Many authors have a brilliant idea, start a book and soon stop writing as the initial enthusiasm fades! Or someone elected a leader starts work with passion and then boredom or the lack of motivation sets in. Even we, often we are very excited when given a new task, a…
The Teakwood Box..!
“Dad?” asked my elder one, “what’s happened to the friend you used to be quite fond of, the one who was like a brother to you?” “We’ve fallen apart!” I said gruffly. “And you never tried to repair the relationship?” she asked. “I did,” I said, “but I don’t think…
Using the Whip..!
“Look at your church!” non-Christian friends cry out, “Is there anything inside different from what is happening outside? Your priests grab land, grab women, grab power, and you try to tell us you have something better than we have?” I look at the newspaper they hold out to me, “Bishop…
Stop this Civil War..!
Without a war cry or formal declaration, a new civil war rages, and if not arrested immediately will have disastrous consequences and nearly did in the confrontation between Assam and it’s neighboring state of Mizoram, where civilians were not the only casualty, but policemen killed by policemen! Unheard off, right?…
Hugging Our Fear..!
No, no! I’m not talking of the political hugs being given worldwide, even to the Pope by a political leader! But years ago I spent some of my evenings with a friend who had a kidney problem. He had just got out of dialysis with a new donated kidney which…
A Statue Bigger than Liberty..!
There was a tapping on my window. It was midnight, and cold in the New York apartment where I was living. “Who’s that?” I asked petrified. You don’t get a tapping when you are so many floors up. I gently pushed the glass pane up, and saw a huge hand,…
Potholes are Good for Us..!
Why is everyone complaining about potholes during the monsoons? Potholes are good and we need to appreciate the government for allowing us to keep them for such long periods of time. Come with me to a dinner party; what do you think everybody’s talking about? Potholes of course. There was…
Never Wait Till the Last Moment..!
“Root canal job, and looks serious!” said the dentist as he peered into my mouth “Is it going to be expensive?” I asked. “This could take a few visits,” said the doctor as I saw my bank balance sliding purposefully into his lab coat pocket. “Shall we start today?” he…
Trolls from the Woodwork..!
‘Kohli slams spineless trolls targeting Shami’ 31st Oct, New Indian Express The trolls of today are like worms from the woodwork! They roam the face of websites, whatsapp groups and have a huge online presence! In the good ole days, when one read or heard fairytales on one’s mother’s lap,…
Open Up and Question..!
It was a beautiful hardbound book and the man was smiling as he gave the book to me, “Your personal copy!” he said and I felt the cover. “You’ve spent a lot of money on it?” I asked. “The trust did!” he said. I opened the book and read 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.