The Hindu Business Line : Should we worry about English spelling?

WITH that question begins Vivian Cook's book Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary, from Profile Books distributed in India by Viva (viva@vivagroupindia.net). Probably only one in a hundred people have truly mastered the language that is full of words such as weird and minuscule, ecstasy and recommend, irresistible and embarrass, not counting pronunciation, questionnaire, definitely and millennium.

"English spelling is far more systematic than most people suspect," writes Cook. "The great asset of English has always been its flexibility." So, let us not carp about the fall of the language, he would advise, and his book "celebrates the richness and resourcefulness of English spelling, taking examples from real-life use."

Here's my advice: Reed dhis buk!

Law is everywhere!

A PIECE of law that pervades our lives is the Indian Contract Act. "Everyday, consciously or unconsciously, we enter into a number of agreements," writes G. K. Kapoor in his Lectures on Business and Corporate Laws, published by Vidya Sadan (vidyasadan@hotmail.com). "Have you ever realised that a bottle of soft drink that you purchase gives you certain rights in case the product turns out to be fungus-infested?" But remember, "all agreements are not contractual in nature".

A contract may be discharged by many ways and Kapoor explains with a big organisation chart that has `performance' at one corner and `declaration of war' at the other. There are practical examples, such as this one on A lending a horse to B for "his own riding only". B allows Mrs B to ride the horse, and as destiny would have it, though she rode with care, the poor horse accidentally fell and don't-ask-what-happened-thereafter. If A were to come to you and seek advice on remedy, what would you say? Allow Kapoor to sort out your law tangles.

If you aren't averse to verses...

"UNFOLD the table: cut and deal the cards./It would be perfect, if you only lacked/ that strange hypocrisy: but deal the cards." That's a sampler from `card game', which is among what Dom Moraes has put together in Collected Poems 1954-2004, published by Penguin (www.penguinbooksindia.com). He achieved fame at the age of nineteen with his first book of verse `A Beginning' that went on to win the Hawthornden Prize in 1957. Here's another, from a poem titled, `The Final Word': "Since I was ten I have not been unkind/ to anyone save those who were most close." And another from `A Day in Ayodhya': "Inside the town, the time seems always noon. Around the temples where the cymbals clash/ a swollen sun breeds human stench and flies. Pilgrims stampede towards the guarded gates."

A book for spending solitude better.

Salvation for those in `servuction'

LOOK around and you'll find that services are overtaking manufacturing. You may be good in your chosen area of service; but to help you stay in business, S. Balachandran offers inputs in Customer-driven Services Management, published by Response Books (www.indiasage.com).

There are four categories of services, notes the author: One, production services, such as repairs, maintenance and transportation of goods, "growing almost at the same rate as industry". Two, business services, such as banking, insurance, advertising, accounting, finance, market research, credit cards, software and so on, "growing at rates faster than industry" and you can see most of them coming under the tax net too. Three, consumer services, as for example healthcare, travel, leisure, beauty, entertainment, information, investments, education, consultancy and brokerage. And four, public administration and defence. If you're in `servuction' (opposite of production!) do yourself some service with Balachandran's help.

Faster, higher, stronger

CITIUS, Altius, Fortius. The Olympic motto, "faster, higher, stronger", was approved in 1897. It was adapted from Citius, Fortius, Altius, the motto of Friar Didon's college at Arceuil, near Le Havre. Thus informs The Rupa Olympic Games Fact Book by Charanpal Singh Sobti, from Rupa & Co. In the 1900 games in Paris, "India became the first Asian nation to take part in the Olympics." Buffalo meat was the sole fare on the menu of 1904 Olympics, and it was "unpalatable for the Europeans so they survived largely on boiled potatoes and milk".

An example of the US' serious approach to training for the 1924 games was the carrying out of sessions aboard the transatlantic liner taking athletes to Europe. A section titled `discontinued sports' notes that cricket was included once in 1900, and so was golf. A book to mull till the next event.

Tailpiece

"What's one plus one?"

"Two point two, including a 10 per cent tax on computing service."

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

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