Why We Never Question Authority..!
It is no wonder that politicians and priests get away with almost anything in our country. Frankly, they deserve an award for consistency. We have spent generations training them by practising obedience with Olympic level discipline. Nod on cue. Clap on command. Never ask why. If questioning were a crime,…
A Commode Made of Gold..!
At a Sotheby’s auction in New York, a golden commode was sold for twelve point one million dollars. Yes, you read that right. Not a diamond. Not a painting. Not even a sculpture made by a genius who starved for his art. A toilet commode. As I heard the news,…
No One to Talk To..!
Many years ago, my secretary, who used to travel by the good old suburban trains of Mumbai, told me stories of the strange therapy sessions that happened on the rails. Total strangers, wedged together on a wooden bench, would whisper their deepest troubles. She once confessed to me that she…
Pretending to Play the Second Fiddle..!
Last week I wrote about people who played second fiddle and changed the world, but alongside that had written another about many who pretend to play second fiddle and find it convenient to remain doing so, because they are actually playing first fiddle. Initially I wasn’t sure there was anybody…
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…
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.