“That’s my cousin!” whispered my friend, as we looked at a bedraggled, shabby, girl, hair matted and unkempt, looking at us with haggard eyes, in one of the bye-lanes in the city. He went up to her, but when he offered her a meal instead of money, which was certainly…
Simple Joys with Deep Meaning..!
He was staring at his phone, as I sat next to him on the bench in the park, “Terrible!” he exclaimed. “What is?” I asked, staring at his distraught face. “I put up a new picture of myself on Facebook, and no one’s commented, not even one like! My day…
Shake Hands or Give Paw..!
“Shake hands!” people tell my dog while bending over to pet it, “Shake hands!” they shout as my huge fellow looks blankly at them. “Doesn’t your dog know to shake hands?” they ask looking disgustedly at me. “No!” I tell them. “But all dogs shake hands!” “Why should he, when…
Chimney Sweeps…!
Ever so often in my childhood, the book I carried out of the library was one called ‘Waterbabies’ My heart went out to some of the little children of London whose job it was to clean chimneys. With long broom and ragged clothes and matted hair that also looked like…
A Tale of ‘Returned’ Umbrellas..!
As the monsoon recedes I find many of my umbrellas borrowed quite often without me knowing, suddenly returning, just when I don’t need them anymore, and looking at them today, brought back memories of their ancestors who adorned my life ages ago! My first working monsoon in the city, money…
God in a Church, Mosque or Temple..!
As I see the infighting in our country and across the world, over construction of mosque or Jewish temple, and church or other religious shrines, or hear arguments, even threats over the opening of religious places even during these Covid times, I am reminded of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, ‘Deeno Daan’…
Holding Hands Too Late..!
Was rather perplexed to hear that more old couples were filing for divorce than ever before, “But why would people in their old age move to end decades of togetherness?” I wondered and walked to the park for my daily rounds. I think my old friend Kumar had also read…
A Heart On Fire..!
Much before the pandemic I looked at a motley lot of people who had come to me to learn the art of public speaking from me. As I began the talk my heart sank; they looked anything but people who would one day get up and wax eloquent. There was…
The Naked Statue..!
So many of us lead two lives, one for the public and another that is private; most often the private one isn’t fit for public scrutiny: I wonder how it would be if every time we did something bad in our private life, a bell would ring outside for the…
Don’t Blame the Violin..!
“You know Bob,” says a complaining voice, “If only I’d been born healthy like you, I would have achieved much! But I’ve been through so many sicknesses and illnesses and financial worries that now I’m a wreck!” Here’s a true incident for those who feel likewise: J.F. Rowlands of South…
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.