Had dinner with a retired government deputy secretary last night and as we spoke about his years in service, I decided to ask him a question that many powerful people quietly dread. I leaned forward and asked how it felt not having any power after retirement. For a moment he…
The Tempest Within..!
It was the most disturbed sleep he had ever had. He tossed and turned as though on a small boat battling angry waves. He felt the vessel shudder beneath him, ready to sink at any moment. The wind howled through his dream, the waves crashed, and the darkness around seemed…
Standing United Against Terror..!
Terror has raised its ugly head again, and with it comes the same dark questions that have haunted humanity for decades. Why do men choose to destroy instead of build? Why do they believe that spilling blood will prove a point? Terrorism is not courage. It is cowardice. It is…
The Editor and the Piano Player..!
There are two kinds of people who can make or break your creative spirit. The first is the editor who thinks he is a writer because he knows grammar. The second is the piano player who believes he or she is a singer because she can read music. Both forget…
After the Prodigal Returns..!
We have all heard the story of the Prodigal Son. The one who left home, squandered everything, and came back smelling of pigs and regret. And we love the part where the father runs out to meet him, hugs him, puts a ring on his finger and throws a grand…
Invoking Draconian Laws..!
There was a time when the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” echoed through every courtroom and classroom. It was not just a legal principle but the very foundation of justice. Today, that pillar trembles. For what we see around us is a steady erosion of that simple truth, replaced by…
A Time to Prepare..!
Whenever someone talks about their articles being rejected by newspapers or magazines, I tell them that I call this a God given time, the time to prepare for bigger opportunities. I have lived long enough to know that rejection is not the end of the road; it is often the…
Jungle Raj and Bihar..!
Again and again, I hear the term “jungle raj” being tossed about like a rotten tomato at a fair, hurled by those in power at the previous rulers of Bihar. Apparently, during Lalu’s time, it was jungle raj — lawlessness, chaos, crime, and the collapse of governance. But forgive me…
Stampedes and the Police..!
It happens again. People gather to celebrate, to pray, to watch, or to cheer, and before the sun sets, screams fill the air, sandals lie scattered, and bodies are heaped together. Another stampede. Another tragedy. And yes, another round of blame. The organisers are blamed, the party in power is…
My Harmonica and Our Country..!
My wife gifted me a harmonica for my birthday. Not because she thought I needed a new hobby, but because she had not heard me play for a long time. I had a few harmonicas already, but they had been lent out to my grandchildren, who, after producing sounds that…
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.