John, Thank you for your reply. Your humbleness knows no bounds, and this is one part of your personality perhaps that is endearing to those of us who follow your threads with interest: your preparedness to embrace constructive criticisms with an open mind. Enough said about your writing prowess already - that's a 'stand alone'. About my being a scrutinizing reader. Well, I don't know but if at all, then it ought to be my uncle that I must have borrowed it from. I literally grew up in his shadow, and as a child, I would always marvel more at his eloquence than his long big book case that adorned his study room. He loved his friends' company and vice versa, and most importantly, loved talking about literature - his single most passion - over sips of Ilam tea. All this I observed with much curiosity and as I grew older, I slowly learnt how to enjoy and also be part of that setting, though what they were talking about made very little made sense to me at the time but I was happy all the same with my lot as their silent audience. Theirs was a Romantic pursuit perhaps, something that took roots deep in the frustrations they felt at a repressive time they were living in - the Panchayat era. It was during these countless sit-ins with him that I learned about the great many luminaries of the Western literary canon - Shakespeare, Milton, Dickens, Ibsen, Wilde, Kipling, and the younger ones, Sartre, Hemingway, Camus et al. So, I knew deep down the inherent value of such an exercise and I was not wrong. The single most gain was the love of reading that I was able to realise I could indulge in and later, develop. Much of my way of thinking is derived from my experience with him and that might, I think, answer for this 'scrutinizing' part that you mention above. A long way to go yet though before I can fully learn to scrutinize, for myself, the 'meat' of any prose or poetry but most importantly, learn to enjoy as well as dislike what I read. And reading your stories and those by other Sajha writers have no doubt sharpened my perspective further on how best to achieve that end state. Okay I have gone a little off tangent there. Oh, thanks for your info on SITARA - will try and not miss her threads. About 'The Interpreter of Maladies' - cracking read. Can't say about Lahiri's novel though - Namesake as I have yet to read it. Will do when I have time. Will sign off for today. Carpe Diem