hidden image

Bob’s Banter by Robert Clements Go Back Waves, Go Back..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
07 Jun 2021

And as the second wave that mercilessly killed thousands in the country, exhausted the logs of wood in crematoriums, had bodies lying in queue, like they’d never done when alive, muzzled oxygen supply so that men and women could not avail the most basic requirement to live; to breathe, floated bloated bodies on sacred rivers, forcing policemen and soldiers to cover them up in the dead of night so that the press would not get wind of telltale stench, made mockery of vaccine supply so that the highest court of the land had to intercede to balance an equality that had disappeared, and as that second wave after being allowed by default to create such disaster now recedes, politicians rise from the wormwood, where they’d lain hidden from the wrath of their people, and proclaim, “We controlled the second wave!”
“He pushed the wave back!”
The exhausted people of the country, those still alive, wearily hear their boisterous proclamations of victory, till one among them, pushes back the pages of history, and says, “Read!”
The pages turn, and fit story confronts the proclaimers: The story of King Canute!
Long, long ago, England was ruled by King Canute. Like many leaders and men of power, Canute was surrounded by people, always praising him. Every time he walked into a room the flattery began.
One day while walking by the seashore, his officers and courtiers with him, praising him as usual, Canute decided to teach them a lesson. “Bring me my chair and put it right at the water’s edge.” He sat down and surveyed the ocean before him. He noticed the tide was coming in, “Waves,” cried Canute, “I command you to come no further!” 
He waited a moment, quietly, and a tiny wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet. “How dare you!” Canute shouted. “Go back!”
And in answer another wave swept forward and curled around the king’s feet. The tide came in, just as it always did. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king’s chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe. His officers stood about him, alarmed, and wondering whether he was mad. 
“Well, my friends,” Canute said, “it seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps you have learned something today. Perhaps now you will remember there is only God who is all-powerful, and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the waves in the hollow of his hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him.”
It was a cruel second wave that killed thousands mercilessly in our country, shouldn’t we like Canute, realize it was no politician who rescued us, or do we need a third wave to hammer the truth into us?

bobsbanter@gmail.com

Recent Posts

Close at the heel of our other neighbours, Nepal's journey has swung between hope and betrayal. The monarchy fell, the republic faltered, and now its youth demand dignity, justice, and a future free f
apicture A. J. Philip
15 Sep 2025
The recent Vice-Presidential election has exposed deep cracks in India's democracy. Cross-voting, intimidation, abstentions, and invalid ballots have raised serious doubts. It ultimately begs the ques
apicture M L Satyan
15 Sep 2025
September 11 carries memories of violence and division, but also of Gandhi's Satyagraha and Vivekananda's call to end fanaticism. In a world scarred by war, injustice, and hate, 9/11 must challenge us
apicture Cedric Prakash
15 Sep 2025
India may soon become the world's third-largest economy, but its low per capita income, unmitigated inequality, weak healthcare, and fragile education system reveal a different truth. GDP milestones a
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
15 Sep 2025
Modi's long-delayed visit to Manipur are mere optics. After two years of silence amid ethnic cleansing, displacement, and inhumanity by the Meiteis, what peace, protection of minorities, and restorati
apicture Dr Manoj Kumar Mishra
15 Sep 2025
Umar Khalid, the Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar who has spent more than five years in jail, on Thursday, September 11, told a Delhi court that the larger Conspiracy case in connection with the 20
apicture Joseph Maliakan
15 Sep 2025
Looking back at the 100 years of Medical Mission Sisters, there was a pioneering spirit to begin health care facilities for the less privileged, openness to look at themselves critically to make their
apicture Sr. Mary Pullattu, MMS
15 Sep 2025
Though declared a secular republic in 2008, the nation's legal and cultural frameworks remain steeped in Hindu-majority sentiment. Nepal's National Penal Code of 2017 criminalises religious conversion
apicture CM Paul
15 Sep 2025
To be a "Carmelite on the street" is to unite deep prayer with public courage. We must build interior castles yet opening their gates, carrying contemplation into classrooms, farms, protests, and parl
apicture Gisel Erumachadathu, ASI
15 Sep 2025
In today's India, more than flyovers or metros, what we desperately need are bridges. Bridges between communities. Bridges between faiths. Bridges strong enough to carry us into the future without col
apicture Robert Clements
15 Sep 2025