Something I have noticed over the years has always puzzled me. People love talking about God after He has done something for them. A man gets a promotion and immediately stands up in church and says, “Praise God, He gave me a better job.” A woman recovers from illness and…
The Missing Instruction Manual..!
Last week I bought a small microphone. Nothing complicated. A simple gadget that helped transfer my stage whispers and soft asides to the recording machine. When I opened the box, out fell an instruction manual as thick as a doctoral thesis. There were warnings, diagrams, troubleshooting charts, maintenance schedules, and…
Gratitude Heals the Past..!
Some people seem to carry the past around like an old suitcase. The suitcase is torn, the handle is broken, and the contents smell musty, but they refuse to put it down. Every now and then they open it, pull out an old hurt, dust it lovingly, and tell everybody…
A Black James Bond..!
I have been following the debate about who should be the next James Bond, and one name keeps popping up like an unwanted advertisement on YouTube. Idris Elba. Every few months somebody says, “He should be Bond!” Then somebody else says, “No, he shouldn’t!” Then a third person writes a…
The Cockroach’s Last Laugh..!
This must have taken the wind completely out of the sails of the ruling dispensation. For years they had a favourite weapon. It was ridicule. Every speech, every television discussion, every social media exchange seemed to contain the same word aimed at the opposition leader. “Pappu.” It was repeated so…
Lockdown, Cracks, and Uneven Flyovers..!
There was a time when a lockdown meant a dangerous virus was roaming the country. Today it means the people setting the NEET examination papers have been locked away from society till June 21st so they don’t leak the questions. Imagine that. Two weeks in isolation. No friends. No family….
Just Give Us Dignity..!
Two nights ago, I was invited to a meeting of the All India Payam E Insaniyat Forum. As I listened to the speakers, I was deeply impressed by the wonderful work being done. There were reports of feeding the hungry, providing medical aid, supporting education, and reaching out to people…
Your Fallen Walls..!
“In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 The world tells us that victory comes after the battle. God tells us that victory comes before it. That is what makes faith look so strange to those watching us. Imagine the Israelites standing before…
Pegasus and Temple Talk..!
The white bearded village chief and his bald-headed deputy stood at the edge of the village where nobody would overhear them. They had chosen the spot carefully because of Pegasus, the invisible flying horse. Nobody had actually seen Pegasus, but everybody knew he existed. Village gossip claimed he floated above…
Flooded Subway and Bullet Train Talk..!
Over thirty-five years ago, on a dark and stormy Bombay night, I took what seemed an innocent right turn into the Andheri Subway. It turned out to be a swimming pool. The rain was pouring down. Visibility was poor. Before I knew it, my faithful Fiat 118NE was floating where…
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.