No 13018, Wednesday 19 Aug 2020, Gridman

Solution to 29A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS
1   Dates I’ve crushed act as stimulant? Just the opposite (8) SEDATIVE*
5   Preserve business degree-holder in wood (6) EMBALM {E{MBA}LM}
10 One old dictator caught by strange element (7) IRIDIUM {1}{R{IDI}UM}
11 Inside, Tamil leader settles down and writes (7) INDITES {INSIDE+Ta..l}*
12 Take rest after minor snatch (6) KIDNAP {NAP}<=>{KID}
13 By stupid chance, I’m a garageman (8) MECHANIC*
15 Born and died in want (4) NEED {NEE}{D}
16 Soft operation around old music instrument (5-5) FORTE-PIANO {F}{OPERATION}* F for Soft? I thought it's for Loud?

18 Nobleman reported this change accepting red sleepwear (10) NIGHTSHIRT (~knight){NIGHT}{SHI{R}T*}
20 Chatter on fabric endlessly (4) CHIN CHINe
23 Hide thus? (4,4) SHUT AWAY {THUS}* [RA]
24 Prince and the King are hip (6) PELVIS {P}{ELVIS}
26 Urge fee alteration for political exile (7) REFUGEE*
27 Stop mate as there’s shortage in all previous openings (7) STOMATA {STOp}{MATe}{As}

28 White munition merchant is more friendly (6) WARMER {W}{ARMER}
29 Such people have high interest in lending (8) ?S?R?O?S (Addendum - USURIOUS [CD] - See comments))

DOWN
1   Wisecrack’s not in? Bad! Hard to accept! (5,2,4,4) STICK IN ONES CRAW*
2   Shrink, beginning to deny success, led off (7) DWINDLE {Deny}{WIN}{LED*}
3   Clan-based Telangana leader’s almost coarse (6) TRIBAL {Te...a}{RIBALd}
4   Virginia parliamentarian to improvise (4) VAMP {VA}{MP}
6   Part of vessel where the fashionable may be found? (8) MIDSHIPS {HIP} in middle of {SS] Semi&lit
7   Figure’s hugged by woman, one feels (7) ANTENNA {AN{TEN}NA}
8   See! A consortium’s representation is happy to hear (5,2,4,4) MUSIC TO ONES EARS*
9   Straight over to railway reference book (9) DIRECTORY {DIRECT}{O}{RY}
14 Quick-tempered, he’d catch out heartless chief (3-6) HOT-HEADED {H{OuT}{HEAD}ED}
17 Suppress saint’s right view (8) STRANGLE {ST}{R}{ANGLE}
19 More brusque gang leader reportedly more abrasive (7) GRUFFER {Gang}{RUFFER}(~rougher)
21 Try to fill in this slot! (4,1,2) HAVE AGO [CD]
22 Gobble up Dalit leader’s oeuvre endlessly and furiously (6) DEVOUR {Da..t}{OEUVRe*}
25 Goddess loses credit in time of anxiety (4) ISIS crISIS

Reference List
Strange = RUM, Born = NEE, Died = D, Red = R, Prince = P, White = W, Vessel = SS, Over = O, Railway = RY, Saint = ST, Right = R, Credit = CR

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Mr.Sharma was pacing about in his NIGHTSHIRT restlessly. The SEDATIVE he had taken seemed to have had no effect. The room becoming WARMER because of a malfunction in the air-conditioner added to his woe. “I must call the AC MECHANIC in the morning” he said to himself. He then smiled at the incongruity of the thought.  “What is the NEED to plan so, when I am not sure if I will see the sunrise?”  “Would they EMBALM my body or just go through a quick cremation?” was his next thought. He picked up the DIRECTORY, found a number he had not called for over a year and dialled it.  The answering machine at the other end announced in a metallic voice “….is unable to take your call. You may leave a message after the beep”. He wanted to say “I am going. Thanks for sending me to my Maker” but the words became STUCK IN HIS CRAW.

Sharma had made some HOT-HEADED decisions in trying to VAMP his business. He had borrowed heavily from USURIOUS lenders to finance him. The DWINDLing of the returns from the ill-starred venture, forced him to borrow even more, as he thought he should HAVE A GO at resurrecting the business one last time.  He was now being DEVOURed by the vortex of his loans.  He stared at the bleak prospect of being SHUT AWAY in prison. “How I wish they had STRANGLEd me at one go instead of hounding me thus” thought Sharma. He took his Mont Blanc pen with an IRIDIUM nib (that he had used all his life, even to sign those deadly loan agreements) intending to INDITE a farewell note. He sat at the writing desk, chin resting on the palm, thinking of what to write.

At that moment, rang his cell phone with its unique FORTE-PIANO ringtone. Shaken from his black thoughts, he picked up the phone and a GRUFF voice said “Hey, Sharma, didn’t you see the TV news? The Government has just passed the “Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act”.  You are likely to be let off the hook”. This was MUSIC TO Sharma’s EARS.  His gaze fell upon the wall-hanging over the writing desk as he muttered a ‘thank you”. It was a TRIBAL art depiction of the Egyptian goddess ISIS, one with the power of bringing a dead person back to life. Talk of all the coincidences!