BBC Ban and Barbed Barriers..!
Many, many decades ago, when I was around twelve, a cousin of mine, a medical student from the prestigious medical college in Vellore, presented me with, “An Area of Darkness” by Naipaul! I read it and a little later found that the book had been banned by the then Indian…
Adulation, Checks, and Balances..!
Bob’s Banter No man is a god! When man comes to power, he comes with a suitcase full of weaknesses, and one of them is adulation! Which man doesn’t love to hear the roar of a crowd as he walks on stage? Which man doesn’t love seeing looks of adoration…
The Charge of Our Light Brigade..!
“Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do…
Your Taxes as Bribes..!
And during the next elections as different parties promise freebies to the poor, and the same poor people with stars in their eyes jump to claim them, remember it’s your tax money that is being paid in exchange for votes! Free colour TV’s, waiver of farmer loans, free electricity and…
Red River Valley and Love Jihad..!
The first melody I learned to play on my harmonica as a youngster was the ‘Red River Valley’ and often as I played its sad, melancholic tune, wondered what the lyrics meant. It was only recently I heard the reason behind the strange title, and why the lyrics were written….
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.