proceedings of the pondicherry lodge - volume 1 issue 1

1 Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge

Sherlock Holmes Society of India | June 1, 2013

Volume 1: Issue 1

Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge 2


Dedication

Sherlock Holmes Society of India dedicates this first

volume of Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge to all

its members, all fans of Sherlock Holmes worldwide and

above all, to the legendary man himself Sherlock Holmes.

Without you, Mr. Holmes, none of this could ever be.



Preface More than anything else, this e-magazine has been a labour of love for us. We adore Sherlock Holmes,

Dr. Watson and all their adventures, and we spend a fair amount of time airing our views and discussing

topics related to them. And given that the Sherlock Holmes Society of India turned twelve on May 28,

2013, some of us felt that it was time to have something more formal, more tangible, than online

discussions. And thus, the idea of an e-magazine was born.

We toyed with the name for a while. The Three Pipe Problem was suggested, but it was felt that an

Indian connection would be more fitting. Ultimately, it was Sumal Surendranath (the founder and the

head of everything to do with SHSI) who came up with the name Proceedings of the Pondicherry

Lodge.

We did run into obstacles, and at one point, we thought we would barely make it to ten pages. We were

disappointed when people who had promised to write for us had to back out. We put up a couple of

contests, which went unanswered. But then, Providence (or Sherlock Holmes, as we like to believe) came

to our rescue.

We have many, many people to thank for helping us muddle through the preparation of this e-magazine.

First and foremost, we thank everyone who has written or contributed to this issue this publication

would not have been possible without you, and we thank you from the depths of our

Sherlockian/Holmesian hearts for all your efforts and the lovely features you have given us to publish.

Next, we thank Prajakta Hebbar (Indian Express, Pune) and Kakul Gautam (Brown Paper Bag, Delhi) for

the media exposure it brought us several talented youngsters. Aayam Banerjee (as the Unofficial Editor)

deserves a special mention, too, as the receiver of panicked calls and messages at ungodly hours begging

for advice on things ranging from a malfunctioning software to the usage of an archaic term. And last, but

very, very importantly, we owe truckloads of gratitude to our long-standing member, Binand

Sethumadhavan, who was roped in as a Technical Editor for the blog-migration to our very own website,

a domain that he picked up and nurtured, and from where you have downloaded this e-magazine.

This e-magazine is not meant to be a work of academic brilliance or erudite scholarship perhaps, some

day in the future, it might take that avatar. As of now, it is a work of passion, a work of fascination a

dedication, if you will, to the greatest detective the world has ever known, and his loyal admirers, ranging

from nine-year-olds to seventy-year-olds from various walks of life.

We apologise in advance for anything that may be deemed lacking, but we request you to be gentle and

give us constructive criticism instead, for we are just amateurs and trying our hand at something totally

new. We would love to hear from you so please, do not hesitate to drop us a line at

[email protected] or at [email protected].

We will try our best to improve with each new issue. Have we mentioned yet that this e-magazine is to be

published bi-annually? Next stop: December 1, 2013.

Jay, on behalf of SHSI Editors



Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Preface .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Disclaimer And Other Legalities ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Titbits Newsflash .......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Primarii Lapidis - Editorial .............................................................................................................................................. 7

A Neapolitan Society, The Red Circle . . . ..................................................................................................................... 9

Art ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Bulgarian Codex ............................................................................................. 11

Sherlock Holmes: Poetry ................................................................................................................................................ 13

Critical Analysis: Sherlock Holmes ................................................................................................................................ 14

A Tribute To Sherlock Holmes ...................................................................................................................................... 17

The Detection Of Truth ................................................................................................................................................. 18

Titbits Canon Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................ 20

The Power Of Books ...................................................................................................................................................... 21

Sketch ............................................................................................................................................................................. 22

Sherlock Holmes: A Sudden Death ................................................................................................................................ 23

Titbits Contests ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

The Clandestine Code .................................................................................................................................................... 25

Titbits Snippets ........................................................................................................................................................... 28

Montage ......................................................................................................................................................................... 29

The Doctors Concern Cocaine And Morphine ........................................................................................................... 31

The First Kiss Of Sherlock Holmes ................................................................................................................................ 33

The Five Orange Pips ..................................................................................................................................................... 36

The Silk Tie .................................................................................................................................................................... 40

Sherlock Holmes Museum - London .............................................................................................................................. 42

Sherlock Holmes In Japan .............................................................................................................................................. 43

A Portrait Of The Modern Sherlock Holmes .................................................................................................................. 45

Summer Drinks .............................................................................................................................................................. 46

The Analytical Methods Of Sherlock Holmes ................................................................................................................ 48

Holmes And Watson Are Coming To India! .................................................................................................................. 49

Sherlock Holmes - Believe.............................................................................................................................................. 51

Titbits Annual Meet ..................................................................................................................................................... 55

Faithful To The Original: Comparing Sherlock And Sherlock Holmes .......................................................................... 56

Afterword ........................................................................................................................................................................ 59



Disclaimer and other legalities

Sherlock Holmes Society of India (SHSI) owns nothing and claims nothing. While the SHSI logos we have used have been designed by us (with significant help from Microsoft Word, Paint and Clipart), we have liberally used the great Sidney Pagets illustrations from the Strand. Sherlock Holmes, of course, belongs to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the various avatars belong to whoever created them. The pictures of the Sherlock Holmes actors are from various Wikipedia pages and associated links. We have cited the sources of original works and images that we have used. Other props, images, formatting tools we have used belong to Microsoft. If we have accidentally used something that does not belong to these acknowledged sources, we sincerely apologise for our transgression, and if you let us know, we will acknowledge the correct source (and forward our abject apologies to the creator). The views expressed by the authors in their articles or art-work are their own and we are completely neutral parties (well, we do like Sherlock Holmes, but other than that). Also, all copyrights (and whatever other intellectual property rights you can think of) belong with the authors. We do not claim anything (good or bad). Whatever we have published belongs to the author(s) of that particular work and comprises a part of this issue because the authors have been good enough to let us print their work. We are a free, bona fide, non-monetary and voluntary society for ardent admirers of Sherlock Holmes (in whatever form) and accordingly, this publication is completely free, non-commercial and non-profit. We make nothing from it except a sense of enjoyment, and the authors make no money out of it, either. This publication can be freely distributed, but if you are re-printing anything from this issue in any form, do have the courtesy to let the authors know (get in touch with us if you cannot locate the authors independently) and do not forget to acknowledge them. We are sure our contributors are generous of heart, and no one will take offence at re-prints if you seek permission and assure them that they shall be appropriately acknowledged. With that out of the way, we are as eager for you to read our publication as you would be to see it, so please continue. The game is afoot!

This is what happens when you

have three lawyers on the

editorial team!



The Sherlock Holmes Society

of India is now a recognised

Scion Society of the Baker

Street Irregulars, thanks to

Peter E. Blau (Black Peter)

and Michael Whelan

(Wiggins).

A proud moment for us!

Congratulations to SHSI

members!

We have a brand new page on Facebook, and we are rapidly gaining

likes. We have also interacted with some amazingly erudite

Sherlockians over the world. Do check out our new Facebook page! We

also have our very own blog-cum-website now, thanks to our Technical

Editor, Binand Sethumadhavan, who has worked very, very hard in

these last few days to make the site work.

Our member, Prajakta Hebbar, a noted journalist who writes for the

Indian Express, recently wrote a rather lovely and complimentary article

for us. The article can be viewed online. We heartily thank Prajakta for

her efforts!

The Sherlock Holmes Society of India recently featured in

the Brown Paper Bag, New Delhi on May 2, 2013 (thanks to

Kakul Gautam) and in DNA, Mumbai on May 6, 2013. We

are thankful, as we earned not only a fair number of cool

new members but some fantastic stuff to print as well!

The Sherlock Holmes Society of London is organising a trip

to India in February 2014 (To India with Sherlock Holmes). It

promises to be an exciting tour. Ms. Louise Nicholson, the

organiser, has put together a flyer for us. We also have a

detailed itinerary available with us, with costs and the

application form, so do feel free to call upon us for the same.

The Sherlock Holmes: Past and Present Conference is being

organised by the Institute of English Studies, University of

London on the 21st and 22nd of June 2013. We will have notes

from the conference in our next issue.

As a special favour to us, Shanila Siddiqui, an HR

professional, went off to explore the Sherlock Holmes Pub,

Bangalore. Unfortunately, it turned out to be rather seedy

and she was unable to stay on and review the place.

We are collaborating with the Explorers at CalcuttaWalks to

figure out a Detective Walk in the city of Kolkata and a

play, Sherlock Holmes in Calcutta.

Did you know that we have four

published authors of Sherlock

Holmes books in SHSI? In no

particular order, these are Tim

Symonds (Sherlock Holmes and

the Dead Boer at Scotney Castle

and Sherlock Holmes and the

Case of the Bulgarian Codex),

Pinaki Roy (The Manichean

Investigators: A Postcolonial and

Cultural Rereading of the

Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh

Bakshi Stories), Vasudev

Murthy (Sherlock Holmes in

Japan) and Partha Basu (The

Curious Case of 221B and The

Secret Notebooks of John H.

Watson, MD).

We hope we have many, many

more in the coming days.

Did you know that we have four

published authors of Sherlock

Holmes books in SHSI? In no

particular order, these are Tim

Symonds (Sherlock Holmes and

the Dead Boer at Scotney Castle

and Sherlock Holmes and the

Case of the Bulgarian Codex),

Pinaki Roy (The Manichean

Investigators: A Postcolonial and

Cultural Rereading of the

Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh

Bakshi Stories), Vasudev

Murthy (Sherlock Holmes in

Japan) and Partha Basu (The

Curious Case of 221B and The

Secret Notebooks of John H.

Watson, MD).

We hope we have many, many

more in the coming days.



Primarii Lapidis - On behalf of Sherlock Holmes Society of India, and my co-

editors, Jayantika Ganguly, Satyajit Gupta and Noufal Ibrahim, I

am delighted to announce the publication of the inaugural issue

of the Journal of the Sherlock Homes Society of India named

Proceedings of the Pondicherry Lodge.

This Journal had been conceptualized many years ago much on

the lines of the esteemed publication of the Sherlock Holmes

Society of London The Baker Street Journal. It was a natural

outgrowth of the expansion of the Sherlock Holmes Society of

India, which has now around two hundred dedicated members.

It was felt by the members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of

India that a dedicated journal would be the ideal vehicle to build

on the success of the Society as well as to capture

the diverse scholarly interests of an ever more

vibrant Holmesian community. In February 2013,

a discussion was initiated among the esteemed

members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India

to seek out ways and means to expand its

outreach. The ensuing debate resulted in two

proposals, i.e., to have a Facebook presence and to

have a bi-annual Journal which will exhibit the

creative and literary skills of Indian Holmesians to

a wider audience. Accordingly, a Voluntary

Committee (consisting of myself, Jayantika Ganguly, Satyajit

Gupta as Editors, and Noufal Ibrahim and Binand

Sethumadhavan as Technical Editors) was formed as an editorial

team to bring out this Journal. Thus the Proceedings of the

Pondicherry Lodge was born.

The editorial team decided that the journal should be published

as an e-zine journal with PDF/ Microsoft Word, as the

underlying data format, so as to achieve economy, facile

publishing and quicker dissemination amongst its members. It

was also decided that we would endeavour to publish two issues

a year: the summer issue in June and the winter issue in

December focusing on a topics of relevance to the Holmesian

community.

Sumal Surendranath

is the founder,

managing director,

chief editor and

chairperson all

rolled into one of

the Sherlock Holmes

Society of India. In

SHSI, he is the

highest court of

appeal. He tells us

how this e-

magazine,

Proceedings of the

Pondicherry Lodge

came into existence

in this article.



- Editorial This inaugural issue consists of voluntary contributions by

Holmesians, pursuant to an appeal in the SHSI Groups (both at

Yahoo and Facebook). Our effort to reach out to as many

Holmesians was given a shot in the arm by coverage of our

Societys activities in the Brown Paper Bag, Indian Express and

DNA newspapers. A mere look at the table of contents,

demonstrates just how wide-ranging and diverse the interests of

the Holmesian community have become; these articles truly

represent the broad tent that is Holmesian scholarship today.

This inaugural issue owes much to many people. Thanks are

due first to all the members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of

India, where the idea originated and for supporting it so

wholeheartedly. The editors of the Proceedings of the

Pondicherry Lodge have benefitted immensely from all the

contributors experience and expertise as well as their

enthusiasm for the Sherlock Holmes Society of India and the

Canon.

My thanks are due to my co-editors, Jayantika Ganguly, Satyajit

Gupta (Editors), and Noufal Ibrahim and Binand

Sethumadhavan (Technical Editors) who have so generously

given their time and expertise to make this project happen. No

detail, large or small, has been beyond their notice. Their

professionalism, attention to detail, and good humour has made

seeing this issue from an idea to its fruition, a real pleasure. I

also thank the guest contributors of this first issue who

admirably and with good humour suffered through our

teething process as we put in place this issue of Proceedings of

the Pondicherry Lodge.

On May 28, 2013, the Sherlock Holmes Society of India

celebrated its 12th birthday, marking its growth from childhood

to adolescence, a traditional rite of passage in India. Another

rite of passage for the Holmesian community is this Journal,

marking one of the many milestones in the SHSI becoming not

only a niche organization, but a flourishing academic and

intellectual community.

The editorial team we

like to call ourselves the

SHSI Editors consists

of: Sumal Surendranath

(Editor), Satyajit Gupta

(Editor), Jayantika

Ganguly (Editor), Noufal

Ibrahim (Technical

Editor) and Binand

Sethumadhavan

(Technical Editor).

We are reachable at

Yahoo as well as Gmail.

If you are interested in

joining the editorial

team, please drop us a

line.



A Neapolitan society, the Red Circle . . .

My poor Gennaro, Emilia Lucca told

Holmes and Watson, had joined a

Neapolitan society, the Red Circle, which

was allied to the old Carbonari. The oaths

and secrets of this brotherhood were

frightful, and once within its rule no escape

was possible.

That reference to the Red Circle, in the story

from which our society proudly takes its

name, puzzled Sherlockian scholars for

many years, because while the Carbonari

was indeed a secret society founded in the

Kingdom of Naples, it was a political rather

than a criminal organization and never had

a branch in New York. The solution to the

mystery was eventually discovered in the

manuscript of the story, where the name of

the society is stated as the Camorra.

The Camorra was, and indeed still is, a

secret and criminal organization based in

Naples, and at the time of The Adventure of

the Red Circle there were active branches

in the Italian communities in Britain, the

United States, and other countries. The

reason why the Sicilian criminal

organization the Mafia is so well known in

the United States, and the Camorra is

essentially unknown, is that from 1914 to

1917 there was a bloody argument between

the Mafia and the Camorra in New York, and

when the smoke cleared the surviving

Camorristas joined the Mafia.

The Camorra is still to be found in Naples,

where it is as active and powerful as the

Mafia is elsewhere in Italy, and The

Camorra Never Sleeps is an interesting

article by William Langewische in the May

issue of Vanity Fair, which has kindly made

it available online. The Camorra is

considered by many people in Naples as

more powerful there than the national

government of Italy.

It is interesting to consider why the

reference in the published story is to the

Carbonari rather than to the Camorra. It

certainly is tempting to suggest that an

editor at The Strand Magazine, when the

story was to be published in 1911, decided

that it might be dangerous to offend

members of the Camorra, and substituted

the safer name Carbonari, since that

organization had become inactive by the

middle of the 19th century.

PETER E. BLAU (A.K.A. BLACK PETER),

NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. HE HAS

GRACIOUSLY PERMITTED US TO REPRINT

THIS ARTICLE OF APRIL 15, 2012 FROM

BLACK PETER'S LOGBOOK (MAINTAINED

WITH THE RED CIRCLE OF WASHINGTON,

DC).



Art

The wonderfully talented

Sitanshu Shukla, a new

SHSI member from

Mumbai, is a Geologist by

qualification and a

Designer by choice and

profession, with 10+ years

of experience in the field of

Spatial & Communication

Design. He brings us these

brilliant creations from his

arsenal.



Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Bulgarian Codex

Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Bulgarian Codex moves

at a fast pace. It is the latest novel by Tim Symonds,

following last years Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The

Dead Boer At Scotney Castle. The story takes place in the year

1900, revolving around Balkan intrigues in the nostalgic pre-

First World War period and a real-life Bulgarian Prince,

Foxy Ferdinand. The Bulgarian Codex is a yarn of

duplicity, murder, marriage, vampires and greed for vast

estates in Bulgaria and Hungary, with the fate of millions in

Sherlock Holmes's hands.

Prince Foxy Ferdinand of Bulgaria summons Sherlock

Holmes and Dr. Watson to travel across Europe post-haste

to Sofia to recover a stolen, manuscript. The loss of The

Bulgarian Codex, the most ancient and most sacred

manuscript in the Old Bulgarian language, could lead to the

outbreak of war between Russia, Austria-Hungary and the

Tim Symonds is not only a

rather eminent Holmesian, but

also a long-standing member of

SHSI and the celebrated author

of Sherlock Holmes and the

Dead Boer at Scotney Castle as

well as Sherlock Holmes and

the Case of the Bulgarian

Codex. At our request, he has

given us this feature on his

latest book to publish.



Ottomans.

The Author brings alive the political machinations and intrigues of early twentieth century

Europe. Events in The Bulgarian Codex are fictional, but the principal character, Prince

Ferdinand, is based on the real Coburg Prince Regnant, later Bulgarian Tsar who ruled the

Southern European country of Bulgaria from 1887 until his forcible abdication after joining

the losing side in World War One.

The Bulgarian Codex is written in classic Holmes and Watson style. This is a book for readers

who appreciate and enjoy dry British wit. Holmes and Watson travel across Europe to meet

their Royal benefactor in his personal Royal rail carriage: The door handles on the toilets

bore the Prince's coat of arms. The furnishings had been purchased in Vienna as a job lot at a

sale of a bankrupt lady singer, giving the whole a raffish Biedermeier femininity.

Both books are available online:

Sherlock Holmes And The Dead Boer At Scotney Castle: at Amazon and Flipkart (India)

Sherlock Holmes And The Case of the Bulgarian Codex: at Amazon, as an e-book, on Kindle, at

Bookdepository and at Flipkart (India)

Just click on the links and you will be able to buy the books.

Heres a quote from Britains

former Foreign Secretary, Sir

Malcolm Rifkind to the author:

Dear Tim Symonds, just to say

that I have just finished reading

your novel The Dead Boer at

Scotney Castle. I greatly

enjoyed it and found it a great

yarn! It kept one guessing right

to the end which all good crime

novels should do. Sherlock

Holmes (and Conan Doyle)

would have been impressed!



Sherlock Holmes: Poetry

Bright keen eyes, their focus supreme

Concentrate on the case at hand,

He thinks but of it, living as in a dream,

No! Awake as an owl, sleep is banned.

(His mind will not rest now.)

Obsessive and quiet, he thinks and thinks

His little grey cells churning tirelessly

Thus, theories and deductions, as he blinks

Arise, as if immediate, effortlessly.

(Or so it seems, to strangers.)

Calabash pipe and Deerstalker hat,

Create a persona distinct

His methods are enigmatic, such that

He trusts only his own instinct.

(He is a keen observer.)

His minute observations will surprise you

Immensely, for you are but an

Ordinary mortal, not habituated to new

Methods of study, like this man.

(He is more than a man, though.)

You may not understand the man,

But he must know you well enough.

Never met him, you say, so how can?

Because he is a force to reckon, smart and tough.

(He is the best in the business.)

He is Sherlock Holmes, yes, him

The Greatest of the Great,

He helps people in times that are dim,

He carves his own fate.

(He also plays the violin: multifaceted to the core.

I Salute him, do you?)

Utkarsha Anwekar is all of

sixteen and still at school,

dreaming of pursuing

research in Genetics. This

young Sherlock Holmes

admirer likes forensics, reads

avidly and has dabbled in

animation, journalism, TV

reporting, logo-designing and

spiritualism.

Utkarsha presents to us her

poetry, dedicated to our

favourite detective, as well as

a portrait of Irene Adler.



Critical Analysis: Sherlock Holmes

I have read several novels, all of which are

distinctive in their originality and style of

presentation. All of them have directly or

indirectly influenced me, but not equally or in

the same manner. As a rule, books tend to

create deeper impressions on us than any

audio or video stimulus, because they demand

our complete attention. Among them, those

books which help us correlate with their

events and characters and place ourselves in

the situations described

naturally influence us more. In

my case, a series of books in

this category is the entire

volume of Sherlock Holmes

fiction by Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle.

I have often met with people

who discard these stories as

dull or barely

comprehensible. Perhaps in

their opinion, other more

modern novels are technically

better: in intricacy of plot and

characters. But I never

comprehend the fact that these

readers readily assimilate

intricate, complex novels but

fail to do so for much simpler ones. As for

dullness, it depends on how much they

comprehend.

For instance, Agatha Christies novels

featuring Hercule Poirot are as tangled and

complicated as a labyrinth she weaves plot

after plot, interconnecting the characters and

dropping half-obscure hints so as to allow the

reader to make random guesses about the

culprit. At the end, she unravels the whole

thing so quickly and abruptly that one is

mostly unable to find time to appreciate the

intellectual brilliance of the main character

Poirot. She manages to hoodwink and

befuddle her readers with her well-known

touch of surrealism.

As for Sir Arthur, he focuses more on the

unravelling of the mystery rather than the

weaving of the plot. He justifies this through a

statement of Holmes: Crime is common.

Logic is rare. Thus, in his stories the method

of solving comprises more than three-quarters

of the content.

Let us now study the fictional

characters of most importance.

Here again, I shall take on a

comparative approach so as to

distinguish each character

clearly and help achieve a

thorough understanding of

them all.

Starting with Poirot, he is a

perfect example of virtues:

neatness, tidiness, cleanliness

and cool logic personified. On

most occasions, he displays a

stoic nonchalance to his

neighbours or surroundings

and prefers to be disciplined

and extremely exact. He is

prim and proper as described by his young

friend Hastings. He is conscious of his fame

and is most ridiculously disappointed

whenever clients or case-linked people seem

ignorant of it. His speciality is: he never

physically fights with anyone, or engages in

any action in the true sense of the term, but

crops up almost by chance in the midst of the

mysteries to solve them. His clients do not

always come to seek his aid: he often

intervenes and pays them surprise visits,

anticipating the need for his presence. To

almost everyone he is acquainted or

Anwesha Goswami is a

very talented seventeen-

year-old from Mumbai.

She describes herself as

an amateur painter, poet,

singer and a hardcore

bibliophile. In this article,

she has employed a

comparative approach and

contrasted Holmes to

Poirot to bring out their

characteristic features.



unacquainted with he is practically a

complete stranger his real personality is

unknown even to his close friend Hastings.

Perhaps the last is due to the significant age-

difference. Overall, Poirot is as tightly closed

as a tortoise in a shell, and appears mechanical

and slightly robotic.

Owing to this nature of his, Hastings is

repelled from being intimate enough with his

friend to make him his confidante.

But with Holmes, it is different. Like Poirot, he

too shuns company, leads a quiet life and

prefers to stay in familiar

surroundings. His habits are

messy and his drug-intake a

most reprehensible quality in his

character. He also receives his

clients at his house, and they

belong to various classes of

society. Also, he entertains

villains in his house to corner

them in the best way, and

besides maintains contact with

all sorts of odd people who aid

him unthinkably in his

profession. Despite all this,

Watson chose him as a roommate.

Here comes the fact that Poirot is not easy to

live with, firstly due to keenness on perfection

in everything and secondly, his inscrutability.

But Holmes, however inscrutable to strangers,

opens up to Watson with no reservations or

secrets. He confesses his faults to Watson

before beginning to stay with him. And for all

his strange mood swings and abruptness,

there comes a time when Watson can read him

like a book and even predict, at times, his next

action. Although Holmes powers of

deduction and analytical skills continue to

amaze him, his personality and habits become

as familiar to Watson as his own.

But one can never be so familiar with Poirots

personality. He prefers to keep it hidden from

scrutinizers.

Another side of Holmes which is absent in

Poirot is music. Somebody who can appreciate

and create music is certainly not robotic he

cannot be. Music requires the development of

heart and a certain generous and open natural

inclination that permits one to enjoy this

lovely art which, in itself, is panoramic and

great. Highly intelligent people often ignore

this part of their mind and develop the brains

thinking skills. As a result, their personalities

are one-sided. Music brings out

the expression of ones deepest

emotions good, sound music

is, as Watson says, treat for the

gods.

Holmes is also extremely averse

to any publicity or fame, and

prefers to stay out of the

limelight. His nature is

straightforward and he goes in

for action whenever required.

He is also an expert boxer, fencer

and swordsman.

He leads a homely and simple life as

described by Watson that is almost austere in

its lack of luxury. He does not hesitate to

disclose his methods to the professional

detectives, Lestrade and Gregson, even though

it could lead to loss of the number of his

clients.

The two detectives, Holmes and Poirot, also

have different ways of observation and

deduction. Holmes scans the place like a

bloodhound with his magnifying glass. He

also examines various samples of cigarette ash

and can distinguish between them at a glance.

Probably this interest of his has been born of

his love for chemistry.



Poirot, however, scoffs at such procedures -

saying that the magnifying glass and nosing

in the soil for footprints are not for him. He

prefers to stay tidy.

Perhaps we wouldnt have got Holmes as we

have, if we hadnt seen him through the

looking glass of Dr. Watson. It is said that as

great men do not speak of their qualities

themselves, they are best expressed through a

comparatively ordinary observer.

Watsons steady friendship, constant queries

and curiosity are fuel to Holmess powers.

Thus he once acknowledges in an affectionate

remark, Im lost without my Boswell. The

latter part of his remark refers to the fact that

Watson encapsulated the duos adventures in

writing.

Holmess personality,

his bouts of action, his

physical appearance

and his life, all seem so

realistic that several

people had been

known to write to the

fictional address in

Baker Street.

Agatha Christies novels featuring Poirot

mainly consist of narratives from different

individuals in the plot. Sometimes, the

narratives from different individuals in the

plot end as the narrator himself or herself gets

killed. This creates a demoralising effect on the

reader a sort of negative feeling. It also

makes an impression that the story is

unrealistic. For such narratives, the writer can

only know of their thoughts if she can read

their minds at those moments, which is

absurd. Besides, such weird narratives give an

eerie, uncomfortable feeling to the reader.

In Conan Doyles fiction, there is such

robustness and life that there is no space for

eeriness or phantom feelings. Our minds are

too occupied with the firm, unwavering

presence of the two main characters to

accommodate any other-worldly presence.

Coming to Sir Conan Doyle himself, it is said

that all creations of a person reflect a side of

his or her personality. Thus, Holmes is a part

of his creator himself, with his generosity,

sharp wit and sense of justice. Above all

Conan Doyle has made

Holmes humane; that

is why, with all his

faults, he is so

endearing to the

readers and has been

quoted, admired and

wondered at for

generations.

This nature of Holmes has made his stories

refreshing and not demoralising, inspiring and

not discouraging; and this, combined with the

kindly, generous, warm-hearted presence of

Dr. Watson has made the duo immortal and

therein lies the genius of Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle.



Can you

identify them?

Answers are

given below.

A Tribute to Sherlock Holmes

Shashidhar Pamarthi, a final year B.E. (Computers) student from Mumbai, is a Sherlockian who loves singing, gaming and working out creative things like this particular sample. He pays a tribute to some of his favourite actors who have portrayed the role of Sherlock Holmes.

Basil Rathbone - The Hound of Baskervilles/The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and many more Ronald Howard - Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) 1954-1955 Douglas Wilmer - Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) 1964-1965 Robert Stephens - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) Jeremy Brett - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and many more Robert Downey Jr. - Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock

Holmes: The Game of Shadows

Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock (2010 and

continuing)



The Detection of Truth

As I entered our lodgings at 221B Baker

Street, my compatriot shot me a piercing

look. I could see that he

was deep in thought

even before I arrived, a

sort of a meditative state

that he would usually

put himself in, and

emerged from the self-

induced cocoon at

precisely the same time

as my ingress. It was not

unlikely for Holmes to

keep manipulating

reality as he entered the

recesses of his own mind. But I have seen

the man in stranger states of trance than this

to say otherwise. I deduced (being in the

constant company of the Worlds Greatest

Detective, you learn a thing or two) that

he could just be preoccupied with any of

the following matters, to my knowledge:

1. The resolution of the final few

loose ends in the John Baptist

Killings, a strange case that was

masterfully solved by my

companion a while ago.

2. The secrets of mystical Hindu

sages who could harness the

power of their Kundalinis for

masterful feats and caught the

fancy of the detective.

3. The duplicitous schemes that a

particular professor was conjuring

up to plot the ultimate doom of my

friend again.

Watson, my friend, a very peculiar

matter has arisen in my mind that needs

your conviction, he

informed me quietly.

What is the matter

that begs my

attention? I asked

curiously.

Do you remember the

night we caught John

Baptist while he

absconded?

Yes! The rapscallion

jumped over the rooftops of England to

make a daring escape. I, for one, can never

forget the coup de grce when you leapt 10

feet in the air to nab him.

Is it humanly possible to achieve this feat

of marvel?

His words were laced with reason. I

wondered for a moment and recollected

the events of the night. Being a sceptic

myself, I would have disregarded the

event. But I have seen the man perform even

more remarkable feats than this to say

otherwise.

I would have not believed it had I not

seen it with my own two eyes. From my

vantage point on the street, I could not

have been mistaken, I confessed.

He nodded thoughtfully. Hmm but it

is quite remarkable that a man of my age

and physicality could successfully attempt

Vandit Panvelkar is a

copywriter by profession and

works in a digital agency in

Mumbai. He is fascinated by

Sherlock Holmes and his

true passion lies in telling

stories through various

media.



the jump and still live to tell the tale. It

cant be a matter of pure luck.

What are you hinting at, Holmes?

At this moment, there was a brief pause as

the cold, steely eyes of Sherlock Holmes

took cover under their lids and a long puff

from the pipe was drawn. Holmes

breathed out the dense

fog and completely

obfuscated his face.

The air cleared out to

reveal a glint of

enlightenment in the

mans eyes. The

pageantry was not lost

on me.

Watson, my words

may sound absolutely

incredulous but I

would want you to hear me out first. I am

to believe, based on our previous uncanny

adventures, that we are not real. We are

actually characters in a work of fiction.

What the devil do you mean?

We are not real Watson. Can you not see

it? Have you not noticed it? Look at me; I

am a polymath who can answer any

question beyond normal reason, venture

into the murky depths to reveal the truth

and solve the most befuddling cases of

mystery.

I remained silent and Holmes continued,

As a learned man myself, I have

witnessed quite a few noble gentlemen

that possess the mental prowess gifted

only to a handful by the Almighty.

He smiled slightly in remembrance and

continued his narrative, May the 4th, a

date that both you and I shall never forget

for its bearing on our lives. Professor

Moriarty succeeded in murdering me, yet

I survived unscathed. I was born again so

as to say and returned to our quarters in a

matter of time. What Godman can cheat

death on occasion?

I do not know what to

make of it, I confessed.

We have battled an

enormous hound, foiled

the plans of a deranged

intellectual and brazed

travails that no ordinary

individual could ever boast

in a multitude of lifetimes.

It was too much to take in.

Holmes, I am warning you, any more of

this drivel and I am stepping out.

Watson, do you not see? The clues were

in front of us all long; the reason and logic

in plain sight. We have been too

preoccupied with the ruddy investigations

to piece the puzzle together. I have been

contemplating my conclusion for a while

but

His tirade lingered on. I did not know

what to say; I had seen enough twists and

turns of fate in a single lifetime. If the

Worlds Greatest Detective tells you that

your life has no true meaning and you are

a figment of imagination, you tend to

think twice about all of your encounters.

But I have seen the man utter even more

bizarre insinuations than this to say otherwise.



The conventional abbreviations (as listed below) were

devised by Jay Finley Christ1 and use four letters

2.

S. No.

Abbreviation Story

1. ABBE The Adventure of the Abbey Grange

2. BERY The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

3. BLAC The Adventure of Black Peter

4. BLAN The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier

5. BLUE The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

6. BOSC The Boscombe Valley Mystery

7. BRUC The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans

8. CARD The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

9. CHAS The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton

10. COPP The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

11. CREE The Adventure of the Creeping Man

12. CROO The Adventure of the Crooked Man

13. DANC The Adventure of the Dancing Men

14. DEVI The Adventure of the Devils Foot

15. DYIN The Adventure of the Dying Detective

16. EMPT The Adventure of the Empty House

17. ENGR The Adventure of the Engineers Thumb

18. FINA The Final Problem

19. FIVE The Five Orange Pips

20. GLOR The Gloria Scott

21. GOLD The Adventure of the Golden Pince-nez

22. GREE The Greek Interpreter

23. HOUN The Hound of the Baskervilles

24. IDEN A Case of Identity

25. ILLU The Adventure of the Illustrious Client

26. LADY The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

27. LAST His Last Bow

28. LION The Adventure of the Lions Mane

29. MAZA The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone

30. MISS The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter

1 Jay Finley Christ, An Irregular Guide to Sherlock Holmes

of Baker Street, New York: Argus Books, 1947. 2 Source: The Best of Sherlock Holmes

S. No.

Abbreviation Story

31. MUSG The Musgrave Ritual

32. NAVA The Naval Treaty

33. NOBL The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor

34. NORW The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

35. PRIO The Adventure of the Priory School

36. REDC The Adventure of the Red Circle

37. REDH The Red-Headed League

38. REIG The Reigate Squires

39. RESI The Resident Patient

40. RETI The Adventure of the Retired Colourman

41. SCAN A Scandal in Bohemia

42. SECO The Adventure of the Second Stain

43. SHOS The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place

44. SIGN The Sign of the Four

45. SILV Silver Blaze

46. SIXN The Adventure of the Six Napoleons

47. SOLI The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist

48. SPEC The Adventure of the Speckled Band

49. STOC The Stockbrokers Clerk

50. STUD A Study in Scarlet

51. SUSS The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire

52. THOR The Problem of Thor Bridge

53. 3GAB The Adventure of the Three Gables

54. 3GAR The Adventure of the Three Garridebs

55. 3STU The Adventure of the Three Students

56. TWIS The Man with the Twisted Lip

57. VALL The Valley of Fear

58. VEIL The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger

59. WIST The Adventure of the Wisteria Lodge

60. YELL The Yellow Face



The Power of Books

I have always been addicted to the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For me, he has created magic with his word pictures. I have been thinking about the books that brought me to Holmes. After finding copies of the covers through Google, I wanted to share my experiences through these pictures. The first book was a paperback edition of William S Baring Goulds, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street". It had a red cover with two figures swirling around as if in tobacco smoke. A friend in high school showed me his copy and let me read the book. I had to find out about the Sherlock Holmes who had all these adventures. Who was the Irene whose name was on the lips of the old man who passed away on a park bench? I found that volume created a little controversy since its release.

I then purchased a paperback with stories from the Canon that transported me from a house in Wichita, Kansas in the 1950s to a Victorian world of Holmes and Watson. The Doctor is the one I imagined myself to be. I could picture him be the loyal, intelligent companion who became a close friend as well. The great stories in the book started with; The Thor Bridge, and ended with The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place. By then I had to know more. There had to be more. Postscript: I lost the original copy I had. Years later, a dear Sherlockian special friend Chuck Hansen passed on and left me his copy. I treasure it as much I would a Beatons Christmas Annual. I saved my allowance and money made mowing

lawns and doing odd jobs around my neighbourhood. I was able to buy a copy of the one volume that would bring so much delight and enjoyment to me. I had the Doubleday complete one volume. I wore out two copies of the book by journeys on the city buses, bikes, family vacations. There were stops at swimming pool decks and wherever I worked through high school and college. After several years, I no longer had a copy of the one volume with dust jacket. I bought a copy of the 2-volume set but it did not have the memories as my first. They say that you never forget your first love.

Ronald E. Lies, of The Sherlock Holmes Social Network fame, who likes to sign

off as Ron in Denver, is a brand new member of SHSI. He shares his experience

with his favourite books on Sherlock Holmes and the story behind each of his

copies an inspiration for every Sherlockian/Holmesian around the world.



Sawri Madkaikar is a 16-year-old student from Mumbai who plans to pursue Psychology. She adores Sherlock Holmes and has given us this beautiful sketch of hers to publish.

Through the aid of close Sherlockian friends, I put together another copy. Larry Feldman gave his old copy, no dust jacket, with his interesting underlined notes. Karen Murdock sent me a laminated copy of the dust jacket. These gifts allowed me to put together a copy of the complete one volume. I now carry my copy protected in a zippered book cover case. It means so much. The books above have led me through the years, good times, bad times and continuing health challenges to my own Shangri-La. I have met and made so many interesting, aggravating, unique and loyal Sherlockians and Holmesian friends. Thank you all. I hope this article and the above pictures bring back good memories for you also.

Sketch



This story has been written by

a very special Sherlockian

Tvisha Mehta, all of 9,

studying in Grade 3 at Aditya

Birla World Academy. The

submission was made to us

on her behalf by her Class

Teachers, Tulika and Palak.

Sherlock Holmes: A Sudden Death

Holmes and Dr. Watson were travelling in a

plane going to Beijing as they were going to

meet an old friend of theirs. His name was

Mr. Yang Lee. He, his wife and his mother

lived together on the outskirts of Beijing.

His widowed mother had shifted with him

after his fathers death. After a few hours,

Holmes and Dr. Watson reached Beijing.

Holmes rang the door bell. Mrs. Karma Lee,

Mr. Yang Lees mother opened the door. She

looked surprised. Oh! Hello Mr. Holmes and

Watson, I suppose Yang forgot to tell

me. Do come in. Inside the

house, Holmes and Watson

were warmly greeted by

Mr. Yang Lee and his wife

Mrs. Sue Lee. Yang told

them that Sue was a

model and was going for

a MRS. CHINA contest

the day after. Holmes and

Watson wished her good

luck and then dispersed to

their rooms to take a nap. In the

evening, all of them had a talk. Then, Mrs.

Karma Lee went to their neighbours house

for a chat. At night every one slept like a

log, being so tired. But Sue and Yang slipped

out for a quiet walk. They went to their

neighbours garden to talk. Your mom will

usurp all the property and most of the

money we have, said Sue. This is always

the topic, complained Yang and went to the

house to sleep. Sue decided on a plan to kill

their mother-in-law. But their neighbour,

Miss Chang guessed her intentions and

decided to tell Karma secretly the next day.

The following evening, when Mrs. Karma Lee

went for tea to Miss Chang's house she got

a shock on hearing the secret from Chang.

Well, if Sue really wants to kill me I should

kill her first. So, when Sue asked for a

glass of water, Karma bought one mixed

with slow acting poison that strikes you

after six hours of drinking it. And soon it

was the end of Sue. Holmes calmed down

Yang and promised that he would solve the

case. Holmes and Watsons main suspect

was Mrs. Karma Lee as she had been acting

very strange after Sues death and

had been least interested. But

who cares? were her

surprising words to Yang

when he started to

grieve in pain. Now

Holmes started

suspecting Karma Lee

even more. That day,

Holmes gave Karma such

a serious stare that she

was sure that Holmes was

suspecting her. I know he

doesn't have any proof, thought Karma,

but I better run away to my house in Hong-

Kong. So that night she packed her bag and

set out, only to find the police, Watson and

Holmes waiting at the door step. I found

the poison in your drawer, nothing to hide

Mrs. Karma and I suspected you were going

to run away. Karma surrendered and

handed herself over to the police. Watson

and Holmes went back to London, happy in

the knowledge that they had helped their

best friend in his quest for his wifes

murderer.



Story-writing Contest

Write a short story featuring Sherlock Holmes based on the following: My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know.

We don't really like to impose word-limits, but try and keep it roughly between 500-2500 words. Please try to use MS Word or a similar word-processing program.

The best three will win prizes - SHSI goodies, yes!

All stories that we like will be published in our next issue.

Last date for submission: October 20, 2013.

Artwork Contest

Create a pictorial feature - a sketch, a painting, digital art, photograph, collage - anything that catches your fancy. No videos or presentations or audio files, please. Whatever you do, send it to us as JPEG or PNG or bitmap image.

Requirements - a nexus with Sherlock Holmes and the context: "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."

The best three will win prizes - SHSI goodies, yes!

All artwork that we like will be published in our next issue.

Last date for submission: October 31, 2013.

Pucca Holmesian Contest

Turn to "The Five Orange Pips" section of this e-zine on page 36.

Solve each puzzle and collect each pip as instructed.

Once you have solved all five, email your answers to us as instructed.

The first three correct answers will win prizes - SHSI goodies, yes!

Everyone who gets the answers right will be awarded the "Pucca Holmesian" title.

Last date for submission: August 31, 2013.

Hurry! Rush in your entries to us to claim your prizes! Remember to

mention which contest it is for in the subject-line of your email!



The Clandestine Code

It was a hot, sunny afternoon and Sherlock

Holmes and Dr. Watson were discussing an

article in the newspaper when a woman

arrived at their doorstep. She appeared

timorous and was sweating profusely.

Sirs, please accompany me to my apartment

as soon as possible, she pleaded.

Dr. Watson attempted to calm her down, but in

vain. Ultimately, they agreed to accompany

her. On the way, Holmes asked her to narrate

her story.

She began, My name is

Rochelle Hunter. I stay in

an apartment at

Featherstone Street. The

adjacent flat belongs to Ms.

Blake, who is a working

woman. She stays alone

and is my good friend.

Today, at around 11

oclock, I went to her flat to

borrow a newspaper. The

door was open, so I went in and nearly

stumbled over her dead body on the floor.

There was so much blood and it was terrible!

So I came straight away to beg your

assistance.

Do you suspect anyone? Did you hear any

noise while this murder took place? asked

Holmes.

No, she replied.

All three reached the apartment and the

investigations began. The floor had five flats.

Ms. Hunter said only three rooms of the five

were occupied. On further enquiry, Holmes

came to know that the owner of third flat,

named Mr. Wilson, had just been back from

his office trip to Sunbury and he wasnt aware

of the entire scenario. Holmes and Watson

both checked the room and the dead body. The

dead body had a cut near the stomach. Holmes

examined the wound thoroughly.

Holmes, take a look at this bit of paper. This

was hidden, said Dr. Watson, extracting a

crumpled sheet from the dead womans fist.

Holmes examined the paper and they returned

to Baker Street.

So, what do you say, Holmes? Did you get

any clue to the culprit?

asked Watson.

Fiddling with the note, the

detective answered,

Watson, I do not have

supernatural powers yet.

There is a lot of work to be

done before we reach any

conclusion. As you

observed, the note reads

Mr. Gilchrist- 773855178.

I feel that Ms. Blake was

unconscious when she was murdered and she

knew the murderer.

How did you conclude that? asked Watson.

Holmes replied, The wound makes it clear

that the murder was executed using a sharp

knife. A normal individual would naturally cry

out at the immense pain. But Ms. Hunter said

that she didnt hear any noise which means

that Ms. Blake wasnt conscious when she was

murdered. Further, the flat of Ms. Blake was

intact; not even a single thing was out of place.

This reveals that Ms. Blake knew the

murderer. She didnt have any idea that the

person had come to kill her, so she didnt take

any move to defend herself and the murderer

easily completed the task.

Neha H. Shetty is a 22-year-old

Chartered Accountant from

Mumbai. She is a great admirer

of Sherlock Holmes adventures,

and in true C.A. style, she brings

us a modern adventure story of

Sherlock Holmes and Dr.

Watson with numbers and

calculators.



Dr. Watson said, From my medical

examination, I can tell you that she was

rendered unconscious using chloroform. I

think the number on the note may be a contact

number.

No, its not. I already tried that. replied

Holmes.

Their conversation broke when the door flew

open and a sergeant rushed in.

He said, A man has been found

dead at the Whitecross Street at

the footpath.

Holmes and Dr. Watson,

without delay, reached the

crime scene and enquired about

the dead man. They came to

know that his name was

Gilchrist and he lived at

Whitecross street itself. Holmes

and Watson realized that he

may be the same Gilchrist

whose name was written on the

note found in Ms. Blakes fist.

On reaching Gilchrists home, they met his

mother, informing her of her sons death, and

asked her whether she knew about Ms. Blake,

which she denied. On inspecting the house,

Holmes found Gilchrists personal diary

secretly hidden. On one of the pages

something was written in small letters at the

corner of the page. Through a magnifying

glass Holmes discovered that it was the same

number again, i.e. 773855178. But this time

there was no name around. Gilchrists mother

didnt know about the number.

Back in their home, Dr. Watson said,

Gilchrist was poisoned for sure. He

attempted to solve the mystery of the number

in vain, and Dr. Watson grumbled, Im

irritated at this number now. It is neither a

contact number nor can it be any vehicle

number, God knows what this number

means!

Holmes replied, A famous author once said

that Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet. Be

patient, Watson; we shall soon unravel the

enigma behind this number.

Watson pulled out a calculator and summed up

the digits of the number. But nothing seemed

to work out. Fed up completely he

typed the digits in a row on the

calculator screen and started

tapping his fingers on the table.

Opposite to him Holmes was sitting

busy thinking on the case, when his

eyes fell on the calculator on which

the number was typed. Holmes

roared with joy, Eureka! Eureka!

Watson was taken aback by his

voice and asked him what

happened.

Holmes answered, The number

mystery is solved. Quickly, tell me

there is any place named Blissbell.

Wait a minute. What is this Blissbell?

Watson asked.

Without explaining, Sherlock left to enquire

about his finding and a confused Watson

followed. They learnt that Blissbell was a

recently inaugurated hotel in London. They

reached the hotel and enquired about any

suspicious event in last two-three days. The

receptionist said that two days ago a waiter

named Harry was sacked for misbehaving with

a guest. Sherlock obtained his address and

went to his home. Harry was perplexed at the

entry of unknown visitors.

Sherlock asked him, What illegal activity are

you involved in? Look, we have not informed

Police yet, but if we do so, you know where

you will land up. If you dont want to be



behind the bars, confess the truth as early as

you can.

Completely petrified Harry said, I am the

right hand of a drug dealer who has a drug

racket spread across London. Every customer

used to consult me for drugs. I used to operate

through Hotel Blissbell in the disguise of a

waiter i.e. first accepting orders and then

supplying drugs. I used to take orders from

only those who gave the correct code i.e.

773855178.

Watson was surprised and looked at Sherlock

and Harry. Sherlock further asked, So, young

man, will you now reveal the name of your

Boss? Harry took them to an old disheveled

building which was somewhat distant from

Hotel Blissbell.

Sherlock and Dr. Watson were accompanied

by Police to avoid missing this chance to trap

the culprit. With light footsteps, they entered

the building and found some young boys and

girls who were drug addicts. Successfully, they

spotted the Boss who was talking on phone

and got baffled on seeing Police entering his

premises. The boss was none other than Mr.

Wilson i.e. Ms. Blakes neighbor. On being

questioned he confessed, I killed Ms. Blake

and Gilchrist. Ms. Blake was my customer but

she never paid for drugs on time. A heavy

amount was due from her. Instead of paying,

she blackmailed me that she would tell about

my business to Police. So I had to kill her. I

had returned to my home from Sunbury

previous night at around 1.00 am. I first

rendered her unconscious and then killed her

with the knife. Gilchrist was my helping hand

in my business. But over the years he had

becoming very greedy and demanding. He

asked for a higher share in our profits. So I

killed him, too. I thought I was running a safe

business but you ruined everything.

Wrong doing never escapes. Its life-span is

very short, retorted Holmes.

The Police arrested Wilson and left.

Sherlock and Watson returned to Baker Street

by late evening. But Watson was still

discontented. He couldnt restrain himself any

more and asked, Holmes, how did you know

about the Hotel Blissbell? Please unlock the

mystery.

Sherlock laughed and replied, My dear

Watson, when you were typing the number

773855178 on the calculator screen, I saw the

screen from the opposite direction, since I was

facing you. He took the calculator, typed the

code and turned it around.

7 7 3 8 5 5 1 7 8 ->as it appeared on

calculator screen

B L I S S B E L L-> as it appeared

from the other side

Dr. Watson exclaimed in admiration,

Blissbell. Whoa! What a genius you are! So

this is how you got a link to the Hotel

Blissbell. Really, you have such talent!

Thank you, Watson, and your support was

commendable, too. Your medical talents also

came to my aid, my friend, Sherlock smiled

and replied before picking up the newspaper.



The snippets below are just teasers trailers, if you will, to the kind of discussions the Sherlock Holmes

Society of India usually indulges in. We have ongoing arguments on such topics in our SHSI forum pretty

much all the time, thanks to our almost two hundred experienced and erudite members. While it is not

actually possible for us to list out all our eminent members here, we would not really be exaggerating much

if we say that most are scholars in their own right. Want to join us? We would be glad to welcome you on

board. Drop us a line and you can be a part of SHSI as well!

SH

Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective

Sherlock Holmes is widely believed to have been born on January 6, 1854. (We really do not think we need to elaborate further on the Master.)

He turns 160 on January 6, 2014, and grand plans for celebration of his birthday are underway, not only in London, but in various parts of the world.

JHW

Dr. John H, Watson, Captain, Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Army Medical Corps

The canon introduces us to "John H. Watson", and then we find that his wife is addressing him as "James"!

The "H" is never revealed. Several hypotheses exist - some claim it stands for "Hamish", some say it's just an "H", and others propose it stands for something else altogether. We do know, however, that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (BBC Sherlock) take it as "Hamish".

JM

Professor Moriarty, Professor of Mathematics, Criminal Mastermind

Professor Moriarty's first name is not referred to in "The Final Problem" - but in another instance in the canon, it is said to be "James".

Professor Moriarty seems to have two brothers - a Colonel James Moriarty and a station master.

MH

Mycroft Holmes, British Government

Mycroft Holmes is seven years senior to Sherlock Holmes, and the only known brain superior to Sherlock Holmes. His powers of observation exceed that of our favourite Consulting Detective.

Mycroft is known to be unsocial - he is a founder-member of the Diogenes Club, where the members are forbidden from speaking with or acknowledging other members.



Montage

Senjuti Das is known to her

friends, acquaintances and the

rest of the world as an ace

photographer. Currently based

in the USA, she is a lawyer and

is fantastically creative as

shown by this compilation done

by her on a special request.



Senjutis Disclaimer:

I do not own any rights to any of the

pictures, I have sourced them from the

internet and this creation is not meant to

be used for any unauthorised purposes.

Edited by - Senjuti Das



Cocaine Cocaine is a natural alkaloid from leaves of

Erythroxylum coca, a South American plant

growing on the foothills of the Andes which was

known to the natives as khoka. The natives of

Peru and Bolivia habitually chew these leaves.

Khoka, which meant the plant, quickly became

known as coca in Europe. In 1860, German

scientists isolated the main alkaloid and named it

cocaine. Cocaine is a good surface anaesthetic. It

is rapidly absorbed from the buccal mucous

membrane. It produces prominent central

nervous stimulation with marked effect on

mood and behaviour. It induces a sense of well

being, delays fatigue and increases the power of

endurance. In susceptible individuals, it

produces strong psychological but little physical

dependence. Cocaine is unique among drugs of

abuse in not producing significant tolerance on

repeated use. Cocaine should never be injected.

It is a protoplasmic poison and causes tissue

necrosis.

Cocaine

intoxication can result in life threatening

cardiovascular, pulmonary, and CNS

complications due to increased level of

catecholamines in the body. Many features of

cocaine intoxication are shared with

amphetamine toxicity and management is

similar. Both substances are commonly

coingested with alcohol which may complicate

management. Clinical presentation can be quite

varied. Hyperthermia (rise in body temperature),

hypertension (rise in blood pressure),

tachycardia (rise in heart rate) are common.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations may include

agitation, delirium, confusion and seizures. It

can also cause acute myocardial infarction (heart

attack) or arrhythmias. It also causes nausea,

vomiting and mydriasis (dilatation of pupil).

Management depends on presentation.

Diazepam 5 to 10 mg every 5 minutes as needed

function as first line therapy for agitation and

most manifestations of toxicity. Treatment of

hyperthermia includes sedation and external

cooling. Hypertension and other cardiac

manifestations are best treated with sedation and

if necessary calcium channel blockers, sodium

nitroprusside or phentolamine.

Dr. Shalini Sharma, currently

based in Lucknow, has always

been an ardent admirer of Dr.

Watson for successfully

weaning someone as strong-

willed as Sherlock Holmes

from his drug addiction to

cocaine and morphine. She

gives us the medical side of

these drugs to keep all

Sherlockians off them.



Morphine The dark brown, resinous material obtained

from poppy Papaver somniferum is opium.

Opium has been known from the earliest times.

It is mentioned in the Ebers papyrus (1500

BC), in the writings of Theophrastus (300 BC)

and Galen (2nd century AD). Opium eating

became a social custom in china in the 18th

century. Serturner, a pharmacist isolated the

active principle of opium in 1806 and named it

morphine after the Greek god of dreams

Morpheus. Morphine is a strong analgesic.

Though dull poorly localised visceral pain is

relieved better than sharply defined somatic

pain, higher doses can mitigate severe pain-

degree of analgesia increasing with dose. The

associated reactions to intense pain

apprehension, fear ,autonomic effects are also

depressed. Sedation, drowsiness and indifference

to surroundings as well as to own body occurs

without motor coordination,

ataxia or apparent excitement.

Higher doses produce sleep and

coma. Mood and subjective effects

are prominent. Morphine has a

calming effect, there is loss of

apprehension, feeling of

detachment, lack of initiative,

limbs feel heavy and body warm,

mental clouding and inability to

concentrate. Rapid intravenous injection by

addicts gives them a kick or rush which is

intensely pleasurable - akin to orgasm. It

depresses the cough centre. Depresses the

temperature regulating centre, decrease in body

temperature occurs in cold surroundings. Causes

nausea and vomiting, constriction of pupil,

convulsions may occur in morphine poisoning.

Constipation is a prominent feature. Acute

morphine poisoning is accidental, suicidal or

seen in drug abusers. In the non tolerant adult

50 mg of

intramuscular

morphine

produces serious

toxicity. The

human lethal dose

is assumed to be

around 250 mg.

Stupor or coma, flaccidity, shallow and

occasional breathing , cyanosis, pin point pupil,

fall in blood pressure shock, convulsions may be

seen in few. Death is due to respiratory failure.

Treatment consists of respiratory support and

maintenance of blood pressure. Gastric lavage

should be done with potassium permanganate.

Specific antidote is naloxone. High degree of

tolerance can be developed to morphine if the

drug is used repeatedly. Addicts tolerate

morphine in grams; lethal

dose is markedly increased.

Morphine produces

pronounced physical and

psychological dependence, its

abuse liability is rated high.

Concern about abuse has

been a major limitation in the

use of morphine for chronic

pain when repeated doses

have to be given. Withdrawal of morphine is

associated with marked drug seeking behaviour.

Physical manifestations are - lacrymation

(watering of eyes), sweating, yawning, anxiety,

fear, restlessness, gooseflesh, tremor, insomnia,

abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dehydration, rise in

blood pressure, palpitation and rapid weight

loss. Treatment consists of withdrawal of

morphine and substitution with oral methadone

followed by gradual withdrawal of methadone.

Relapse rate among post addicts is high.



The First Kiss of Sherlock Holmes

"Mister Holmes."

Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant consulting detective, lifted his head in acute interest; I, sitting next to him, glanced upand

stayed in that attitude for a long time. The entering party was a woman, in perhaps her mid-twenties, who, as was the fashion at the moment, had her hair cut asymmetrically and hanging perfectly straight around her face, parted untidily and jagged at the ends. Only the exceptional loveliness of the girl's smooth face and her dazzling smile saved it from being extraordinarily revolting; on another it would have been hideous. I could never understand the fads of the young people these days; they seemed to go out of their way to make themselves hideous and unpresentable. The frock she wore, however, rather rectified the matter of her hair, highlighting her physical

beautyand all in all she was an extremely pretty thing, appealingly attractive and doe-eyed. Holmes, for his part, seemed a little astonished; pretty girls rarely came to him, or at least not to his private quarters.

"Good evening, madam. Come and take a seat."

She obliged, and her slim white hands toyed with her dress, even as her large grey eyes fixed imploringly on Sherlock, who was, at the moment, puffing away in his pipe, creating a "poisonous atmosphere" of tobacco smoke in the room.

"Mister Holmes, I came to ask you forfor a favour." she murmured, her light body leaning forward, the picture of innocence.

Aayam Banerjee is an

investment banker by

profession, and excels at

pretty much everything

that requires brain-work.

After a fair amount of

pleading and nagging by

his wife, Aayam took two

precious hours out of his

busy day and sent us two

stories. We liked them both

too much to publish just

one so here we are. This

is the first story. The

second one follows after

the puzzles section.



Now Sherlock, in his long and illustrious career, had been asked for many, many favours; cautiously, he replied:

"Please proceed, I will definitely help you if it is within my powers."

"Well, I-I need your assistance in a very important matter." Her voice became impossibly soft and girlish; with her eyes cast down so that her lashes whispered against her cheek, she continued:

"My uncle died last week, Mister Holmes, and I I I'm determined to find out who the killer is. You simply have to help meI can't spend the rest of my lifenot knowing"

She would have been, I thought, watching this touching little scene, quite the actress; her histrionic powers were indeed quite inspiring. Quite unmoved, Holmes nodded kindly and murmured:

"Understandable, of course. Pardon, I did not quite catch your name"

"Isabella," she replied. "Isabella Adams, but you must call me Bella. Now, Sir, will you help me?"

"Ah, but Miss Adams, is there not the Scotland Yard? The local police? Why do you see me as your saviour?"

She leant in a little further, until her face was quite close to poor Holmes; stroking

his sleeve, she replied softly:

"Why, Mister Holmes, they say you're terribly clever at solving these crimes "

I do not know which tickled Sherlock more: this stroking of his already unmanageable ego or the fact that a beautiful female was mere inches from him, her hand caressing his arm. Recalling his disposition, I decided in favour of the former.

"Rubbish!" purred Holmes. "This is pure balderdash."

"Now, don't be so modest," she insisted, aiming those eyes directly at him a devastating weapon, I was sure. "Everyone knows how brilliant you are; all I hear is Holmes this and Holmes thatand of course as Dr. Watson

chronicles, you are the best detective in the whole wide world ", her fingers

creeping up his arm.

The girl, this Isabella Adams, had really done her research; at her words Holmes beamed and purred like a schoolgirl complimented on a new dress. "So Mister Holmes, do

you think you could do it? Please? It would be ever such a favourand I'd remember it forever and ever"



Even Sherlock, the sharp and emotionally-detached analytical machine, was overwhelmed by this dexterous combination of flattery and physical attention; no doubt his old blood was pumping fresh again with excitement.

"Well, madam if it must be, it must

be"

"Oh, thank you, Mister Holmes!" cried Bella, and punctuated her statement by kissing the startled Holmes quickly on the lips; I choked into my tea with a mixture of keen amusement at his expression and deep shock. "You're the most marvellous man on earth! Thank you, thank you!"

She nearly danced out of the room, kissing her lovely hand to him once more and

leaving a blushing, rather flustered Holmes in her wake; this had certainly been a singular experience. He turned, and, for a bare moment, met my eyes, staring over the rim of my cup and alight with laughter as they observed the soft red lipstick left on his mouth. His eyes narrowed, and grew stern.

"Not a word, my dear Watson," he said firmly. "Not a word. The girl, she has made a fool of me."

And yet, as we continued our tea in silence, I thought I heard him murmur wistfully:

"Ahwomen "



The Five Orange Pips

How many words can you figure out from the word wheel

given below? The letter in the centre (S) must be used in each

word. Ordinary English words, please.

We will consider you a winner if you can get twenty or more.

Remember, the other puzzles are absolute, so more you score

here, the better.

Have you earned your first pip?

S

h

e

r

l o

c

k

He took an orange from the cupboard, and tearing it to pieces he squeezed out the pips upon the table. Of these he took five and thrust them into an envelope.

- The Five Orange Pips

THE PUZZLES

How well do you know Sherlock Holmes?

This section has five puzzles, each a pip. Needless to say,

each is designed to test your knowledge of our favourite detective.

THE PRIZE

When you solve one puzzle, you earn a pip. If you earn all

five, we award you the title of Pucca Holmesian and put up

your name on our Facebook page for the world to see, as well as in our next issue.

So, rush in your entries to us at [email protected] or [email protected] by August 31, 2013. We shall release the solution on September 1, 2013 on our SHSI page on Yahoo and Facebook.

The first three people to get the right answers will win Sherlockian goodies as well!

Good luck!



How well do you know the

characters in the Sherlock

Holmes stories? Find out if you

can answer each clue...if not,

maybe it is time to re-read the

canon...

Have you earned your

second pip?

Across

8. The Greek Interpreter 10. First victim of Lion's Mane 11. Holmes' disguise as a plumber 12. Sherlock's favourite canine 14. Dr. Watson's wife 15. The cabbie in "A Study in Scarlet" 16. Thief of the Blue Carbuncle 20. Colonel Moran 23. Big brother 25. The banker holding the Beryl Coronet as collateral 29. The Inspector in "The Dying Detective" 30. Sherlock's Norwegian alias 31. Mr. Pike, Gossipmonger 32. The Noble Bachelor 33. Irene Adler's husband

Down 1. Professor Moriarty's brother 2. The doctor fascinated with Sherlock's skull 3. He smashed the Napoleons 4. Black Peter 5. Baron Gruner's nemesis 6. The twins who found the Agra treasure

hidden by their father 7. Dr. Watson 9. The third Garrideb 13. The Inspector in "The Blue Carbuncle"

15. Who was the Crooked Man? 17. He introduced Holmes and Watson 18. Holmes' fake fiance 19. He saved Dr. Watson's life in Afghanistan 21. The murderer of Charles McCarthy 22. The inspector Jones from Scotland Yard

who is "tenacious as a lobster" 24. The Norwood Builder 26. Commissionaire who found the goose with

the stone 27. Professor Coram's wife 28. The Veiled Lodger 29. Holmes' client in The Yellow Face



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