How the crowd sighs when a good boxer or wrestler lies stretched on the mat. He’d been fighting well, when his opponent gave him a lethal punch and there he lies, almost dead! Many had betted on him, some had spoken of his left punch, and how when his opponent…
The Sound of the Nail..!
“Start with his right hand!” the Roman officer must have jeered to the soldier carrying nails to be driven through the hands and feet of Jesus, on a Good Friday two thousand years ago. And as the horrible sound of the nail, tearing flesh, rent the air, as the anguished…
Reaching Out for Help..!
It’s not often I reach out to others for help, but I remember the time I did: It was the day, when I buckled under the weight of carrying too heavy a load, not just that, but being thought of as someone who could carry more. You know what I…
Better Not To Talk..!
“Who’s this?” I asked my friend as I entered his house and saw a disheveled boy sitting in his living room. “My son!” “Hi,” I said and watched as the young fellow stared at me then looked around, ran around the room searching for something like a dog looking for…
No Need to Study..!
The Dean of an American university looked up with dismay at what his secretary was telling him, “That could spell doom for our universities!” he whispered. “Yes sir, especially as most of our fees come from Indian students!” said his secretary. “And when did this strange phenomenon start?” “The day…
Focus, Purpose, and Elections..!
The only agenda the opposition parties have for the 2024 elections is to bring down Modi! That’s all and no more! This is not going to win elections, as people wonder what will happen if they do win. Will they be clueless? Will they sit complacently, once they have achieved…
For He Knows What They Do..!
And as we approach Good Friday, I see Jesus on the cross, and with a sad face He hears the sounds of the howling mob, braying for His blood. He had heard them earlier in Pilate’s courtyard as they had shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Jesus must have looked into…
Writing History Through Fiction..!
The wife nearly came bouncing into my study, where I pretended to write an article while actually looking longingly at some online shopping clothes, “There’s some government officials to see you!” she said. “Oh no!” I said, “Have they come to arrest me?” “They’re not cops,” she said, “I think…
Mona’s Nose..!
A few years ago, a close friend of mine brought along a painting by a great painter. Over a century old it looked dull and listless and in certain places patchy. “Could you get those sections touched up?” asked my friend to the curator of one of the best art…
Legs in the Air with a Smile..!
A few years ago, when Pluto, the stray I’d adopted was alive, I walked into his room: He lay on his back, all four legs in the air. I looked at his face, his eyes were shut and as I peered closely, I could have sworn there was a smile;…
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.