’Twas last evening I got inspired to write this piece after a call from a member of a religious organization asking for my financial support for the one activity they have every year. We always look at the Parable of the Talents, and think of individuals, who do not make…
Big Bike, Big Noise..!
Every day around the time I start writing this column, I hear a loud sound like rolling thunder. The first day I thought the army was sending tanks after me, about something I’d written, and shook with fear, till my wife said it was okay, and it was just our…
Saldana..!
That night a watchman was asleep! I remember that night many years ago! I woke him up harshly; he stumbled to his feet, a seventy year old, who should have been resting at home with his feet up, but now still working to support his wife. “What’s your name?” I…
Owners and Tenants..!
“Come over to my house Bob,” my friend said over the phone, “and bring the family too! I want you to see my new home!” We went over along with another couple he’d invited. The watchmen were polite and explained that there was a parking slot for visitor’s cars and…
Kshamavani Parv, and A Forgiveness Hug….!
In a little over a week, the Jains will celebrate Kshamavani Parv, which means, “Forgiveness Day” . It is one of the most significant days for the followers of Jainism, as it is the day of forgiving and seeking forgiveness. Corrie Ten Boom lived peacefully with her father and sister in…
The Chisel or Hammer Method..!
It was a terrible sound coming from the house next door and having been in this line of work before, I realised their walls could come crashing down. I went over and met my neighbour, “They’re just repairing the roof!” he said. “No!” I said firmly, “They are breaking your…
Those Who Didn’t Believe In Us..!
There were smiles on her face and tears of joy as Coco Gauff won the US Open. She was given the mike as is the custom, and without a moment’s hesitation thanked God for giving her strength to do her best and beat the mighty opponent who she’d won against….
Your Second Serve..!
So often in life, we cry out for a second chance! It may be mistakes we made at work, in our marriage, or even in the study course we’ve chosen, or the field of work we finally are in, “If only we get a second chance,’ we cry out, sometimes…
Writing People Off..!
Many years ago while doing my Masters in Literature, we had a professor named after an eighteenth century English poet. Now, this professor loved to dissect poetry, and I didn’t. I loved poetry for its fullness, whereas he, like a surgeon operating on a patient, looked for its soul in…
Doctored Discounts..!
With hospitals competing hard for business, I see the day fast approaching when their marketing departments may start working overtime to get customers. In my very vivid imagination, the phone rang at home this morning. “Who was it?” I asked my mother, as she put down the receiver white faced…
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.