It begins, quite innocently.You've had a delightful evening at your friend’s place. Good food, warm conversation, possibly a brief skirmish about which cricket team is truly “in transition,” and now it’
Wednesday, 26th November, 2025
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Bob’s Banter
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There was wailing next door. Not muffled sobs but full-throated, guttural wailing. My wife looked up from her tea, her eyebrows knitted in worry. “Something’s happened,” she said.I nodded. “Death in the
I often wonder what went through Moses' mind as he stood with the Red Sea in front and the sound of furious chariot wheels behind. Maybe he scratched his beard thoughtfully—because let's face it, if ever ther
Every morning, as the sun peeps over our confused democracy, a silent war begins. Not at our borders, not in Parliament, but in the palm of your hand — yes, that unassuming rectangle known as your smartphone.-
The peepul tree that towers over my house and garden had been shedding its leaves with a reckless abandon only nature can afford. For days, I watched, sipping my morning coffee, as the once-proud canopy thinned
We’re brought up on Hollywood movies showing brave firemen sliding down poles, racing to their gleaming engines, sirens wailing, and gallantly charging into burning buildings to rescue helpless kittens and te-
So, this morning while sipping my sugarless coffee (doctor’s orders; doctor being my wife), I kept reading all the horror that has just happened leaving twenty- six dead. And of course, the usual statements f
I almost choked on my morning porridge today. No, not because of cholesterol warnings, but something far more indigestible—Inspector Tukaram Kurundkar. The man, suspended for allegedly murdering a woman he wa-
It’s becoming an almost daily occurrence now—the news of another young person, full of potential, choosing to end their life.Not long ago, I sat across from a friend of mine, a respected psychiatrist, and a
The Reader’s Digest had a story that’s stayed on my mind.Not because it was dramatic, or tear-jerking, or filled with grand revelations, but because it was simple, painfully true, and quietly powerful.It wa-
They say there’s something different in the air every Good Friday.The sun dims a little more than usual, the birds go quieter than normal, and even the wind, that old gossip, hushes itself—perhaps rememberi
I once had a friend—charming fellow, always first to raise a toast and last to leave the room. The kind who knew just what to say, when to say it, and whom to say it in front of. Everyone liked him. So when s
In Indian culture, touching the feet of elders or respected figures is a gesture of reverence.But there’s something far deeper than tradition in that act—it is the outward sign of an inward humility. A post-
Many years ago, a friend of mine—a film buff to the core—told me something curious over a shared samosa and a matinee show.“I don’t watch the stars,” he said, eyes fixed on the screen. “I watch the
Ah yes, our very own Motormouth—what would television do without him?Or perhaps a better question—what would the nation not hear without him? Silence, maybe. A bit of peace.Possibly a complete sentence!Ever-
It’s a strange thing, isn’t it? You speak the truth, and they say you’ve lost your marbles. No, not gently suggest you might need a vacation, but outright declare: “You are mad!”I’ve seen it happen.
A dear old lady, after reading my piece yesterday on “Using the whip inside the temple,” wrote to me and said, “Bob, do you think our religious institutions would ever need such a cleansing?”I wrote bac-
The other day, as I was sipping my third cup of filter kaapi at a friend’s home, I was interrupted by a loud and angry television anchor, veins bulging, hair flailing, mouth firing missiles—not about corrup
Two years ago, I found myself flanked by some of the sharpest minds of our times— Gopalakrishna Gandhi, Gandhiji’s grandson, whose calm intellect could humble a storm, Vijay Amritraj, who’d volley words w
She leaned over the counter, a twinkle in her eye and a knowing smile. “It’s funny, ain’t it?” she said, wiping a glass clean. “Men only stop foolin’ around when their wallets get thin.”Well she d
