A Visit to an International School and Lunch with a Friend

Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Bombay

A Visit to an International School and Lunch with a Friend

Namaste from Bombay!

My days have dissolved into chaos and it is only two days later that I am able to recount my
movements for my blog. Today was quite hectic as I had a number of things to do. But first…I
feel a sense of regret that I will be leaving this tiny studio which was like a little haven for me. I
will miss waking up to bird song at dawn—the cawing of crows, the cooing of turtle doves, the
yodelling of cuckoos and mynah birds and the cackling of parrots. I will miss catching the bread
man when he arrives with the jangling of his bicycle bell. I leave with such happy memories…

I had my breakfast of chapattis and Nutella and I cleaned out my gigantic Nutella jar as
well—great timing! It is amazing that a giant jar of chunky peanut butter and Nutella lasted me
for exactly one year! Now I also know that there is no need to cart these items to India—they are
all available here for the asking! I made myself a cup of coffee—probably my last as I will be
packing up my cafetiere, etc.

Then, I left my studio as I had a 9.00 am appointment with Fr. Colman at the church. He was
required to notarize some documents for me and, at the appointed hour, I was there. I visited with
him for about ten minutes, got my work done and returned to my studio. En route, I left another
bag at Dad’s. It is amazing in what slow steps this move is being done…

A Visit to an International School:
I was left then with only enough time to have a shower and get dressed and move on to my
next appointment—which was a visit to an international school in the Bandra-Kurla Complex
known as BKC. My new friend Radhika who teaches Computer Arts there was keen that I should
see the place. She has repatriated herself to Bombay from Seattle and began teaching at this
school one year ago. She told me that it was as good, if not better, than private schools in the US,
the UK or Canada as they follow the IB (International Baccalaureat) syllabus. This is a highly
challenging system that goes from kindergarten to high school to prepare students exceedingly
well for university. I have taught many Indian students at New York University who have come
out of this system and I have seen for myself what fabulous students they make. Hence, when

Radhika asked me to come and take a look at the premises myself, I was happy to do so.
Taking a rickshaw to the school, well in advance of our appointed time, I thought I would
make it there well in time. It ought not to take more than 12 minutes in a rick to get there,
However, there was a traffic back up at the Bandra Highway intersection that delayed me.
Furthermore, once I got to BKC, I got hopelessly lost and my rickshaw driver was useless! He
had no idea where the school was and I am equally unfamiliar with the layout of BKC—so there
we were, going round in circles, trying to find the place.

Eventually, of course, we did get there and Radhika was waiting for me in the lovely
welcoming Reception area. Since school has not yet started, it was a wonderful time to look
around (school reopens a week from now as it follows the American academic calendar).
Radhika made me quite comfortable in the Reception area and told me that she was keen for me
to meet the CEO of the school. He turned out to be a lovely young man named Aditya Patil with
whom I had a very nice conversation. The school was founded by his family as a private
enterprise following, of course, all the syllabus norms as laid out by the IB organization that is
based in Switzerland. It began functioning 7 years ago, in this building that was custom-made
and designed for it. As the years have passed, the student population has swollen as has the
school’s reputation. Just next door is the American International School in which, again, expat
Americans are the main student body. This school has about 75% expat students who come from
all over the world as their parents are placed in multi-national corporate positions in
Bombay—usually short-term (for 2-3 years) but oftentimes longer. Hence, it is a nomadic
population essentially. The school so far has primary and middle school infrastructure in place
and is constructing what will become the high school wing for grades 11 and 12—what in India
is called Junior College. Next academic year, their Year 10 students will enter High school, i.e.
Grade 11 or Junior College. They are, therefore, getting ready for that transition.

When Radhika and I finished chatting with Aditya, she gave me a tour of the school and
led me to the different floors—there are seven floors in the school plus a huge campus-large
playing area for outdoor sports. Inside, there is a vast hall used for PE (Physical Education)
which includes a basketball court (as in an American high school or university campus). Each
floor is devoted to various aspects of the educational curriculum with an entire floor for the Arts
and Culture. The architecture is quite impressive indeed with the school following an open floor
plan. There are large halls for Art, a well-equipped Lab for the Sciences, a large Library (which
lends books and promotes reading during Reading time), a Yoga Room, etc. As the floors go
higher, the grades get higher. The building being currently designed will house the high school.
I thought the entire set-up was unbelievable for a school in India. Needless to say, every
classroom is fully wired with computer equipment including audio-visual and screen projection
facilities. Aditya told me that even the youngest students bring their own laptops and come to
class daily. Wow! Just think what a long way education has come in India from the days when
we went to convent-schools! As for the faculty, 70% of them are foreigners who come to India to
get some field experience in a developing country and to see India! They leave after about 2-3
years. There is a heavy attrition rate amidst the faculty for this reason. The rest of the faculty are
people like Radhika who are qualified, trained and experienced overseas as in British or
American schools and who return to live in India because they want their children to grow up in
the kind of environment which they remember with affection based on their own childhoods in
India. Hence, it is like continuing to work, Radhika says, in a school in America.
I had a wonderful experience and truly thought well of the school. But for the fact that I had a
hard time finding the place, the rest of my visit went very smoothly indeed. I found a rick
waiting right outside the school and was able to return to Bandra very easily. Barely did I get
home, when I had to get ready for my next appointment—lunch with my friend Firdaus at the
Bandra Gymkhana.

Lunch with Firdaus at Bandra Gym:
My dear friend Firdaus, whom I affectionately call “Dr. G” (he has a Ph.D. and his last name
is Gandavia!) was with me at Oxford. It was where we got to know each other and became very
close friends as both of us received scholarships from the British Council to Exeter College to
study the Modern British Novel. Dr. G got his doctorate based on a thesis on Graham Greene.
But he is a true Renaissance Man (one of the few I know—the other is Gieve Patel) who trained
as a Chartered Accountant and began to work in Finance with major Indian corporations such as
Tatas (he retired as the Chief Financial Officer of the Tata Group) while, at the same time, taking
morning classes to do his B.A. and then his M.A. in English at Elphinstone College as he is the
most voracious reader I know. Finally, while still working in Finance, he earned the British
Council Scholarship (at the same time that I did). We left Bombay together for Exeter College
where we were inseparable. Over the years, we have stayed closely in touch and have met in
different parts of the world--wherever our intrepid travels take us.

After his retirement, Firdaus has become a very passionate opera buff (like our American
friend Ira from Maine) and spends his days following the opera season all over Europe. He has
just returned from London, for instance, where he managed to snag a ticket to hear soprano Anna
Netrebko sing. His next trip, later in September, will be to Milan, Italy, where he will catch the
entire season at La Scala! If I were not so happy with my life, I probably would have wanted his!
Right now, because he wants to make sure that he can understand the original Italian lyrics in the
operas he attends and listens to, he has started learning Italian at the University of Bombay
where an Italian professor gives lessons three times a week. Firdaus is fluent in French, by the
way, as like me, he too completed the Diplome de Langue Francaise from the Alliance Francaise
de Bombay many years ago—in fact, I think he did the advanced exam called the Diplome
Superieure as well.

He was meeting me at Bandra Gym following one of his Italian lessons for which he
travels by train all the way from Colaba where he lives to Kalina (Santa Cruz East). It was fun to
meet with him and have what will probably be our last meeting before my departure. He did not
order anything to drink (while I had a fresh lime soda) and he decided to go for a Goan
menu—we had Pork Vindaloo and Prawn Caldine with pav (rustic Goan bread). For dessert, we
shared the Chocolate Mousse. As it rained steadily outside, on a very wet day indeed, it was
great to be indoors, overlooking the water streaming down the coconut trees that surround the
club. I will miss all these sights—the sound and smell and sight of the Bombay monsoon as it
streams down through the lush green tropical vegetation of Bandra which is still such a verdant
part of the city that one could well be in Goa or Kerala.

When Firdaus and I were done with our meal, we parted ways and he took a rick to the
station, while I walked home. I spent the rest of the afternoon continuing with my packing and
cleaning as well as finishing up work on my computer.

When evening came, I left for Dad’s and took a few of my bags with me. There was so
much to do at Dad’s (organizing my things as there are a large number of clothes I will be
leaving behind) that I did not go to church today. After visiting with Dad and Russel, I went back
home to finish up the last bits of my dinner in my fridge.

I continued listening to my new novel, Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
and then fell asleep.

Tomorrow is critical—it is Moving Day and it is the day that we take Russel for his next
doctor’s appointment—fingers crossed for good results!

Until tomorrow…