The first melody I learned to play on my harmonica as a youngster was the ‘Red River Valley’ and often as I played its sad, melancholic tune, wondered what the lyrics meant. It was only recently I heard the reason behind the strange title, and why the lyrics were written….
Be a Father to Him..!
Sometimes we wonder as we see our loved ones in pain, why good people go through suffering. I remember my feelings many years ago, when I heard my dad in the US was diagnosed with cancer: “Dads cancer,” said my mom’s voice on the phone, “has reached the bone. He’s…
Funeral Attire or Hospital Gown..!
They came in fancy funeral attire! Friends and relatives in their Sunday best, carefully preserved for occasions like this; a funeral of a young relative! I’d come early, and expected nobody! Because no one had come when she, with kidneys failing, and no money in the bank had dialed me…
Let Go and Jump..!
Was sitting in my garden one morning and heard the sound of crows cawing out loud. I decided to go up to check and found a pa and ma crow trying to encourage their little fellow to fly out of his nest. “Come on jump!” cawed the father. “You’ve got…
Stand Like The Bamboo..!
One night a doctor friend dropped in, he appeared sad and beaten. A patient who had been operated upon in his hospital had gone into a coma for no fault of his or his staff and now he was hounded by the media, police and even members of the local…
The Governors and the King..!
King Charles! It seems a bit strange to call Charles the king of England, after getting used to addressing Britain’s constitutional monarch as ‘Her Majesty the Queen’, so King it is, and a constitutional monarch it is, and nothing’s changed except a man replacing his mother as the ceremonial chief….
Twelve Days into the New Year..!
“It’s still a New Year!” sang out the sun as it rose over a sleeping world, “It’s only twelve days old!” And from every tree a collective caw, a chirp and a cheep of joy rose in crescendo, as they were warmly awakened by God’s own herald, the sun. And…
Give Imagineering a Try..!
Three sparkling white buildings! A guest house with grounds! All housing one hundred and four orphans! And yet I remember when all of this wasn’t ever there, not on the ground nor also in the mind of the founder. He had come to me on one of his donation collecting…
Grandpa’s Words Of Wisdom..!
A friend sent me these gems of wisdom penned by a grandpa, and since I’ve become one again two days ago, I thought I’d share them with you all, so have a laugh: Whether a man winds up with a nest egg, or a goose egg, depends a lot on…
Hills, Mountains and the Divine..!
Though I have visited and holidayed with family in quite a few of the hill stations, the visit I remember so well was the Rohtang Pass in Kulu Manali. The sudden appearance of the mighty Himalayas, peak after peak after peak, like old sages of wisdom, grouped together, not concerned…
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.