Spent an evening at the club, with a gentleman who knew one of India’s billionaires when he was coming up, “I knew him when he was struggling,” he said, “And I helped him a bit!” “You must be great friends now!” I said. “I suppose we are!” he said loyally,…
Best Education in the World..!
And as different governments over the years have addressed all the wrong problems in our educational system, I can only liken it to an imaginary minister again focusing on non-issues! “Minister, we are so happy you have been appointed. We have to do something about our educational system!” “Yes, yes,…
It’s Not the Taj..!
As I hear about names of cities being changed left, right and centre I see members of the heritage committee, “This building and this and this and this!” exclaim members of the heritage committee as they walk down the roads of a city anywhere in the country. “But we don’t…
Cunning People in Our World..!
We glory in cunning, but being clever without compassion makes a cheat of you! Quite a few decades ago I moved to the city of Bombay with a few rupees in my pocket and started peddling the product I was selling, from door to door. In one of the homes,…
The Puppets and the Puppeteer..!
“Who told you to put all our savings into that bank?” shouts a distraught wife as she looks at her weeping husband, “It’s collapsed! It’s your fault! We are ruined!” In many homes, it’s either a husband or wife crying out about a bank collapse or very lately the collapse…
Standing Tall On Mount Road..!
I’m in Chennai to speak at a function and as I drive down Mount Road, I know it’s got another name now, but Mount Road it will always remain to me, and as I drove down that long, very busy road that ends at the St Thomas Mount, I saw…
A New Olympic Event..!
Suddenly in Mumbai, the city where I live there’s digging, and digging and digging again, going on at a furious pace. There’s so much of digging that we have become one of the most polluted cities not just in India, but the world. It’s as if there’s a deadline for…
A Broken Plastic Bangle..!
I could feel the tension. The man serving chai at the corner stall looked at his two customers as they drank his tea, and in his eyes was a plea for them to drink faster. He watched them for a moment more as they slowly sipped the piping hot tea…
A Good Investment..!
No, I’m not talking about selling the Adani stock and buying something else, but another investment, when I went back to school! I’d been asked to speak at a prestigious institution in the city sometime back, had scribbled a few points of what to say, when a deathly silence descended…
Afraid of My Lunchbox..!
The wife ran to my car as I started the engine this morning, “You forgot your lunchbox!” she cried. “No!” I said in terror, “I don’t want it!” “You don’t want lunch today? You know what the doctor said; skipping meals isn’t going to help you get any healthier!” “Yes,”…
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.