Robert Clements  He had worked abroad all his life, and today as he stood with the rest of the family at the wedding of his daughter, he realized he didn’t know her at all. He looked at his wife, she looked old and care worn. She wore the best dress money could buy, his daughter’s wedding dress also was the best, but as he stared at both of them, he found they were strangers and he realized sadly that they also hardly knew him! A century ago, Russell Conwell trav

Robert Clements Decades ago, I traveled the local trains of Bombay, most often clinging to the sides of the doorway, hanging on for life. Daredevil stunts like this helped me get to my destination on time, maybe a bit disheveled, and all the worse for wear, but still passable, till better days helped me buy a first class pass. And what a change there was. I realized I had walked into the Encyclopedia Britannica, or the Malayala Manoroma book of information, because everybody k

Robert Clements Maybe you don’t know, or just maybe you don’t want to read between the lines but with recent pictures of a bare chested Putin flexing muscle, or another talking about the size of his chest, there’s a new breed of leader bosses emerging even in our own country: “For centuries,” said a gym instructor as he helped an aged politician climb onto a treadmill, “we’ve had those damn brains ruling the world but slowly brawn fought

How often I’ve seen a child or maybe an adult rushing home from school or work, eyes all aglow, “I’ve done well in my exam!” shouts the child to his parents, “I’ve got a fantastic order today!” says the man to his wife and they both stare with disappointment with reaction they get, “You’re supposed to do well anyway!” say the parents to the child, “Hope this order covers our rent!” sniffs wife to husband. There

In ancient Greece and Rome, the Stoics, a group of philosophers who preached the value of emotional resilience — and whose teachings have plenty of modern-day devotees — urged adherents to let insults go. “Many have taken small injuries much more seriously to heart than they need,” wrote the Stoic philosopher Seneca. “The best revenge,” advised fellow Stoic and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, “is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you in a safe house!” says the police officer reassuringly to the frightened but bold person who has decided to testify against his criminal boss! And time and again as such a courageous person decides to stand up against the powerful, and testify in a court, the government protects him or her in a ‘safe house! At least that’s what happens in the movies! And gunmen and bodyguards stand alert night and day, around that h

Prof G T Thong Lower Agri Colony, Kohima Reservation on tribal lines is a very touchy issue that has seen frayed tempers from all corners of Nagaland, be it in print or digital media, in the recent past. Understandably, the government is at its wits end. This issue has added to the bitterness and division in our already badly fissured society. To be honest, the backward quota has not served its purpose even after so many decades. With the prolonged reservations the backward area

It’s always amused me some, that in the US a black man is called ‘coloured’. I guess to the white man of the old days, anything that was not white was coloured. Today, though it’s not about the coloured folk of America I am going to write about but people, men and women who are colourful in their daily lives. Are you one of them or are you a black and white person? What makes a colourful person? What makes a colourful painting? It’s the red and

Robert Clements It was one of those days when you suddenly have time and you don't know what to do with it; the wedding ceremony I'd attended was over by four in the afternoon and the reception was late in the evening; somehow the idea of traveling home and returning didn't appeal to me. "Bob, why don't you come home and meet my parents?" His name was Patrick, and I'd heard him sing many times, a powerful tenor with a great voice, "Sure,"

Was listening to Shashi Tharoor speak very eloquently on how the British looted India and about the atrocities committed. I have visited New Zealand and the United States, where the natives keep reminding the white people of the crimes perpetrated against them by early settlers. The old grudges keep the divide open and festering, and works to great advantage by political leaders, who exploit the situation shouting, “Apologize!” In our own country most political speech

Robert Clements “I’m so sorry to hear you’re down with Covid!” you whisper with concern into the phone, “And if there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask!” Well, it might not be just during these times of the virus we utter these words, but maybe when there’s a death down the road, or a friend has lost his job. I wonder what would happen if that friend took you up on it, “Yes, I need help!” &ldquo

Robert Clements Being a writer has its drawbacks I discovered one day when I took my shoes over to the shoe shop. "New shoes!" said the shoe shop owner looking at the pair. "Quite old," I said, "nearly three years!" "They're still as good as new!" "But the soles have gone!" I complained, "they started falling apart!" "That's what happens when you don't use them," he said, "polyurethane

Robert Clements And as India erupts in colour, what a delightful scene it is! Reds and greens, blues and orange, yellows and browns, splashed, sprayed, squeezed, and suddenly joy and laughter erupting from town and village, city and nation, gully, street and highway! Yes, this year, Holi will certainly be subdued, but we are a colourful people and will welcome spring any which way, even if it is just the thumbing of a vermilion of cadmium red and titanium white on one another&rsq

The vet shakes his head as he looks at my old Jeff, “He’s on his last legs!” he says and it is painful for me to hear that. “What can we do to make him comfortable?” whispers my wife, and is told of a waterbed, to look after his aching joints, and painkillers to relieve his pain, “and plenty of love and care!” We all smiled despite the sadness, because that is something, we can overdose him with! “Why are you keeping your dog alive?

Rupin Sharma, IPS Q-10:  Is there a central registry for stolen handsets? Ans-10: No, there is no country-wide Central Registry for stolen or lost mobile phone handsets. However, the Ministry of Information Technology and Department of Telecom, in 2019 launched a portal www.cier.gov.in called the Central Equipment Identity Register which has two basic functionalities.  (a) Blocking or Stolen or Lost Mobile Phones (b) Checking the IMEI details of mobile handsets

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ Not once, not thrice either, but dozens of rounds, from a lethal AR-15 assault rifle! Not in the wilds of Africa or a barbaric area like the present Syria, but in Boulder, 45 kilometres from Denver, in the Unites States, purportedly the most civilized nation in the world! Immediately after the horrific shooting, President Biden called for stricter gun control measures! Even as the world laughs at a country which reportedly has the best securi

Robert Clements As I drove to the airport that day, early this morning, my heart was heavy with sadness, I was going to say goodbye to my precious child and I drove in silence, “You okay dad?” she whispered, and I nodded,  glad she couldn’t see the tears welling in my eyes, but I knew, she knew the depth of my grief. Many years ago, when she was born, my relatives had all been amazed at the closeness and rapport that developed between us. As a baby, crying

There are many who’ve tried to define democracy, and there are many definitions for the same, but when I think of democracy I think of a road. A road called Democracy, leading to one’s Utopia! It is a narrow road, but one on which we have to allow all others to travel with us, because democracy can only survive if we all drive together. Most times we don’t; some of us drive a bigger car or a heavier truck and with forceful argument or bullying muscle we try to push ot

Deben Bachaspatimayum Things grow vigorously where the money is invested. The business world and money are growing at exponentially faster speed with digital technology. Wealth of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani are growing at the same rate, unlimited! The market is growing stronger with technologies that have made it weather proof and disaster proof. The business seems to make more money in disastrous conditions than in normal times. In India along with Ambanis

Robert Clements  “I am a very secular person!” announced Mrs Kapoori one day to the girls at home, who were her paying guests, “I don’t care if you are Punjabi or Bihari or South Indian!” And then she heard the noise. It was the sound of the door opening in the empty flat just above hers. Mrs Kapoor ran up the stairs and found a worker sweeping the floor inside. “What’s happening?” she asked. “The new owner told me to cle