Rahul Singh

in his book Khushwant Singh...in the name of the father

hit the nail on the head when he said that 'Indians, perhaps, do not have an adequate sense of history.' Authentic accounts of India were all given by travellers from other lands who came here. Further, Singh says, 'The most objective and authoritative books, for instance, on eminent Indians have largely been written, not by Indians, but foreigners.

From Breakfast at Tiffany's

Truman Capote's bestseller captivated me. It was not only the complexity of the human beings he has portrayed that captivated me, it was his turn of phrase. Here are some examples:

About the songs Holly Golightly played he says:  'Harsh-tender wandering tunes with words that smacked of piney-woods or prairie.'

The rich, handsome Brazilian whose work was 'obscurely governmental, vaguely important,'.....'was incapable of placing people, selecting a frame for their picture....'

Spring actually come alive in your mind's eye: 'Of the seasons, spring is the most shattering: stalks thrusting through the earth's winter-stiffened crust, young leaves cracking our on old left-to-die branches, the falling-asleep wind cruising through all the newborn green.'

I totally, totally love the way Capote defines Tiffany's - not only for what it is, but for what it stand for, for Holly Golightly.

It (Tiffany's) calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets. If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany's, then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name. (The cat didn't have a name because he didn't belong anywhere, same as the suitcases and unpacked crates in Holly's rooms gave the impression that she was not yet 'home').

Chuffed as chips

I came across this phrase while reading the March newsletter for women writers. You'll find it at https://www.mslexia.co.uk/.

I'd known of the use of 'chuffed,' meaning delighted. 'Chuffed as chips,' caught me. My search led me to a delightful character - Blathers of Animal Crossing. He is an owl scholar. Blathers is an owl with brown feathers. His face is white and he has a yellow beak. His arms are wing shaped and he has yellow talons. His eyes are very big with small black irises. He also has big pink cheek circles on his cheeks. His belly appears to be checkered in diamonds with light brown and white squares. He wears a green bowtie. (http://animalcrossing.wikia.com/wiki/Blathers).

He is the curator of the Faraway Museum, and when City Folk bring a donation to the museum, Blathers will tell you he is 'chuffed as chips.'

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's...

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Am reading this book for the second time. It is incredible how a book looks, feels and reads at different stages of our life.

For sheer power of words, phrases that can paint whole pictures, Marquez is a master craftsman because nothing is more palpable, more real than the immeasurable solitude of his characters.

Don't read it if you are young....wait to grow up so that you get the most out of this book...

The handwritten note...

I subscribe to Daily Writing Tips, and there's always something to learn, everyday...

This one hit me hard, because I remember there was a time when I used to pride myself on writing letters and notes - used to make my letter paper attractive depending on who I was writing to. When my brother was in hostel (AFMC) I used to dip the paws of my dog, Sultan, in ink and send it to him, and I remember his telling me how his friends used to rib him saying 'not only do your parents and sister write to you, but your dog does too!' There were letter papers on which I used to stick dried flowers and leaves, and to some there would be a small drawing in glitter pen or colored felt pens...There was always something to make letter paper attractive and personal. Then I discovered handmade paper which could be personalized too, and I remember my mother getting a letter pad with each sheet dipped in colored ink - there were swirls of colors on each paper forming their own designs...fabulous.

There were also writing instruments that one would collect to use on different paper...the thick-nibbed fountain pen, the dip pen or holder pen,the quill, the calligraphy pen, the felt-tip pen, the rollerball pen, and the different kinds of ballpoint pens...

With email and msging, the handwritten note has all but disappeared. Strangely, beautiful letter paper and small writing cards with exquisite designs are now available in stationery stores.

I was so happy to read this post and want to share it with you. It's at http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-handwritten-note/

While watching the film 'Pretty Woman'...

this phrase caught my fancy - cop a squat. Though I understood the meaning of the word 'cop' from the context, I wanted to know what exactly the word meant. The search opened up a wealth of meanings with 'cop' used in different ways.

Cop means: a) A failure to fulfill a commitment or responsibility or to face a difficulty squarely; b) A person who fails to fulfill a commitment or responsibility; and c) An excuse for inaction or evasion, along with avoid, shirk, skip, dodge, sidestep, skirt round, bypass, steer clear of, evade, escape, run away from, shrink from, slide out of, back out of, pull out of, turn one's back on...

But,

There are also other ways in which cop is used:

Cop a squat means to have a seat, sit down and relax.

In 'cop a look at this' or 'cop one of these' cop means to take.

He'll cop it means he'll be caught or he'll be blamed.

To cop a plea is to plead guilty to a lesser offence to not be tried for a graver charge.

Cop-on is used to mean Irish shrewdness or practical intelligence.

Cop it would mean get into trouble or be killed.

In 'She copped an award for her role in the film,' copped means receive or attain something that is welcome.

Fascinating, wouldn't you say?

From...

The Good Women of China by Xinran

'.......the inertia of tradition made it hard for any one of us to fix on an independent course in life.'

What an expressive phrase! - the inertia of tradition - and so full of meaning...