More Transcription, Two More Interviews

Monday, April 1, 2019
Bombay

More Transcription, Two More Interviews

     Namaste from Bombay!
     A new week and a new month have dawned and I get closer to the end of my tenure here in Bombay as a Fulbrighter. There is a sense of urgency now developing within me that makes me feel compelled to finish up my interviews by the end of this present month so that I can keep the month of May for gaining access to pictures and other visual material. So I am projecting ahead...
     Awaking after an almost sleepless night (during which the combination of caffeine in a coffee and a Diet Coke kept me awake), I blogged, chatted with Llew, then got my muesli and coffee breakfast organized. A quick shower later, I was out of the house and heading to my first interview with a man named Melvin Rodricks (known in local circles as Melrod). He was once a force to reckon with in the organization of the local Bandra 'Zonals' of St. Andrew's Church and although he has now retired from active volunteer service with the Zonals, I was sure that he would have much archival material to share with me.
     I arrived at his apartment on the dot and sat down to a very nice conversation with him.  As it turns out, he is vaguely and distantly related to me on my mother's side and we renewed those connections before he spoke about his contribution to the Zonals. After an hour, I left his place and walked back home. He has promised to find me printed material and has suggested I contact him again after Easter.
     I spent the rest of the morning transcribing the interview I did with him, stopping only for lunch (Valerie has sent me a new tiffin but I still have leftovers from the old one!) and taking a brief siesta. Then I was at my computer again, transcribing two more interviews.
     In the evening at 6.00 pm, I had yet another interview to do--this time with Roger Drego, who is the king of sound engineering in Bombay. Our meeting took place in his office at St. Andrew's Auditorium in Bandra. Again, we had a very nice chat about his role, over the decades, in serving as sound engineer and mixer for some of the biggest musical and theatrical events that the city has ever seen.
     At 7.00 pm, as he had another meeting, I took my leave and walked straight to see Russel. I knew that Dad would be at Mass but I had a very nice evening chatting with Russel and catching up with him. When Dad returned, I left and got back home for my own dinner (chicken curry and gherkins with one chappati--no dal!) and watched Line of Duty which is simply riveting. But my lack of sleep of the previous night caused me to feel very sleepy indeed and by 10.00 pm, I switched off the light after a day in which I had done two interviews and transcribed three.
     Until tomorrow...