There are many of us who remember a turning point in our lives. It could have been a sentence in a book we read, or a speech we heard, or advice given by an elder or teacher in school. Very often, that turning point, or that life changing shot of…
Look Beyond the Bed..!
Let’s look today, beyond the bed! Two incidents come to my mind; the first, that of my friend’s father who was very sick. He had diabetes, a bad heart, and had once even collapsed on his doorstep, when my wife, a medical doctor, had been called to resuscitate him. After…
Hot Water..!
Last month, while driving through England, Scotland and Ireland, we stayed at nearly eight different places, some of them economical hotels and others Airbnb’s which were homes given on rent for the period of stay. Some of these hotels and homes were tiny, others spacious, some had fancy sitting rooms…
Don’t Say tata to Tata..!
Even as India bade a tearful farewell to a giant of a man, let us not bid adieu to the values the Tata name so firmly established in the country. For many decades people swore by the brand name of the Tata’s. Nobody thought of them as just another billionaire…
Friends Once Again..!
Something that is happening because of the latest kind of communal thinking is that of losing friends we made and kept for many years! I truly believe, only the renewing of those old bonds will destroy the sad polarization happening here! For years we have looked at each other as…
Something Else from Israel..!
Here’s something else from Israel, other than news about missiles and bombings: It’s some facts about the Dead Sea! Well, the Dead Sea is really a lake, not a sea. It’s so high in salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and read…
Popular, or Strong Leadership..!
What is missing today in our nation, in churches and those who hold public office, are strong leaders. We have replaced strong leadership with popular figures, mistakenly thinking that they are strong leaders. How wrong we are, because a strong leader is hardly ever popular. Strength is not seen when…
Stop Switching Channels..!
It’s a day and night journey by car between Dubai and Israel. In Dubai, the Women’s T20 championship is being held, and cricketing countries wait with bated breaths as their women slog balls all over the field. A car’s journey away, women and children lie dead and wounded, maimed, crippled…
The Drunk Girl..!
This happened a few years ago, when as the chairman of my colony, the doorbell rang, and a watchman stood outside my door. It was two in the morning. “Drunk girl on one of the building’s staircases, sir!” he said. I called out to my daughter to come with me. We…
Embracing Each Other..!
A few years ago I watched the movie ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’ on the small screen and loved every moment of Aparna Sen’s movie. The scene I loved best is when the rioters enter the bus in search of Muslims; I watched with tears of joy Mrs Iyer quickly shoving…
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.