This evening I went to watch The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with two younger friends. Three men walking into a theatre as though we ourselves had just ridden in from the Wild West.I looked carefully at my compa
Saturday, 16th May, 2026
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Bob’s Banter
My father 1died around twenty-five years ago.Strange how fathers become clearer after they leave. While they are alive, we are too busy arguing with them, avoiding them, or pretending we know better. But after
His personal life has nothing to do with his politics!I have heard that sentence shouted with great confidence whenever a politician is caught in some scandal involving affairs, dishonesty, manipulation, or que
A few years ago I sat through a very long motivational talk.The speaker shouted passionately about hard work. Work hard! he thundered. Success comes only through hard work!For nearly an hour he attacked lazines
Every morning we hear some terrible news: Riots somewhere. Corruption somewhere else. Children harmed. Leaders shouting. Wars brewing. Prices rising. Hatred spreading faster than kindness. And after reading all
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
