Last year while visiting the home of my former class teacher, all of ninety-six years, she asked me to sing to her and I sang my favourite, ‘If His Eye Is On the Sparrow!” In my mind I wanted to leave her with the assurance that if a God above…
A Biting Tongue..!
‘When someone blushes with embarrassment, when someone carries away an ache, when something sacred is made to appear common, when someone’s weakness provides laughter, when profanity is required to make it funny, when a child is brought to tears or when everyone can’t join in the laughter, its a poor…
The Teapot Can Only Boil for So Long..!
Listen to Varuna Clements Thalla, former Bloomberg TV anchor, interview Amrita her sister, a Clinical Psychologist and therapist with a Masters from Seattle, about the pandemic and how its affecting people. Listen on not just to the easy banter between both, but also to very significant tips, on how to…
Don’t Wanna Leave the old white house..!
And in an old white house somewhere in Washington, an old man with blonde hair, shaped in a peculiar way, stood staring out of the window, “This old house gets to you!” he murmured to himself, “Need to stay here a while longer!” “Thought you didn’t much care for me…
Changing Our Business Model..!
In building a business, there’s a certain amount of time you spend, pitching sales for your business to succeed and then your business model will have to sell by itself! What we as a country need to focus on is long term benefits, not short term gains: Oh yes, I…
The World Won’t Stop For You..!
One day, while standing on the balcony of a tall building, I looked down and saw a funeral taking place in a cemetery. I also saw next to the same graveyard, a football field, where a game was in progress. It was a strange feeling, seeing sorrowful emotions on one…
Namaste..!
Her name was Ayong. She was to be our guide in Korea. Pretty, petite and smiling she stepped up to me and said, “Namaste!” “Namaste!” I replied, surprised she’d learnt the Indian greeting. It was while we were in the bus she turned to me, “Do you know what it…
On Not Having An Umbrella This Monsoon..!
There are many who wonder why I don’t have an umbrella, or even a raincoat this monsoon, and let me assure you it’s not due to the lockdown. It’s just that in my mind I did visit an umbrella store: “Are you an activist sir?” asked the pleasant looking salesman…
How Big Is Your Chair?
For many years I was a businessman, and very often had to visit men and women in different leadership positions at their offices. As soon as I was ushered into their offices, the chair on which they sat told me where I stood. The chairs came in all shapes and…
The Tattoo of a Winner..!
Each one of us is born to win, right? Not born to lose! I like this story by Norman Vincent Peale: ‘Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, I came across a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On…
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.