I am a retired Colonel from the Indian Army. Basically I am an engineer but had turned into an English teacher during my retired life. Have evolved a new method of teaching English for learners from non-English speaking countries consequent to my extensive research on English grammar.

What’s wrong with the Catholic churches and their priests? Day in and day out, we read in the papers that a particular priest molested some young girls, one Fr sexually abused some 200 deaf boys. Recently there was a news in Chennai, India that a Fr had misbehaved with an young girl somewhere in the USA. And he ha... continue reading

1. We can divide every English sentence into two parts; Grammar part and Meaning part. The Grammar part will have just 3 elements – Subject, Auxiliary, Verb. And the meaning part - Object and. or Complement which may be in any combination. It is the O/C parts that will contain the full meaning of the sentence whil... continue reading

                  Introduction

          There is much confusion in the mind of English users,  including top notch writers,  about Adjectives and Adverbs.  To ... continue reading

The IT companies and Call centres may have given tremendous financial prosperity to many youngster in India. But they have also forced several young men and women to part ways.

Once upon a time, marriage was considered a life time commitment to each other. Some sixty or seventy ye... continue reading

      The title “dear” is very common  in the West according to my  knowledge. Possibly it is used mostly for ladies;  ladies well known to you for that matter,  and not for every one.
 
            Whereas i... continue reading

             I am sure you would have heard about ‘pay toilets’ and also used it once in a while.  You won’t find them in small towns and villages in India.  Even in the cities they will be seen only in some Government buildings.  Just to tell... continue reading

         Imagine, you are walking on a city road all by yourself.  You see an young  woman coming towards you from the opposite direction and  is very close to you.  Would you look at her somewhat intently or close your eyes until she passes by? Now, be hone... continue reading

 
         The other day I saw a well dressed man urinating into the sewage canal right in  broad day light..
 
             “Shame on you.  Civilised persons don’t do it?” I conveyed to him point ... continue reading

 
             Isn’t it strange that   while most  school children detest Monday mornings  because they have to go to school after a hectic week end, they look forward to the re-opening day after the dog days’ summer vacation?
 ... continue reading

           The other evening Victor charged into his house blowing fire and smoke while his wife stood wondering what could have happened.  Meantime, Victor was throwing curses at himself, “How stupid of me … How stupid…”

 
     ... continue reading

 That news item that early  morning captured my attention whole sale and pinned it to my mind like a darted pin. Some British office workers have debated if they should kiss their customers or shake hand with them. After a serious discussion, they had  decided  in favour of  the handshake.
&nb... continue reading

          Well, according to the Darwin theory, the human race is supposed to be the descendants of monkeys through the evolution process. In which case, why do monkeys exist even now and  continue to  multiply  as fast as the human beings? Could Mr. Darwin ... continue reading

Right from my school days I had a great fascination for monkeys, at  their way of playing and fighting etc. Whenever there was a monkey show on the  roadside  I just couldn’t help stopping and watching the drama or skit executed by them.  One monkey charmer had trained his pet monkeys to play  ... continue reading

           Fasting is one of the most popular forms of democratic protests in India.  The late Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is perhaps the originator of this modus operandi
 
           Several leade... continue reading

         I don’t know about your country but in my India and in my Metropolitan city in particular, I am totally  disenchanted with the services provided by various tradesmen, such as plumbers, signboard writers, shoe repairers, tailors and so on. It’s equally  unfort... continue reading

           A man keeps his hair according to the existing style when young and according to the existing hair when old.  True or not?
 
           Most men start losing hair when they cross 40. It then picks ... continue reading

           I was sure I hadn’t made any grammatical blunder when I said, “Collins told me to report here, Sir.”  Collins, a British national, happened to be the Vice Principal of my college.
           My English... continue reading

A Land mark
One of the important landmarks in Madras city, India, is, "St. Thomas Mount" at the southern most end of the city, near the airport. It is a small hill feature about 300 feet high (91 meters). It was on this hill that Thomas Didymus, one of the disciples of Lord Jesus Christ, was killed in the year... continue reading

           Ah,  here is 14 February ! Another  Valentine’s day for the year 2008.  The world celebrates this day by sending cards, flowers and gifts to their lovers.

 
           But I wonder ho... continue reading

         Some small incidents or encounters during your young age life, have a tremendous influence on your behaviour, philosophy of life, decision making etc in your later life. They become your guide stars too.  Sometimes, they shape your future life completely by leading ... continue reading

            Call it a good or bad  or an  undesirable habit. But I can’t give  up  the practice of  stopping someone on a public road and talking with him.  “An instant friendship maker” kind of strategy.

 
   ... continue reading

            I am  inclined to pen this article, having read REECE PEACOCK ‘s piece in the Cheers about the second test match currently in progress in Australia between India and Australia.            I... continue reading

          What  is the hall mark of an honest person?  Answers  may vary. But according to me it is,  “To say what  he/she means”.  This axiom could be put in different forms as well such as, Be truthful, don’t back-bite, be completely sincere, ... continue reading

             Are  you really allergic to the figure Thirteen?  According to my information, people in most parts of the world consider 13 as an  unlucky fellow. Some people wouldn’t start any new venture on  the  13th. And  a ... continue reading

   
       The world has been always on a ‘trend change’ mode for centuries.  Such changes don’t come about overnight but in small doses over a period of time.
 
           Several new trends in the past in  ... continue reading

            There !  The scientific community of our planet are on their  warning mission once again.. The latest one is for the Lap top users. Their research has revealed that the heat produced by the laptops kept  balanced on your lap,  coul... continue reading

          She was in the world of films.  For how long, one wouldn’t know without some research !  She is reasonably pretty, but prettiness isn’t the only criterion to get a role in a film.  Indian  cinema is a highly competitive business and one can’t ... continue reading

               I am sure you too would have harboured some desires in your heart some time or the other  but felt helpless  to execute them.
 
           Take me for instance:&n... continue reading

Tamil, one of the 15 major languages of India, has borrowed many words from other languages, Sanskrit and English, in particular. These have been accepted with slight changes here and there. But one English word  - ADJUSTMENT- has stuck to the younger generation without any shift whatever but with a new meani... continue reading

         If you are an unmarried young woman from India, read this article because it is meant primarily for you.  
         Cheer up, my girl. Something good is going to happen to you.  You don’t have to consider yourself... continue reading

       As a retired man and since I have plenty of time on hand, I read through the daily newspaper from the first line to the last.  And that includes all the advertisements.  Of the hundreds of Ads for job placements, half of them happen to be  the “ Walk in Interview... continue reading

          Once upon a time in India, ‘cooking’  used to be the  prerogative  of a woman.  In that era, a veteran bachelor got married only  for one main purpose – to eat   home cooked food. But not so these days. Many men are deep into the ... continue reading

          Here is  a  small riddle for you.  Try to get at the answer.
          It’s a disease and yet not a  disease in the technical sense.  If you sit next to a person affected by it you too may con... continue reading

 
           You have felt often dejected and despaired and rejected by many people around you all because nobody knows you by name or your designation.  Right or not?
 
           No one respects you;&... continue reading

 
               Yesterday I heard an alarming news on the TV.  The ratio of Male to Female is terribly on the decline.  In several Indian States, for every 1000 male members, the female number is somewhere  between  815 to ... continue reading

 
           Have you come across any anti-socials in your life?  There are millions of them in the world, you know?   Among them is, a Romeo.  Agreed?
 
           “How to catch a practi... continue reading

 
        I don’t know why our Indian Government is after smokers ! Poor chaps. Some years back, the Finance Minister was so wild with these fellows that he  kept increasing the duty on cigarettes year after year until the price became unaffordable even for a well off ... continue reading

            I felt a jolt when Bob threw this question at me?  Bob is my morning-walk-companion.
 
            “Don’t be silly man, I know  nothing about the planets and stars. And you want me... continue reading

                                   WANNA  BE   AN   ASTROLOGER?
 
        &nbs... continue reading

Do you know, till some 80-90 years back, people used  a quill pen for writing? The quill was taken from the back of a porcupine.  I wonder how they managed to pluck it away from this animal.;  probably after killing the poor thing. The quill was a colourful looking stem, about 7 inches long and &nbs... continue reading

I had been asking the same question daily on rising from my bed. "At what time did Dolfy return home last night?"
 
"Very late.  Around midnight. But, today at 5.30 this morning," my wife answered that particular morning..
 
Isn't this too much to swallow for any father? 
 
"It's all yo... continue reading

 
            Is there anyone who doesn’t want to lead a long life on our planet earth?  Only a madcap would say that he would love to die around 23 years of age.  What about others?  Well, that include you and me.
 
   &n... continue reading

                        
          Some fifty years back, India introduced the Lottery system  to enable the federal States  raise their own mon... continue reading

We are living in an era of changes and  frequent changes for that  matter !.
 
      You know some 20 years back, we had a great novelty called “Video Cassette recorder/player”.  It was a revolutionary thing indeed and a prestige symbol at that. What happened to it? ... continue reading

The roads in all the Indian Metropolitan cities are flooded with people for at lest 20 hours in a day. So, Chennai which is my city of residence is no exception to this rule.  Often I have wished and also imagined a road without people.  When would it be? Would it ever happen at all ! And my dream came true o... continue reading

When Shakespeare wrote that  “The world loves a lover”, he must have had in mind a typical beach side panorama.  I am not talking about the vast ocean outline you watch standing at the shore but at the people who throng the grand beach every evening. 
 
We have in Chennai, India, one of the fines... continue reading

Some three or four hundred years back, a marriage in India was solemnized at a very early age. Possibly the girl was five and the boy seven or eight.  The concerned mothers told their offspring at an age of understanding as to who she/had been married to.
 
When education started taking root in the last 100... continue reading

              No, there is no spelling mistake in the title.  It is very much ‘dols’ and not ‘dolls’. And surely you would very much like to know what a DOLS is.              Isn’t it extraordinary th... continue reading

I am sure you have lent something or other, some time or other to somebody or other, during your lifetime.  Have all the lent out items come back to you? Very unlikely.  Some would seldom return to you.
 
On several occasions I never got back my match box when I used to be a smoker years back.  Th... continue reading

                               
Have any of your jokes, given out in a social party, backfired on you with some force?  Perhaps, an offended person thrashed y... continue reading

                               THE   GREAT    PLAYWRIGHT
 
         Have any of your jokes, ... continue reading

   

 

Do you believe in reincarnation of souls and a new physical life on the Earth after your current life? Well, nearly 80% of our population in India do believe in the cycle of births and rebirths; and after a particular death, one would reach Heaven and merge with God Himself.  I kno... continue reading

They do, according to me. I cannot say for sure if they indulge in this game with other horses but certainly they display it in full measure with the human beings especially the novice riders, as witnessed by me early last Wednesday morning.

I saw a young man, dressed in full breeches, Wellington shoes, spur... continue reading

 
What will you do when you have nothing to do for a few hours or when you are bored to death, not knowing how to spend the next couple of hours?  Most of the time, you will get out and go for a walk.  Some times walking can be monotonous, too.  What do you do then?  Many people may return hom... continue reading

                                     
 The New Trends
  
The world has been on a "trend change" mode for centuries.&n... continue reading

THE GRAND  CEASEFIRE
 
Prodigies are born only once in a while and they are identified right in the Primary school level itself.  But Mona, a Baby class kid, was spotted out not for her brainpower but for her talkativeness in the Little Angels' Nursery school.
 
In course of time she got promote... continue reading

 
Candy, twenty plus, was a simple final semester undergraduate staying in a hostel. She hardly made friends with anyone there or, for that matter, in her college class room.  Then one day she was bitten by the love bug.  The bug was Joe, her own classmate sitting some three rows ahead of her. 
&... continue reading

The  Noise   of    Music
 
Have you ever tried your throat at singing? Any kind of songs – light, film tunes, classical etc?
 
Even while contemplating on this thought, Vincent appeared before me  and said,  "Hey, you have  a melodious voice; you can  give... continue reading

The Bible says the Angels in Heaven found the women of the Earth most beautiful and alluring.  So, they came down, took the form of Men and married them. What they produced were 'demons'.  These absconders have been imprisoned and are awaiting judgment.
 
So, is it any wonder that  the  real ... continue reading