Interview with a Retired Professor, Lunch with Firdaus and a Meeting with Fr. Tony

Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Bombay

Interview With a Retired Professor, Lunch with Firdaus and a Meeting with Fr. Tony

     Namaste from Bombay!
     I had another delightful day--productive and yet fun.
     Awake at 6.30, I blogged--it took a bit longer than usual as I had so much exciting stuff to report-- washed, ate my Club Sandwich (chicken cutlets and cheese) for brekkie with two cups of coffee (as I had much to wash down), showered and left for my 11. 30 am appointment downtown.
     In a bus and then a Bandra local train, I reached Churchgate a little early. My interview was scheduled at 11.30 am. I walked across the Oval Maidan on foot on a lovely morning taking in views of the glorious Victorian Gothic buildings of the Fort area--I can never tire of this sight. Then, I walked past the Bombay High Court and arrived at the C.J. Hall and went past the YMCA International House and St. Anne's School to arrive, after a half hour walk, at one of my favorite shops in the whole of Bombay--Phillips Antiques.

Exploring Phillips Antiques:
      This amazing antiques store has been a Bombay fixture for decades--more than a century as it dates from the 1870s. During my college years, when my pocket money was just Rs. 30 per month, I used to stand outside the shop windows and gaze upon the treasures contained within. In those days, there used to be a lot of European bric-a-brac in those windows: porcelain, glass, crystal, silver--acquired, I believe, through the large number of expatriates who lived in Bombay and were being repatriated to their home countries.  Through the years, as my finances improved, I bought items that were easily portable. I proudly own a set of original 19th century engravings depicting The Battle of Mooltan than decorate my dining room. And I have three framed photographic portraits of Victorian Gothic buildings by Willets and George Gilbert Scott just above my bar in my family room.
     Walking into Phillips Antiques this time round, I was struck by the lack of any European items.  Now it is exclusively Indian antiques that they sell--Indian silver, brass, wooden carved temple fragments, wooden toys, bits of doors from Rajasthan and Gujarat--that sort of thing. The biggest-selling item right now seems to be prints and lithographs of engravings as well as maps of colonial India and colonial Bombay. There are also prints of the ads that announced steamers sailings to and from India and for British colonial products such as Pears Soap. I had a bit of a poke around and found nothing to really catch my eye. What really did attract me was up on the wall: a set of a dozen prints of paintings by Raja Ravi Verma which were then embellished with fragments of fabric, beads, sequins, etc. to create a three-dimensional collage of portraits from Hindu mythology.  These were selling for a steep Rs. 64,000 each! I do believe that they would create the greatest effect if exhibited together on a single wall.

Off to my Interview with Nisha da Cunha:
     My next port of call was the Yacht Club where I had an 11.30 am interview scheduled with Nisha da Cunha who is 85 years old and does not miss her daily workout at the Gym of the Club! At 85, she does not look a day over 65, is as slim as a reed, spritely, vivacious and filled with good cheer and humor. I have a history with Nisha--which if you will allow me, I will explain...
     Thirty-five years ago, I had competed for the Cambridge-Nehru Scholarship to go to the University of Cambridge to do my Masters in English Literature. Nisha, who is a graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge, and was then Head of the Department of English at St. Xavier's College, Bombay, was assigned to interview me and actually spend half a day with me to find out if I was a worthy candidate for the prestigious award. I was competing with a bunch of scientists, mathematicians, etc. I spent a lovely morning with Nisha but I bet I did not make an impression as she did not remember me at all! Needless to say, I did not get the Scholarship. Which might be just as well, because a few years later, I got a British Council Scholarship and ended up at The Other Place--Oxford! And the rest is, of course, history. Also, as I pointed out to Nisha, I might not have got the Cambridge-Nehru Scholarship as a graduate student but I did get the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship as a Senior Researcher! Life presents the strangest coincidences... I must add that Nisha refused to believe I had applied 35 years ago--she kept looking at me and insisting I was not a day over 35 myself! You can bet she made my day! She said, "I looked outside the gym and saw this little girl and thought this could not be the Fulbright Fellow who has come to meet me. No way!" She kept touching my skin and saying, "How do you do it?"
     Secondly, after resigning from St. Xavier's College after a 35 year run there (the politics of academia can stink, believe me, and she felt bullied by another faculty-member in her department), she took to writing and produced 4 fabulous collections of short stories--all published by Penguin India in Delhi.  They were so good that they inspired me to start writing short fiction myself. I still have a collection of 12 stories of which only two have been published so far: 'Stranger on a Bus' and 'Unfinished Symphony' (they are both on my website). Maybe someday...
     I had begun working on my post-doctoral dissertation at St. John's University at New York and needed to find a topic on which to sink my teeth. I chose to work on 'The Politics of Mourning: Grief-Management in Cross-Cultural Fiction' which was later published as my second book. Nisha's stories fit the brief perfectly and I wrote to her from New York requesting her to send me copies of her book reviews--which she promptly did. (She does not remember this either!). After my book was published, I devised a course for the Liberal Studies Program at New York University on 'Mourning in Cross-Cultural Fiction' and used her stories to illustrate theoretical concepts from Freud to Elizabeth Kulber-Ross. I photocopied her stories and circulated them in class as handouts and have spent many an enlightening afternoon dissecting them with my students.
     So, at several points my work has intersected with the life of Nisha da Cunha--and yet she had no clue.  So, it was with the utmost pleasure that I waited for her to finish her workout and then begin to interview her.  The reason our paths were crossing again (this time, literally) was because she had been an active producer and director of English language theater in Bombay and had worked tirelessly while at St. Xavier's College to stage quality drama. She also happens to be married to Advertising man, Sylvester (Sylvie) da Cunha, brother of Gerson da Cunha (whom I shall be interviewing on Friday). The names of Sylvie and Gerson are intrinsically linked with quality drama productions in Bombay. Sadly, at 88, Sylvie is now battling severe Parkinson's Disease and cannot give an interview himself. Nisha would be speaking not just for herself but also for her husband.  She is also very proud of her son, their only child, Rahul, who is a producer in his own right and founded Rage Theater Company--he has produced a vast number of plays and is now one of the organizers of Sing, India, Sing, a dramatic extravaganza that contains originally composed music, a wonderful plot line and a bevy of stunning singers and musicians--the best that Bombay knows right now. I will also be speaking to Rahul in due course.
     It was fascinating chatting with Nisha--she is the daughter of former Minister of Finance, H. M. Patel who was an Oxonian himself (St. Catherine's College)--and had four sisters--one of whom was the magnificent Usha Amin Katrak who played Medea and Julius Caesar in Theater Group Productions.  She was raised in Delhi and graduated from Miranda House with English Honors before proceeding to Cambridge and then to Bombay. Finding out about her creative life was an endlessly inspiring and fascinating experience for me and I do believe, the more I think about it, that there is so much I owe to the women I met during my early years who inspired me so much to reach out and grasp at every opportunity that lay ahead. Anyway, Nisha and I parted in an hour as she had to rush home to pick up her nursing duties for Sylvie. Her parting shot was, "You must note that I am not a Goan. I am a Gujarati and a Hindu." My talk with her will remain one of the high points of my research here in Bombay.
     As we were chatting, our mutual friend Firdaus turned up for his 1.00pm lunch appointment with me.  He is Nisha's work out pal--they are at the gym each day at the same time. Firdaus and I received scholarships to Exeter College, Oxford, the same year (1987) and have remained firm friends through the decades.  He is a member of the Yacht Club and it has often been my pleasure to have a drink with him several times in this glorious place overlooking Bombay Harbor and the Gateway of India. This afternoon, he said he would treat me to lunch.

Lunch with Firdaus:
     I said goodbye to Nisha and picked up with Firdaus who led me up to the first floor dining hall (we had our interview in the lounge on the ground floor over coffee and lemonade) where we took a look at the menu and ordered.  Firdaus chose asparagus soup (he is closely watching his figure!) while I had Fish in Mushroom Sauce with potato croquettes and beetroot. It was fabulous--these colonial clubs have not lost the art of colonial cooking, that's for sure.  I realize now that I ought to order continental cuisine every time I am treated to a meal in one of these places. What they once served the gora sahib they now proudly serve the brown sahibs! And the food in unfailingly good.
     As always, Firdaus and I had much to chat about--literature, books, my research, his next trip to Europe (he retired as Chief Financial Officer of the Tata Group and now spends much of his time chasing opera performances in varied parts of Europe)--his next trip is to London in April to see La Forza del Destino by Verdi at Covent Garden. How fabulous is that???!!! Like me, Firdaus is a confirmed Anglophile and his favorite place is the whole world is London where we have often met and spent time together. He makes a very good case for retirement!

Off to See Kulsum Terrace:
     In the many interviews I have been carrying out, the building named Kulsum Terrace has been popping up repeatedly as theater people tell me how iconic it was in terms of shaping the early English language theater in Bombay through Theater Group that was founded there and had its rehearsals and early performances on its terraces. I told Firdaus that after Yohan Jefferries had told me exactly where it was located, I intended to go out in search of it.  Firdaus decided to walk there with me along the quiet arcaded Tulloch Road behind the Taj Mahal Hotel. We passed by his building and he pointed it out to me. Sadly, we could not visit his home as he had house guests in the process of leaving and returning to Canada in the midst of their repacking.
     A few minutes later, we were on Colaba Causeway and gazing up at the legendary building.  I took many pictures from both sides of the road--the Causeway and Wodehouse Road. Like all the buildings of its vintage (1930s), it has sprawling rooms inside but is not very well maintained on the outside. Still...hopefully, I shall have the pleasure of getting inside it when I go off to interview its current resident, Raell, the daughter of Pearl and Alyque, also a giant in the current theater business.

A Meeting with Fr. Tony Charangat, Editor of The Examiner:
     My next port of call was the Eucharistic Congress Building near Archbishop's House. Firdaus and I parted and I went to say Hello to Fr. Tony Charangat who has been a very old friend of mine. As Editor of The Examiner, he waits each year for my annual contribution to his special Christmas issue. The staff have also become familiar with my name through my byline and smile as soon as I introduce myself.
     Fr. Tony has recently gone through major heart surgery and told me that he had a series of epiphanies that deal with Christian theology about which he received new enlightenment as he was convalescing.  He tells me that he is in the process of writing a book about these extraordinary revelations.  He looked fit and well and has taken up the reigns of his work as Editor, as parish priest of St. Joseph's Church and as Principal of the school--how anyone can wear three hats at the same time is quite beyond my understanding! Still, he is also a brilliant raconteur and I always have a great time listening to his stories. He was instrumental in getting the former Principal of St. Xavier's College to offer to sponsor me as a Fulbright Fellow. So I also owe him big time and I said Thanks to him again. About an hour later, I left so that I could avoid the peak hour rush on the trains home. I took a 133 bus from outside the C.J. Hall and was at Churchgate in no time.

Back Home in Bandra:
     I was in Bandra an hour later. At home, I had a cup of tea and a cookie and went off to Dad's to spend a half hour with Russel. Then I too left to catch the Novena followed by Mass. After Mass, Dad asked me to come over to his place to read a few articles from the papers for him as he simply cannot read the fine print anymore--they were about the Reserve Bank of India and its current controversy with the Indian government over issues of autonomy and about the controversy surrounding the dropping of Mitali Raj from the Indian women's cricket team in a match that bombed badly for India. It amazes me how vibrant and stimulated Dad keeps his mind and how much he continues to want to be part of the conversations out there--at 88! I stayed long enough to serve dinner to Russel and himself as he then wanted to catch the last of the World Cup hockey match between India and South Africa on the telly--India was leading 5-Nothing.
    In my own home, I started watching Wanderlust on Netflix, a film with Toni Collete, an actress I quite like, while I ate my diner (a new tiffin had been delivered and I enjoyed cutlets, chicken curry and gherkins with half a guava for dessert). The movie has the most bizarre plot--about a couple who wished to bring back the zing in their long and boring marriage by getting involved sexually with other partners! I left it half way through so that I could get to bed but I predict this will not end well! I also realized that this is not a movie but a TV series--which is to be continued.
     Until tomorrow...