He had worked abroad all his life, and today as he stood with the rest of the family at the wedding of his daughter, he realized he didn’t know her at all. He looked at his wife, she looked old and care worn. She wore the best dress money could…
Shouldering The Plough..!
This morning I spent the better part of an hour with a friend of mine discussing whether I should take upon myself certain responsibilities: He was quite insistent that I serve on a particular board and I, knowing that my hands were full, was very reluctant. “It means more than…
Positive Motivation..!
There I was in the bathroom, sometime back with a screwdriver in my hand and a pair of pliers getting the soap tray fixed. I worked hard and as I did, I wondered how my wife had managed to get me to do it. Most often, after she left for…
Brainy Children and Poor me..!
Recently there’s a not a day gone by that I haven’t been stopped by friends and relatives and asked, “Do you know how much my child scored?” “No,” I reply, thinking they have mistaken me for the examiner. “Ninety per cent!” “Ninety per cent!” I exclaim. A little farther a…
Low In the Grave He Lay..!
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…
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.