At the farthest edge of a village, where people once lived in harmony, but in the last eleven years had not, a white bearded chief stood staring into the horizon. His bald deputy stood beside him, polished scalp reflecting both sunlight and loyalty. “The opposition is shouting that you surrendered…
Why Truthteller’s are Never Invited Twice..!
People say they want honesty. They demand it. They post about it. They frame it on their office walls. “Speak the truth,” they declare with moral authority, usually while hoping nobody actually does. Because the moment someone does, the room changes temperature. Let us imagine a simple family gathering. Everyone…
Enough Is Not Enough..!
There is something deeply exhausting about watching very wealthy people argue about who gets the slightly bigger slice of an already enormous cake. In the ongoing court case over the wealth of the late Sunjay Kapur, when family disputes spilled out in full public view, Judge Mini Pushkarna reportedly observed…
Coffee, Me and Dementia..!
Today’s article in the Times brought me unexpected medical validation. According to learned people with graphs and charts, two to three cups of coffee a day may help keep dementia at bay. I read it slowly, reverently, the way one reads a verdict of acquittal. Then I smiled the smile…
Not Worth Resuscitating…!
I spent the entire morning at the hospital for my half yearly eye check-up. Since it happens to be the hospital where my wife works as a doctor, I make a modest effort to look respectable. Not power suit respectable. Not international summit respectable. Just respectable enough that her colleagues…
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,…
Repairer of the Breach..!
In Isaiah 58 verse 12 we hear God talking about a Repairer of the Breach. Which immediately makes me picture someone in overalls, holding a spanner, standing thoughtfully in front of a gigantic crack in humanity, scratching his head and saying, “Right then, let us get to work.” A Repairer…
No Safety in Parliament?
I read the news and blinked twice. Then I rubbed my glasses. Then I read it again. The Prime Minister was advised not to attend Parliament because the Speaker could not guarantee his safety inside the House. I nearly spilt my morning coffee. Not because of terrorists. Not because of…
How to Become a Bore..!
There is a strange epidemic sweeping across drawing rooms, coffee shops, family lunches, office corridors, and unfortunately, even national television studios. It is called Opinion Diarrhoea. The uncontrollable urge to give one’s opinion on everything under the sun, moon, stars, and possibly on things happening in galaxies we have never…
Adulation and the Fall..!
Life has a wonderfully predictable script. A person begins with nothing. Works hard. Struggles heroically. Prays occasionally. Succeeds unexpectedly. And then trips spectacularly. Not because success is poisonous. But because applause is. Most people who fall do not slip on banana peels. They slip on compliments. At the beginning of…
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.