Every year, thousands of characters are formulated, some are loved, some are hated, some are dismissed, some are complex, some are comical, some are for kids, some for grown-ups and some are legends. The bulk of all fictional characters are soon replaced by new, more modern fictional personalities because they are too pedestrian, they do not have a deep impact on the readers. They soon fade out, and are forgotten. There are precious little who are legends, who transcend centuries and are admired universally. Recently, the genre of crime fiction has begun to fascinate me. So with plenty of spare time this winter break, I decided to review one of the books in the Sherlock Holmes series. But I was perplexed as I oscillated between which book to choose, as they each had their own sublime plots and were equally intriguing. So, I began to wonder about the one item in all the books which rendered them unique. It soon dawned upon me that the real reason was because of the protagonist himself! In a time and age in which modern technology becomes redundant in a matter of months, this luminary has left such a profound impact on the readers and non-readers alike, that he is still regarded as a paragon of crime detection, even after a century. And so, after much deliberation, the idea flashed to dedicate an article to this king of crime fiction, instead of limiting myself to a book review. With 60 fantastic stories, Sherlock Holmes never fails to captivate the reader with his superb deduction skills and his shrewd thinking. With a unique personality, this stolid and astute detective is infallible. He is a boxer, singlestick (fighting or fencing with a wooden stick or sword held in one hand) player, an expert violin player and much more. Until the end of a mystery, he remains reticent and does not explain his actions or thought process. His companion, Dr. Watson, was often lucky even when he just told him where they were going. One of his eccentricities is that though he is a master at everything he does, he seems to be indisposed to learning anything which does not relate to his profession. Watson puts his ignorance like this, with devastating accuracy: “His ignorance was just as remarkable as his knowledge.” The most fascinating fact for me is that he is oblivious to the basic fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun, and that even though Dr. Watson told him, he does his best to forget it. He is afraid that his brain will get crowded with superfluous information and he will forget the things that matter to him. Though the police force is always there to officially investigate a crime scene, their investigation seems amateurish compared to Sherlock Holmes. The former can only stand by as an audience as the unofficial detective punctiliously closes his nets around the murderer in a matter of days. He loves to take on the daunting prospect of dealing with Mephistophelean forces, while belittling the police force the whole time. He chaffs the police, and looks at their futile attempts to solve a mystery in disdain. While reading his books, I was imbued with admiration for Holmes’s “Theory of Deduction.” It is a quintessential part of his genius. In a nutshell, he “works backwards.” If you give most people the events, they can usually figure out the end result. But, if you give Sherlock Holmes the end result he can work backwards and figure out the turn of events which led to that result. This theory is the underlying principle for solving any mystery. Even though contemporary crimes, such as cybercrime are harder to track, and modern techniques are now used, Holmes’s “Theory of Deduction” always holds true. The theory is actually, as Holmes says, “simplicity itself.” He uses his meticulous observations, which we see but consider unimportant, like variables in a sum, which all add up to the end result (the crime). He figured out that his friend Watson was sitting in a cab (a horse-drawn carriage with no doors) with someone else, as there was mud on only one side of his trousers, so he couldn’t have sat in the middle. Therefore, there was another person with him in the cab. His seemingly endless knowledge helps him deduce where people had been, how old a piece of parchment was just by looking at one corner of it, he can decode a message without a key, a whole mystery without moving from his chair, he can solve the most singular case with barely any evidence, and I could keep on going on forever. This concept is very basic, and yet is the backbone for all of his deductions. While reading his books, I really feel that Arthur Conan Doyle has brought a really illustrious character to life. This article is meant as a tribute for the exalted duo of Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Ideas
I sighed, a blank sheet of paper before me. It was almost as blank as my head at that moment. One article every month. I had taken for granted that I could keep on travelling to get ideas. But ever since unpredictable COVID lockdowns began, that had gone. We could not plan anything especially to coincide with my term breaks. No planes took off from the airport, border-crossing was allowed with strict quarantine restrictions. In other words, we were pretty much stuck. Had I known, this would also halt the stream of ideas entering my head, I would have started scavenging for them long ago. ‘Travelogues,’ the word repeatedly entered my head a million times. These had been the beating heart of my articles. I could explore new cultures, behold wonders of the world, roam wherever I felt, learn about history and much more about a country and I loved every bit of it. But now I struggled in vain to find a topic. The media is replete with articles – so many magazines, books, periodicals, papers, Internet; so of course there are a plethora of topics one could write about but yet I struggled to get even one idea. I realised that when one door closes, another opens. It finally dawned upon me how closed-minded I had been. Travelogues had been my comfort-zone. I knew how to write them, what their structure was, how to look for information etc. New ideas barely trickled into my mind. At first it seemed an impossible task, my thoughts constantly coming back to travelling. This was the key. I knew exactly what to write about: how to get ideas, because I am sure that many people have been in the same position as me, and it is very stressful. What are ideas? An idea is like the ignition to a creation. Even the smallest spark can get you on your way. Ideas could be anything under the sun. They help you in everything you do. The conceptualisation of an idea, whether it is for an article, an idea for solving your math problems, an idea for a new rocket design is the foundation for everything we do. That is the reason for which they are so important. Without an idea, no matter how big or small, you will get nowhere. But how do we get them? This is a seemingly complex question, though actually, it is easier than you may think. Of course, there seems to be no dearth of topics to choose from – this is evident from the plethora of articles being written everyday in newspapers, magazines, Internet media, blogs, etc. But the best ideas come from our own experiences. We may be young, but we go through a myriad of different emotions, feelings and experiences every day. There are many topics which we care about which is evident from the fact that we get happy, angry, relieved, sad throughout the day when we hear, see or experience our environment on a daily basis. These topics or experiences can subtly alter our lifestyle. If you have had a thought provoking experience, these thoughts and experiences can turn out to make some of the most powerful articles. A lot of authors are inspired from their experiences and use them in their books. So that is an excellent way to find some inspiration for ideas, and I hope it helps, because it has helped me a lot in this article as well.
Switzerland Travelogue
SWITZERLAND TRAVELOGUE Country: Switzerland Capital: Bern Main Languages Spoken: German (Swiss German), Italian, French Currency: Swiss franc (CHF) Lake Bachalpsee Switzerland is renowned globally for watches, cheese, chocolate, fondue, precision, engineering, cows, milk, etc., but its primary attraction are its skiing slopes. Though tourists flock to Switzerland in winter, in summertime the slopes of the Alps transform into some of the most beautiful hikes ever. As I am about to leave for Germany, I felt that it would only be befitting to reminisce about this gorgeous country I have enjoyed for 4 years. Switzerland has many beautiful villages, snuggled in valleys or tucked away high up in the mountains, each of them offering its own characteristics, but my top destinations are the Jungfrau region and Zermatt.: The villages of Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren in the Jungfrau region …..— Grindelwald is surrounded by lush, green meadows and famous for its outstanding views of Mount Eiger. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are the famous trio of mountain peaks in the Jungfrau region and have attracted many tourists and mountaineers for years. To conquer the northern face of the Eiger, with its vertical drop of more than 1600 metres, has always been a dream for mountaineers across the world. Just outside the village is the Glacier Canyon (Gletscherschlucht), a deep gorge with the roaring Lutschine river flowing through it. The walkway made through the gorge, though seemingly treacherous, is an experience. The gorge was once a glacier. Over the decades all the ice has melted and has left behind this gorge and the river. Here are some great hikes that you can take from Grindelwald: Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is a fantastic hike — As the gondola drops you off at Männlichen, an incredibly beautiful panorama unfolds, the Grindelwald valley on one side and the snow peaks at eye level on the other side. After playing in the most unique play area we started our picturesque hike to Kleine Scheidegg. The route is called Panoramaweg. We completed the hike in about two hours and throughout this time we could see the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau right in front of us. First to Lake Bachalpsee — also accessible by a gondola from Grindelwald, this is also a great hike. All the way up you can see cows grazing at high altitudes and one can hear the cowbells throughout. First has loads of adventure activities, a kids play area and of course hiking options. The initial part of the hike is a bit steep and it takes about 1 hour to hike one way to the lake but is totally worth it. The glacial water lake hypnotises you with its beautiful setting amidst the snow clad Alps. While sitting in this heavenly place and enjoying picnic we heard the soothing music of an Alp(en)horn. Wengen and Murren, two pedestrian villages can be accessed from Lauterbrunnen. These villages are at a high altitude and offer fantastic eye-level views of the snow caps. Wengen has a population of 1300 year round residents which swells to 5,000 in summer and 10,000 in winter! Wengen hosts the Lauterbrunnen ski races of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and is a very popular ski resort. Easily reached by a train ride from Lauterbrunnen, the best views are from the Wengen town church and the station. The pedestrian village of Murren is accessed by a gondola from Lauterbrunnen and then a short train ride. This 15-20 minute train ride has unparalleled views to any other train journey I have undertaken and passes through forests and snow peaks. One can also hike to Murren from Grutschalp instead of taking the train. The hike takes you through Alpine forests, a walk with the cows grazing right next to you, and a fabulous view the whole way through. Another great destination in a different part of Switzerland is the pedestrian village of Zermatt. This village is famous for its views of the famed Matterhorn peak, which is the inspiration for the shape of the Toblerone chocolate. The Matterhorn, on the border of Switzerland and Italy, is a stand-alone and a perfect pyramid shaped mountain making it a spectacle. From Zermatt, the Gornergrat railway runs up to the Gorner glacier which offers panoramic view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains. On the way it stops at a small lake, which on a sunny day offers fantastic views of the Matterhorn, which is perfectly reflected in the lake. While in Switzerland during the summer months, one must not miss the High Alpine Drive that passes through the Grimsel Pass and Furka Pass. Also a famous motorbiking route, it is only open in the summer months. The drive takes you through lakes, lush greenery, snow-capped peaks and glaciers on the way with ample opportunities to stop for picnics and photo shoots. Here are some interesting records Switzerland holds, which corroborate the fact that Swiss engineering, when it comes to mountain transport is unbeatable. Jungfraujoch — Highest railway station in Europe Pilatusbahn — The steepest cogwheel train in the world. Stoosbahn — The steepest funicular in the world. Gotthard Tunnel — The longest (16 Km) and most expensive tunnel in the world. For kids who love nature, Switzerland boasts a wide variety of unique things for kids do. Interlaken, a bustling, noisy town is outstanding if you want to paraglide and literally be ‘on top of the world’. You can paraglide here from the age of 5! Paragliding here is one of my most treasured experiences. From that height in the air you can see the two lakes Interlaken is flanked by— Brienz and Thun. Another fun experience is the Brunni Tickle Path. Here, you go barefoot around a small lake walking over different surfaces which include grass, wood, leaves, stones, cold water and even cow dung! You would want to do this loop again and again with your feet sensing different surfaces every one minute. Near the Tickle Path there is also a toboggan,
