Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Indian Vampire
The recent surge of interest in Sherlock Holmes (seen via recent books and movies ) reminded me of my own memories about the star detective. When the TV series came on Doordarshan I was too young to understand any of it. Later when I was older, my dad bought me the entire Holmes collection. Even though half the stories had references to all kinds of ancient British terms that made no sense to me, I read on. The idea that people the victims knew (like their step-father) could put on a wig and some makeup and yet fool them completely seemed very far-fetched (note that such great makeup was a recurring theme in many of the stories) but I thought, hey, if everyone else who read the books considered it believable, maybe makeup could be that good. Looking back, I think back then I was like the crowd in that fairy tale about the emperor’s new clothes, you know one of those guys who just like whatever it is that is acclaimed! Or to quote the wise Calvin who told Hobbes, “You know how peopl...