Another Interview and A Doctor’s Appointment with Dad

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Bombay

        

Another Interview and A Doctor’s Appointment with Dad

            Namastefrom Bombay!

            Routine has set in and routine tends to be boring—so nothing of excitement to recount.  I was up at 5.30am and began blogging. I am also reading Bloodline Bandra, a fictional memoir by Godfrey Pereira, a Bandra ‘bugger’ I used to know a long time ago when we both lived in Bandra. His book, published by Harper Collins in India, is an indictment of his early years in New York when he was exploited in Indian media circles because he did not possess a green card and was on a work permit. I am finding it quite compelling indeed—not just because I know him personally but because I had actually had the opportunity to rub shoulders with him when he was in New York in those early years—in fact, we had worked together very briefly in one of the newspaper outfits that he has castigated in his book. 

Hailing from a Catholic East Indian background, he has also been pretty merciless in his depiction of the community (especially in terms of their linguistic peculiarities) and I can quite imagine that his own people would be hugely offended by this picture he has portrayed of their village and its inhabitants. While it is completely true that the owners of Indian newspapers in New York were ruthless businessmen and that a whole lot of us went through their hands as youngsters without green cards looking for our first job breaks while on work permits and hoping for better opportunities to come by, I am absolutely shocked at how badly he was spoken to, treated and, as he says, “legally enslaved” by his situation—to the point of becoming suicidal. The book is pretty heart breaking and once I got into it, I was unable to put it down. I am almost through with it, but it did take a hefty chunk of my time this morning.

      I then caught the breadman, ate two broons which I fashioned into cold tongue sandwiches and ate them with coffee for breakfast (so delicious!—thanks Marianel!). I began transcribing my interview wih Coomi Wadia but I did not finish it as I showered and walked out the door. I was off to do yet another interview.

Interviewing Merlin D’Souza:

            Merlin Dsouza’s name was suggested to me by my friend Doreen Bellomo even before I left home as someone I simply ought to speak to in connection with my research. In the many interviews I have been conducting, her name has been coming up routinely. It was time to schedule an appointment with her. She invited me to her own personal recording studio in Bandra—in a flat that she has converted into her creative domain. I had some difficulty finding it as I am not familiar with the area in which it is located, but I was finally there and we got started.

     I was amazed by how much Merlin has achieved. I was amazed at how talented she is. I was amazed at how little I know of her or her work although she is clearly global material. She was a delight and I learned a whole lot, not just about her, but about the cut-throat world of music creativity in which young talented Christian women are in such demand but often lose out as they know so little about the business part of this world. Merlin has only just hired a lawyer who specializes in IP (Intellectual Property) as she is increasingly finding that her work is being passed off as someone else’s—the old plagiarism story, all over again. She spoke at length about her early beginnings in the parish Zonals circuits in Bandra and the springboard it provided for the kind of success she is currently enjoying. Finally, she talked about giving back by playing the organ at church every Sunday for Mass in Bombay. I think I should be going to these churches and these masses (to listen to some good organists and some good music—just as I had enjoyed the wonderful choirs in the Anglican churches in London).

     

Home to Work:

     I got home for lunch—the same tiffin that I have eaten for the past two days as Valerie is now supplying to me only on Mondays and Thursdays. I watched Grace and Frankie—can’t believe how quickly I have plunged into it and how much I am enjoying it. 

     After lunch, I set to work to finish transcribing the interview with Coomi. I also went through two more chapters of my memoir manuscript—there was a bit more restructuring to do with the last couple of chapters. I have no idea where the time went as I remained focused on my work and chained to my computer.  I tried taking a nap but did not succeed. I stopped for a pot of tea with cake and half a lemon tart and continued working until I stopped at 6.00 pm to get to Dad’s. 

A Visit to Dad’s Urologist:

     I visited with Russel for about 20 minutes and then left for the Novena and Mass. Right after Mass, Dad and I had an appointment their urologist, Dr. Raina at Lilavati Hospital. It was a pretty routine affair with merely a repeat of their medications prescribed but we did have to wait for about 45 minutes before we went in as there were about four patients ahead of us.

    That done, Dad and I took a rickshaw home—I hopped off at my place and plunged into dinner as I was both hungry and sleepy at that point. I finished up my tiffin, washed up all my Tupperware containers and got ready for bed.  

            In a fairly routine sort of day, there were a few exciting bits (not all occurred today but they kind of came to a head today): I have been invited to a wedding that is to take place tomorrow on the Mahalaxmi Racecourse during a polo match while “High Tea” will be served! I have a ticket to listen to the Symphony Orchestra of India which will be conducted by Martyn Brabbins at the NCPA! I have been invited to give a keynote address at a conference at the University of Nagpur to which the United States-India Education Foundation is flying me and providing hotel accommodation! I have been invited to Tea at the home of a former student from Jai Hind College! And I have been invited to accompany a girl friend to Bali in April! Wow! I will now have to clear my schedule to make this surprise trip happen.

            Now you know why I am working overtime and exhausting myself each day—I simply need to carve out time to have fun as too many exciting offers are coming my way!

            Until tomorrow…