Just a quirk, my dear

“Love has its woes
— the river flows.
A lover grieves
— the tree grows leaves
Betrayal is fate
— the planets rotate...
From Song of the Ruined Boys by Bachchoo
Except for the very unfamiliar or the very well-brought-up, none of my email correspondents bother to begin a missive with “Dear Farrukh/Mr Dhondy/f/etc”. Some begin by omitting “dear” and using my name or initials, some dispense with all introduction and get straight to their point.

Charlie and the Bean

“You can’t take it with you,
All the wise men said
Where you’re going you can’t use it
They meant after you’re dead
I thought they meant money
But, friends, I was wrong
And though I’ve not any
They meant love all along.”
From Rothi Surath by Bachchoo

My nephew was showing me and some friends his favourite comic fights on YouTube (which facility I had heard of but till that moment had thought was spelt “U-Tube” — and now of an instant the narcissism of it came

The lie in libel

“Where Modesty is eloquent,
Humility is drama...”
From Pale Shrieks
by Bachchoo

The law of all countries that respect freedom of speech says that you can’t libel the dead. The law of libel, of which I became aware when working for television, rather than through legal study, in the UK is intended to prevent causing someone harm or distress by questioning or ruining their reputation. This remains true even if the denigration of the person’s character or a description of their behaviour happens to be true.

Interpreter of dreams

“On each blade of grass
The secret of a passing...”
From Koothey-ki-Aulaad
by Bachchoo

I had better describe what Midsomer Murders is before I tell you about the almighty row that has beset the TV show. It’s a murder mystery winner for the Independent Television (ITV) channel. A detective and his sidekick are called in to solve deaths in an English village.