A Bombay Birthday--What a Blast!

Monday July 8, 2019
Bombay

A Bombay Birthday--What a Blast!

    Namaste from Bombay!
    It is the morning after my birthday bash but I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed because I honestly did not find the time to down even a drop of alcohol! I was too busy making sure everyone else's glasses were topped up!

Off for Morning Mass:
     But my birthday began at 5.30 am when I guess I was too keyed up to sleep any longer, Llew was the first one to wish me--even before my alarm went off. I had set it for 5.45 am and had told Dad that I would call to wake him up at 6.00 am. Half an hour later, I was meeting Dad at his gate and off we went for the 6.30 am Mass in Church while the rest of Bandra was still snoozing.
      The Mass was con-celebrated by Fr. Savio and an unknown priest and it was quick and very satisfying. I spent a lot of time in quiet reflection as I share my birthday with my late Aunt Anne, my mother's sister, who was simply the best aunt anyone could ever desire. I adored her and I continue to miss her every single day. My birthday is also the day my grandmother (my Mother's mother) passed away--when I was all of 24 years old. I can still remember getting the news while I was in-between teaching classes at Jai Hind College where I was then a professor of English Lit. So, I kept thinking of all these folks who made my birthdays so different down the decades.       
     On my way back home, I was filled with more poignant reflection as I recalled my fifth birthday when my Dad accompanied me to the 7.00 am Mass--at St. Anne's Church in Mazagoan. As there was also a 6.00 am Mass, my Aunt Anne had attended that one--and since we lived in twin buildings that were on the same block, our paths crossed while she was on her way back from Mass and Dad and I were on our way to Mass! I can remember stopping on the road while we wished each other. I can also remember having to practically run behind my Dad who used to walk so fast in his younger days--my little 5-year old legs could not keep up with him and I had to run to stay abreast.  All these decades later, it is a privilege to still have Dad by my side as I attended Mass on my birthday. This time, the tables were well and truly turned. Instead of me having to run to keep up with him, I have to slow down my gait considerably as he walks very slowly now (in keeping with his 89 years). This knowledge is heartbreaking and deeply poignant--aging happens and nothing can turn back the hands of the clock.  It was all these thoughts that went through my head as I savored the knowledge that another birthday had come around. What's more, in three months time, it will be exactly ten years since I will have been cancer-free! It is amazing how quickly time passes, isn't it? It seems to me as if I went through surgery and radiation only yesterday. With each passing year that I live in health, I am conscious how much of a gift it is--the Gift of Life-- and of healthy life, in particular. So I never go through a birthday without spending some time in gratitude and happy reflection.

Disappointments and a Deluge During A Quietly Productive Morning:
     I parted ways with Dad at his gate and told him I would take care of ordering food, later in the morning, from Bandra Gymkhana. Back home, there was no stopping the calls, emails, texts, etc, that threatened to overwhelm starting with my brother Roger in Connecticut, wife Lalita and their children--all of whom wished me in turn. Knowing that I had a list of things to do, I got cracking. I had my breakfast (an open roast, cold tongue sandwich and a slice of toast with peanut butter and coffee). Necessity is truly the Mother of Invention--I have mastered the art of making toast in my microwave oven as I do not have a toaster or a toaster-oven. And I adore the crunch of the toast with my spreads! That done, I called Dad to go over some of the arrangements that had to be made in preparation for the evening.
     That was when I had a disappointment. My friend Ninaz called to say that her husband Anil had come down with severe food poisoning and that they would have to skip the evening's bash. I was very disappointed as I was really looking forward to their company. Plus, Ninaz had ordered my cake and she would now be stuck having to deal with its delivery, etc. A lot of texting followed and eventually, she insisted on having it delivered to Dad's place. I still hoped that they would be able to come for at least a short time.
     No sooner did that disappointment hit than the heavens opened and showered abundant blessings upon me for my birthday. The rain was profuse and noisy and I began to worry that people who lived in the city would call to say that they were unable to attend. And it went on and on and on. I kept hoping that the rain cloud would spend itself out by the time the evening rolled in. 
     I, meanwhile, sat on my laptop, and in-between fending off calls and emails and texts from friends and family members around the world, I blogged as I needed to catch up on two days' worth of doings--both of which were pretty packed with interesting activity. This took me almost through the rest of the morning as I also ordered the food from Uday at Bandra Gymkhana and kept tabs on folks who lived far away. Marianel texted to tell me that South Bombay had started to flood and she wondered if she should make the effort to undertake the journey. She asked if she could get a lift from anyone and I put her on to my friend Nafisa who would be driving to Bandra with her husband Husefa.
     And so my day went on. I stopped for lunch of a smorgasbord of things: half a chicken sandwich, some Hawaian chicken salad and some chole with a whole fresh mango for dessert as I needed to finish them up. I was right in the middle of my lunch, when my fruit man rang the bell. He had choice langra mangoes to sell me and, of course, I bought half a dozen from him. I watched Joolz Guides to London as I ate (Bloomsbury and Muswell Hill which is near Highgate) and it was soon time to finish up and wash up my things. I was also in the middle of defrosting my fridge so I had to frequently stop and toss out the melted water as I do not have a frost-free fridge.
     I was soon back at my computer, deciding to take a short nap when I heard a key jiggling in my door that seriously alarmed me. I jumped up to find out what was happening and discovered that my landlord has found a prospective tenant who is interested in renting my studio after I vacate it at the end of this month. That party had arrived to take a look. My neighbor upstairs has a spare key to my flat and she (a very young girl) did not think she ought to call me first before bringing them in. I opened the door, met the folks, let them have a look round but then made it clear that I would like to be warned before people come traipsing through my house. She apologized profusely and left.
     I did try to take a nap but sleep eluded me today--I guess I was just too keyed up. I then downloaded a new book on to my Ipad (Machines Like Us by Ian McEwan who is my favorite novelist). I had to wait for about 3 weeks before this book became available--so I started it and then decided to get cracking with my evening.
     I finished two blog posts, stopped for a cup of tea and a biscuit and then had a shower and shampoo. Not long after, I was getting dressed and going over to Dad's.

A Birthday Bash in the Throes of Killing Humidity:
    When I got to Dad's, I found that he and Rohit had organized the living room so beautifully and that everything was all arranged and kept ready in the kitchen. The house looked beautifully neat and I found a huge bouquet of roses had arrived from Llew. So the first thing I had to do was find a vase (I got hold of a glass pitcher) that I could use to arrange them. I was in the midst of arranging them when Roger's former neighbor Gladys walked in--she had just returned from a month's holiday with Roger and his family in Connecticut and she had carried my birthday card and gift from them. She had arrived to hand-deliver them--which was very nice of her. The flowers arranged, I could sit back and await the first arrival of guests.
     Nafisa and Marianel were the first to arrive, followed swiftly by my cousin Ruby, her daughter Linnet and Nafisa's husband Hosefa who was tied up wth parking the car (always a challenge in Bombay!) Then, guests kept pouring in and I was kept on my feet, non-stop, right through the next three hours. Taking orders for drinks and furnishing them, taking delivery of food orders and paying for them as they came in, welcoming late comers, catering to Celia who arrived late and then wanted to leave early (for very good reason), filling snack bowls with nibbles, making introductions---all of this ran me ragged Then. came the cutting of the cake just when I decided to start heating up the food. Anyway, one Happy Birthday song later, the cake was cut and I was setting the food out on the table--taking care to keep the pork dish far away from the Muslim couple I had invited, to keep the vegetarian food (for Firdaus) separate from the non-vegetarian food and to make sure that everyone was fed and watered! I had a blast through it all except for one thing: the post-monsoonal humidity was simply unbearable in the house despite two fans whirring at full speed. I thought I would melt away altogether.  Soniya and Marianel came inside frequently to offer help and ended up giving me a hand and overall the evening marched on with, it seemed, everyone having a good time.
     It was not long before the first guests got up to leave and the party began to break up. I was well and truly exhausted. I dreaded the thought of having to put everything away but to my enormous surprise, Rohit, my Dad's Man Friday, took charge of everything and did a sterling job getting all the leftovers (and there was a huge amount) into Tupperware containers and transferring them to the fridge. It was such an incredible feat that when I was able to tear myself away from Ewell and Nina who were the last to linger on in their non-stop chatter with Dad, I discovered that he had everything under control. It was marvelous!     
     I simply grabbed my things then as Ewell and Nina said they would drop me off to my place. It was about 11.00 pm and although I ought to have been dropping off like a ton of bricks, in fact, it took me a while to fall asleep--I was so wired with the warmth and love and caring and concern that was shown to me by everyone.
     It was a fabulous birthday and one that I shall replay in my mind repeatedly as the days go by. How blessed I feel to have been present in Bombay amidst some of my oldest and closest friends (and some special new ones too).
     Until tomorrow...