The Indian Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Whenever I think of the amazing display of reasoning powers of my friend Sherlock Holmes, few cases stand out. I found one of those cases when I was re-visiting my records of our stay in India.

I was hardly half a dozen months after our arrival at the port of Bombay Docs in India. At that time we had settled ourselves in a mid-sized town in Maharashtra region, thanks to the ‘fees’ Sherlock got to stop the investigation case for which we were appointed. In the short period of first two weeks, the ever observing eyes and quick mind of Holmes had recognized the amazing potential of constant supply of challenging criminal cases and the hefty fees both the parties would pay him, one to stop the investigation and the other to carry it on. And as far as I was concerned, it was Holmes who pointed out to me that nobody checks the validity of your degree in India. So, I could easily start and run my clinic here. And so did I. I also owe the ever-increasing stream of patients to the departments of health, food and irrigation of Indian government.

It was a hot afternoon that day. When I rang the bell of Holmes’ flat, a voice belonging to the owner of the flat came to me. It said, “Pray come in, my dear Watson. How did you like your little accident aver the new speed-breaker?”

I was speechless even if I was well-familiar with the ability of deduction of the sharp mind sitting inside the head of my friend. The first thought which crossed my mind, was he must have been watching me from the gallery. But as I stepped in, I saw him coming out of bathroom wrapped in a towel and dripping wet. It was clear that he was taking a bath at the moment I had entered the building compound. Then how did he recognize that it was me, who is standing out of his door? Not only that, but he also knew that I had a misfortune of slipping over the speed breaker on my way here? Smiling at my face expressions, he pointed to a chair to tell me to sit down.

“Friend Watson, I know what you are thinking and I can explain” said he, his eyes twinkling.

to be continued -