The other day a man was telling me about the number of affairs he’d had after marriage, and as he winked at me, I asked, “How would you handle it if your wife had an affair?” I saw his expression change and thought of a certain shopping mall in Delhi,…
Fear and the Mumbai Sea-Link..!
Many decades ago while in my teens I loved taking the double- decker bus from the city, run up the stairs to the upper deck, rush to the front seat, and enjoy a glorious ride to the suburbs. As night set in, I would put the front glass pane up,…
Death and the Cigarette..!
“Twenty-one days!” said my friend to me. “What’s with the numbers?” I asked, “You fasting or something?” “No! I haven’t smoked for twenty one full days!” Even as I felt happy that a dear friend had finally put a stop to a deadly and fatal habit, it seemed I heard…
The Girl On The Swing..!
It was Children’s Day! She walked just ahead of me in the park. I guessed she must have been around fifteen or sixteen years of age, and then she ran to a swing which was empty, sat on it happily and pushed herself to move upward, and in her eyes…
PMC Bank and a Clever RBI..!
Have been watching the debacle of the PMC Bank which is the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank, and how the RBI, controlled I’m sure, totally by the government, is dealing with the crisis. Have noticed today, that there is no more a sense of fairness: It’s either majority versus minority…
Know Your God..!
The problem with the new airport in Mumbai is that every time you visit, there’s been a change, and this time I drove up a ramp that was meant for VIP parking, to which I certainly didn’t belong to! “Sir, please go forward then reverse out!” said the attendant politely….
Politicians in Resorts..!
“It must be quite traumatic for you all?” I asked, “First you are all spent after having fought and won the elections, and then you are herded into a resort, to keep you from being poached by a cash rich party?” “It is all because of those poachers!” said an…
Now What?
And as everybody heaves a sigh of relief, two men scratch their heads, one hits a bald pate, the other his neatly coiffured grey hair. “Now what?” “I don’t know!” “You better work something out. Your ideas got us where we are, but now, after yesterday, there’s nothing more to…
A Stitch In Time Saves A Drilling..!
“Root canal job, and looks serious!” said the dentist as he peered into my mouth “Is it going to be expensive?” I asked. “This could take a few visits,” said the doctor as I saw my bank balance sliding purposefully into his lab coat pocket. “Shall we start today?” he…
Pollution Over the Capital..!
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking! We are finding it difficult to locate the capital because of intense pollution! I will have to request each of you to help by looking out of your windows and try to locate any familiar landmarks!” “Yes, yes! I can see my…
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.