Holding the Bow and Arrow..!
“You need to stand properly!” That was one of my twin grandsons getting instructions during an archery lesson in America a few months ago. Apparently, looking enthusiastic while pointing something dangerous in a general direction did not qualify him as archer. A useful discovery, which I wish our national leaders…
Using Fright to Subdue..!
“Any questions?” asks the man at the microphone. A youngster raises his hand. The man looks offended. Apparently, the question was part of the decoration, like the flowers beside the podium. Nobody was expected to take it home and water it. I thought of this while reading about the postponed…
Patriotism, Starlink and Monopoly..!
“Would you like something with your coffee, sir?” asked the waiter at the airport food court. “Yes,” I said. “A small loan.” He smiled. “I have already paid for parking,” I explained. “If I buy your sandwich too, my children might have to discontinue their education.” There was a time…
Police Restraint..!
“Be gentle!” whispered his boss. The policeman looked puzzled. “With whom, sir?” “The protesters!” “Ah,” said the policeman, adjusting his baton. “Special instructions!” And there, dear reader, lies the problem. Why should gentleness arrive as a special instruction? Is it equipment kept in police headquarters, issued only when the government…
Today’s Inconvenience, Tomorrow’s Comfort..!
“Today’s inconvenience, tomorrow’s comfort!” announced the board beside a road that had apparently resigned from being a road. “How reassuring,” I told the gentleman standing beside me. He was trying to retrieve his shoe from the mud. “For whom?” he asked. “For tomorrow’s people.” “What about today’s people?” we shouted…
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.