‘Can you imagine,’ said the local corporator, poking a fat finger into my ribs, ‘the people want a new bus terminus.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I’ve heard about that.’ ‘What do we need a bus terminus for,’ laughed the corporator, ‘when we have an international airport over here. Which is bigger,…
Peace in Turbulent Times …!
With loved ones testing positive, my head reels, and as I often do, search for some story from old columns of mine that can steady my worried mind. I find one that had long fascinated me; that of an old couple in the Second World War. They lived in London,…
A Solo for the Conductor..!
“Sing the solo Bob!” the choir conductor told me. “No,” I said. “But it’s your old church!” “That’s why I don’t want to sing a solo!” I whisper “I just want to sit in the choir pew I sat in many decades ago, and thank God, for being the God…
A Maharaja visits the White House..!
It was while President Trump was recovering from his tryst with the virus and looking at the newspapers, that he saw in the corner of the Lincoln Room, in the White House, a Maharaja! Now there are many who will say that the virus, it causes one to be delirious…
Write Right..!
The pen is mightier than the sword we say glibly, repeating an oft quoted line, but having no idea whether it’s true or not, or sometimes what it means! Swords! Gone are those days! Swords are not used anymore, and instead sharp, crass expletives, pointed and lethal have replaced them….
Coffee or Coffee Cup..!
When my children were quite tiny, I made a trip to New York to visit my parents, and when returning decided I would fill my suitcases with gifts for them and also my wife. I stared at the amazing stuff being sold in the stores and was dazzled by the…
Trump and the Virus..!
With half of America rooting for the virus, in Trump, and the other half cursing the virus for attacking Trump, the Virus I soon found was nearly having a nervous breakdown. “Interview the Virus!” my editor barked to me without even looking up from his desk. I blinked for a…
Full Cycle..!
“Watch out!” I shouted as my driver swerved to avoid the cyclist then jumped out of the car and ran to pick up the fallen man. That’s when I saw his bicycle. It lay old and rusty. I looked down at it and it seemed nearly a half century was…
Accurate Forecasts and Predictions..!
“A thundershower in October?” I whispered, as I heard thunder, saw lightning, and the sound of heavy rains. I picked up the morning papers and found that the papers had indeed predicted the same and decided to congratulate the weatherman for his excellent prediction, almost for the first time! “Congratulation!…
The Trust Factor..!
Last week an incident with my neighbours nearly broke my trust in people, but then I reminded myself how many years ago while directing a play, I saw a bedraggled fellow standing at the entrance to the hall. “What do you want?” I asked. “Money to go back to my…
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.