Bob’s Banter

  • The Great Indian Plastic Container Mystery..!
    Where are the lids?That was the scream that came from our kitchen one Sunday morning. A scream every Indian family knows very well. The scream of somebody trying to find the correct lid for a plastic container.
  • Empty Your Garbage..!
    The statement by a simple, good man who is a friend of mine, caught me by surprise, All the problems in West Bengal is because of a particular community!In my writing class I tell my students something that sur
  • The Anger of Defeat..!
    Many of us grew up hearing a sentence repeated by parents, teachers, coaches and even old uncles sitting with cups of tea after a cricket match. Learn to lose gracefully. We were told that being a good loser wa
  • The Slow Death of Enterprise...!
    Anything free this election? a friend asked me, leaning forward with the eagerness of a man about to win a lucky draw.Quite a bit, I said. In fact, so much that you may soon wonder why anyone ever thought of wo
  • The Great Election Religion Tamasha...!
    Who are you voting for? he asked me with great seriousness, as though the future of the nation rested delicately between his teacup and my answer.I was thinking, I said, of voting for whoever will stop the unne
  • Is Your Captain on Board?
    Somewhere in a quiet naval harbour, a young naval lieutenant stood tall, chest out, uniform crisp, as he guided a massive ship out into open waters. Every turn was precise, every command by the book. The vessel
  • Forwarded As Received..!
    There is a strange sense of duty that has quietly crept into our lives. It does not come from religion, though it feels spiritual. It does not come from law, though it feels binding. It comes from that glowing
  • The Onion- Conditioner..!
    Union Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia has apparently discovered a revolutionary alternative to air conditioning. A humble onion in his pocket!Now, I must confess, when I first heard this, I felt a deep sense of
  • Late, therefore Important...!
    There is a strange disease spreading through society, and it is called cultivated lateness.It is not caused by traffic, monsoon potholes, or missing auto rickshaws.It is caused by insecurity.Some people do not
  • A Rupee Coin..!
    It happened at a cricket match, the umpire, an elderly gentleman with all the authority of a man who had probably declared many batsmen out unfairly in his life, stood ready for the toss and asked in a serious
  • Crying Wolf Too Often..!
    We all know the fable about the shepherd boy.He rushes into town shouting that wolves are attacking his sheep. The villagers drop their work, run to help, and find they have been fooled. He does it again. Same
  • Giving Flesh and Blood to a Loved One..!
    Part of a speech I once made has stayed with me for years. I had said that I believe in stories. Not because I am a writer and can hardly escape them, but because stories do something extraordinary.They put fle
  • Learning to Use a Mic..!
    Yesterday was Shakespeares birthday and celebrated as World English Day, I was invited as chief guest to an international school in Mumbai and went prepared to speak about literature, language, and perhaps thro
  • Maroon T- Shirts..!
    The Mumbai police have decided to issue maroon T shirts and shorts for male suspects lodged in central lock ups. Its an ingenious idea, said a police commissioner from another state in northern India, known for
  • Darkening His Skin Tone..!
    A political leader from the north, has decided to darken his skin tone before addressing rallies in Tamil Nadu.I doubt this is very clever strategy.Because if there is one thing we have perfected as a nation, i
  • Your Actions Advertise Your Faith...!
    Somewhere in the madness of war, where bullets argue louder than philosophers and explosions interrupt even the sincerest prayers, two soldiers found themselves in a moment that no debate show could ever recrea
  • The Quiet Whimper That Wasn’t..!
    The other day someone told me, in a voice usually reserved for income tax notices and dental appointments, I am afraid I will disappear into the unknown without a whimper.Now that is a frightening thought.Not t
  • Clothes Maketh a Man..!
    As a teenager, I wrote a play about two young men in college. One arrived each day looking as if he had stepped straight out of a fashion catalogue, wearing stylish new clothes with all the pride of a peacock a
  • Death of a Singer..!
    When news spread that Asha Bhosle is no more, something very strange happened in our homes. Radios were switched on with unusual reverence, playlists were dusted off like old family albums, and suddenly people
  • The Failure Brand..!
    You cant let your failures define you… you have to let your failures teach you, said Barack Obama.Now let us pause at that word define, because it is not an innocent word. It is a branding exercise. It is you
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