A few months ago, a president of a social club called an organization which was to teach him leadership training and said, “I want my money back, I have no time for the course!” “Sir,” said the coordinator, “You know our policy, we don’t refund money, but we will do…
Our Valuable Junk..!
People coming home ask me why I still keep most of my junk, and I tell them of the same conversation I had with my car. “Where’s the car?” they ask, and I tell them about the talk I had with my car: “Garages!” said my car angrily that day,…
Passiontide and Justice..!
Was surprised to see that my Sunday political column had been displaced in the Nagpur newspaper, since they were celebrating their Golden Jubilee, but the title of the new piece said, “I See No Intolerance!” I was shocked! Hear more about my experience in my talk to the members of…
Are We becoming an Insular Nation?
It was blistering hot as I lay on the deckchair, in a beach somewhere in the country, and like all Indians, was happy to have the large umbrella protecting me from the harsh sun blazing overhead. But, not the middle-aged white couple next to me. They seemed to be enjoying…
Say, ‘No Problem’ to Problems..!
Quite often I hear somebody telling me, “No problem!” In fact the phrase became so common, that now I hear another, “No worries!” No worries? No problems? How we would love to live a life without worries and problems, wouldn’t we? But what about asking ourselves, “You’re having problems?” and…
Settling Her Down..!
“Bob, please look for a suitable boy for my daughter!” said the voice of an old friend of mine on the phone. “So your daughter has finally decided to get married?” I asked surprised. “No, but I want her to settle down!” said the mother. Settle down! What a sentence;…
A Huge Cheque..!
It was a huge cheque I saw in the newspaper! Specially made for the occasion, designed for the publicity it would fetch. I looked closer at the newspaper picture, and saw that it was being given to some cancer- ridden child at a cancer hospital and was being presented to…
Appeasing Minorities..!
“Stop appeasing the minorities!” shout the majority in the country. Hearing these shouts, I decided to fairly and without bias look into their angry cry. I did and realized how better to think of the country than as one large family, with the Government, Mother India, looking after it’s differently…
Poor Shane Warne..!
Poor Shane Warne. Found dead in his hotel room. What a way to go and at fifty-two! To have played cricket for so many years he must have kept himself very fit, and it’s something we all should do, for after all, in just a day, your heart will likely…
The Gates are Opening..!
Gates are opening all over the country! Gates of theatres, restaurants, parks, malls, swimming pools and so on. Streets are thronging, shops are bustling, as Covid-19 seems to be in full retreat. But even as gates open again, are ours opening too? We, who have seen death close at hand,…
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.