Sherlock Unlock

Summary

In the podcast 'Bilateral View,' host Arup K. Chaty and Dr. Rora Magan delve into the cultural resonance of Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century. They discuss the character's evolution, the impact of adaptations on his image, and the potential dangers of misrepresenting Holmes's use of substances. The conversation also touches on the influence of Indian culture on Arthur Conan Doyle's work, the importance of maintaining the original character's integrity, and the future of the detective genre in a digital age.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The podcast 'Bilateral View' aims to explore cross-cultural conversations, with a focus on Southeast Asia and the impact of Sherlock Holmes on modern culture.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Sherlock Holmes remains a popular icon in the 21st century, with adaptations like Robert Downey Jr.'s and Benedict Cumberbatch's versions resonating with contemporary audiences.
• 📚 Dr. Rora Magan discusses the need for good role models in a nuclearized society, where traditional family structures are disintegrating, and how Holmes can serve as one.
• 🧪 The portrayal of Holmes as a substance abuser in modern adaptations is questioned, as the original canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle depicted him using drugs for intellectual stimulation, not addiction.
• 👨‍⚕️ Dr. Watson's role as a witness and narrator in the Holmes stories is highlighted, emphasizing the legal and narrative importance of his character.
• 📖 The discussion points out the inaccuracies in Dr. Watson's narratives and the meta-fictional nature of the original stories, which are often lost in modern adaptations.
• 🌏 The influence of Indian culture and toxicology on the creation of the Holmes universe is explored, showing how Conan Doyle drew from a wealth of historical and spiritual traditions.
• 🚫 The podcast critiques the modern trend of portraying Holmes with toxic masculinity and aggressive behavior, which is contrary to the original character's well-mannered and egalitarian nature.
• 🔮 Predictions are made about the future of the detective genre, suggesting a shift towards virtual crimes and the potential for audience complicity in digital spaces.
• 🌟 The conversation concludes with a call to appreciate Holmes for his intellectual and egalitarian qualities, rather than emulating the negative traits sometimes highlighted in adaptations.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the podcast 'Bilateral View'?

The main theme of the podcast 'Bilateral View' is a conversation across cultures, focusing on topics that resonate with what's happening in Southeast Asia, using Sherlock Holmes as a central figure for discussion.

Why is Sherlock Holmes still relevant in the 21st century according to the podcast?

Sherlock Holmes is still relevant in the 21st century because people need good models in increasingly nuclear times, and Holmes represents an intellectual icon that can inspire and be used to channel causes and campaigns for great things.

How does the podcast discuss the portrayal of substance abuse in modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations?

The podcast discusses the portrayal of substance abuse in modern adaptations as problematic, as it focuses on aspects that were not central to the original character. It points out that Holmes used substances for intellectual experiments and to keep his mind active, not for recreational purposes or due to addiction.

What is the significance of Dr. Watson's character in the Sherlock Holmes stories according to the podcast?

Dr. Watson is significant as he serves not only as a narrator but also as a legal witness to Holmes's deductions, which was a requirement in British common law during the Victorian era. His presence humanizes Holmes and provides a more relatable perspective to the audience.

How does the podcast view the changes in the character of Sherlock Holmes in modern adaptations?

The podcast views the changes in Holmes's character in modern adaptations with concern, as they often emphasize negative traits like substance abuse and toxic masculinity, which were not present in the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

What is the podcast's perspective on the influence of Indian culture on Sherlock Holmes?

The podcast suggests that Sherlock Holmes, as a character, was influenced by Indian culture, particularly in the use of poisons and spiritual traditions, which were prevalent in the Victorian era's toxicology and medicine.

Why does the podcast argue that Sherlock Holmes should not be emulated for certain traits in modern adaptations?

The podcast argues that Holmes should not be emulated for traits like substance abuse, hostility, or aggressiveness towards women as these are not true to the original character and do not align with the values of a democratic and egalitarian society.

What does the podcast predict about the future of the detective genre, especially in relation to technology?

The podcast predicts that the detective genre will evolve to include more virtual crimes and that detectives may operate in cyberspace, with the line between real life and virtual life diminishing, possibly making consumers complicit in crimes they are unaware of.

How does the podcast describe the nature of the conversation between the hosts?

The conversation between the hosts is described as impromptu, not scripted, and a work of love, indicating a spontaneous and genuine exchange of ideas.

What is the podcast's stance on the importance of historical and cultural context in understanding literary characters like Sherlock Holmes?

The podcast emphasizes the importance of historical and cultural context, arguing that characters should be evaluated within their original setting and that modern adaptations should not be taken as the definitive representation of the character.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Introduction to Bilateral View Podcast

The podcast 'Bilateral View' is introduced by host Arup K. Chhaty, who warmly welcomes the audience and his co-host, Dr. Rora Magan from the Philippines. The podcast aims to facilitate a cross-cultural conversation, discussing topics relevant to Southeast Asia. The inaugural episode focuses on the cultural impact and adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, a character that has been widely embraced in the 21st century. Dr. Magan discusses the significance of discussing Holmes in contemporary times, emphasizing the need for positive role models in a society that is becoming increasingly fragmented. The conversation touches on the evolution of Holmes' character through various adaptations, including big-screen and BBC series, and how these modern portrayals may differ from the original Victorian conception.

05:02

🕵️‍♂️ The Evolution and Misrepresentation of Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Rora Magan and Professor Chhaty delve into the character of Sherlock Holmes, discussing how the 21st-century adaptations have altered the original portrayal. They address concerns about the focus on Holmes' substance use, which is not a central theme in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Instead, Holmes is depicted as a workaholic who uses substances to stimulate his mind. The conversation critiques modern adaptations for emphasizing Holmes' sociopathic tendencies and aggressive behavior towards women, which are not present in the original canon. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding Holmes within his historical context and the potential negative impact of modern portrayals on popular culture.

10:02

📚 The Role of Dr. Watson and the Impact of Adaptations

The conversation shifts to the role of Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories, with Dr. Magan explaining that Watson serves as a legal witness and narrator, contributing to the construction of Holmes' character. They discuss the differences between the original stories and modern adaptations, noting that adaptations lack the narrative diversity and metafictional elements found in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work. The adaptations present a more singular and believable version of Holmes, leaving less room for the audience's imagination and questioning. The discussion also touches on the serialization of the original stories and how modern consumption of media might affect the perception of these nuances.

15:03

🌏 The Influence of Indian Culture on Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Magan and Professor Chhaty explore the influence of Indian culture on the creation of the Sherlock Holmes universe. They discuss how the use of poisons in the stories is deeply connected to the Indian subcontinent and how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's medical studies in Edinburgh during the peak of Victorian toxicology influenced his work. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding Holmes not just in relation to Western culture but also in the context of India's contributions to the stories, including the use of poisons and spiritual traditions. The discussion emphasizes the need to apply the same methods of deduction used by Holmes to the analysis of the Holmes canon itself.

20:06

🔮 The Future of the Detective Genre and Holmes' Legacy

The final part of the conversation speculates on the future of the detective genre, suggesting that it may become more focused on virtual crimes and the cyberspace. They discuss the potential for artificial intelligence to influence crime and detection, and the possibility that audiences may unknowingly participate in these virtual crimes. The conversation concludes with reflections on the importance of understanding Holmes as a complex character with both intellectual and egalitarian qualities. The hosts express their enjoyment of the conversation and their hope that the audience will continue to engage with such discussions on the 'Bilateral View' podcast.

Keywords

💡Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the podcast, Holmes is discussed as a cultural icon who has been adapted and reimagined in various media, especially in the 21st century. The character is used to explore themes of heroism, intellect, and societal norms, with the podcast examining how modern adaptations sometimes misrepresent or emphasize certain aspects of his character, such as substance abuse, for dramatic effect.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation refers to the process of modifying or recreating a story or character for a new medium or audience. The podcast discusses how Sherlock Holmes has been adapted from the original stories into films and TV series, often with changes to his character traits and behaviors. These adaptations are analyzed for their impact on the public's perception of Holmes and the implications for modern audiences.

💡Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances. In the context of the podcast, substance abuse is a theme tied to Sherlock Holmes' portrayal in modern adaptations, where he is sometimes depicted as using drugs like cocaine and morphine. The podcast contrasts this with the original stories, where Holmes' use of substances was more nuanced and not indicative of abuse.

💡Cultural Icon

A cultural icon is a person or thing that is widely recognized and has a significant influence on society. Sherlock Holmes is discussed as a cultural icon whose image and character have been shaped by various adaptations over time. The podcast explores how this iconography influences societal expectations and the representation of intellectual and heroic figures.

💡Victorian Era

The Victorian Era refers to the period of Queen Victoria's reign in the United Kingdom, which influenced literature, society, and culture. The podcast mentions the Victorian Era to provide context for the original creation of Sherlock Holmes and to contrast the societal norms of that time with modern portrayals.

💡Narrative

Narrative refers to the telling of a story, including the way events are presented and the perspectives from which they are told. The podcast discusses the narrative techniques used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the original Sherlock Holmes stories, including the role of Dr. Watson as a narrator and the interplay between fact and fiction within the stories.

💡Empiricism

Empiricism is a philosophical approach that emphasizes experience and evidence, especially sensory perception, as the source of knowledge. The podcast touches on empiricism in relation to Sherlock Holmes' method of deduction, suggesting that it should be viewed with skepticism and not as an absolute measure of a society's worth or cultural supremacy.

💡Theosophy

Theosophy is a spiritual philosophy that combines elements of religion, philosophy, and metaphysics. The podcast mentions the influence of theosophy on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, suggesting that it contributed to the spiritual and cultural dimensions of the Sherlock Holmes universe.

💡Toxic Masculinity

Toxic masculinity refers to traditional concepts of manhood that are harmful to both men and women. The podcast discusses how some modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes portray him with toxic masculine traits, such as aggression and insensitivity towards women, which are not present in the original stories.

💡Cyberspace

Cyberspace is the virtual world of computers and computer networks. The podcast speculates on the future of the detective genre, suggesting that detectives may increasingly operate in cyberspace, dealing with virtual crimes, which reflects the growing importance of technology and the internet in modern society.

Highlights

Introduction of the podcast 'Bilateral View' and its focus on cross-cultural conversations.

Discussion on the enduring relevance of Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century, including modern adaptations.

The importance of good role models in contemporary society and the role of iconic characters like Sherlock Holmes.

Analysis of Sherlock Holmes as a character, distinguishing between the original conception and modern adaptations.

Critique of modern adaptations for focusing on Holmes' substance abuse, contrasting it with the original stories.

Explanation of Holmes' use of substances as an intellectual experiment rather than substance abuse.

Concerns about the portrayal of Holmes in modern adaptations as embodying toxic masculinity.

The role of Dr. Watson in humanizing Holmes and the dynamic between the two characters.

The influence of Indian culture and toxicology on the creation of the Holmes universe.

The potential future of the detective genre, with a shift towards virtual crimes and cyberspace.

The importance of not emulating Holmes' negative traits, such as alienation and aggression, from the adaptations.

The value of Sherlock Holmes as a fictional character and the joy of engaging with the character.

The unplanned and impromptu nature of the podcast conversation, reflecting a genuine exchange of ideas.

The hope for future conversations on 'Bilateral View' that delve into multifarious topics.

Final thoughts on the significance of the discussion and the invitation for the audience to engage with the ideas presented.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello and welcome everybody thank you

for joining in you have joined our new

podcast bilateral view this is me Arup K

chaty uh saying a warm warm welcome to

all of you and with me here is Dr rora

Magan from the Philippines uh batal view

happens to be a conversation across

cultures between two Nations and uh well

hopefully their representatives in a

minor capacity and uh I am very keen to

hear from Dr Magan about how it is in

the Philippines uh uh and uh how's the

weather and how's how's everything back

home Dr right thank you Professor chat G

for having me in this podcast it's an

honor to be your

co-host um yes you're right uh the few

topics we're going to be having in this

podcast is going to be resonating with

what's happening in southeast Asia for

example so Sherlock Holmes is uh very

much adapted in many cultures out there

I'd like to ask because I read your

study and um this question is very

important why is there a need for us to

talk about Sherlock Holmes in the 21st

century well apart from the fact that uh

shomes has been adopted vigorously off

late for 21st century audiences uh

beginning with a big screen adaptation

featuring Robert Downey Jr and that was

followed by uh another you know highly

commercially successful and very popular

series uh launched by the BBC featuring

Benedict hbat yeah uh in general you

know I think the trend is uh uh catching

up all the more because uh people need

good models we are living in

increasingly nuclear Iz times and we

need good icons all the more because uh

somehow it seems like uh the old system

of of family uh I think cohesions has uh

disintegrated somewhat and that requires

all the more uh for us to see better

models on the screen and on the pages of

literary fiction as it were so sh saying

necessary Heroes

right um yes and and shakun I dare say

is uh you know one of those models one

of those icons that keeps growing in

stature albe it there are uh some

problems that also come with that

repackaging of what is originally in

19th century a Victorian character who

was born sometime in the 1850s who lived

throughout the Victorian years well into

the adward years one uh speculates that

Sherlock Holmes the fictional character

uh lived um

you know well into the uh 1920s so I

suppose uh uh there are going to be uh

differences in the way we approach the

new sh course and uh Visa be you know

the canonical sh that was constructed

by you know that's the reason why I like

this podcast because we can freely talk

about these people especially iconic

ones like Sherlock Holmes whose

character or whose many characteristics

are actually being used by people now to

you know Channel their causes and say

campaign for for for great things and

with that I'm going to ask you whether

or not substance abuse is something that

is needing some correction because these

adaptations kind of focus on

that yeah it is a bit uh uh you know

worrying for me why the makers would uh

latch onto that aspect of sh because um

if you read the Canon uh carefully uh

the original which is I know a a very

loaded notion there is practically no

original so to

speak but still if you read the the

Canon written by S do you will find that

there's only two instances of what you

are terming as substance abuse H so once

it is morphine and the other time it is

cocaine to give you an example of his

cocaine consumption on the sign of the

and Dr Watson asks him uh what is it

this time morphine or cocaine and he

famously describes it as a 7%

solution but here in comes the point

that

shocks in Aron and Do's perspective is

not a substance abuser he consumes

substance he cons consumes drugs not for

recreational purposes not because he's

addicted to them he's addicted to work

he's a worker

holic but he wants to keep his mind at

play he wants to keep operating and that

is why he consumes these things and he

also does that as an intellectual

experiment in a sign of the for Dr

Watson comes to supposedly admonish him

as a medical

practitioner holes uh you know turns the

tables and suddenly the shoe is on the

other foot because under the quote

unquote influence of this 7% solution

Holmes is able to deduce the entire

ancestry of uh Dr Watson's watch which

was an heirloom by the way from his

father which passed on to his elder

brother and from the watch its details

its scratches holes is able to deduce uh

you know multiple morally questionable

pasts of his uh Dr Watson's father and

his elder brother mhm so what we find

here is you know a kind of a fabulous uh

uh almost like a you know moral precept

uh implicitly being discussed by AR that

on the one hand substance abuse is is

not cool even though back in the 19th

century moral

resar yeah back back in the 19 century

it was perfectly legal and not

necessarily immoral either uh so homes

would not have been doing anything uh

particularly licentious if he was

consuming cocaine or orine vac okay this

is not an endorsement of any of these

substances in the present year at all

but as historians of literary fiction we

have the right to you know uh to

evaluate a character within his or her

context and Holmes in his context is

perfectly uh you know above the board

but but even within that context he's

not abusing these substances so I was

I was perturbed quite a bit when the

makers of the 21st century homes

adaptations decided to latch on to these

aspects and and uh arguably these are

also the aspects that make uh the new

homes uh even more successful

because like it or not we are living in

the era of Tik Tok reals and Instagram

reals so whatever is cringe or slightly

beneath the board does tend to sell a

lot more than you know the normal things

so the normalization of these substances

you definitely do you find it dangerous

because I thought that you know within

the popular culture framework this

practice is going to be sustained you

see you talked about commodification you

talk about hollywoodized

[Music]

that you are commodifying and you making

at the same time uh an intellectual man

the icon the figure of a a very very

highly you know high functioning

intellectual from the Victorian G more

accessible to the audience through the

hinge or through the hook of these uh

you know idiosyncrasies which are not

very moral or not very legal to begin

with

well I don't think it's dangerous that

would be a strong word but certainly

pernicious because then it would seem

that Holmes is becoming popular for the

wrong

reasons unpop the wrong reasons because

uh attached to substance abuse is also

this trait of uh of toxic masculinity

which is completely alien uh to the

original Holmes Holmes was exceedingly

well-mannered uh not merely in his

satorial per he was impecably best but

he had remarkable etiquette and it was a

you know cause of shagin for Watson very

often because he wouldn't be able to

match up now Holmes was a man of nerves

of Steel m but that does not mean he was

uh hostile towards members of society he

was not a

sociopath like the BBC adaptation tends

to project and rooms was exceedingly

well-mannered towards women whereas uh

both the Robert Downey Jr version and

the Benedict cbat version especially the

latter tends to project homes as

somebody who takes pleasure in being

somewhat sociopathic and uh kind of you

know aggressive towards the female sex I

don't think these are matters that we

can find in the original Canon at all

yeah you see these very important

information

um will surely help our audience out

there to you know process this character

development of Sherlock Holmes in these

adaptations so I think um there's a lot

to take in why not take a break and

we'll have more after this

break hello good evening once again

we're back from the break so earlier

professor chaty you shared how this

character of

Sherlock is hijacked you know by these

adaptations and you know there's this me

substance that is wrongly painted in

these

adaptations also you mentioned how

Watson Dr

Watson is very

influential um I think his character is

important to neutralize

things do you believe that this is the

humanizing element in the

story uh well yes and no actually uh Dr

Watson as uh you know one of my uh

critics while I was writing you know all

those research articles on on shock

holes uh by the way I've written five or

six peer-reviewed articles and multiple

other in the mainstream press so one of

my critics once reminded me helpfully I

should add that Dr Watson's presence is

uh vital to the construction of this

figure of Sherlock because aspect of

British common law from

Victorian England that you need a

witness in order to solve your cases or

uh you know whatever details you have uh

uned about a a certain case needs to be

presented to one honorable uh witness

who well supposedly is a a Victorian

white man uh not not all not partly so

so I think Watson is uh not mely a

narrator but also legal responsibility

in the ubra that represents shlock hes

but apart from that I think there is

this huge disjuncture between the way

Aron and perceived or you know conceived

uh the homesan world Visa how the makers

have represented homes in their

adaptations in the 21st century because

see what happens in the adaptations is

that we what we see is what we

believe and uh there is no scope for any

kind of uh uh you know willing

suspension of belief if I may put it

that way by by which I mean when we view

the adaptations they are so even though

they are surreal even though the times

have been changed even though the

characters have been uh you know shifted

here and there a bit the plot lines have

been modified what we see becomes

believable or in invites us to believe

it whereas Aron and do stories were

doing something different constantly in

the stories you will have this uh you

know dialogue or dialectic between

Holmes and Watson that Watson gives

Holmes a very you know Airy fairy kind

of a representation because Watson is a

romantic and there are there are

actually historical inaccuracies in the

stories themselves so if I may put it

this way that there is metah historicity

and meta uh fictitiousness fictional uh

it's it's a meta fictional world uh that

the articol stories are are talking

about that Watson is giving holes an

inaccurate representation and Aron and

Doyle is giving them both some sort of

an inaccurate representation so this

Healy you know exchange of belief and

disbelief and uh the room for uh

questioning I think disappears in the

adaptations

if you know what I mean and and that

makes it seem like well Dr Watson is a

narrator all right but he is probably

not as inaccurate as the original Watson

was to give you an example of Dr

Watson's

inaccuracy in the in the Canon uh Dr

Watson who's come back from

Afghanistan uh is supposed to be

wounded uh you know somewhere I think in

his limbs but Watson himself the

character forgets where he was wounded

so in one short story it is somewhere in

the subclavian artery in another short

story it is in his shoulder uh in

another novel or Nolla it is in his in

his legs so so he is somewhat confused

or maybe doy is a little bit confused

now this is also a problem of

serialization because Doyle was writing

these as serials in the Strand magazine

but when we watch the films or the

adaptations we perhaps binge watch them

and definitely if it's a work of Cinema

of two hours then then we watch it at

once so those nuances of Storytelling of

of narrative uh uh problems or or you

know narrative diversity as it were that

I think gets eved and and viewers are

then left to see see Sher coms fictional

or otherwise as he is on the screen and

that is what you see is what you get

there is no room for further imagination

about what might have been the other

aspects of homes that were hidden from

the public at

[Music]

large hello everyone hello Professor

chaty so earlier you talked a lot about

how India needs to be understood with

reference to Sherlock

holms can you share some more references

or

linkages um so that our viewers could

better understand the relevance of indic

culture in the creation of the Homen

Universe um thank you Dr Magan for that

question I think it's quite the other

way around it's not India that needs to

be understood with reference to shlock

Holmes but rather Sherlock Holmes who

needs to be understood understood

vigorously with reference to India

because uh consider it this way the uh

the Indian universe is informing the

homesan canon in the 19th and the early

20th

century um uh now to give you one

example apart from the you know the the

the details that we can get from the

short stories uh the world of a

detective is almost nothing at least in

the 19th century and the 20th century

without poisons without crimes so if

there's no murder mystery then the

readers don't have uh something to you

know really latch on to because that is

what really drives the plot everybody

know wants to know who committed the

murder uh now the the one of the most

important weapons that uh the criminals

in the homes in World find to commit

their murders are poisons and these

poisons owe a great deal to uh the

Indian

subcontinent so AR gandol was a student

of medicine at the University of

Edinburgh between 1878 and 188 2 and

this was also the time that Victorian

toxicology was at its peak and Victorian

African toxicology and Victorian Indian

toxicology were making great headways uh

so Victorian anthropology and Victorian

uh tropical medicine and Victorian

toxicology were this Trinity that was uh

shaping uh people like Aron and who was

intern shaping the the homesan you know

world so if we

reduce uh the you know the the Indian

subcontinent presence to merely certain

proper nouns or merely the plotline in

one given novel and refuse to go into

the the tiniest things that inspired

Arthur and doy such as the poisons there

is one instance which I have uh pointed

out in one of my papers where a very

famous African poison of what Arthur

kundal calls an African poison was

actually an Indian poison and

toxicologists throughout the 20th

century and the early 21st century have

have worked on this problem area but

they could not exactly you know pin it

down to one poison but I I believe I

have landed on it where I

identify this the quote unquote African

poison from arand doll's short story The

Adventure of the devil's F to an Indian

poison because I studied the anal of

toxic ology and I also made uh very uh

you see uh educated speculations on what

was the material that Aral was

studying in his in his uh days of uh

days as a student of medicine and

afterwards so Aragon and doll himself

was deeply inspired by India and if he

do not apply the same methods that

Sherlock Holmes appli that is the

science of deduction or the art of

detection as Watson later called it in

the Canon to the homesan Canon itself

that I don't think we are doing justice

as literary critics to too's work and

labor you know it's beautiful that you

mentioned how Sir Arthur conand Doyle

draws upon an India method of

deduction it sort of tells us all that

this inspiration come from India and

that's the reason why earlier you spoke

of intellectual Supremacy

can you talk more about this I don't

think Aron do draws from India uh the

method of scientific deduction but what

he draws from India what he draws from

India definitely is a lot of inspiration

and a wealth of historical material and

he also draws on uh Indian spiritual

Traditions like Buddhism like the

punishers vanta uh and he's drawing also

from Theos theosophists like Helena

so who by the way becomes controversial

towards the end of her life but rather

than uh you know I think uh looking at

the science of deduction as purely an

empirical science what we need to do is

look at it with the kind of

skepticism say with which we look at uh

you know matters of religion for example

or matters of cultural Supremacy so the

same uh models of skepticism should be

applied to any kind of scientific ific

deduction as well because I don't think

Aron and do wanted to separate

scientific deduction from the other

walks of life I think in his perception

in the homesan world uh science is very

much linked to several other aspects of

culture and and spir and the spirit so

the life of the mind is also the life of

the spirit fors as I have uh you know as

I have argued in one of my papers uh

which is which is a rather a call to

action I would say uh not to make

empiricism you know

absolute uh certainly not the absolute

you know scale of determining how good

or how wonderful a particular society is

I think it should be seen with a healthy

dose of skepticism and

Equanimity okay well but um there is no

doubt that Arthur C

oil got so much from the indic

culture and that moving forward

especially in the 21st century this can

be conveyed to the youngsters out there

who are only concerned with an action

pack

narratives and more than the actionpack

narratives the visuals the okay the

icons Cumberbatch for

example um so if there's one thing that

we can never ever emulate from Sherlock

Holmes what could that

be I think we have uh sort of touched on

this aspect in the initial part of this

conversation but uh I have no Authority

on what we should not uh uh be emulating

from homes but uh at the same time I

think I think if you read the original

it would become clearer that uh homes uh

in the adapted versions is not the man

that arand do actually had in mind and

if you have to be a genius

I don't think that requires any kind of

hostility uh towards members of society

I don't think uh a genius needs to

commit substance abuse I don't think a

genius needs to be impolite or

indelicate towards women uh I think it's

perfectly all right for a genius to be

monastic celibate even even a

solitudinarian to live in solitude but

um I I re you know really I think this

concept of the Mad genius need not be uh

alienated from society it can very well

live in society and enjoy social life uh

so if if uh we take the adaptations as

any index of who homes was then those

are the aspects that I sadly would not

uh endorse that is being alienated from

society being aggressive towards your uh

you know people of let's say who are not

as good as you in the intellectual game

or who don't seem as good as you

uh because maybe there are other

wonderful aspects to them and a life of

intellect is not the only life to lead

there are many more aspects to to life

so exactly but at the end of the day we

think that the detective genre has been

heavily impacted by Sherlock Holmes and

the universe Conan DOL

created for example in Southeast Asia we

have a lot of writers emulating Conan

Doyle the idea of a necessary hero um

giving

Justice uh to whoever deserves Justice I

mean that simple motive is promoted um

every now and then even with those

adaptations so what can you say is

though or can you

predict the the status of detective

genre I think it's uh beyond my perview

uh to be honest but what certainly is uh

uh you know very clear to me it is

evident that uh the the world where the

detective operates uh is is going to

change dramatically and it could become

more like a you know world of virtual

crimes or rather the crimes themselves

no matter their magnitude maybe the

magnitude would be severer but the the

world itself would become virtualized

increasingly so I I sense that

um the the distance between the real

life and the virtual life will will

diminish a lot more and uh that is to

say it would be a meta referential world

the

detective would be uh you know working

in the cyber space and we would be

getting to hear and know about the

detective in the in that very cyber

space and interesting it's also not

unlikely to me that while we consume

stories and myths and legends about the

cyberspace detective at that very

instant we might be participating ever

so unknowingly in uh you know we might

be complicit I mean to say in certain

crimes that uh go beyond our notice so

so that is a very creepy uh a very eerie

scenario and I hope this this prediction

does not come true but there are certain

indic there are certain indications that

artificial intelligence is is really

taking over the the game of ction so

well unfortunate but true I

suppose Professor chaty you wrote a lot

about Sherlock hes your papers would

tell volumes of your love for this um

creation by Conan Doyle personally do

you adore the

character very much do and I I believe I

believe we have the we have the

obligation to endorse shs as he was

represented by AR but not uh you know

each and every aspect I think we have

the also equally the obligation to enjoy

uh Sherlock Holmes as a fictional

character as somebody who is not really

out there and we do not need to model

ourselves on on homes unless we

ourselves really want to and if we

really want to think seriously about

adopting or adapting certain homes and

trades in ourselves then maybe we should

look more at his Democratic and

egalitarian side which are also equally

true of homes just like as intellectuals

I love that the egalitarian try

to much has been said it's covered much

tonight and you see how we wish there

could be much time to talk about this

but we have to say goodbye to our

audience because they have to digest

everything you have said and these are

so so heavy matters to begin

with so Professor chaty I hope you

enjoyed our conversation tonight well it

was a wonderful conversation Dr Nan I am

uh very very pleasantly surprised at uh

the way this conversation went it was uh

totally unexpected I think the the

audience has the right to know that we

did not script any of this it was

entirely impromtu and uh purely a work

of uh love uh that we wanted to put out

there for all of you uh well I certainly

found it an honor and and a huge

pleasure to converse with you Dr Magan

and I'm sure our audience must have

liked it as as much much as I did and

and we did and uh I look forward to

having uh many more such conversations

with you on bilateral view right like

you said at the beginning bilateral view

is going to be

conversations about two sides or even

beyond the two sides the multifarious

levels out there and hopefully our

audiences will be engaged along the way

as they discover interesting ideas very

exquisite Pi on these beautiful

beautiful matters like Sherlock Holmes

and many

more so I think we have to say goodbye

Prof CH to our audience and because I'm

aana I would

say namaste to everybody bye-bye have a

great day