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Posts Tagged ‘P G Wodehouse’

The death of Death at the hands of P G Wodehouse

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2020| 2 Comments »

In fond remembrance of my wife, Usha Bhatia, whose second death anniversary falls today.

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

P G Wodehouse handed in his dinner pail on the 14th of February, 1975. While delving into any of his narratives, one is not likely to find a single character which comes under the clutches of one of the much-despised inevitable occurrences in life – Death (the other one being Taxation, which does get commented upon once in a while).

In the narratives dished out by him, Death figures only somewhere in the background. It does not depress. Nor does it make the spirits sag. Instead, it finds mention in a positive vein. It confers wealth, castles and titles upon the unsuspecting heirs and wards, paving their way for a smoother life, thereby spreading joy and sunshine all around.

The closest one gets to morbid thoughts is when a character is fed up with facing the harsh slings and arrows of Fate and contemplates an act of suicide, which, rather…

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A Centenary of Wodehouse in Silent Film

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , , on December 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Honoria Plum's avatarPlumtopia

Four silent film adaptations of P.G. Wodehouse’s work mark their 100th anniversary in 2019, making this a fitting year to take a closer look at the Silent Films of P.G. Wodehouse.

‘…we’re hoping to have more good news for you at any moment. The movie end.’

It had never occurred to Cosmo that there was a movie end.

‘Our man in Hollywood seems sure it will. He’s been sending significant cables almost daily…’

Cocktail Time – P.G. Wodehouse

As a centennial celebration of Wodehouse silent film, this post arrives a little late — the first Wodehouse adaptation for cinema being A Gentleman of Leisurein 1915. But 1919 was a golden year for Wodehouse adaptation, with four silent film versions of P.G. Wodehouse works released.

Many of the films from this era are sadly lost to us and details of the silent Wodehouse adaptations can be difficult for the…

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Shopping Therapy and some Plummy techniques to treat depression

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , on December 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

The Royal Academy of Goofy Technologies is hereby pleased to announce the results of its ambitious research project mooted four years back to come up with out-of-the-box ideas to treat the dreaded affliction of depression.

The results are based on an extensive study involving 5,100 adults of all age groups, conducted across as many as thirty countries of the world, spanning all the continents.

The study was spearheaded by Roberta Wickham and Stephanie Byng, First Fellows of the Academy, under the direct supervision of eminent loony doctor Sir Roderick Glossop, a Royal Fellow and also the Dean of Academics of the Academy.

Part of the findings have been vetted and endorsed by such celebrity spouses as Bingo Little.PGWodehouse

Some Plummy techniques to beat those blues

Denizens of Plumsville are already aware of the following techniques to drive depressive tendencies away:

  • Devouring the soothing works of P…

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Pluminion

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , on November 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »

When fans of P G Wodehouse met up recently in Delhi, the collective cup of mirth simply flowed over. Here is a juicy report from Soumya Mukherjee which is bound to tickle your funny bone: via Pluminion.

Here is a recap of the last meeting which yours truly was fortunate enough to attend in flesh and blood.

 

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5 Books Published by P.G. Wodehouse on his Birthday

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , on October 20, 2019| 3 Comments »

The young reliable Honoria Glossop can always be trusted to come up with a scintillating tribute to P G Wodehouse, especially on the occasion of his birth anniversary!

Read on…..

 

Honoria Plum's avatarPlumtopia

PG Wodehouse was born on this day, 15 October 1881, in Guildford England. I make no apology for mentioning it each year as an occasion to celebrate, because, as his latest biographer Paul Kent puts it:

…his 100 or so books must represent one of the largest-ever bequests to human happiness by one man, at least in literature.

in Pelham Grenville Wodehouse Volume 1: ‘This is jolly old fame’

Five of these gifts to humanity were, like Wodehouse himself, also published on 15 October – in four different decades.

1925 Sam the Sudden montage1925 – Sam the Sudden

Published on P.G. Wodehouse’s 44th birthday, this hidden gem is much loved by Wodehouse fans.

For a moment Kay stared speechlessly; then, throwing her head back, she gave out a short, sharp scream of laughter which made a luncher at the next table stab himself in the cheek with an oyster fork. The luncher…

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Don’t fret; the future of Wodehousitis is secure!

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , , , on October 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Happy birthday, Plum!

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

Many of the fans of P G Wodehouse suffer occasional pangs of anxiety. They fear that the species comprising the admirers of P G Wodehouse may soon become extinct. They suspect that not many of the younger generation may be getting infected enough with the delectable affliction of Wodehousitis, simply because his works belong to a bye-gone era which fails to connect with the youth of today.

When they sit down to relish the pleasures of the table, the food – even if it is dished out by a spouse who might be God’s gift to the gastric juices – simply turns into ashes in their mouths. Their brow is furrowed. They shudder at the prospect of a PGW-less society in the future, devoid of the pristine humour which makes one unwind after the harsh slings and arrows of Life have taken their toll. The human race, which is trying…

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Of P G Wodehouse, Mahatma Gandhi and Civil Disobedience

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , , , on October 2, 2019| 3 Comments »

Here is a juicy excerpt from Blandings Castle which fans of P G Wodehouse and Mahatma Gandhi may relish!

“It has sometimes seemed to me (said Mr Mulliner, thoughtfully sipping his
hot Scotch and lemon) that to the modern craze for dieting may be attributed
all the unhappiness which is afflicting the world to-day. Women, of course,
are chiefly responsible. They go in for these slimming systems, their sunny
natures become warped, and they work off the resultant venom on their menfolk.

“These, looking about them for someone they can take it out of, pick on
the males of the neighbouring country, who themselves are spoiling for a
fight because their own wives are on a diet, and before you know where you
are war has broken out with all its attendant horrors.

“This is what happened in the case of China and Japan. It is this that lies at
the root of all the unpleasantness in the Polish Corridor. And look at India.
Why is there unrest in India? Because its inhabitants eat only an occasional
handful of rice. The day when Mahatma Gandhi sits down to a good juicy
steak and follows it up with roly-poly pudding and a spot of Stilton you will
see the end of all this nonsense of Civil Disobedience.”

“Till then we must expect Trouble, Disorder … in a word, Chaos.”

 

(From the story ‘The Juice of an Orange’ by P G Wodehouse. Illustration of Mahatma Gandhi courtesy R K Laxman)

 

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Chasing the blues away: Guest post by Pradeep Swaminathan

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , on September 29, 2019| 10 Comments »

 

In the horizon dark clouds of anxiety, problems and doubt gather,
My brow is furrowed and I don’t feel cheery when in the morning I lather;

Shaved and clean I put on my old and worn kurta and slip into my favourite chappals,
Solace I try to get by ringing some of my favourite Facebook penpals;

Unfortunately peace and calm eludes my worrying brain,
It causes me so much of worry and I can feel the pain;

Before I know it wearily I pick up Summer Lightning and sit on my armchair,
Very soon I come to the spot where Galahad clarifies on a part of his memoir;

I now realise anxiety and worry has been replaced by good cheer,
Energy fills my body as if I have drunk from a Mulliner elixir and have been blessed by a holy seer;

Next I am into where Ronald pinches the Emsworth prize pig,
Suddenly all my problems and worries don’t seem to be so big;

Very soon all is well with Ronnie and Sue,
The dark clouds have vanished and are replaced with a rosy hue;

As I near the end where Ronnie has given the Pilbeam a black eye,
I think Plum gives as much comfort as a malt with rye;

Before I know it lunch has been served with a tasty dessert,
No problem is so big that a reading of Jeeves, Psmith, or Blandings cannot make one’s feeling inert.

 

(Pradeep Swaminathan needs no introduction to fans of P G Wodehouse, upon whom he had recently unleashed a whodunit called ‘Enter Mrs Bertie‘. His consent to publish the above composition here is gratefully acknowledged.)

 

(Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/why-do-we-turn-to-plum-when-the-mood-is-glum)

 

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Jeeves seeks a placement

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , , , , , , on September 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

The Honourable Secretary-General,

The United Nations,

New York City,

New York,

USA.

Respected Sir,

You may recall our brief interaction at the recent launch event of the International League of Happiness. You were then kind enough to spare a few moments of your precious time, graciously appreciating my talk there on preventing the misuse of Artificial Intelligence, just after releasing the Blandings Declaration of Happiness as a part of the proceedings.

As a concerned citizen of this planet of ours, allow me to offer my humble services for the cause of promoting international cooperation and maintaining international order.

Yours truly has an impeccable record in delivering satisfaction to all the employers one has been fortunate enough to assist so far in a long and spotless career. The aspiration hereafter is to offer my unique problem solving abilities for the benefit of all the denizens of this planet.

Permit me…

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P.G. Wodehouse in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey — Plumtopia

Posted in What ho!, tagged , , on September 23, 2019| 2 Comments »

P.G. Wodehouse fans are celebrating the wonderful news from Westminster Abbey, where a memorial stone in Poet’s Corner has been dedicated to the beloved author. You can read more about it here: Westminster Abbey Honours P G Wodehouse (Westminster Abbey) PG Wodehouse has plum spot in Westminster Abbey (Patrick Kidd, The Times) PG Wodehouse commemorated […]

via P.G. Wodehouse in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey — Plumtopia

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