Bob’s Banter

  • Stop the Witch Hunt..!
    So Bangladesh has begun a trial against Hasina for mass murder. My first reaction? Wait, wasnt she in power just a few months ago? And then it hit me—this is the new game in town. Not politics, not democracy,
  • A Coat of Paint and Nothing Underneath..!
    Over forty-one years ago, I bought my first car.I was just in my twenties, armed with ambition, a growing business, and a desperate desire to own a four-wheeled beast I could call mine. And so, when the opportu
  • From Passion to Compassion...!
    My granddaughter Emory, all of two, has discovered the wonder of water.Yes, that magical, glistening, splashy liquid that has the power to make a toddler giggle like no stand-up comedian ever could. But as any
  • Punish Our Engineers..!
    Every time I hit a pothole; I feel Ive just had a close encounter with a badly behaved asteroid. It jumps at my car without warning, crashes into my suspension system, and leaves me muttering words unfit for Su
  • Too Much Rain..!
    Theres a sloshing sound in my shoes, and it isnt spiritual joy. Its water. Rainwater. Precious, holy, long-prayed-for, utterly annoying rainwater. And as I squish my way across the housing society where I live,
  • No Ceasefire, Only Surrender..!
    Its a strange word—surrender.One we dont like to touch, let alone use. It feels like failure, doesnt it? Like waving a white flag while the enemy smirks and moves in for the selfie. Wed much rather say ceasef
  • Echoes from a Garden Bench..!
    Yesterday, I attended a memorial meeting of a man who spoke softly but left deep impressions—Mr. Noronha. Ninety-five years old.The gathering was held in the garden where he once walked each morning, nodding
  • Ceremonial Power, Colonial Palaces..!
    Some years ago, I had the privilege—or perhaps the irony—of being accommodated in a guest house inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan compound. Yes, the Presidents house. It was just one of those rare opportunities
  • Air-Vents All Clogged Sir..!
    The AC in my bedroom conked out in the middle of the night. Not sputtered. Not whimpered. It just gave up, like a resigned bureaucrat on a Friday afternoon. One moment I was wrapped in Himalayan bliss, the next
  • Why Only Him?
    So, I read the news today, and lo and behold—our honourable Supreme Court had taken suo motu action. Yes, that Latin phrase we all pretend to understand and nod at solemnly as if we were wearing black coats a
  • Ping-Pong Wisdom..!
    Two speeches. One I was invited to give. The other, I invited myself to speak at.Both occasions ended with a smattering of applause—polite, appreciative, and perhaps even a little relieved that I had finished
  • Not Goodbye but Good Morning..!
    Its a strange feeling, this thing called goodbye.Not the kind you say at airports—those are often filled with soggy handkerchiefs and promises to stay in touch, which evaporate faster than a politicians promi
  • Dare to be Aligned..!
    This Saturday, Ive been asked to speak to a gathering about my book DARE.Now, youd think Id strut in with a PowerPoint presentation, a rehearsed TED Talk tone, and the swagger of someone whose book has changed
  • Holding Onto Their Chair..!
    Every now and then someone tells me with eyes wide and voice reverent, You know, that national leader is old and still works twelve hours a day!I nod solemnly, as if theyve just informed me that said leader is
  • Stop Playing in the Sandpit…!
    The ceasefire was announced a few days ago, but looks like we're still playing in the sandpit of war.Yes, the sandpit, that noisy little patch where toddlers toss sand, build wobbly castles, and fight imaginary
  • Groceries or Unnecessaries...!
    So there I was, on a noble mission—to buy a loaf of bread. Simple, humble, unassuming bread.I marched confidently into the grocery store like a soldier on assignment. And then it began.The assault.Not by the
  • Operation Common Sense..!
    Thank God for the retaliatory strikes. Because if they hadnt happened, Im quite sure we wouldve seen war break out—not at the borders, but at the local tea stall near your house. Yes, between Sharmaji, who su
  • I’ll Be Back Soon..!
    Was speaking last evening to a man whose wife is an army officer, posted somewhere near the treacherous snow-dusted stretches of Kashmir. He looked like a calm man, not the kind you'd expect to betray his emoti
  • Of Tunnels, Terror, and Tears..!
    Exactly two years ago, I found myself descending into the bowels of the earth—into the underground city of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, Türkiye. A vast subterranean labyrinth, carved out of volcanic rock, where
  • The Great Indian Doorstep Drama...!
    It begins, quite innocently.You've had a delightful evening at your friends place. Good food, warm conversation, possibly a brief skirmish about which cricket team is truly in transition, and now its time to he
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