The Alexandra Limp and Us..!
Have you heard of the “Alexandra Limp”? A curious bit of history, really. In the late 1860s, Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, walked with a limp after illness. Soon, society ladies—perfectly healthy—decided to copy her. Out they went, wobbling down London streets, limping in step with their Queen. Now…
Tariffs, Tyrants and Truth..!
Sometimes, dear reader, we get so busy winning a little skirmish that we forget there’s a full-blown war still raging. Right now, our television screens are filled with chest-thumping over the “battle” with the US on tariffs. Ministers wag fingers. News anchors thump tables. Hashtags scream “We Will Not Be…
Automatic Doors After They Are Dead..!
So, the Railways have announced—with the solemnity of a priest at a last rites service—that they’ll finally install automatic doors on Mumbai’s local trains. Not before the tragedy.Not to prevent it.But after four lives were crushed, mangled, and tossed aside like used tickets on a Mumbra platform. Only then did…
Lower the Bribe Rate..!
A few days ago, while having my morning coffee, listening to the birds and flipping through the newspaper with one hand I nearly spat the hot brew on the crossword puzzle. A full-page article—yes, not an ad for designer tiles or discount flats—boldly proclaimed that builders in Mumbai were requesting…
Dying Before Knowing…!
Many years ago, while writing for the Asian Age, a paper that MJ Akbar owned, he wrote me a line I’ve never forgotten. “Never criticize anyone immediately after a tragedy.” A rare bit of editorial wisdom. And so, though every fibre in me wants to take a red pen dipped…
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.