When Ashton my grandson pointed out the empty bench while we were on the quaint train near the Poconos mountains, I could not help wondering about the countless stories it must have held. And today I decided I would tell the twins just one. Not an old couple waving at…
The Suicide Bomber’s Terrible Miscalculation..!
Somewhere in a cramped room with a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, a young man sits hunched over, clutching an object he believes will make him a hero. His eyes burn with a strange fire, the fire of someone convinced that destruction can somehow lead to glory. He’s been…
When We Envy Our Boss..!
There is something amusing about how we view the one who sits a little higher than us. We look at the boss in a cool cabin, or the owner in a comfortable car, and feel that life has dealt them a sweeter hand. Many years ago when I ran my…
How the Opposition Can Win..!
In my very fertile imagination, I can see it as clearly as if I were sitting in the room myself; a grand hall somewhere in the capital. The opposition parties have gathered once again after yet another round of electoral defeat. They have gathered to do the impossible. They want…
The Army We Cannot See..!
Just over two years ago I found myself speaking after three very eminent speakers. They had all painted a picture of our nation that made the audience shift uneasily in their seats. Shashi Tharoor had spoken, another respected voice had followed, and both had highlighted the challenges facing India. That…
Bihar and Prashant Kishor..!
As I look at the Bihar election results, I am not going to spend time on the poor show by the opposition. I have always maintained that unless the Congress and other parties pull up their socks and come with a clear agenda for progress, they will continue to struggle….
The Seat and the Man..!
Had dinner with a retired government deputy secretary last night and as we spoke about his years in service, I decided to ask him a question that many powerful people quietly dread. I leaned forward and asked how it felt not having any power after retirement. For a moment he…
The Tempest Within..!
It was the most disturbed sleep he had ever had. He tossed and turned as though on a small boat battling angry waves. He felt the vessel shudder beneath him, ready to sink at any moment. The wind howled through his dream, the waves crashed, and the darkness around seemed…
Standing United Against Terror..!
Terror has raised its ugly head again, and with it comes the same dark questions that have haunted humanity for decades. Why do men choose to destroy instead of build? Why do they believe that spilling blood will prove a point? Terrorism is not courage. It is cowardice. It is…
The Editor and the Piano Player..!
There are two kinds of people who can make or break your creative spirit. The first is the editor who thinks he is a writer because he knows grammar. The second is the piano player who believes he or she is a singer because she can read music. Both forget…
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.