Cousins by the Dozen! Luncheon for Three Generations of D'Souza Cousins

Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Bombay 

Cousins by the Dozen! Luncheon for Three Generations of D'Souza Cousins
 
     Namaste from Bombay!
     It was a rather different sort of a week day--a removal from routine!
     Up at 5.30am, I began blogging as usual before I caught the broon man and was able to enjoy a breakfast with Kraft cheddar cheese and some sweet spreads. Then, I got dressed and left for the gym where I worked out for an hour and stepped up the resistance on the elliptical machine. This completely winded me out so that by the time I came back home, I needed to actually lie own and get my energy back!
     Into the shower I hopped and then began to work--I started to transcribe the interview I did with Neale Murray (knowing that I would not finish it by the time I had to leave again). Then sleep washed over me so badly that I could not keep my eyes open and decided to give in and get a nap. About 20 minutes later, I jumped up to get dressed to go off for a very special lunch.

Luncheon with Three Generations of D'Souza Cousins:
     The very special luncheon was a first-time ever event! And it all occurred because my cousin Betty arrived in Bombay from Toronto with her husband Toby and was doing the rounds of 'visits' from one cousin's home to the next--D'Souza cousins on my Dad's side. While at my cousin Ruby's place, she suggested that all the cousins (who happen to be in Bombay) ought to get together for lunch somewhere. Ruby' daughter Linnet decided to take it upon herself to go ahead with the organization of the lunch as she thought it was a great idea.  She contacted me and asked if I could sign the entire group in at the Bandra Gymkhana where the food, as everyone knows, is fab and the prices are very reasonable. I agreed. She then set up a whatsapp group for all the cousins to join in and weigh in on a suitable date. It was eventually decided to do it today as no weekend date was available before Betty's return to Canada.
     So there we all were--17 of us! Yes, three generations were present as my cousin Allan came with his daughters Megan and Tania who brought their kids--William, Elizabeth and Hannah. There was a lot of to-do as we were signed in and then trooped up to the dining room to join all the tables so that we could sit together.
     Of course, we made a huge din--but so did the group of ladies right behind us, part of what one of them (Vinita) explained to me was the "One Four Club". This Ladies Only Club was created about 60 years ago when a group of women from Ranwar village would meet once a week in the afternoons for a natter. As they chatted, a traveling salesman who sold bras would pass them by and shout out, "One Four, One Four, One Four"...meaning that each bra cost One rupee Four annas! Yes, those were the days!!! They decided to name their club the One Four Club and placed annual membership to the club at One Four! Today, the children of those original ladies are in the Club and annual membership is now Rs. 100! Some of us thought it ought to be One Hundred and Four!!!They continue to meet, now once a month, at various places, for lunch. Apparently, they have been written about in the Bandra local tabloids and in The Examiner, the Indian Catholic weekly newspaper.  
     The deal among us, cousins,  was that each one would pay the fee (Rs.30) to enter the club and we would go Dutch on the cost of the meal. People who wished to order alcohol, would pay separately for their drinks. Fair enough. And so we began. Some of us ordered alcohol (beer, brandy), others ordered mocktails and the majority went for fresh lime sodas. For starters, we chose Fish Hariyali, Chicken Reshmi Kebabs and Bacon Wrapped Prawns. The consensus was that we should have Indian food and so the items we ordered were: Chicken Cafrael, Vegetable Makhanwala, Prawn Balchao, Pork Chilly Fry--many assorted Indian bread baskets were brought to the table as was Goa Sausage Pullao. For dessert people ordered either kulfi or chocolate mousse, caramel custard or serradura. We ate well and we enjoyed the super tasty offerings and we chatted nineteen to the dozen--there was not a dull moment as we caught up on so much. With all expenses calculated, including drinks and dessert and tips, we each paid Rs. 620--which was less than $10 per person! Hard to beat, eh? Well, as you can imagine, we made a huge to-do getting out as well as we were determined to get a huge group photo which we actually managed to do despite the kids playing up. I went home with a bag full of our leftovers that the cousins suggested I take across to Dad and Russel who were unable to join us.
     It has now been decided that we will meet my my cousin Zita's home this coming Sunday--but I am not entirely sure I will be able to make it.

Back to Routine:
     Back home,  I was so stuffed that all I could think of was to have a nap. Not that I succeeded as  I had my plumber Clement waiting for me at my studio to take a look at the choke in my kitchen sink. He surveyed it all and told me that the pipes were choked (probably with debris that comes in from the outside--dried leaves, twigs, etc.). He also told me that it involved a big and expensive job to replace the pipes (or to take one pipe out, clean it and replace it). It was not a job he could undertake and he suggested I speak with my landlord. I did that right away--by whatsapp-- and by the end of the day, I was still waiting to hear back from him.
      I tried to get my nap in, but I guess I was too full even to sleep! Instead, I got back to work on my transcription of my interview with Neale and finished it.
     Next item on my agenda was corresponding with my publisher in the US as I am still trying to negotiate the publication of my new forthcoming book with them and wanted to get some clarification on some aspects of it. Let us hope I can get the sort of contract that will actually make me happy.
     That done, I began to look carefully at a new grant application that I am drafting for yet another project. It means editing my CV and bringing it down to 5 pages (academic CVs run into unlimited pages as we have so many publications and conference appearances to list) as well as drafting my grant proposal.
     Before long, it was time to go off for Mass to Dad's where I took all the leftover food. Dad updated me on the situation regarding this visit to Holy Family Hospital to see his nephrologist and get a written prescription for his medication, on the prospect of getting new domestic help, on Russel starting off with a new physiotherapist named Valerian tomorrow. In like manner, I updated him on the kind of procedure involved in getting the new hire registered at the local police precinct (as he will be a live-in domestic helper--the first time Dad has had one) which was based on the information I had received on the phone from my friend Romanee who has done this before and knows the ropes. She offered to come with us when we go to the police, provided she is not on a flight as she is a stewardess.
     So, as you can see, I was juggling a whole bunch of really important things--all in a crazy day's work, I guess.
     Dad and I left for Mass together after which I got back home. As I had eaten too much at lunch, I only had a cup of soup before I got on a whatsapp call with Llew to sort out queries with regards to the filing of our taxes. I had a cup of ice-cream after the call and then set to work getting him the documents he was seeking--this meant going into my online banking shell. By the time I was done with the preliminary work I wanted to do on my new grant application, it was after midnight. So I more than made up for the few hours of the day at which had goofed off to have lunch with my cousins.
     I washed and got ready for bed but could not fall asleep until after 2.00 am as I was bothered by a single mosquito that kept me awake! There is absolutely no proportion that makes any sense between the size of a mosquito and the havoc it can cause!
     Until tomorrow...