Reunion with Long-Lost Neighbors Over Lunch at Linnet's

Thursday, January 17, 2019
Bombay

Reunion with Long-Lost Neighbors Over Lunch at Linnet's

     Namaste from Bombay!
     When I feel most harried (and I do feel that way in this space between one trip and the next), I seem to have the most social engagements. Today, for instance, my day past 12 noon was given entirely to socializing--when I could least afford it. Still...I have no regrets as nothing is more important than making time for people.
     So, awake at 6.30, I blogged for a half hour. Same old, same old.  Nothing very exciting happening other than that I am catching up with pending chores and work assignments. The blog draft went quickly. By 6.00 am, I was able to turn to the more pressing item on my agenda--research and drafting of the paper I will deliver at the conference in Goa and corresponding by email with the organizers to ensure that my accommodation arrangements are in place. Oh, and I had to book my air ticket! Prices are going up by the day--this tends to happen when one keeps the buying of an air ticket for the very last minute!
     So, I sat with my nose to the grindstone--or more properly, my keyboard--and went full speed ahead with my paper. I found from the program sent to me (finally!) that I will be presenting at the very first session of the first day! Wow! That means that I will probably have a large audience and that I will be off the hook pretty soon and with the tension unburdened, can enjoy the rest of the conference at leisure.
     I stopped for breakfast (two broons with a variety of spreads: honey cream cheese, Nutella with chopped nuts, chunky peanut butter and the new orange-ginger marmalade that I bought from Auroville) and two lovely cups of coffee--this was because I caught the bread man from the sound of his bicycle bell below my balcony! While eating, I continued watching And Then There Were None--it is a brilliantly produced re-make of the Agatha Christie classic novel and it stars a galaxy of well-known British actors such as Aidan (Poldark) Turner, Sam (Jurassic Park) Neill, Miranda (Damage) Richardson, Charles (Jewel in the Crown) Dance, Anna Maxwell (Great Expectations) Martin, etc. As a whodunit, I am being kept guessing at every turn. Wonderful stuff!
     Back to the drawing board after breakfast, I completed my paper, proof-read it, read it out aloud to time it (it is just over 20 minutes) and dowloaded it to a flash drive to be printed.
     Next task: Booking my air ticket. It seems that no matter what I do, I cannot escape what is called "Convenience Fee" of Rs 300 (that online travel companies are charging for using a credit card!) Still...finding dates and timings of flights that suited me, I went ahead and made the booking. Big weight of my mind as I now know I am actually getting there!
     Next task: Going online on Lonely Planet to find out how I could travel from Dabolim airport in Goa to Panjim where I am being put up at the International Guest House on the campus of the University of Goa with all of the other international delegates that will be present from Brazil, Portugal, Angola, etc. Turns out that because the politicians in Goa are hand-in-glove with the taxi unions in Goa, there is no Uber or Ola in Goa. Taxi drivers make a killing charging exorbitant rates which, I believe, do not go by meter.  Foreigners play a guessing game as they enter taxis with no clue how much they will be asked to pay at the end of a ride. I am quite nervous about the lack of public transport in Goa.  Fortunately, my friend Ashley, who is based in Panjim at the moment, has been assisting me in gleaning information and he suggests I take a government-run pre-paid cab from the airport to my destination. I will be reimbursed upon submission of a receipt. Fair enough.

Lunch at Linnet's with Long-Lost Neighbors:
     It was about 12 noon when I stopped for a shower and to get dressed for my luncheon invitation to my cousin Linnet's place nearby. She had invited friends from way back when and wondered if I would like to meet them too. I was delighted. So off I went with a stop at Hearsh Bakery to pick up Chicken Patties and Mutton Samosas for her and her family.
     Although I was afraid I would be late, the others were stuck in traffic. This gave me a chance to chat with Ruby, Linnet's Mum, who is my cousin and with Linnet herself. The other two guests eventually arrived: Bernadine with whom I used to play when I was under nine years old and Celine who was a few years younger than my Mum and Dad. At one time in my very early years, all of us used to live in the same building in the heart of Mazagoan (I moved to Bombay Central when I was nine and to Bandra when I was eighteen)--so these friends go back to that period in my life when I have vivid memories of some people and almost none of others. Such occasions, however, always provide an opportunity to stroll down Memory Lane and try to remember those folks who were once either good friends or old neighbors.
     And reminisce we did--for most of the afternoon! Needless to say, there were many laughs and many expressions of dismay and sorrow as we found out what had happened to a number of folks that we all once knew. Through it all, Linnet kept us well plied with snacks and drinks (shandy!). For lunch, there was Chicken Biryani from Lucky Restaurant in Bandra with raita, lovely sorpotel that Bernadine had made, absolutely delicious barbecued chicken legs that Linnet conjured up and for dessert, the last remnants of the many sweets Linnet had made for Christmas (I tried the Chocolate Fudge and the Cashewnut Macaroon that were both good) and butterscotch ice-cream.  Is it any wonder that, try as hard as I can, I am not able to shake off the 2-3 extra pounds I am carrying everywhere!!!???

Socializing with Dad and Russel's Many Visitors:
     As planned, Bernadine, Celine and Ruby then left Linnet's after a wonderful afternoon, to join me at Dad's place as they wanted to see him and Russel (after years). We took ricks and arrived at Dad's about 15 minutes later. The rest of the evening was spent with more reminiscing and Russel's endless questions mainly related to their parish churches. Dad was in his element as he remembered the long-lost pals and neighbors of his own younger days--these ladies left the building too and now live in Vasai (Bassein) and Thane respectively, but they have managed to stay in touch with a lot of the folks that were once known to all of us. Dad and I, in turn, told them about our visit to the building in Mazagoan last January when we had both been amazed as how clean and well-maintained the place was.
     They were in the midst of full-blown conversation, when we had another visitor--the former Municipal Councillor of Bandra--a celebrity of sorts and a lovely person--Karen D'Mello who decided to visit so that she could see how Russel was doing (she meets Dad and me regularly in church and at neighborhood functions). Introductions were made all around before Ruby, Celine and Bernadine left  Karen still chatting with us a little more.
     I decided to leave when she did as my entire afternoon and evening had been spent in small talk and I really needed to get on with the pending tasks on my To-Do List! I was in the process of cutting Russel's nails (after which I really did want to leave) when the doorbell rang again! Another visitor! It turned out to be Joey, a close friend of my brother Roger and an old family friend who also happens to be the brother of our Parish priest, Fr. Colman. He was visiting from Perth, Australia, and spent the rest of the evening showing us pictures of what he calls his "hooligans"--his four daughters! More reminiscing and catching up ensued as he patiently answered all of Russel's questions (mainly about his local parish church where he happens to be very active). We had a good time: as I said, it is fun to catch up with old friends although one always has the nagging sense that work is lying unaccomplished.

Finally! Continuing with Pending Tasks at Home:
     It was only about 7.30 that Joey left and I followed. Neither Dad nor I went to Mass but once home, I got straight to my laptop. I had to draft the Fulbright Mid-Term Report as (believe it or not!) I am at the halfway point of my Fellowship and am required to give a report of what I have accomplished so far. This took me more than an hour to do, after which I put all the material I need printed out for Goa on my flash drive ready to be printed. Next, I turned my attention to making an appointment for a phone meeting with Yasmin who is curating the Kala Ghoda Festival at which I have been invited to speak on 'Migration and Displacement' with regards to my research on Britain's Anglo-Indians on February 3.
     When that was done, I felt hungry (as I'd had no tea!) and finished the leftovers of my lunch with Amy that I had doggie-bagged yesterday. With Kadai Sabzi, Goan Prawn Curry and Chicken Lasooni Kebabs, I had a handsome dinner as I sat watching And Then There Were None. I am now into the third installment of it and I am none the wiser as to who did it!! (or them...as there are ten murders that take place one after the other--oooh, really scary as you never know who will go next or how!)
     I had a long telephone chat with Chriselle then--an opportunity to catch up and tell her all about our travels in Tamil Nadu--and then it was time to wind out for the day by washing up my dinner things, putting everything away, brushing and flossing my teeth and gritting my teeth against the noise emanating from next door where each night there seems to be a stream of visitors dominated by my shrill-voiced neighbor. By 11.00 pm, thankfully, they say their cacophonous goodbyes and I am left to bed down quietly.
     Yes, I did waste a lot of time today...but, in the end, I managed to finish up almost everything on my To-Do List. Tomorrow, I will finish the last item: preparing for a Workshop on Travel Writing that I have been invited to conduct by my friend Prof. Celia Rodrigues at the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. I also need to accompany Dad to the Telephone Exchange so that he can sort out something pertaining to his bill. There is never a dull moment--that's for sure!
     Until tomorrow...