knock on the Door..!
The most dreaded sound we Indians heard during our freedom struggle during British rule, was of police knocking at our door at midnight, “Who’s it?” we asked, voices fearful. “Police! Open up!” came a British or Anglo-Indian accent. We threw the English out, but suddenly our police are doing the…
Clinging on to Ancestry…!
“My grandfather!” says a Christian, “Was a Brahmin before he converted!” “Yes, it’s the second time you’ve told me that!” I tell him pleasantly. “We even told our daughter this, so she can be proud of her heritage!” says his wife to me. “You should add that after your name!”…
Dialoguing with Dissent..!
The present government seems to be pressing all the right buttons to come back for a third term. They are projecting the prime minister as a powerful figure in the international arena, while also showing all welfare schemes at home stem from his office. They have used the ‘religion card’…
On Ambani’s List..!
As I saw pictures of the Ambani bash, what I also saw were India’s who’s-who invited. Whatever said and done, all of them were success stories: Men and women who had fought hard to become achievers whether in business, in the film world or in politics. They all had a…
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.