Back in Bombay: Hitting the Ground Running

Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Bombay

Back in Bombay: Hitting the Ground Running

     Namaste from Bombay!
     Awaking in my own little studio again after almost a week felt kind of strange but I quickly slipped into some semblance of routine. I was up at 5.30 am which left me time to look at my Twitter feed and email. It wasn't long before I washed and looked at my To-Do List only to discover that I had a ton of things to try to accomplish before sundown.
     I did not go to the gym today as my case lay staring at me, waiting to be unpacked. But first, I thought, Brekkie.  It was muesli and coffee again as I watched Still Game--a show that still has me laughing out loud. I realize that I have finished Doc Martin which has disappeared from my Netflix list. Fortified with sustenance, I attacked the unpacking of my case and was done in about a half hour In-between, I washed the new glass bead jewelry I had bought in Mahabalipuram in soapy water and put away everything while separating those items that needed to be laundered. I next went in for a shower and shampoo and feeling like a new person again, I took a call from Dad who requested me to come over to his place to help him with some paperwork in the evening. I promised I would be there by 5.00 pm.
     I then received the program for the conference at Goa University and found that I had been placed on the first day. The organizers also confirmed my accommodation at the International Guest House on the University campus--which meant that I had to look into the issue of airfares and air tickets to Goa and back. I was in the middle of it when I realized that I had to leave for my interview with Quasar Padamsee-Thakore, son of Dolly Thakore (whom I had interviewed about two months ago) and Alyque Padamsee.  We were scheduled to meet at the entrance of the Bandra Gymkhana and it was there that we sat and had a very full and fruitful conversation for about an hour and a half. Like most young Indians with a good education behind them, Quasar is articulate and very enterprising and it was a real pleasure to listen to him speak. I took down my notes furiously over lemonades.
     By 1.00 pm, my friend Amy Darby arrived at the same venue for our lunch appointment--just as Quasar and I were winding down. I thanked Quasar and went on to greet Amy who had arriveed in India from Norfolk in the UK where she has lived for 51 years having emigrated from Mazagoan, Bombay, when she was 19 years old. I have had the pleasure of staying with her in her home at Gorleston-On-Sea in Norfolk, a few years ago, and I was very pleased to see her again after about eight years.
     I took Amy upstairs to the Dining Room of the Gymkhana where we ordered an absolutely tasty meal of mocktails to begin with (both of us thought ours were "gorgeous" to quote Amy) and then a meal of Goan Prawn Masala Curry with steamed rice and Kadai Sabzi, a really flavorful mixed vegetable dish. For starters, we had Chicken Lasooni (which I really and truly love)--they are grilled chicken kebabs that are superbly spiced. We ate well but neither one of us had room for dessert--our mocktails which were more like milk shakes served as dessert! It was grand to catch up with Amy whose family I remember well from my childhood. She too had given me a good time when I was staying with her in England. I admired the fact that she was traveling alone in India (Goa, Mangalore and Bombay) and having arrived for a wedding, had found the motivation to see a little bit of India in the bargain.
     When we were done with the meal, we walked for about ten minutes to Virendra colony to the home of my Connecticut friend Lynne who is visiting Bombay for a couple of weeks. Llew had sent some of our church calendars with her (one for Russel and one for me) and I  had intended to pick them up before my departure for Chennai; but Lynne's arrival and my departure had clashed. Hence, finally getting a hold of the calendars was a relief. Amy walked with me to Virendra but waited downstairs while I ran up and got a hold of them--this was my first time ever visiting Virendra colony although I have passed it about a gazillion times in my own lifetime as the buildings are right by the water near St. Andrew's Church. Lynne and I visited very briefly before I took the calendars from her--Russel will be thrilled to finally get his calendar as he has waited patiently for it. I promised Lynne that I would try to have lunch or dinner with her before I leave for Goa; but it is looking more and more challenging to fit everything in.
     Back home, after Amy hailed a rickshaw to get back to her hotel at Sun and Sand in Juhu, I began drafting the paper for the conference in Goa. I managed to do some preliminary research and get the paper going but I was also keen on getting a short nap. Sadly, sleep eluded me but the lie-down was good. I had no time for a cup of tea or anything else as it was almost 5.00 pm and I had to leave for Dad's.
     Dad and I sat to do some paperwork associated with his bank and his telephone bill and we were almost through when my cousin Meera and her husband Cyril came calling. Dad excused himself to get on with a shower as he had to leave early to conduct the novena while Russel and I visited with them. It was great to have quality time with my relatives who were back from visiting their children in Dubai for a month. But all too soon, it was time for me to excuse myself too as I had to attend the 6.45 pm Novena and followed Dad to church. Mass followed the novena after which Dad and I walked back to his gate where I took my leave. For dinner, I had crackers with cheese and a cup of soup and began watching Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None--a scary plot set on an island (Soldier Island) off the coast of Devon where ten random people are assembled by their unknown hosts, a Mr. Owen. I was at the point where it becomes evident that all of them have murdered someone in their lives--their dirty secret. But by 9.00 pm, I got back to working on my conference paper for Goa. An hour later, I decided to try to get to sleep but my noisy, gun-throated neighbor in back (hopefully, she will have gone by today) and the inconsiderate din continued next-door until almost 11.00 pm when I could finally fall asleep.
     It had been a full and very productive day as I am still trying to juggle all the things I need to finish before I leave for Goa on Sunday.
     Until tomorrow...