I once met a man who had spent ten years in jail for a crime he never committed. When he came out, his hair was grey, his eyes empty, and his soul crushed. He had lost not just ten years, but a lifetime of chances. His wife had remarried, his…
Public Spaces, Private Fear..!
They were just two young women, Australian cricketers, guests of our nation, here to play the game we love more than we sometimes love our women. And yet, as they walked to a café, a man on a motorbike came close enough to touch, grope, and ride away laughing. Within…
Singing for a Performance, Or…!
Last year I was given two invitations. One, to sing for a grand choir conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta, and the other, from a small church that needed a baritone voice. I remember sitting and thinking about it for a while. Zubin Mehta! The very name carries prestige, glory,…
Heaven Sees Your Heart..!
I remember once being asked by a young man, “Sir, do I need to be baptized to become a Christian?” He looked at me with the same anxiety I had when applying for my visa to the US, afraid he might miss some official stamp that would deny him entry…
Read, Read, Read..!
With three of my books lying with the publishers, I decided to give myself a small holiday. Not a trip to the mountains or the beaches, but something even more thrilling, a journey through pages. I decided to go back to an old love, one that has stayed faithful through…
There’s a Story in Everyone..!
Every now and then, I meet someone who tells me, “Bob, I wish I could write too.” I look at them and smile, because what I really want to say is, “You can.” You see, there’s a story in everyone. In the vegetable vendor who wipes sweat off her forehead…
Iran, India and Hypocrisy..!
I read today that Iran, the same country where women are beaten, jailed and even killed for not wearing the hijab, witnessed quite a spectacle. The daughter of one of its senior defence and national security officials, a close aide to the Supreme Leader himself, walked down the aisle at…
Breaking Rules in Religion’s Name..!
A friend from Chennai told me that on Diwali night, the fireworks stopped at exactly ten o’clock. “People here actually obey the law,” he said proudly, “even when it’s a festival.” I sighed in disbelief, thinking of Mumbai where rules are treated as mere suggestions and laws as polite requests…
A Real Diwali..!
In the evenings I love sitting under my peepul tree and watching the darkness through the leaves. There is something soothing about that slow merging of light and night, as if the day is saying a polite goodbye. In the last few days, that same darkness is being threatened by…
I Am Worthy..!
A few years ago, a close friend of mine fell deep into alcoholism. It was heart-breaking to watch a bright, capable young man crumble into dependence on drink. One night he took his car and, completely drunk, drove all the way to Lonavala. I kept calling him again and again,…
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.