THE CONNOISSEUR

THE CONNOISSEUR

- Nergis Dalal

Nergis Dalal is a versatile writer. she is known for natural talent and deep sensitivity. Her language is very clear and transparent. she narrates a spell binding stories with ease. She has been writing for over fifty years.She authored four novels, a cookery book, a yoga book. Her collection of riddles appeared for three decades in noted English newspapers, the Times of India, The Statesman and The Hindustan times.

THE CONNOISSEUR

1.How Ms Krishna spent a few days with writer?

One day the author permits Ms Krishna to stay in her house while her own cottage is being painted and distempered. Ms Krishna was delighted and accepted at once, moving in with an astonishing array of black tin trucks. She arranged all the trunks neatly against the wall in the author’ room. All the trunks were firmly locked. The author is much worried of making her room with too many untidy trucks. The author feels that ageing spinsters have such strange, unusual tendencies. Ms. Krishna was an irritating guest, enquiring about the house picking up things and asking endless questions. She was very much particular about food and insisting on brown sugar for coffee and fresh butter on all her vegetables. With this the author feels that it is very impossible to exist even one more day with her under the same roof. She starts enquiring all the personal matters like the author’s family and financial matters. The author feels much disgusted with her behavior.

THE CONNOISSEUR

2.What was the story of Miss Krishna’s past?

Miss Krishna is a spinster, aged woman above sixty five. She had spent her life looking after her ailing mother. She has become alone after her mother passed away. She had been left a small annuity and a tiny cottage. She spent all her life without any comfort and luxury. She had spent her days on think rough sheets on the bad, uncarpeted floors, pottery cups, plates and ugly, discarded furniture. In all her life she had been longing for beautiful things.
Miss Krishna first meets the author at an art exhibition, and shares his pitiable story with the author. From then Miss Krishna keeps visiting the authors house, were as the author feels much disturbed.

THE CONNOISSEUR

3.Did Miss Krishna make a good guest? Give reasons for your answer.

One day the author permits Ms Krishna to stay in her house while her own cottage is being painted and distempered. Ms Krishna was delighted and accepted at once, moving in with an astonishing array of black tin trucks. She arranged all the trunks neatly against the wall in the author’s room. All the trunks were firmly locked. The author is much worried of making her room with too many untidy trucks. The author feels that ageing spinsters have such strange, unusual tendencies. Ms. Krishna was an irritating guest, enquiring about the house picking up things and asking endless questions. She was very much particular about food and insisting on brown sugar for coffee and fresh butter on all her vegetables. With this the author feels that its very impossible to exist even one more day with her under the same roof. She starts enquiring all the personal matters like the author’s family and financial matters. The author feels much disgusted with her behavior.

She could not make a good guest. At last Miss Krishna had become very troublesome to the writer. It had come to such an extent that it became impossible to stay under the single roof.

THE CONNOISSEUR

4. How was the writer developed pessimistic opinion on Miss Krishna?

Nergis Dalal is a widow and often busy in writing. She is spending her days writing books and articles.

Miss Krishna is a spinster, aged woman above sixty five. She had spent her life looking after her ailing mother. She has become alone after her mother passed away. She had been left a small annuity and a tiny cottage. She spent all her life without any comfort and luxury. She had spent her days on think rough sheets on the bad, uncarpeted floors, pottery cups, plates and ugly, discarded furniture. In all her life she had been longing for beautiful things.

Miss Krishna first meets the author at an art exhibition, and shares her pitiable story with the author. From then Ms Krishna keeps visiting the authors house, were as the author feels much disturbed.
One day Ms Krishna knocks the author’s door in the morning. Where, the author is busy in writing. And the author is forced to invite her and offers a cup of tea to her. Then Ms Krishna observed the beauty of the cup. How it was framed, designed and the beauty of the cup. She feels that she had been longing for such beautiful things in her life. Ms. Krishna observes while she was in sitting room, Chinese carpet, blue as storm-dark seas, at the crystal ashtrays, the red ceramic bowls filled with roses n carnation and single-point footstool and the chair covers.

One day the author permits Ms Krishna to stay in her house while her own cottage is being painted and distempered. Ms Krishna was delighted and accepted at once, moving in with an astonishing array of black tin trucks. She arranged all the trunks neatly against the wall in the author room. All the trunks were firmly locked. The author is much worried of making her room with too many untidy trucks. The author feels that ageing spinsters have such strange, unusual tendencies. Ms. Krishna was an irritating guest, enquiring about the house picking up things and asking endless questions. She was very much particular about food and insisting on brown sugar for coffee and fresh butter on all her vegetables. With this the author feels that it’s very impossible to exist even one more day with her under the same roof. She starts enquiring all the personal matters like the author’s family and financial matters. The author feels much disgusted with her behavior.

One morning Ms Krishna was away for shopping. The author took her car and visited Ms Krishna’s house. There she finds no signs of workmen anywhere. No ladders, no cans of paint of distemper. Everything was tidy and clean. She walked around the house and at the back of the house, found the mali potting geranium in the garden shed. Mali showed the house and showed the place, clean and dry and smelling very faintly of paint. Even the windowpanes were cleaned and shine up to match the rest of the house.

When the author returned her house and found that Ms Krishna was reading her latest manuscript. Ms Krishna overturned her chair in her haste to get up. The author tells to Ms Krishna that, she had just come from cottage and everything is finished and Ms Krishna can be moved right away. The distempering and painting was completed a week ago. Ms Krishna went right back with all her trunks. Ms Krishna visited her time to time. She told the author that she had a sister, got married and staying with her husband. She always carried with her a large old, leather purse. She opened her handbag and took out a tiny nice coffee cup and saucer, glazed red and gold, delicately translucent. And she said that whenever she feels disappointed, she goes out buy something beautiful. And this cup got her a low price. She puts the cup and saucer back into the bag and her bag was completely packed. The author suspects Ms Krishna’s bag. Same night the author dined with Lalls. Rina was an old friend. When coffee was served, the author was fascinated at the red and gold cups. Rina said that she bought a dozen cups from Paris, and one of them either lost or broken.

The author enquires whether Ms Krishna knows the Lalls. Ms. Krishna says that they are her sister’s friend. She dined with the Lalls last evening. The author says that she saw the exactly the same cup as Ms Krishna has. Ms Krishna’s face showed nothing but pretending as if she really bought.

Since then the author was very careful to keep a sharp watch on my cups and spoons when Ms Krishna was around. From time to time Ms Krishna showed her latest acquisition – a beautiful crystal candle holder made in the shape of a star, a polished wooden statue, a delicately embossed Silver base to hold a single flower, a tiny jade Buddha, and once a jeweled watch with a fine gold mesh strap. One day she produced from her bag a small Burmese lacquered box in black and gold. She was offering it to the author and said that ‘to put your paper clips n things in’. The author thanked her politely and refused and started suspecting of her “little shop” which she had so fortunately discovered.

THE CONNOISSEUR

5.How did the writer happen to make a shocking discovery about Miss Krishna?

One day mali came running and tells to the author that Ms Krishna was lying on her bed and had not woken for her morning tea. Doctor said that Ms Krishna was dead from a heart attack. She had suffered at one time from a very mild attack of angina, but that had been years ago, and she was taking her pills regularly. Ms Krishna’s sister made arrangement for the funeral.

Ms Krishna made a will on a sheet of ordinary letter-paper it was perfectly legal, and has been duly witnessed. Ms Krishna’s belonging goes to the writer. They both see what is there in those trunks. All these days the author had suspicion about the trunks. At last the suspense was uncovered. They found that every single trunk was filled over with glass, silver statues, carved figurine, watches, jewelery, monogrammed ice-tongs an spoons, silver trivets, egg-cups made from polished wood, cigarette lighters and fountain pens.

The author wondered how Ms Krishna might have accumulated all these materials. There is no pair of anything. One cup, one glass, one spoon and so on. And everything is small ‘to fit into her bag’. Among all those things the author found her a little nine inch clock half-hidden by a chiffon scarf. She had lot it almost 3 months ago.

THE CONNOISSEUR

6. Write a brief account of the beautiful things that Miss Krishna’s black trunks and large purse contain.

Miss. Krishna has a weakness or passion for beautiful things. They constitute the panacea for all her ills. Since she is not very rich, she cannot buy these things. Therefore she pilfers single and small items from the houses of people known to her. She keeps these items in black trunks. She also carries a large purse to take away tiny things from different houses. She calls them precious things which include a coffee cup and saucer, a crystal candle- holder, a wooden statue, a silver vase, a tiny jade Buddha, a jeweled watch and a Burmese box. The boxes were opened after Miss Krishna’s death. They contain glass, silver, carved figuarines, watches, jewellery, monogrammed ice-tongs and spoons, silver trivets, egg-cups, cigarette lighters and fountain pens. There are no sets but only single pieces and everything is small to go into the large purse. There is also the cordless transistorized nine-inch clock of the narrator. It has been missing for three months. Miss Krishna acquired these articles only to look at them with a sense of beauty. The narrator attributes Miss Krishna’s mania for pilfering to a mild eccentricity common to ageing spinsters.

THE CONNOISSEUR

7. Look up a dictionary to find out the meaning of ‘connoisseur’. Why do you think the title is appropriate for the story.

The meaning of Connoisseur /ˌkɒnəˈsɜr, -ˈsʊər/ is a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste and beauty. This meaning suits to the character of Miss Krishna, because most of the belongings were taken away from somebody and the way she manages to carry the only old bag, always packed, only single sets.

8. How did Maya’s sister first behave with the writer and what could have been the reason for the change in her attitude later?

One day mali came running and told to the author that Ms Krishna was lying on her bed and had not woken for her morning tea. Doctor said that Ms Krishna was dead from a heart attack. She had suffered at one time from a very mild attack of angina, but that had been years ago, and she was taking her pills regularly. Ms Krishna’s sister made arrangement for the funeral.

Ms Krishna made a will on a sheet of ordinary letter-paper it was perfectly legal, and has been duly witnessed. Ms Krishna’s belonging goes to her sister. They both see what is there in those trunks. All these days the author had suspicion about the trunks. At last the suspense was uncovered. They found that every single trunk was filled over with glass, silver statues, carved figurine, watches, jewelry, monogrammed ice-tongs, spoons, and silver trivets, egg-cups made from polished wood, cigarette lighters and fountain pens.

The writer took her a little nine inch clock. But Ms. Krishna’s sister is worried of taking more valuable. She is more willing to take all the belongings of Ms Krishna.

THE CONNOISSEUR

9. What is the opinion of Miss Krishna’s mother? Had she built any negative thought about her mother?

Miss Krishna spent all her life looking after her ailing mother. But the mother, while alive, lavished all her love and affection on Miss Krishna’s younger sister leaving the elder sister very helplessly. Miss Krishna looked her mother very lovely, but she always preferred the younger daughter. And her sister is living with her husband comfortably. The mother died leaving a small annuity and a tiny cottage for Miss Krishna. Miss Krishna had a curious love-hate relationship with her. Miss Krishna was always asked to give up things in favour of the younger sister so that she could have a new dress, new shoes and outings with other girls. For ten years after the younger sister’s marriage, the mother was thinking and talking about her. For these ten years Miss Krishna and her mother lived a poor life.

THE CONNOISSEUR

10. Sketch the character of Miss Krishna?

Miss Krishna is aged spinster living along in her tiny cottage. She is a tactical woman. She knows how to impress people and get the benefits she wants. She also makes people sympathize with her miserable situation. She spent all her life without any luxury. She spent her life on coarse bed sheets, uncarpeted floor, pottery cups and plates, and ugly and discarded furniture. She feels much envious of the narrator’s house and articles in it. She declares that she is starved of beautiful things. She claims that beauty is the remedy for all her illness.

During her stay with the narrator, she enquires all personal matters of the narrator and in her absence she reads her latest manuscripts, which is unethical. On the pretext that a thing of beauty is joy forever, Miss Krishna pilfers precious little things from the houses of her hosts. Her black trunks are filled with them. Even her large purse contains pilfered things belonging to others. She shows all her newly pilfered things to the narrator and claims that she bought them very cheaply. The narrator understands that Miss Krishna wants beautiful things only to look at them but not to adorn her house with them or sell them for money. One day she offers to give the narrator a small Burmese box as a gift, but the latter rejects it because she does not accept gifts from anyone, being a self-respecting woman.

After her death she keeps her will in the name of the narrator. When the black trunks are opened, the narrator finds her missing clock among scores of small things. She takes only her clock and leaves the rest to Miss Krishna’s sister. Miss Krishna is a very strange character is common to ageing spinster.

THE CONNOISSEUR