Mostly Family Time and a Fulbrighters Get-Together

Friday, January 18, 2019
Bombay

Mostly Family Time and a Fulbrighters Get-Together: 

     Namaste from Bombay!
     In the days between one trip and the next (Tamil Nadu, then Goa), I want to clear my To-Do List and set off again on my travels with a clear conscience. Hence, I spent most of today dealing with pending work and attending to my Dad's needs.
     Awake at 6.30 am, I began blogging, then reviewing once again my paper for the Goa Conference. For those with any interest in these matters, my paper is entitled: "Identity Matters: Goans in Canada and the Geographic Complexities of Diasporic Consciousness". It will be presented on January 21 at the first session of the conference. Goa will also be the venue of the official launch of my book entitled, Goa: A Post-Colonial Society Between Cultures which is to be held at the Camoens Institute in Panjim, Goa at 6.00 pm. About five contributors to the volume will be present as delegates from varied parts of the former Portuguese world to participate in the launch.
     I found the bread man at my door at 7.45 and so I treated myself to a broon with a few spreads and coffee--a nice occasional variation on my regular muesli. While munching, I watched And Then There Were None--the whodunit had a surprising twist at the very end about which I would never have guessed.
     That done, I waited for the telephone call that I had scheduled with Yamini, the gal who will be the Moderator at the panel discussion on "Migration and Displacement"  in which I will be participating at the Kala Ghoda Cultural Festival in Bombay on February 3 at 4.00 pm with Prof. Niloufer Bharucha (my former colleague in the English Department at the University of Bombay) and Anita Heiss, an aboriginal writer from Australia. We spoke for about fifteen minutes during which time I zeroed in on those aspects of my book upon which I will expand during the discussion. I am looking forward to it as the Kala Ghoda Festival is the largest one of its kind in India and attracts thousands of people over nine culturally packed days that include Music, Dance, Literature, Food, Heritage Walks, Cinema, Workshops and Childrens' Activities. I have heard so much about it over the years that I am very keen on finding out for myself exactly what it involves.

Dealing with MTNL on Dad's Behalf:
     There was only enough time for me to have a shower and then leave for Dad's place where I was expected at 10.30 am so that he and I could go together on our errand at the Mahanagar Telephone Exchange Office at Bandra Reclamation. Long story short, after ten years of enjoying the ease and convenience of direct debit bill-payment through his bank, Dad was informed by his telephone company (MTNL) that the arrangement had expired.  Renewing it has proven to be one of the more challenging tasks of his recent life. It has taken him almost six months to accomplish the simple task of getting the arrangement renewed. Several visits to the office and to his bank have not achieved the intended objective. Month after month, he gets bills telling him to pay the bill in person.
     We decided today to go back to the office to try and sort things out and pay his pending bill of the past two months. Suffice it to say that the experience was far more pleasant than I had imagined. We were treated, if not cordially, at least efficiently--although at one point, we were asked to pay a fine of Rs. 20 which Dad refused to do as he insisted that the delay emanated from MTNL's side, not his.  Another clerk agreed and the penalty was waived! It was only Rs. 20, but to Dad, it was a matter of principle not to pay for something that was not his fault.
     Another trip up to the second floor followed where we were greeted by a bunch of lovely ladies who worked speedily to try to help us resolve the issue. It made for a surprisingly good experience. However, Dad had forgotten to carry his check book with him (it happens when you are 88 years old and trying to juggle so many pressing challenges in a single day!) and we will need to return tomorrow to pay up the bill. I told Dad that I could go myself, but he insists on coming with me! If there is one thing that Dad still learns, it is delegating!
     Anyway, feeling far more optimistic than we had intended, we left the office with the ladies assuring us that the matter would be cleared by next month. We are not holding our breath!
     I returned to my home to pick up my flash drive and my copy of Lonely Planet--India and then went directly to my photocopying man Jay to get my Goa ticket, itinerary and conference program printed and to photocopy pages on Goa sightseeing from Lonely Planet.  This was done in about 20 minutes. I was just in time for lunch at Dad's place as I have not resumed my meal delivery service--I shall do so after my return from Goa--I had dal, white pumpkin, prawn curry, cauliflower with peas--a real buffet of leftovers and today's fresh offerings! With mash melon for dessert, it was a nice meal.  I  left soon after with the promise that I would be back in the evening for a visit and Mass.
     Back home, I sat down to transcribe the interview I had done with Quasar Thakore-Padamsee which took more than two hours--in-between I stopped for a short nap. When it was done, after phone calls from my friend Ashley who is co-ordinating my stay in Panjim as well as with the organizers of the conference at the Camoens Institute, I stopped for a pot of tea and cake (stollen and fruit cake given to me by Dad from among the many Christmas cakes he had been gifted!). I finally finished And Then There Were None--a film that proved once again why Agatha Christie was the mistress of suspense and one of my Mum's favorite authors. My Mum owned paperback editions of almost all her books!
     That done, I got dressed and left for Dad's place where I arrived to find that Russel had a visitor--one Hazel from our parish who had promised me for weeks that she would come to see Russel. It is wonderful how people make the time to go and see house-bound parishioners. We had a nice visit and then all left together to attend Mass.

Fulbrighters Get-Together: 
    Right after Mass, I left Dad at his building gate and hopped into a rickshaw to go to Salt Water Grill where a few Fulbrighters were getting together to say goodbye to Petra, the friend of one of our Fulbrighter's, Richard. Petra, who teaches Dance in Bombay, is returning to the States after her six month teaching stint in India and wanted to say goodbye to us over a meal. Since I had food in my fridge (which I am trying to clear out before I leave for Goa), I did not order; but I did have the chance to meet a new Fulbrighter named Yudith who has just arrived for a five-month stay to do cooperative research on the Jewish Song of Songs and the Hindu Gita Govinda. She is an Israeli from Tel Aviv who is based at Rollins College in Florida. It was fun getting to know her and her American husband David who will be living here for the entire duration of her stay in Colaba, Bombay, where she has elected to live.
    I stayed for about an hour to catch up with Michelle, Megan, Richard and other Fulbrighters and then left and walked back home. I had my dinner while watching Midsomer Murders--a really interesting episode I had not watched before. I lingered a while over my whatsapp feed, thankful that there was no boisterous party next door that would keep me awake till 11.00 pm.
    Until tomorrow...