Nobody likes protests! Nobody likes his vehicle stopped on a highway for hours because protestors are protesting. It’s irritating. It’s a nuisance! But it’s democracy! Just as a government is allowed to pass laws, a democratic constitution gives citizens the right to protest against those same laws or against any…
Do You Have a ‘Niagara Syndrome’?
The man stood outside my home. He was a carpenter I’d called a few days back to repair my terrace door. “You didn’t come the day I called you,” I said, “The work was urgent, another carpenter did the job!” “That’s okay,” said the carpenter. “Aren’t you feeling bad you…
Remembering Gandhiji Today..!
Today as we remember the murder of the Father of our nation, my mind goes back to a drive through Kentucky when suddenly my eye was caught by miles and miles of stonewalls alongside the road, “Built by slaves!” said my brother and I stared at the walls. “Stop the…
Bill Gates and a Lowly Tile..!
“Amazing!” I exclaimed at what I was reading on a website, “Two-thirds of the world’s 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes.” I read on, “Bill Gates was a dropout, who finally got his honorary degree from Harvard University in June,…
Only Remembered by What YOU Have Done..!
Only remembered, only remembered, Only remembered by what we have done; Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling, Only remembered by what we have done. A friend of mine lost his father sometime back and asked me to write the obituary and place it in the local…
Beneath Today’s Red Carpet..!
And as the country celebrates her Republic Day parade today, as Guests of Honour; leaders from all over the world walk the red carpet and watch the impressive military might and cultural floats displayed for them, in my imagination, it was the President of Brazil, the Chief Guest, who pointed…
What Movies Do You Watch?
When my children were small we had a young maid to look after them. She had come from an orphanage and something she loved doing after her chores and often during them was watching TV. I was told this was the only form of entertainment the girls had in their…
Still Carrying Your Child?
Everyday I watch as a very thin mother carries her school going child to the bus stop. “Can’t she walk?” I asked, fearing there was a problem with the little one’s legs. “She’s very sleepy,” explained the mother. I had thought when the child passed to a higher class this…
How To Be Secular..!
Many in our country are afraid of being called secular. Does it mean anti Hindu, anti Muslim, does it mean pro minority? Strangely a similar situation exists in America. The USA like ours, and unlike the UK, is a secular country, but for nearly three centuries, Christian thought in all…
Never Too Old to Dream..!
I’d always wanted to start my own advertising firm, and when I set it up a few years ago, many told me I should have done so when I was younger. For me it was not too late to dream and make it a success. An old couple stopped by…
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.