Last week I bought a small microphone. Nothing complicated. A simple gadget that helped transfer my stage whispers and soft asides to the recording machine. When I opened the box, out fell an instruction manual
Friday, 12th June, 2026
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Bob’s Banter
Some people seem to carry the past around like an old suitcase.The suitcase is torn, the handle is broken, and the contents smell musty, but they refuse to put it down. Every now and then they open it, pull out
I have been following the debate about who should be the next James Bond, and one name keeps popping up like an unwanted advertisement on YouTube. Idris Elba. Every few months somebody says, "He should be Bond!
This must have taken the wind completely out of the sails of the ruling dispensation.For years they had a favourite weapon. It was ridicule. Every speech, every television discussion, every social media exchang
There was a time when a lockdown meant a dangerous virus was roaming the country. Today it means the people setting the NEET examination papers have been locked away from society till June 21st so they don't le
Two nights ago, I was invited to a meeting of the All India Payam E Insaniyat Forum. As I listened to the speakers, I was deeply impressed by the wonderful work being done. There were reports of feeding the hun
"In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37The world tells us that victory comes after the battle. God tells us that victory comes before it.That is what makes faith look s
The white bearded village chief and his bald-headed deputy stood at the edge of the village where nobody would overhear them. They had chosen the spot carefully because of Pegasus, the invisible flying horse. N
Over thirty-five years ago, on a dark and stormy Bombay night, I took what seemed an innocent right turn into the Andheri Subway. It turned out to be a swimming pool.The rain was pouring down. Visibility was po
Imagine a runner who has done well in the hundred metres. He has completed cross country races. He has survived marathons. He has trained for years. But when he arrives at the starting line of the four hundred
"There is only so much work a mouse can do!"I nearly fell off my chair. First, because my computer mouse had spoken. Second, because it was rebelling.This was a dangerous development. If the mouse could unionis
The other day a close friend wrote to me."Bob, if you don't like India, why do you stay here?"A fair question.My answer was simple."I stay because I love my country. I complain because I love my country."If you
In a room somewhere in the capital, a group of leaders sat around a large table and sincerely believed they had discovered a fuel they could export to the world. The chairman tapped the table. "Gentlemen," he s
Two trees stand outside my window.One is a peepul tree. The other, according to my gardener, is a junglee neem.This summer has been brutal. The sun has been behaving as if it has been personally offended by all
The NEET examination scandal has now reached a stage where reports suggest the Indian Air Force may be used to transport examination papers.Read that again. The Indian Air Force. Not to defend our skies. Not to
Now that the monsoons are fast approaching, our authorities have suddenly discovered trees.All year they pass them without emotion. The trees stand there quietly, giving shade, oxygen and free beauty to people
The government has now announced a high-level committee to scientifically examine demographic changes in the country. The committee is headed by a retired judge, which means somewhere in Delhi, a gentleman who
Fuel prices are rising so often nowadays that I no longer look at the petrol pump display. I turn my face away respectfully, the way middle class Indians avoid eye contact with hospital bills, school fees, or w
I nearly laughed out loud, when I saw headlines screaming that the American Secretary of State had warmly invited our Prime Minister to the US, for another meeting in the near future. The way some television an
One of the strangest things about human beings is that we can detect the smell of burnt toast from three rooms away, but cannot detect an obvious lie sitting right in front of us wearing a suit and tie.Use disc
