January has a smell to it. Somewhere between a new diary and a gym membership that has not yet been ignored. We make resolutions with great ceremony. We announce them like New Year speeches. This year I will wake early. This year I will eat wisely. This year I will…
Burning the Old Man..!
If there is one thing I would happily burn tonight, it would be India’s national factory of fake news. Not a symbolic spark, but a proper Indian bonfire, the kind that crackles loudly, attracts a crowd, and can be seen from several mohallas away. Because this factory has grown too…
As Indians, Live Your Faith This Year..!
Some of the most powerful sermons are never preached from pulpits, they are lived out in everyday moments, in taxis, queues, offices, and homes. This New Year, my sermon came from the front seat of an Uber in Chicago. I had entered the wrong address, and so was taken to…
Smile Sir, Smile..!
I watched you on television sir, entering a church on Christmas Day, a cathedral in the capital, cameras clicking as faithfully as your folded hands. It was reported to be your first visit to a church. Congratulations sir. Though I must say, you did not need to march in as…
Thrashing Santa..!
Poor Santa. This year he really did have a rough time. In malls, at parties, across cities and small towns in India, Santa was thrashed. Parties where he made an appearance were ransacked. Even poor roadside vendors selling red caps with white pompoms were not spared. It was as if…
Holding On For Dear Life..!
One of the most horrifying memories of my early working years was travelling in the Mumbai local trains, hanging on to a metal bar with the desperation of a man who had suddenly discovered how much he liked living. If you have never done it, let me explain. You try…
Your Story Isn’t Over..!
As the year closes there is always that awkward pause. It sits somewhere between the last cup of tea and the pillow that beckons. We look back and quietly count the days that could have been better. The words ‘if only’ parade past our minds like a highlight reel of…
Fear Not…!
I love the national anthem. You do not question it. You stand up, straighten your back, look noble and sing it with more enthusiasm than talent. I have sung it in school halls, dusty grounds, cinema theatres, and once on our Independence Day in Austria. Patriotic pride, yes. Spiritual experience,…
Bulldozing Their Way Through..!
There is a dangerous illusion in power. That if you have the numbers, you have the nation. That if a bill is passed, the argument is over. That once the Speaker says “ayes have it,” dissent has magically disappeared. It hasn’t. It has only changed location. When Parliament passes laws…
Telling a Story..!
There is a familiar scene in most homes today. A child sits cross legged, eyes glazed, thumb flicking with Olympic precision. The television murmurs in the background like an ignored relative. Parents watch this and sigh. Screen time, they say, is ruining childhood. And then, almost immediately, they hand the…
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.