“You can’t let your failures define you… you have to let your failures teach you,” said Barack Obama. Now let us pause at that word define, because it is not an innocent word. It is a branding exercise. It is you picking up a branding iron, dipping it in…
Networking or Net Not Working…!
Yesterday I was the keynote speaker to a group that lives and breathes networking. You could almost hear the rustle of visiting cards before the meeting even began. People ready to connect, to build, to grow. And I decided to begin my speech with a fisherman. Not exactly what they…
We Have Information, Not Wisdom..!
The other day I asked a young man for directions. He did not answer me. Instead, he pulled out his phone, stared at it with deep affection, and then began speaking, not to me, but to the glowing rectangle in his hand. “One minute,” he said, as if the phone…
Being Called Aunty..!
This morning’s newspaper carried a rather interesting piece of news. A nurse in the UK had taken her colleague to court for calling her “aunty” and walked away not only with her dignity intact but also with a rather respectable sum of money. Now in India, if we started suing…
Truce, Talks and Thoughts..!
A strange silence follows a ceasefire. Guns pause. Missiles rest. Men who were ready to pull triggers now wait with fingers hovering over decisions instead. And somewhere, in homes that still have walls standing, mothers hold their children a little tighter, not because the danger is over, but because for…
No Money in the Kitty..!
In government circles, there is a new phrase doing the rounds. “No money in the kitty.” Now that is a very strange sentence for a state like Maharashtra. It is a bit like hearing that a five-star hotel has run out of food, or that a sweet shop in Mumbai…
Rescuing a Fighter Pilot…!
Last week a fighter jet crashes into enemy territory. Within hours, plans are drawn, satellites begin peeping like nosy neighbours, aircraft take off, commandos are briefed, and millions of dollars begin to flow like water from a leaking tap nobody wants to fix. All this for one man. One pilot….
Recklessness Required….!
Let me take you to a boxing match! An actual fight. You will notice something strange. The boxer who is losing quite often does something that looks brave but is actually foolish. He swings wildly, goes all in for a knockout, leaves his face wide open, and for a brief…
Easter for our Shaken World..!
Strip a man of everything. Not just clothes, but his dignity. Not just freedom, but his voice. Not just strength, but his very identity. Betray him with a kiss. Deny him with a shrug. Try him with lies. Sentence him with convenience. Whip him till flesh hangs loose. Press thorns…
No Second Best for God..!
Quite often I tune in to a preacher from Bangalore, one Rev Johnson.V. whose sermons are so sharp, so engaging and brilliant, that I find myself sitting up a little straighter, as if he can somehow see me through the screen and disapprove of my slouch. His words flow with…
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.