Public Spaces, Private Fear..!
They were just two young women, Australian cricketers, guests of our nation, here to play the game we love more than we sometimes love our women. And yet, as they walked to a café, a man on a motorbike came close enough to touch, grope, and ride away laughing. Within…
Taliban as a Friend..!
Now we have a new friend. The Taliban! Yes, the same Taliban once described in international forums as terrorists, medieval-minded extremists, and enemies of women’s rights. Suddenly, they’re on our guest list, sipping tea, holding press conferences (without inviting women, of course), and flashing diplomatic smiles—is it because we want…
Death in the Skies..!
It was with deep sadness I read of the death of an aged Indian cardiologist while flying on Qatar Airways. A man who had spent his life saving hearts, lost his own somewhere in the sky. The reason? A meal mix-up. He had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal — something most…
I Take the Blame..!
Today, the Prime Minister lands in Navi Mumbai to inaugurate a gleaming new international airport. Cameras click, drones hum, and television anchors shout themselves hoarse describing how “under his leadership” a dream has taken flight. Later in the day, he descends into the city to inaugurate the new underground metro…
Fake News and Official Truth..!
Strange isn’t it? We live in an age where the word news has become the most misleading of all words. News once meant the truth. You bought your morning paper or switched on your TV set, and you knew what you were getting was facts. Uncomfortable sometimes, yes, but truth…
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.