The municipal elections in Mumbai are over, the banners have been taken down, the loudspeakers have finally fallen silent, and the city has returned to its favourite sport: complaining. I am part of a WhatsApp
Friday, 23rd January, 2026
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Bob’s Banter
Winning elections is exhilarating. Slogans work, crowds cheer, numbers add up, and victory music is played. It is a moment when every politician feels ten feet tall and slightly immortal. But once the fireworks
There is something profoundly touching about the sight of elected representatives being escorted to a luxury resort, not for a holiday, not for reflection, but for safekeeping.It is democracy wrapped in room se
There are moments in life when history, geography and blood pressure converge at one small counter. One such moment happened today for me, at the Mumbai airport. I had just finished a 15 hour flight from New Yo
I watch from my window in the Pocono Mountains as the snow begins its slow descent. It does not fall. It performs. Each flake arrives like a well-rehearsed dancer, light on its feet, floating with confidence, a-
A political leader and Rajya Sabha member from Mumbai has proudly announced that his party can still shut down Mumbai in ten minutes.One wonders what exactly is being boasted about here. Mumbai is not a toy cit
In the last two centuries, more people have died due to wars than at any other time in recorded history. Technology has advanced, education has spread, and yet humanity seems to have become more efficient at ki-
The other day I watched a wife look after her disabled husband. He was a surly, grumpy sort who did not have the will or inclination to do something to get his limbs moving again through physiotherapy. All he d
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There is a strange irony playing out in full public view, yet many refuse to see it. While the sons and daughters of our political leaders board flights to London, Boston, Singapore and Sydney, to study, the me
He fell! The pavement had been unkind to him, he hadn’t seen the paver block sticking out, uneven, arrogant, catching his worn out, treadles soles and throwing him forward with a lurch. He lay quietly, waitin
One of the most horrifying memories of my early working years was travelling in the Mumbai local trains, hanging on to a metal bar with the desperation of a man who had suddenly discovered how much he liked liv
Poor Santa. This year he really did have a rough time. In malls, at parties, across cities and small towns in India, Santa was thrashed. Parties where he made an appearance were ransacked. Even poor roadside ve
There is a familiar scene in most homes today. A child sits cross legged, eyes glazed, thumb flicking with Olympic precision. The television murmurs in the background like an ignored relative. Parents watch thi
“Now that you’ve retired, Ma, what do you plan to do?” her children asked as she returned home on her last day at the office.“Join the church choir,” she announced, her eyes shining.The children stare-
Politics has always been a curious theatre where loyalty is applauded in speeches but often abandoned in practice. Few episodes illustrate this better than the recent conduct of Shashi Tharoor. He did not waste
It was the tiniest part of the ship. I stood on the deck, looking at the vastness around me, the towering mast, the thick ropes, the heavy iron chains, and then my eyes fell on something so small that I almost-
It was the tiniest part of the ship. I stood on the deck, looking at the vastness around me, the towering mast, the thick ropes, the heavy iron chains, and then my eyes fell on something so small that I almost
There was a time when power announced itself softly. A calm voice. A measured reply. A smile that said, I am not threatened by questions. Those days seem to be slipping quietly out the back door of our Parliame-
It is easy to say, ‘surrender to God’. It sounds noble. It sounds spiritual. It sounds like something saints do while glowing softly under a halo of warm light. But let me tell you, surrender is rarely that
This year at the Christmas fairs, was it my imagination that made me notice something unusual? Instead of drifting lazily from stall to stall, shoppers were huddled around the cake counters with the seriousness
