“I wish you hadn’t gone out last evening,” said my wife. I looked at her with the innocent expression husbands have perfected over centuries. “Yesterday evening?” I asked, buying three valuable seconds. “Yes,” she said. “Yesterday evening. Where were you?” “I was thinking about a new book,” I replied. “Where?”…
Wherever You Go..!
Since we are holidaying as a family near Lake Naomi in the Poconos, where my daughter has a home in the pine woods, I became curious about its name. The lake was created in 1895 when members of the Miller family built a dam across Tunkhannock Creek. But it was…
Cancel their Licence Too..!
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has been inspecting restaurants across Mumbai and finding some frightening things. Dirty kitchens. Unsafe food. Improper storage. Questionable handling. Under the guidance of Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, action has been taken, establishments have been ordered to stop food operations, and licences have…
Losing Pitch Together..!
There is a frightening moment in choral singing when the entire choir begins to lose pitch. Nobody notices it at first. The sopranos are singing confidently. The altos are following the sopranos. The tenors are following the altos. And basses, being naturally humble people, are following everybody while looking as…
Intelligent AI..!
A group of elderly rulers gathered in Delhi to study Artificial Intelligence. They entered the classroom with the confidence of men who had never allowed intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to interfere with their decisions. The instructor switched on the computer. “This is AI,” he announced. The rulers leaned forward suspiciously….
Six Hundred Examiners Fail the Exam..!
Six hundred examiners entered the examination hall. Unfortunately, the examination body failed all of them. The NTA has reportedly removed six hundred experts following examination controversies and ordered multiple layers of checking. NTA stands for the National Testing Agency. It is an organisation established by the Government of India to…
Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’..!
“Yes,” said the businessman. “So it is confirmed?” I asked. “Yes,” he repeated. “Absolutely certain?” “Of course.” “Can I depend on your word?” He looked offended. “What do you think I am?” I did not answer. I waited three days and discovered what he was. His yes had meant– perhaps….
Pilot on a High..!
An Air India aircraft dropped nearly three hundred feet during a flight from Phuket to Delhi, and the captain later reportedly tested positive for marijuana. The passengers were terrified. Several were injured. The airline was embarrassed. But nobody seemed concerned about the marijuana seller. I believe the pilot and the…
Carry Your Mountain to the Valley…!
As I sit atop the Poconos Mountains, surrounded by tall trees, quiet paths and a little brook that seems to whisper rather than speak, I feel a peace that I wish I could pack into my suitcase. Perhaps I could fold it carefully between two shirts, place happiness beside my…
The Girl at the Signal..!
“Ten rupees,” said the man. “Twenty, sir,” said the little girl. “Ten!” he shouted, waving the small plastic flag in her face as though he had already conquered another foreign power. The child stood barefoot at the traffic signal. Her dress was faded, her hair untidy, and a bundle of…
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.