It’s a strange word—surrender.One we don’t like to touch, let alone use. It feels like failure, doesn’t it? Like waving a white flag while the enemy smirks and moves in for the selfie. We’d much rathe
Thursday, 16th October, 2025
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Bob’s Banter
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-
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 President’s house. It was just one of those rare opportunit
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
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-
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
It’s 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 politician’s-
This Saturday, I’ve been asked to speak to a gathering about my book DARE.Now, you’d think I’d strut in with a PowerPoint presentation, a rehearsed TED Talk tone, and the swagger of someone whose book has
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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 they’ve just informed me that said l
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-
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
Thank God for the retaliatory strikes. Because if they hadn’t happened, I’m quite sure we would’ve seen war break out—not at the borders, but at the local tea stall near your house. Yes, between Sharmaj-
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
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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
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It begins, quite innocently.You've had a delightful evening at your friend’s place. Good food, warm conversation, possibly a brief skirmish about which cricket team is truly “in transition,” and now it’
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There was wailing next door. Not muffled sobs but full-throated, guttural wailing. My wife looked up from her tea, her eyebrows knitted in worry. “Something’s happened,” she said.I nodded. “Death in the
I often wonder what went through Moses' mind as he stood with the Red Sea in front and the sound of furious chariot wheels behind. Maybe he scratched his beard thoughtfully—because let's face it, if ever ther
Every morning, as the sun peeps over our confused democracy, a silent war begins. Not at our borders, not in Parliament, but in the palm of your hand — yes, that unassuming rectangle known as your smartphone.-
The peepul tree that towers over my house and garden had been shedding its leaves with a reckless abandon only nature can afford. For days, I watched, sipping my morning coffee, as the once-proud canopy thinned
We’re brought up on Hollywood movies showing brave firemen sliding down poles, racing to their gleaming engines, sirens wailing, and gallantly charging into burning buildings to rescue helpless kittens and te
