Years ago I remember going over to the school my children were studying in. I met the teacher and asked how my daughter was doing. “She’s good,” said the teacher, “she knows all the answers but hesitates to put up her hand!” “Why?” I asked bewildered. “She’s scared to be…
Leaders, Lend Your Ears..!
A few days ago, two ex IAS officers spoke on, “Dissent in Democracy’ and since I was on the panel I said, that dissent in a democratic setup was not just disagreement about certain policies, but a citizen saying, “Please listen to me! I too have a viewpoint on the…
Becoming Childlike..!
A few years ago I watched astonished as Jeff, my huge, scary German- Shepherd dog, became a little pup and followed my nephew around the room, nuzzling into his ear and behaving as if he’d found a long lost friend: All my nephew had done had been to walk into…
Exit Polls..!
“Mama!” “Yes my son?” “The exit polls said, I and that thirty one year old boy would win in Bihar!” “I know my son, but they were wrong! On top of it you lost quite miserably!” “But the exit polls did not say that! I think we should make the…
Transferring the Wife..!
The quarreling in the house at the end of the road, had been going on throughout the night and finally the neighbours, unable to sleep called the police. “Sir,” said the inspector as he entered the house and looked at the elderly couple. “You both are making too much noise,…
Sir Niceness Throws out Mr Trump..!
Sir Niceness, nearly lost out in the four years that the White House was occupied by a boorish, loud, arrogant president, and though many reasons have been attributed to his downfall, despite fulfilling many of his promises, most voters, at least a little over half of America, wanted someone nice…
Are You Being Served..!
Sometime before the lockdown I had been invited by an organization to deliver the keynote address at a church. My driver drove me to the location but as he parked, we saw a watchman waving frantically and advancing threateningly towards us, “Don’t park inside!” he shouted, “It is only for…
Growing Old..!
It was just the other day while shopping with my daughter, I noticed I was paying more attention to the pavement I was walking on than the display in the shop windows. I wondered for a moment and realized I was so scared of slipping on the uneven tiles that…
A Finishing School For Men..!
“A finishing school for men?, “I asked the owner of the school, “I have never heard of anything so strange.” “And why not?” asked the owner, as he directed a painter to give finishing touches to the board outside, “if our women can win beauty contests at the world level,…
Baby Trump Throws a Tantrum..!
And as Trump, hees and haws about letting go of the presidency, Liberty, the statue calls out to him, “Baby Donny, now give your toy white house to Joe, you’ve had four full years of living there!” “No, I won’t! See I’m younger than he is, and tougher. Look at…
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.