Issue 1 · Case 4 · 13 July 2026
Bombay school desk · 1957 · Sushila Ketkar
The Parel Canteen Docket
A mill canteen’s ration docket changed hands before the 1957 supper bell.
REPORT: Parel, 1957. The mill canteen cannot draw its supper ration without a docket that has gone missing. Kitchen staff have counted the stores, but the supplier needs the signed paper before releasing more. The canteen manager is checking the accounts of four people involved in the supper preparations. Workers will arrive when the shift bell rings. The canteen manager checked the four accounts against the stores count and the supplier’s papers. The person who gave the false statement is responsible for this incident. Identify that person, the place they visited and the item they carried.
Reading room asks for its dictionary, not a cousin of it
The Five Gardens reading room lent one dictionary in March and has since received three different ones back. The librarian will accept the original, or an apology in good English.
Shanta More's handling record names two items
In the canteen supper accounts, Shanta More carried one of two items: the Steel ladle or the Change tin.
Conductor counts one passenger twice and stands by it
A tram conductor on the Dadar run insisted a gentleman in a double-breasted coat had boarded at two stops. The gentleman paid the second fare to end the matter, then got off at the wrong stop.
Tally desk traced to the Steel ladle record
The person carrying the Steel ladle was the visitor to the Tally desk.
Copybook medal split between two identical margins
A Matunga school divided its handwriting medal after the head clerk checked both copybooks twice and found nothing to choose. Each family now claims the larger half.
Rear yard traced to the Change tin record
In the canteen supper accounts, the visitor to the Rear yard carried the Change tin.
CLASSIFIED
Tiffin lids engraved for crowded offices
Parel Metal Mart engraves names on tiffin lids while you wait. Last year's best seller read 'NOT YOURS'.
Harmonium teacher asks for fewer helpers
Mr. Gadgil of Shivaji Park will play at Sunday's music circle and wants one volunteer to turn his music. Last month four helpers turned it at once, and the bhajan finished in a different raga.
Arvind Rao's signed account enters the tally
Arvind Rao signed this account: “I carried the Change tin.”
Lost: one black umbrella, answers to nothing
Left on the 8.10 tram near King's Circle. Bamboo handle, one rib bent towards Dadar. The finder may keep the rain but should return the umbrella to the Matunga post office.
Kamla Jadhav's signed account enters the tally
Kamla Jadhav signed this account: “I carried the Steel ladle.”
CLASSIFIED
Palm Court Irani Café welcomes readers and their opinions
Bun maska, brun pav and strong chai from six in the morning. Cricket arguments at the corner table only. The proprietor's cat has heard enough about the Brabourne Test.
Witness tally flags one false claim
In the canteen supper accounts, three of the four signed statements are true; one is false.
A request card for a wireless studio lands in a school
A song request addressed to a Colaba studio reached a Matunga school by mistake. The headmistress returned it with a note: the pupils voted, and they want that song too.
Feroz Mistry's signed account enters the tally
Feroz Mistry wrote: “I visited the Pantry.”
Shanta More's signed account enters the tally
Shanta More's signed statement reads: “I carried the Steel ladle.”
Pantry traced to the Docket board record
Whoever carried the Docket board visited the Pantry.
Deduction board
Confirming a pair rules out the other cells in its row and column.
Blank → ○ possible → × ruled out → ✓ matched.
Match each icon to the key below.
| 1Shanta More | 2Kamla Jadhav | 3Arvind Rao | 4Feroz Mistry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Change tin | ||||
| 2Meal token | ||||
| 3Docket board | ||||
| 4Steel ladle |
| 1Shanta More | 2Kamla Jadhav | 3Arvind Rao | 4Feroz Mistry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Serving counter | ||||
| 2Rear yard | ||||
| 3Pantry | ||||
| 4Tally desk |
| 1Change tin | 2Meal token | 3Docket board | 4Steel ladle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Serving counter | ||||
| 2Rear yard | ||||
| 3Pantry | ||||
| 4Tally desk |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Shanta More |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Kamla Jadhav |
| 3Sus 3 | Arvind Rao |
| 4Sus 4 | Feroz Mistry |
| 1Imp 1 | Change tin |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Meal token |
| 3Imp 3 | Docket board |
| 4Imp 4 | Steel ladle |
| 1Loc 1 | Serving counter |
|---|---|
| 2Loc 2 | Rear yard |
| 3Loc 3 | Pantry |
| 4Loc 4 | Tally desk |