Chained to my Laptop and a Visit to Russel's Orthopedist

Monday, October 29, 2018
Bombay

Chained to my Laptop and a Visit to Russel's Orthopedist

     Namaste from Bombay!
     As I expected, my day was crowded with work and family activity--but I had steeled myself for just such a one. Accordingly, after a 5.30 am wake-up, I wasted little time as I read previous blogs, wrote a new blog post, caught up with world news on Twitter and responded to email.

Reconnecting with London friends through Current Research:
     I am spending quite a lot of time emailing people to get interviews or because I am now able to make connections with friends in the UK who emigrated from Bombay but whose parents' names are coming up in the interviews I am now conducting.  For example, one of the names that has come up twice is that of Charles Velu who used to be the choir master and conductor of the choirs at Cathedral and John Connon School and at St. Thomas' Cathedral in Fort. Another name that has come up is that of Sam Berkeley-Hill who used to be a Voice, Diction, Drama and Elocution expert in Bombay in the 1950s and 60s. As it turns out, I am friends with the sons of both these gentlemen--Sushil and Owen respectively--as I had occasion to meet them in London, ten years ago, when I was conducting research there on Anglo-Indians! It is good to be in touch with both of them again and to glean valuable information from them on their fathers and their family backgrounds in music and drama respectively. Sushil also scanned and sent me a ton of old brochures, flyers, programs, etc. from the concerts and recitals that his father had organized in Bombay in decades gone by.  I am simply amazed that this archive is now in my hands and is adding to my research in incredibly meaningful ways.

Chained to my Laptop:
     Knowing how much I had to do today, I decided to skip the gym. Instead, I had my breakfast of muesli and coffee and got straight to my laptop to work. I was there for the next few hours.
     Among the things I did was update my Orissa-Calcutta itinerary to reflect the hotels we have booked. I looked at Lonely Planet to find out which pages I need to photocopy in preparation for our travel--in mid-December (but it is never too early to get organized!).
     I also updated my List of Potential Interviewees by adding names and telephone numbers of the many people who have been suggested to me in the past few days.
     Next, I began to make calls for more interviews in the weeks to come. I started off by calling Alyque Padamsee's secretary as I would now like to work with former members of Theatre Group (as most of my interviews at the NCPA are done). I had a chance to speak to Alyque himself and later with his secretary. We are still trying to work out a mutually convenient time.
     More calls to people who had worked with the Motley Drama Group and who are known to Shahnaz--I have decided to do a group interview with the three of them--Shahnaz, Kenny and Shiv--and I have left it to Shahnaz to call them to pick out a suitable date for the interview which will take place in her home.
     Meanwhile, I emailed folks--both at NYU as I stay abreast with what is happening in New York-- and in Bombay as I continue to make appointments. I was all set to have lunch with my friend Firdaus tomorrow after my interview with another person from the NCPA, but then he called, later in the afternoon, to reschedule as something had come up.
     Also, Narain, a relative of my friend Leslie called. Leslie is visiting Bombay from Connecticut next week and has invited me to dinner at her in-laws' place next Saturday after I give her and her sister Bev a walking tour of downtown Bombay. Narain called to firm up plans. It was such a pleasure chatting with him.
     It was only about 12 noon that I actually started to transcribe the interview I had done with Ivy yesterday.  It did not take long as it was shortish. I was then able to move on to the next interview with Mark, but my laptop ran out of juice and I had to recharge it--this gave me the opportunity to actually stop for lunch: Goan shrimp curry, beans and cutlets with a guava for dessert.  Next, I took a shower and got back to the drawing board, where I finished up transcribing the interview with Mark and then had a ten-minute power nap.

Getting a Number at Holy Family Hospital:
     I awoke at 3.30 and got dressed to stroll down to Holy Family Hospital as Dad and I intended to see Russel's orthopedist this evening as it has been a month since his sutures were removed and the doctor wanted a report from us on how he was doing.  In order to see the doctor during this Outpatient hours in the evening (starting at 7.30 pm), you need to get a number (or else you will be sitting outside for hours!). Numbers are given out at 4.00 pm and I had told Dad I would pick up one for us.  Hence, my excursion to the hospital. I got the first number which would require us to be there at 7.30 pm. This is a rather antiquated way of giving out appointments to see a doctor--but hey, in some ways, India remains rooted in Medieval times!
    I then walked to Hearsch to try to get croissants only to discover that they were all gone. Apparently they are available when the bakery opens at 8.00 am but there is no telling till how long they will have them as they literally sell like...well, like hot cakes! I walked back home and returned to work to transcribe the third interview that I had done with Francis.
     It was about 6.00 pm by the time I finished all the items on my To-Do List  and I needed to stretch after the long hours I had spent at my laptop. I dressed and went off to Dad's to spend the evening with Russel.

A Surprise Meeting at the Hospital:
      Dad and I left by rickshaw for the doctor at 7.00 pm. At the hospital, we had a charming surprise. Waiting to see another doctor, Christopher D'Souza--an ENT specialist and a friend of mine--was Vivian, the brother of my school-friend Beulah with whom I had only very recently reconnected. He was with his wife Amrita whom I was meeting for the first time. Dad knew Vivian too when he was a little boy--it has been more than fifty years since I had last seen him so you can imagine how delighted we were to catch up. In fact, we had been family friends with Beulah, Vivian and their parents when we were kids; so Dad too had a lot of questions to ask of Vivian and Vivian, surprisingly, could still recognize Dad! It also turned out that Amrita's father, Joe Fonseca, had worked with Dad in the Reserve Bank of India and Dad did actually still remember him well! We took some pictures together so that Russel can see Vivian too--after all these years.

Meeting the Orthopedist:
     Our meeting with the orthopedist, Dr. Derick D'Lima, went as well as can be expected.  We discovered that we need to take x-rays now so that he can see how the fusing of the bones is occurring. We told him that Russel's knee has swollen again--and he says that it is understandable as the cavity needs to be filled with something! He told us that he can use a needle to aspirate it and remove the liquid. He asked us to bring Russel in for this procedure but when we told him that it would involve an ambulance, etc., he said that a portable x-ray machine could be sent to our home for the x-ray to be taken and that the aspiration could be done at the time that Russel comes to get his fiberglass cast removed. It turns out that the cast needs to be kept on for at least another month. After the x-rays are done, we will see him again and he will then take a call on when the cast can be removed. As for the knee, I discovered that calipers are applied outside the leg to hold the knee bones in place and to enable mobility (such as the kind worn by polio patients)--they do not involve another surgery as I had thought.
     Both Dad and I feel rather dejected after our visit as it appears that Russel is going to have to fight a knee issue for the rest of his life and might never walk normally again. This has nothing to do with his fracture but everything to do with his arthritic knee. Dad feels very worried as he is conscious of his age and the fact that he does not have a lot of time left on this earth. He wanted to see Russel acquire more mobility for his own peace of mind before he goes. It is very sad and heartbreaking to see Dad often on the verge of tears as he tries to deal with the predicament that Russel's arthritis has put him in. I try to console him as best I can, but he keeps talking about praying for a miracle.
     Before we left the hospital, I nipped into his office to see my friend Dr. Christopher D'Souza (whom I know as Chris) and to renew contact with him.  We have chatted on the phone but it was good to see him again.  Our visit was brief and with the promise that we would meet again in more social circumstances, I left to join Dad outside.
     Dad and I got into a rickshaw together after our doctor's visit. He dropped me off at my place and continued on his own.  I had my dinner while watching the last episode of Tunnel which has been simply brilliant. I have told Llew that he ought to catch it on You Tube.
     I wanted to have an early night but by the time I caught up with folks in the US who were just awaking, it was about 11.00 pm when I switched off my light.
     It had been a very busy but very productive day and I have caught up with all my work and am ready to launch on to a new work week tomorrow in the city.
     Until tomorrow...