Friday 22 October 2021

No 13383, Friday 22 Oct 2021, Sunnet

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ACROSS
1   Link note to former (6) RELATE {RE}{LATE}
4   Remove unknown abrasive (8) SCRATCHY {SCRATCH}{Y}
10 Somehow change current unit inside a toaster? (9) CHAMPAGNE {CH{AMP}AGNE*}
11 Pose with hollow air instrument (5) SITAR {SIT}{AiR}
12 Teams strategic dialogue which includes India (5) SQUAD {'S}{QUAD}
13 Storytellers quickly moved back with artist to the upper house (9) NARRATORS {RAN<=}{RA}{TO}{RS}
14 Not in favour of strong move over preserving visibility (4-3) ANTI-FOG {ANTI}{F}{GO<=}
16 Colour of map in Kindle (4) PINK [T]
19 Grain I lost in jungle (4) MAZE MAiZE
21 Probationer’s part in ape’s transformation (7) PAROLEE {PA{ROLE}E*}
24 A position had some significance for deserters (9) APOSTATES {A}{POST}{ATE}{Si...e}
25 Film where doctor avoids maid in Mumbai (5) BAMBI {BA{MB}I}
26 Phoney Guru hugged young Chinese national (5) UYGUR {U{Y}GUR*}
27 Fix duct for dental procedure (4,5) ROOT CANAL {ROOT}{CANAL}
28 Made listener join again (8) REENLIST*
29 Finishes with zero wickets and leaves (6) ENDOWS {END{0}{W}S}

DOWN
1   Transport for Richard, the Mumbai opener (8) RICKSHAW {RICK}{SHAW}
2   Result in captain having till... (4,2,2) LEAD UP TO {LEAD}{UPTO}
3   Bound to initially copy and then delete (5) TAPED {To}{APE}{D} 
5   Explain Shakespearean character breaking a drinking vessel (5,2) CLEAR UP {C{LEAR}UP}
6   He stays away from Jack’s teacher without reading (9) ABSTAINER {AB'S}{TrAINER}
7   Fibre bed’s the current fashion (6) COTTON {COT}{TON}
8   It represents the tree of knowledge. Why? At the end, it has pain (1-5) Y-CROSS {whY}{CROSS}
9   Drink gone bad? Add a drop of ginger and some grape-juice (6) EGGNOG {E{Gi...r}{Gr...e}NOG*}
15 Relating to breaking French law on river (9) FRACTURAL {FR}{ACT}{URAL}
17 Angry duck/bird (8) FLAMINGO {FLAMING}{0}
18 Transports very fresh lichees (8) VEHICLES {V}{LICHEES*}
20 Obtains money from old wrongdoings (7) EXTORTS {EX}{TORTS}
21 Not a drop over a plunger (6) PISTON {NOT}{SIP}<=
22 Raja guaranteed to trap an animal (6) JAGUAR [T]
23 Go and tune out speech (6) TONGUE (GO+TUNE}*
25 Philosopher’s company in bar (5) BACON {BA{CO}N}

Reference List
Note = RE, Unknown = Y, Artist = RA, Upper House = RS(Rajya Sabha), Strong = F, Maid in Mumbai = BAI, Young = Y, Wickets = W, Jack = AB, Delete = D, Reading = R, French = FR, Very = V


TalePiece
By Dr RKE

S.N.Banerjee, the aging  SITAR maestro sits cross-legged on a PINK COTTON chaddar, in his crumbling ancestral house in Shyambazaar area of Calcutta (calling it Kolkata would be alien to my TONGUE).   What brings me all the way from Britain is that I have been enamoured by a TAPED recording of his concert in London in the late sixties. SCRATCHY as the recording was, it was enough to make me take this pilgrimage. Used to the comfort of my JAGUAR back home, it is a  bone-breaking ride on a RICKSHAW through the MAZE of Old Calcutta streets, with people and vehicles going in all directions at once.   The rickshaw-wala extorts a huge sum from a gora like me. The wooden stairs that LEAD UP TO his room are creaky. All these minor irritations are immaterial, for now I am here in front of the man himself.

 

I hear him CLEAR UP his throat and I am all agog to listen to him talking about his music. His assistant (I suppose, a student who doubles as a Man Friday) whispers in my years “baba has had a ROOT CANAL treatment this morning and is observing silence today, but he will play for you”. Some solace that. The perfectionist player that he is, Banerjee takes what seems an age to tune his sitar to the perfect pitch. He begins in Bilaskhani Thodi pondering over every single note. My mind RELATEs to what Francis BACON said “the job of the artiste is always to deepen the mystery”.

 

I close my eyes and allow the music to fill my being. I am transported to another world- now on the Rann of Kutch at sunset by a placid lake, an EGGNOG in my hand,  with FLAMINGOs dancing with their partners, now in the grape gardens of La ValĂ©e de la Marne, the CHAMPAGNE region of France (never mind the noisy SQUAD of Japanese tourists) and where have you? After working up to a crescendo, he ends his virtuoso performance for an audience of one. Although a life-long ABSTAINER, I can see this is far more satisfying, relaxing and enriching than the ‘high’ from the best wine or spirit. No word has been said but his music has said it all. I gesture a Namaste and leave quietly, wondering what ENDOWS his music that soul-filling quality. I am still searching for the answer.

 

Nicholas Fisher

Music critic, The Times, London

81 comments:

  1. Very teasing except for 4a. A-VM!

    ReplyDelete

  2. 19a: MAZE - jungle {maize -i}
    28a: REENLIST - join again {listener*}
    18d: VEHICLES - transports {v{lichees}*}
    20d: EXTORTS - obtains money {ex+torts}
    22d: JAGUAR - animal [T]

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  3. 23d: TONGUE - speech ( go + tone )

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  4. 26a:UYGUR - Chinese National (y + guru)

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  5. 27a: ROOT CANAL - dental procedure

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  6. 4a SCRATCHY: abrasive
    Scratch(remove)y( unknown)
    11a SITAR: instrument
    Sit(pose)ar(hollow air)
    16a PINK: colour
    ma(P IN K)indle
    5d CLEAR UP:explain
    C(Lear)upLear( Shakespearean character breaking cup( drinking vessel)
    19a MAZE: jungle
    Maize - i


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  7. 16a: PINK - color (maP IN Kindle)

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  8. 25 D
    Philosopher is Bacon
    Bar = Ban with company = co

    Ba (co) n

    27 A
    Fix= root
    Duct = canal

    Dental procedure = root canal

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  9. A much simpler version by Sunnet. Yet teasing as sree_sree puts it. Enjoyed thoroughly

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  10. 25a:BAMBI - DOCTOR (MB), maid in Mumbai(BAI)

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  11. ,24A
    (Apos)tates is deserters

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    Replies
    1. A post (position) ate (had) s (some significance) - APOSTATES

      Delete
  12. Ortho Paul
    15d. FRACTURAL..FR(ench) act Ural
    28ac. REENLIST..LISTENER*
    18D. VEHICLES.. v(ery) lichees*
    9d. EGG NOG..G(inger)& G(rape) in gone*
    11ac. SITAR..SIT A(I)R

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  13. 21 D
    Plunger is piston

    A drop = sip <= and not anagram
    Not

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  14. 16.ac.Pink -p from map, in, and k from kindle
    19.ac.Maze - grain= maize - i = jungle
    22.dn.Jaguar ja from raja and guar from guaranteed
    28.ac.reenlist rearranging letters from listener
    23.dn.tongue - rearranging letters from go,and tune

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  15. Ortho Paul
    Replacements
    1d. RICKSHAW..RICK(Richard) SHAW (MI OPENER)
    10ac. CHAMPAGNE..AMP (current unit) in change*

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  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  17. Ortho Paul
    Replacement
    2d.LEAD UP TO..lead(captain) up to (till)

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  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  19. 21 a probationars part in apes transformation part is role . With ape it becomes parolee which means probationer

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  20. 6D is Abstainer = he stays aeay
    Teacher without reading is trainer without r = tainer
    Jack's = abs
    Abs + tainer = Abstainer

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  21. 19A-MAZE(Maize-I) =Jungle
    20D-EXTORTS; old =Ex; wrongdoings=Torts

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  22. 1a-RELATE=link: Note => Re; Former=late
    13a-NARRATORS=Storytellers: NAR from quickly moved(=Ran) back; Artist => RA; TO; Upper House => Rajya Sabha ( RS)
    17d-FLAMINGO => Bird: Angry=Flaming; Duck =>O

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  23. sree_sree. You have not answered my question. What is A-VM?

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  24. 3d-TAPED=Bound: To initially=>T; APE = Copy; D(elete)?

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  25. 1A. Note = re. Former = late. So link = relate.
    10A. Current unit = amp. Somehow change = chahne. So ch-amp-agne = champagne = toaster (sort of)
    12A. Strategic = S. Dialogue which includes India = quad. So s-quad = squad = team

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. 1d Rickshaw mumbai opener k shah and ric from richard

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  28. 14A ANTI FOG (DD)
    29A ENDOWS=leaves: end+o+ws
    7D COTTON=Fibre cot(bed)+t(he)+on(current fashion)

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  29. Loved the toaster-took a while.
    Thank you Ramesh for the double delight. See you tomorrow!

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  30. 1a - (RE)(LATE)
    Note - RE
    Former - LATE

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  31. 8d. Y-CROSS: tree of knowledge ( the tree on which Jesus Christ was believed to have been crucified. Y comes from its forked shape).
    It symbolises sin which ends with Christ's suffering at the Calvary.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for all the details. Did not know thisin spite of studying in a Christian Missipnary school.

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    2. The missionary schools do not tell us about Y-cross and all. The usual plus shape only we see everywhere. These things I came to know during my casual reading later.

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  32. 8d I think the question why? In the clue indicates Y.

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  33. 8d pain is a synonym for cross.
    Sorry for annotating in instalments.

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  34. 14a, 7d and 21d still need correct anno's.

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  35. 14A ANTI-FOG; preserving visibility; ANTI= not in favour; F= strong; GO <= = move over

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  36. 21D-piston -plunger; drop -sip reverse pis; over ton reverse of not; over is reversal indicator

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  37. 7D yet to be solved. Correcte anno for 29A pending

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  38. 21A parolees - part - role + ape

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  39. 29A Finishes = ENDS with ( inclusion indicator ) zero = O, Wickets , gives {END{O}{W}S} which is Leaves

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  40. Leaves as in " leaves in his will " or endows

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  41. 7d ton
    fashionable style or distinction.
    "riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket—one had to have ton"
    fashionable society.
    noun: the ton
    "it is the most elegant establishment and half the ton was there"

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  42. New to me. I was wondering about the 2nd T.

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  43. Patience brings its own gifts. I waited for Col.'s blog and opened. Lo & Behold! What a gift from our very own Tale Piece Maestro!!
    A doubt though- I am not able to find where the original author's piece ends and where Dr.RKE's Tale begins. It is one thing to write a tale but totally another to weave today's solutions so cannily to fit into a quote. Hats off!

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  44. 🙏 Dr RKE for his "Tale"piece!
    The pun in the title reminded me of an old joke.
    A man was undecided on his future career - Hairdresser or Author?
    So he tossed a coin - HEADS or TALES!

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  45. Replies
    1. No. Col. has a picture of one of the theme words.

      Delete
  46. Sanjay Subrahmanyan linked Hypatia's crossword from yesterday (21st Oct 2021) 8n his FB page..interesting read

    https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5006892005990907&id=233353576678131&sfnsn=wiwspwa

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  47. Thanks all for your appreciation and encouragement. Thanks to Col for putting the tale up not minding my long absence. Will certainly do these but may not be daily. 🙏

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    Replies
    1. Nice to read your Tale Dr. After completion of my Grid I used to read your tale with relax . Have a gr8 day.

      Delete
  48. All characters in the tale are imaginary, of course

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  49. Col has nicely weaved in EGGNOG, which I hadn't included

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