At Home...Working!

Wednesday, November 24, 2018
Bombay

At Home...Working!
   
     Namaste from Bombay!
     Not much of an interesting blog post today, I'm afraid. It was work, work and more work.
     Up at a 5.15 am (yes, again!--why does sleep elude me so?), I blogged, got acquainted with world news on Twitter and made my To-Do List for the day. I decided to stay put at home because I had work to catch up with on my computer. However, as I had been up for a couple of hours before I actually got out of bed, I washed, dressed for the gym, made myself a cup of coffee and left.
     One hour at the gym saw me feel virtuous! I headed home for a shower and my muesli breakfast before I set straight to work. There was email to respond to, email messages to draft myself and a few sundry items to complete online.

It's Festival Time in Bombay!
     The month of November, I am realizing, is Festival time in Bombay--and I don't mean of the Diwali or Dussehra kind! November seems devoted in India to cultural 'festivals' of all kinds--there is the Prithvi Theater Festival raging on at the moment at two venues--the Prithvi Theater near Juhu Beach and the NCPA at Nariman Point. Bombayite organizers have realized how difficult it is for commuters to get from one end of the city to the other and thoughtfully schedule their events at both ends of the city--thus audiences have easier access to quality entertainment and no long commuting hassles.
     There is also the NCPA Literary Festival that will begin this coming weekend and stretch on for three packed days. It features a host of international writers reading, discussing or introducing their varied works.
     And finally, closer to home, there is the 'Celebrate Bandra Festival'--a week-long cultural and social extravaganza that is devoted entirely to the scintillating suburb of Bandra! How cool is that?! The latter two festivals are completely free of charge.  All you need to do is 'register' online for the events of your choice and then voila! There you are! Needless to say, I have registered for a bunch of theatre plays, historical and heritage walks and tours, musical extravaganzas and for the glittering Opening Ceremony. My November calendar is packed to capacity and it is with difficulty that I am scheduling meetings/interviews with respondents to my research project.  Indeed, there is absolutely no dearth of great cultural programming in Bombay. This year, I am merely getting introduced to the cultural 'season' as it were and it is leaving me breathless.

Back to the Grind:
     Once I had finished registering and choosing the events of my choice, I got down to transcribing the interview I did yesterday with Dolly Thakore. It took me more than two hours during which time my laptop ran out of juice.
      I used the time spent recharging it to do two things: I sat with my phone and made a number of calls to Theater Group people with the idea of scheduling more interviews with them. I was lucky to get a couple of them directly on the phone and scheduled interviews in minutes. Others did not pick up--I am realizing that in Bombay, people do not pick up their phones if they do not recognize your number.  Hence, whatsapp is the best introductory tool to use. I also used recharging time to have my lunch after a new tiffin had been delivered: chicken curry, white pumpkin and cutlets with a guava for dessert. I continued watching The Great British Menu while eating.
     Lunch done, I carried on transcribing and when I finished it, I took a brief nap--just 20 minutes does wonders. I awoke to get back to my laptop and at 3.00 pm, began transcribing the interview I did with Annabelle Ferro.  The hands of my wrist watch had marched on to 5.00 pm by the time I finished, proof read and saved it.

Surprise Invitation to a Play:
     It was tea-time and I was dying for a cuppa. One pot and several biscuits later, I was ready to take a couple of calls as the folks I had called/whatsapped responded to me. One of them is involved in a play that has two shows as part of the Prithvi Theater Festival tomorrow and he offered me complimentary tickets right away for the 6.00 pm show of A Farming Story which won the Sultan Padamsee Playwrighting Award last year. It was extraordinarily kind and generous of him and I was delighted to accept them.  I will be spending one hour chatting with him before the show (to which Shahnaz, who thankfully happened to be free, will be accompanying me).
     I then dressed and set off for Dad's to spend about 45 minutes with Russel before I left for the Novena and for Mass. Shahnaz told me to come to her place after Mass as she had something to give me.  I climbed up Pali Hill after Mass and spent about an hour with her. We chatted, ate fresh hot kebabs made by her cook, sipped watermelon juice and I left as I did not want to get back home too late.
    Back home, I opened my goodie bag to find a ceramic plate (beautiful!) and a set of three jars--one held hot fudge sauce( yummmmmiiiee!), the other had roasted honeyed almonds (ditto!) and the third had a tomato basil preserve--I promptly put that in the fridge and will use it as a base for my sandwiches. How very generous of my friend to give me a Diwali gift!
     I served myself dinner (still trying to finish leftovers from my last tiffin!) and ate it as I watched Dead Wind. Then it was time to take a look at WhatsApp messages, scan Tiwtter again and get to bed.
     Until tomorrow....