By Sachidanand Singh Final act: pouring! I was still at the university, biding my time. Purely for form I had myself enrolled for some easy course. With little work pressure I had time to put my chemistry knowledge to practical use. Fine powder of charcoal, called “activated charcoal”, is known to absorb colour and odour from liquids. I decided to use activated charcoal to refine the country liquor which was then available for ten rupees a bottle. It came with a hideous colour and a powerful odour.  A quick trip to the labs, some skillful negotiation with the assistant there and I came... 

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER   It’s Basic! Yesterday, I visited a bank at Boring Road. There was a notice in Hindi and a sign that told customers not to use mobile phones within the bank premises. Even so, there were three people merrily chatting away on their phones, talking in loud voices. When I pointed out the sign to one fellow, he grinned and said ‘This is Bihar!’ The basic reason that Bihar is backward is because even the educated people do not respect rules. Respect for the rule of law is fundamental to progress in any society. And this brings us to today’s theme word:... 

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER     wordsmith.patna@gmail.com  Honesty, Truthfulness, Sincerity …   During election time, there is a lot of talk about honesty. People say that many politicians in Bihar lack honesty. Some politicians make promises they do not mean to keep. Others try to hide their wealth from the income tax department. Honesty is a virtue that some people say has virtually disappeared from public life.   Honesty is acting or speaking truthfully. It’s the opposite of deceit and dishonesty. You show your honesty by not stealing, cheating, or telling lies. You do not... 

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER  This is really big!  Somu was upset. His mother had given him a big apple. A big boy with a big stick took it away. Then his best friend gave him a big hug and shared a big piece of chocolate with him. Somu gave him a big smile.  Big is a small, three-letter word used in so many places that it boggles the mind. It may be used to mean older as in ‘big boy’. It may mean large.  Big is over-used and tired. Let’s give it a rest and explore some other words that work just as well.  Large describes something more than average in size or amount. Mmmm! Give... 

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER When a person is chosen for a task, he is chosen for his ability to do it.  Ability is being able to do something. You may be born with an ability. You can also develop an ability by learning to do something and then practicing it. Some people are born with an ability to sing in tune, even without lessons! But no one is born with the ability to read. We all have to learn to read. You have an ability for something [such as mathematics]; you have an ability to do something [such as driving a truck].  Talent is a special ability that one is born with. Lata Mangeshkar... 

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER Wordsmith is not a newspaper grammar lesson, or a weekly dictionary. A smith is a person who fashions tools out of metal. A wordsmith is one who employs a healthy, vigorous word to take the place of a tattered, tired and worn out one. This column will explore words and their uses in simple language. It will help you get the feel and flavour of words to communicate better. Have you noticed how you can describe one thing in so many ways that it sounds like a lot of different things? Amit, Karan, Sheila and Arif are eating a cake. Amit may say, � Delicious!� Karan...