Super Relaxing Saturday and a Neighborhood Meeting

Saturday, December 1, 2018
Bombay

Super Relaxing Saturday and a Neighborhood Meeting 
 
     Namaste from Bombay!
     With the new month upon us, I awoke to the realization that today is Chriselle's birthday. I had to wait until the evening, because of time difference, to get in touch to wish her. But the morning slipped by in rather a relaxing fashion for me as I had really nothing pressing on the agenda.
     And so it was that I took it fairly easy as I blogged, checked my Twitter feed and read The Times on my IPad. I also woke up with a heavy head and decided to go out and get myself some medication for the cold that has afflicted me. So with a bit of breakfast of muesli and coffee in me, I went out to the shops. I bought a dozen apples and guavas and a bottle of Vicks Vaporub as I intended to do some inhalation--a really old-fashioned remedy for a cold.
     Back home, with inhalation done, I went over to Dad's place in time for Russel's physiotherapist Lenita to arrive there.  She would be teaching Russel to move from the walker to the use of the walking stick and I wanted to be present to see what sort of technique she used so that I could replicate it when she is not around. Sadly, she disappointed us by cancelling her appointment. I was irritated and disappointed, but then I looked at it as a rare opportunity to shoot the breeze with Dad and Russel as it is unusual for me to have the entire morning free. I picked up my laundry from Dad's and I also picked up the T-shirt that I had given to the professional launderer's to remove a stain on it. After about an hour or two at Dad's, I got back home.
     I merely set about getting my day organized when I received a call from my friend Sunil Mahtani of Westport, Connecticut, who had arrived, two days previously, in Bombay. He was carrying some of my sandals that Llew had delivered to his place. If there is one thing I am running short of, it is suitable footwear and I had asked Llew to send three pairs for me.
    As it turned out, Sunil had arrived for brunch at Blue Tokkai Coffee Shop which is literally five minutes from my home. I told him that I would be able to join him there in ten minutes. And that was exactly what happened.  Not only did I meet with Sunil (which was a huge pleasure--he is married to my American friend Leslie who had also come to Bombay just a month ago) but I had a reunion with his family members: his mother, his brother Naren, Naren's wife, Nina and their daughter Aradhana, who promptly invited me to join them for a bite.  And so it was that I got to know about the most amazing croissants that are sold literally, five minutes away from my place. I ordered a guava juice (which was bottled) and an almond croissant that was simply delicious. We nattered nineteen to the dozen as I told Sunil and his family members that I had been raised in Bandra literally one block away from where we sat. It was a grand way to spend the afternoon.
     Back home, I barely had time to take a quick nap when I had to leave my house. It was almost 4.00 pm and I had been invited to join a neighborhood group meeting to discuss how to keep my Dad's lane cleaner than it currently is.  The NGO group that is spearheading such campaigns is called AGNI and Gerson da Cunha, whom I had interviewed yesterday, is one of the trustees. His secretary Austen had invited me to join the group.  The group consisted of a number of folks who represented the various Bombay wards. I listened to each of them reporting on the individual campaigns that they have undertaken to tackle. Samosas, cake and tea were served very efficiently by a helper. The meeting was held in the Lecture Room of St. Andrew's College which was just a ten minute walk from my studio. I found the entire proceedings very enlightening.
     At the end of the meeting, I had a chance to speak and let the group know why I was present.  Gerson introduced me and I spoke for a few minutes as I told them that I was there to offer my services as a volunteer on a campaign to keep the lane clean. Shyama Kulkarni, one of the most active and vocal of the members, then exchanged phone numbers with me and told me that she would contact me so that we could come up with some ideas on how the problem could be tackled.  She lived on the road adjoining Dad's and was fully conversant with the issue concerned. I left the meeting feeling that it had not entirely been a waste of my time.
     My cold was making me feel very ill indeed. After hot lemon and honey tea with ginger (which I also bought in the morning), I stayed home for the evening and decided to take it very easy. I managed to get Chriselle on the phone but reception was rather choppy as she was hiking in the hills of Los Angeles with very poor signals. We decided to talk again later.
     I then began to look for a movie on Netflix that I could watch and ended up with He's Not Really Into You which had a star cast of easily recognizable actors such as Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Connolly, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long and others. It consisted of small vignettes that reported on the bizarre love lives of a bunch of contemporary Americans who are either searching for Mr or Ms Right or wondering what they are doing in less than satisfactory relationships.  The script was actually rather good and the acting was uniformly impressive.  It was just that overall, it did not hit me in the same way that other movies with an interconnectedness of plot lines such as Love, Actually does.
     My next door neighbor Forum Dedhia is getting married on December 4 and today is her Mehndi Ceremony.  There is so much noise, bustle and excitement next door that wily-inly I am affected by the joyousness of it all.  Although I have been given an invitation, I have had to excuse myself from attending as it is in faraway Khandivli which I do not know at all. Still, Forum, at the best of times, has a gun throat and now that she is a bride-to-be, excitement is making her voice rise even more!  Thankfully, my TV set drowns out their din, but it is clearly going to be a very long and very boisterous night next door!
     I tried to go to bed in the middle of all the noise, after my dinner and ice-cream;  but with all the noise sleep eluded me for ages. It is a good thing it is Sunday tomorrow... Since this cacophony will probably go on for the next couple of nights, I think I shall spend tomorrow night at Dad's.
     Until tomorrow...