hidden image

Bob’s Banter by Robert Clements Second Dose of Milk-Powder..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
17 May 2021

In a little village somewhere in the country, the village headman and the assistant headman listened to the huge commotion outside their hut, “The people are angry,” whispered the assistant headman, “They want milk powder for their sickness!”
“But I gave them one spoon of milk powder!” said the headman.
“They know two are required!” said the assistant headman, “And there are many who have not even got their first spoon of milk!”
The headman looked at his assistant, and then they both peered out of the window at the frenzied mob outside, “If you don’t order their milk powder from somewhere, they will throw us out and maybe lynch us!” said the assistant, “Anyway, why didn’t you order more milk powder?”
“I thought the illness would go away. I did not expect a second wave of sickness!”
“But you were warned about it!” said his assistant.
“I thought I could use that money to build a bigger village meeting council house!” sighed the headman, “I was fed up sitting in that bamboo hut and conducting proceedings feeling all cramped up, and I wanted the surrounding villages to feel envious of our new meeting house!”  
The shouting outside grew louder and more vicious.
“You have to think of something,” said the assistant fearfully, rubbing his bald head and peering at the headman through his glasses, while rubbing his hands fearfully on his rather fat body.
“How much milk powder do we have?” asked the headman, his eyes looking shrewdly in the distance.
“Just enough to give those who’ve had the first dose of milk, their second dose! We did tell them that after two spoons of milk taken at an interval of four weeks, they would be okay!”
The headman got up, rubbed his white beard, opened the door, and faced the people, “I have just got word,” he said, “that we should keep a gap of eight to twelve weeks between one spoon of milk and the next! So, don’t worry, we can now distribute what we have to those who have not had their first spoonful!”
There was a roar of approval from the crowd, and the headman walked back into his headman hut.
“That was ingenious!” said his assistant.
“Now I can continue with the construction of my grand meeting hall, and even a new residence for me!” said the headman.
“And what will happen after twelve weeks?” asked the assistant, but this time with a grin.
“Well we could beat thalis together to ward off the illness, or we could just say that the illness has gone away, and that we have all got herd immunity!”
“You do have a way with promises!” said his assistant, and then they heard a shrill woman’s voice, “Except with that didi..!”

bobsbanter@gmail.com 
 

Recent Posts

Corrective press notes are not substitutes for accountability. This crisis demands independent investigation, judicial scrutiny and reversal of the SIR. Institutional complicity is the gravest betraya
apicture Oliver D'Souza
05 Oct 2026
The revelations have shattered public confidence in the Election Commission. Gyanesh Kumar's continuance as Chief Election Commissioner is untenable. Whether through resignation or impeachment, he mus
apicture Cedric Prakash
05 Oct 2026
It was never the powerful, privileged or educated who kept Indian democracy alive, but the poor who queued under the scorching sun to exercise their franchise. Now, the very machinery entrusted with p
apicture A. J. Philip
05 Oct 2026
The Opposition has a historic opportunity to unite against the erosion of electoral integrity and defend citizens' fundamental right to vote. Delayed response, political fragmentation and narrow inter
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
05 Oct 2026
India's institutions were supposed to be built on merit, independence and constitutional accountability. Yet, beneath their lofty credentials, kinship networks quietly reproduce privilege, compromise
apicture John Dayal
05 Oct 2026
Article 342 of the Constitution of India empowers the President to officially specify indigenous tribes, tribal communities, or specific groups within them as "Scheduled Tribes," in consultation with
apicture Pachu Menon
05 Oct 2026
I have seen the professional anti-caste intellectual. S/He arrives. S/He speaks. S/He refers to Ambedkar. S/He cites John Rawls. S/He quotes Michael Foucault.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
05 Oct 2026
Before recording a crime, obtain written consent from everyone involved
apicture Robert Clements
05 Oct 2026
How can greater knowledge be accompanied by greater wisdom, greater prosperity by greater solidarity, greater power by greater responsibility, and greater connectivity by genuine human fraternity?
apicture Br. Dr. Lawrence Soosai Nathan, OFM Cap.
28 Sep 2026
"Deus meus et omnia" ("My God and my All!") was St. Francis of Assisi's favourite prayer. According to early Franciscan accounts, most notably recorded by Brother Bernard of Quintavalle, Francis's fir
apicture Br. Cyriac George, OFM Cap.
28 Sep 2026