Unfurling and Hoisting the Flag..!
There is a brand-new national pastime that has quietly overtaken cricket, it is the sacred art of correcting someone who says the wrong word on the wrong day. “You do not hoist the flag on Republic Day,” someone declares importantly.“You unfurl it.” Another voice booms back.“And on Independence Day you…
From Politicians to Statesmen..!
Winning elections is exhilarating. Slogans work, crowds cheer, numbers add up, and victory music is played. It is a moment when every politician feels ten feet tall and slightly immortal. But once the fireworks fade and the garlands wilt, something far more serious quietly takes the stage. Power has been…
Oath in the Capital..!
While the rest of the world sits with diaries open and gym memberships renewed, resolving to drink more water and scroll less, something far more honest happens in the capital of India. An army gathers. Not to change. Not to improve. But to reaffirm continuity. This is not a resolution…
Cracks in the Calm..!
There was a time when power announced itself softly. A calm voice. A measured reply. A smile that said, I am not threatened by questions. Those days seem to be slipping quietly out the back door of our Parliament, leaving behind raised voices, clenched jaws, and the unmistakable sound of…
No Invite for Rahul..!
No invite for Rahul at the Putin Banquet last week. The news channels buzzed like bees around a honey pot, reporters breathlessly repeating the same line as though they had discovered a new planet. No invitation. Shocking. Mind boggling. But then a thought crept up quietly and tapped me on…
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.