Re-Discovering Colaba and Rampart Row in Bombay (Mumbai)

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Bombay, India

Re-Discovering Colaba and Rampart Row in Bombay (Mumbai)

      

Now that things have re-opened fully in Bombay, I have resolved to do what I love doing best: exploring on my own some and on my own two feet. With Thursday being practically a free day for me in that I have no commitments until 4.30pm, I decided to make it the day, once a week, when I will go out and explore different corners of the city of Bombay, just as I had done, two years ago, when I was on the Fulbright Program.

Accordingly, I did go out for my daily, hour-long walk with my friend Maria—we walked along the Carter Road Promenade today—then raced home to have a shower and eat my breakfast (muesli with coffee). I also participated in a zoom meeting to which Chriselle had invited me. It is part of a series of Lenten programs that will attempt to gain spiritual insight by examining the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. Since he is one of the artists about whose life I do know a great deal, I decided I would like to attend. And so I made the time to participate (off-camera) while, at the same time, getting showered, dressed and ready for my day out in downtown Bombay. I aimed to leave my flat by 9.15am and I was out on the dot. As a result of Covid, I am not taking the public commuter BEST bus, but hopped into an auto rickshaw and was at Bandra Station by 9.30 am. It literally took me five minutes to buy a quarterly First Class pass for the local commuter Railway service and just five minutes later, I was in the Ladies First Class compartment headed to Churchgate.

Walk from Churchgate to Colaba:

The train journey was very comfortable indeed. I do not believe that all office-goers have returned in their full strength to work. It appears that at least half of them are still working from home. I found a seat on the train at Bandra Station itself and had a most enjoyable commute (although, irritatingly, I had forgotten to charge my iPod and could not listen to any of my Podcasts—which is what I had intended).

Churchgate Station was just as empty.  What a pleasure it is to be in these formerly crowded spaces and find them looking the way they did probably fifty years ago when the population of Bombay was half its current strength! I walked at leisure through the station and took the underground subway to get over to Eros Cinema from where I began my unhurried stroll along the buildings that are built in Art Decor style along the periphery of the Oval Maidan. This time I walked alongside the buildings all the way to the Cooperage Band Stand Park.

The Cooperage Band Stand Park:

Walking alongside the Cooperage Band Stand Park has wonderful memories for me. When we were kids and still lived in Mazagoan and later Bombay Central, my Mum and Dad used to bring us here for horse-back rides around the park. Although I outgrew them quickly, my brothers used to enjoy this activity very much. My last visit to the park occurred when my brother and his wife brought their kids to the park for similar horse rides and I happened to be visiting Bombay. This would have been about seven years ago. 

This time I could not enter the park as it was closed, but I was able to walk around the wrought-iron fencing from where I had a very good view of the Band Stand which gives the park its name. In colonial times, a full orchestra used to play here at the weekends for the entertainment of the garrison troops stationed at the Fort. I am happy to say that the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has begun a series of free concerts in the Park that is attracting a good deal of attention. How lovely to know that these public spaces are getting the attention they deserve!

Lassi with a Friend at the Yacht Club:

It took me about 25 minutes—walking in a very leisurely fashion—to get to the Regal Cinema from where it was a two minute hop to the Yacht Club where I had made plans to meet my friend Firdaus.

The Yacht Club is one of those gracious, old institutions in Bombay that were once frequented exclusively by the British. Today, these buildings and their members strive hard to retain the fast-disappearing colonial ambience of a bygone era. The lovely, shady large porch gives way to a charming foyer where you are saluted by the watchman who makes sure you have been signed in by a member. Firdaus had signed me in and instructed me to get to the Lounge where he was awaiting me.

I have to say that the brutal heat of theIndian summer is not with us yet—however, it has, as is to be expected in March—turned warm and humid and my long trek, while it did not tire me, certainly left me panting for a long, cold drink. When offered refreshment by my friend Firdaus, I opted for a lassi and was disappointed to find that it was not cold. Over the period of the hour I spent with him, I doused my drink with at least half a glass of ice and only then could I actually enjoy it. Was I being too American? Perhaps! Anyway, ‘Dr. G’ (as I affectionately call my friend) and I had a lovely long chinwag and parted way, after I used the facilities around 12 noon when I decided to make my way to my next port of call.

A Visit to the Cathedral of the Holy Name:

On my last ramble around downtown Bombay, about two weeks ago, I did not have the time to visit the Cathedral of the Holy Name.As I was just a block away from it, I decided to remedy that  today. And, as I had a couple of really important intentions for which to pray, I made my way there.

The Cathedral of the Holy Name is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Bombay. It is the residence of the Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias who has, since the pandemic, gained global fame through his online streamed daily and Sunday masses.I love the stroll down Wodehouse Road with its gracious, old colonial homesteads—I believe they are all heritage buildings or else the property developers would have been all over them! If I recall correctly, my mother, while still unmarried, used to live in a hostel along this road. So a stroll down it is very moving for me.

At the end of this lovely leaf-lined avenue, is the old and very beautiful church that was declared a Cathedral in 1965 just after the visit of Pope Paul VI to Bombay for the Eucharistic Congress which had been held at the Oval Maidan not too far away. Construction on this church began in the late 1800s and by 1905, it was completed and occupied. It certainly has the old-world appearance of the marvelous Victorian churches of which St. Anne’s Church at Mazagoan and Gloria Church at Byculla Bridge are fine examples.   

Among the many interesting interior elements of this church are its beautiful marble altar with its plaster of Paris statues. The wooden pews are also beautifully carved and the very pews or benches on which we sit have a gentle dip in them to make seating more comfortable. But the single, most striking, element of this church is its amazing painted frescoes on its ceiling and walls that depict scenes from the life of Christ. They are quite stunning in their appearance and detail and compete with the beautiful stained glass windows to draw the visitor’s attention. There is also a beautiful pulpit and wonderful architectural detail—almost a form of fan-vaulting—on the ceiling ribs. It has been a very long time since I have made a visit to this church and I was very glad indeed that I did. I made a prayerful visit there for about fifteen minutes, took a look at school-girls from the next-door Convent of Jesus and Mary (known as Fort Convent) kneel to pray at the pews without even taking off their backpacks and then made my way out. At the entrance, I spied a statue of St. Claudine Thevenet, founder of the Religious Order of Jesus and Mary, which runs the Jesus and Mary convents all over India (Bombay, Delhi, Simla, for instance). I, myself, am a CJM-er as I graduated from St. Agnes’ High School, which is also run by the same order at Clare Road in Byculla.

My visit to the church done, I then walked out with the intention of visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art which is housed in what used to be known as the CJ (Cowasjee Jehangir) Hall. However, before I crossed the wide street to get there, I found myself walking right by Phillips Antiques, which is one of my favorite shops in Bombay. So, in I went!

Browsing Around Phillips Antiques:

Ever since I can remember, Phillips Antiques used to be one of my favorite shops in Bombay. As I was a student at nearby Elphinstone College, I used to pass this shop very often on my way to the Colaba Causeway where the roadside vendors and shops provided cheap trinkets and entertaining window-shopping. I used to gaze fondly at the items in the shop windows and wonder if I would ever be able to afford its treasures. 

Of course, life did offer me the opportunity to buy and collect antiques and I have picked up a whole lot in the past forty years—some of them from this very shop. Indeed, I own beautiful old engraved prints and set of old old framed photographs that I have bought from this place, over the years and shipped off to the US.

So, it was good that I popped in, only to find that the place has been thoroughly refurbished. It has been completely redecorated inside and I am sorry to say that the colors (black, gray, white) which are supposed to give it a traditional look seem, in my humble opinion, to have robbed it off its old-world charm. I do not dislike the new look but I was certainly fonder of the way it was. 

I chatted a bit with the salesgirl, Belvina, and was introduced to another salesperson, Claudette, examined some of the glass paintings and a calendar poster print from a painting by Raja Ravi Varma as well as a set of hundred year old watercolors—but everything was priced so well out of my reach that I could merely look and leave! Even so, it was good to poke my head in and find that so many of the European antiques of which the store used to boast are no longer in sight. Belvina told me that it is getting more and more difficult to find inventory for the store—this I could easily believe as I made my way to my next port of call.

The Museum of Contemporary Art:

Sadly, the Museum of Contemporary Art was closed to visitors as it is in the process of changing exhibitions (it would seem). I was unable to enter. However, I managed to get a rare picture of the Regal Circle while it was completely devoid of traffic as all signals came to a synchronized halt and there was absolutely no vehicle on the road—a very strange and unusual occurrence indeed! Crossing the street, I went over to the pavement encircling the Shivaji Museum and it was there that I cooled off in the relief of air-conditioning.

Browsing in the Shivaji Museum Gift Shop:

I enjoy browsing around the gift shops of museums because you never know what you will find. In addition to the pottery, jewelry, occasional table accessories, etc. that one expects to find in such places, this store has a lovely selection of itmes associated with the city of Bombay. These include ceramic mugs with pictures of colonial buildings on them, sets of coasters with similar pictures, bookmarks and magnets and the like that would make fine souvenirs for visitors to the city, In addition to this, there is a lovely selection of books about Bombay—some historical, some photographic, some tongue-in-cheek. I spent over an hour browsing in this space (the upper level is exclusively stocked with books), sat down for a long while and had a bit of rest and cooled off too. I left the store after making one small purchase: I bought a set of six greeting cards that represent six of the paintings in the Museum’s European Collection that had been bequeathed to the Museum by the brothers Dorab and Ratan Tata. Their collection in on the second floor of the museum, but it is now under renovation and, therefore, closed to the public.

I spent the next fifteen minutes or so browsing through the work in acrylic and water-color of the street artists whose work is found on the pavement outside the museum. It is very reasonably priced, but, unfortunately, I am not able to buy any art work right now as I have a lot of work that I will need to ship from the US to Bombay and find appropriate place for—before I start to buy anything more.

Time for Lunch—at The Irish House: 

It was time for lunch and I could tell as I felt the slightest bit peckish, despite having had that Lassi. But then, it was almost 2.00 pm. I was keen to see if the Salad Buffet that I used to enjoy, two years ago, at Copper Chimney at Rampart Row in the area known as Kala Ghoda (after the black horse sculpture that dominates the traffic island) was still on. Sadly, it was not. No buffet of any kind was being served and the a la carte menu looked a trifle too pricey for me. I decided then, on impulse, to leave the place and climb two floors up to The Irish House which used to have some nice lunch specials. I was not mistaken—they were still on. I seated myself in an empty pub—there was literally no one else there but myself. I was handed a menu and on looking at the lunch specials, I found that I could have one starter, one main and a dessert for just Rs. 495 (approx $6). This was truly amazing. And so I proceeded to order. I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken for a starter (it was delicious but terribly spicy—I merely ate one skewer and requested the rest to be packed away). I chose the Italian Fettucine with Chicken and Mixed Peppers for my main (and it was amazing—deliciously creamy and cheesy, just the way I like a Pasta Alfredo (which it resembled). For dessert, I chose a Chocolate Torte, but I asked for it (and half my pasta to be packed away) as I had received a call whilst I was in the midst of my lunch. This required me to curtail my leisurely lunch and make it super snappy. I had a sudden meeting, very hastily arranged, at the USIEF (United States-India Educational Foundation) with Ryan, who worked there.  He was free and was able to advice me about a query that needed expert advice.

I left the restaurant after paying my bill and picking up my parcel was fortunate enough to find a cab right outside. Ordinarily, I would have walked to Churchgate where my meeting was to be held. But since time was of the essence, I took a cab. I was there in less than ten minutes.

A Very Productive Meeting at the USIEF:

It was wonderful to meet my contact, Ryan, at the USIEF. His office was deep in the throes of renovation and there was a huge amount of deafening banging going on. Although we sat in the quieter conference room, it was still disturbing—so we cut it short. Ryan gave me very helpful advice and I left feeling optimistic that I would be able to profit from it.

Back Home on the Train:

It was a quick five minute walk back to Churchgate Station from where I hopped into a slow train for Bandra that was empty. Granted it was just 3.30 pm, but I was tired and I had to rush home as I had my next engagement at 4.30 pm. 

I arrived home (after taking a rick from Bandra Station), just in time for my next engagement and spent the rest of the evening, after it concluded, catching up on my mail and other domestic chores.

It had been a very engaging day in downtown Bombay and I am very much looking forward to the prospect of continuing to re-discover the city on my feet. I have found another book called Fort Walks which I shall start to use on my next sojourn. No doubt it will take me to places I already know—but it will be interesting to re-visit them, nonetheless.

Until next week…   

Applying for an Aadhar Card, Lunch with my Doctoral Mentor, Tea with a Friend and Inauguration of Eunice de Souza Library Collection

Friday, July 26, 2019
Bombay

Applying for an Aadhar Card, Lunch with my Doctoral Mentor, Tea with a Friend and Inauguration of Eunice de Souza Library Collection at St. Xavier's College

     Namaste from Bombay!
     Whew! I had a full and very tiring day together--so let me put you through it all.
     I awoke at about 7.00 and raced through a blog post and breakfast (Muesli and Coffee--I finished up the last of my home made granola and the yogurt in my fridge--but I still have some almond milk left) and I jumped into the shower. I was out and dressed and ready to leave for the city by 9.10 am.

BEST Buses are Updated:
     The 220 bus came along in about five minutes--it is amazing that with the BEST having dropped their bus ticket rates to half (just Rs. 5 now, as opposed to Rs. 10 to get to the station), the lines are longer, the buses have all seats occupied and the poor 'shared' rickshaw drivers stand sadly by and watch their thriving business dry up. Good for the BEST! If these moves will save the company and its business, more power to them. I am emotionally attached to the BEST--it is the public transport system of Bombay with which I grew up (akin to London's red buses) and, humble though they might be, they have iconic status in my psyche. There are now a fleet of yellow air-conditioned BEST buses as well--I have no idea what the fare is (probably higher) but they are few and far-between and I hope I will have the opportunity to ride in one of them before I have to leave Bombay. 
     I was at Bandra station in no time and buying myself a First Class one-way ticket from the ticket window as my monthly pass has long expired. I then waited for about 15 minutes for the Bandra local train and when it came along, I went into the First Class General compartment (which remained mostly empty) all the way to Churchgate.

Browsing at Kitab Khana:
     From Churchgate, I walked towards Flora Fountain. En route, I passed by the Bikha Behram Well which dates from 1725 and is open to Parsis only. I took a picture and crossed the street to get towards Flora Fountain. Then, quite by chance, I found myself at Kitab Khana, the very popular book store that also has a cafe at the back and has become quite the most popular local hang-out spot for the city's English-speaking elite. I browsed through the shelves and chanced to come upon some personalized book marks in metal. I decided to pick one up as a small gift for Vrinda, my mentor, who was treating me to lunch.  I was really happy to find one with a V on it--what better gift to give one's doctoral mentor than a book mark, right?

A Visit to St. Thomas' Anglican Cathedral:
     I then asked for directions to Bombay Samachar Marg where the Bank of Maharashtra is located--so that I could at least see exactly where to find it. I was directed towards Horniman Circle and found myself passing right by the Anglican St. Thomas Cathedral. So, then, of course, I had to go in as it is one of my favorite places in the city of Bombay. I simply adore its quiet, serene interior, the ornate wrought-iron black ceiling fan suspenders that are unique to this church (I have never seen anything like them in any other church any where in the world), their teak wood pews with holes for the colonial regiment standards that the young sub-alterns would carry in and out of the church, the ornate marble font. Plus, there is the most glorious Victorian mortuary sculpture you can find anywhere in the city and I love to read the dedications on the marble plaques that speak of deaths in military battles, of falling off an elephant's back, of dying by bites from poisonous snakes and tigers. My eye was caught for the first time in this church by a stained glass panel that features three saints and which reminded me immediately of the style of the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones. I took a picture of it and sent it, through Twitter, to my friend, Fiona Mann who teaches Art History at Oxford Brookes University and she responded immediately. She told me that it was the work of the English Henry Holiday (1839-1927),  a design he did for the firm of Thomas Kempe that was then shipped out to India! So it was very much by a contemporary of Burne-Jones and I felt chuffed to know that I had guessed correctly.
      
Looking for Bank of Maharashtra:
     The clerk who deals with applications for the card only arrived after 12.30--so I would actually be applying for it after my lunch appointment. But I wanted to make sure I knew where to go as the lanes in the Fort area as a real colonial maze and it is not easy to find a building without good directions.  By asking around, I did find the place and then walked swiftly towards Rampart Row. Vrinda had told me to meet her at The Irish House at Kala Ghoda.
     A quick five minute walk took me to the venue and Vrinda had just arrived there too. The restaurant did not open until 12 noon, so we browsed around in a gift shop next-door and both of us ended up buying a beautiful white metal cuff that cost just Rs. 160--that is about $2! It is such a statement piece that I simply had to buy it! A few minutes later, we found our way upstairs to the Irish pub.

Pub Lunch at The Irish House:
     And how delighted I was by it! It is such a lovely place--as authentic an Irish pub as you might find in the heart of Bombay. And because it is a chain, it also has many branches--including one in Bandra. There were a variety of cocktails as well as a number of draft beers on tap. And the menu was authentically Irish: they had fish and chips that actually looked like it does in the UK--not like the disappointing fish and chips I had at Bandra Gym the other day!   
       They also had a great Lunch Menu Deal for Rs. 495--one had a vast choice of (non-alcoholic) drinks (I had a virgin mojito), a starter (I chose sweet potato fries and Vrinda had Moroccan chicken skewers), a main (I had lasagna which was fab and very Italian with real ricotta cheese, while Vrinda had the Grilled Chicken with Pepper Sauce that came with Pasta Pesto; a side: I got a Caesar Salad while Vrinda chose Spicy Potato Wedges and finally, for dessert, I got a Hazelnut Chocolate Dome while Vrinda got the Honey-Walnut Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice-cream!). Can you imagine having so much great food? We shared everything, so we got to sample an enormous amount--and, of course, since we are both small eaters, we took large portions of our meal home in doggie bags! Best of all, we got to reminisce about old times, the people we knew then (some of whom have passed away), the common friends we still have, members of our families, our travel plans, our writing assignments, etc. Apart from having once been my professor, Vrinda is a dear friend and I always enjoy her company on the rare times that we do get together.

Applying for an Aadhar Card:
     She dropped me off in her car close to the Bank and I was able to get back to it to meet the clerk who put me through the procedure. The documents I carried along were inspected and verified by an officer of the bank and I was asked to fill out a form. My picture was then taken and I was finger-printed and I was told that I would receive it in the mail in the next 8-12 days--hopefully before I leave. So, all the research I did online to try and find out how and where I could apply for an Aadhar card paid off. If I do get it before I leave, it will be fantastic. The Aadhar card is the Indian national identity card and I am very pleased and proud to be the holder of one as I have dual citizenship (American and Indian).

Off to Spend the Afternoon With Marianel:
     By the time I got out of the bank, the sky had darkened vilely and the threatened downpour appeared imminent. Instead of traipsing through the city museums as I had intended to do, I texted my friend Marianel and told her that if she was free, I would like to go to her place to kill some time as my next appointment in the city was at 6.00 pm. She was delighted to hear from me and told me that I was most welcome. So I hopped into a taxi and was at her place in 20 minutes.
     And not a minute too soon! It came crashing down and as I sat with her salmon cream cheese spread on crackers with a cold lemonade, the rain drummed on outside. We were just wondering whether or not, I should go or re-think my evening plans, when the rain stopped, just as suddenly as it had started. What was great was that Marianel said that she would accompany me as my friend Celia (who was supposed to come to town from Kurla) chickened out, due to the rain, and cancelled on me.

A Memorial Function at St. Xavier's College:
     It was not long before Marianel had a shower, got dressed and joined me in a cab to St. Xavier's College. I was headed to a function in the library to inaugurate the personal collection of the late Prof. Eunice de Souza who passed away exactly a year ago. As a tribute to her, her doting ex-students decided to have this small anniversary memorial function at the same time that the librarian Medha was able to collate and catalogue a cupboard full of books that had personally belonged to Eunice. As I did not graduate from St. Xavier's College (I was an Elphinstonian), I did not have Eunice as a professor--but I knew her as a colleague after I got my Masters and began teaching at Jai Hind College. The members of English Departments all over the city of Bombay were well known to each other as our circle was small and we would meet regularly at events at the British Council, the USIS, etc. That was how I knew Eunice. I was still in the States last year when I received the news of her sudden passing and I was glad that I happened to be in Bombay where this function is being held.
     A small section of the library was dedicated to this function that included about 75 alumni who had gathered together on a very wet evening indeed to pay tribute to a professor whom they clearly revered. There were a number of speeches and readings from her poetry, including a short tribute from the current head of the English Department, Pearl Pastakia (my Fulbright Fellowship Mentor and now friend) who also inaugurated the collection by cutting a ribbon that led to the cubicle in which the cupboard containing her books is kept. And what a shock I had to discover that this was the cubicle that had served as my Fulbright office! So I was the last individual occupant of this office space before it was turned over to become a dedicated space in which Eunice's personal library of books could repose forever. I thought this too was a most coincidental end to my Fulbright year in Bombay and my professional stint at St. Xavier's College. 
     There was tea with sandwiches and cake following the event and I had a chance, at this point, to meet a number of Eunice's former students. One of them (also a speaker of the evening), introduced himself as Russel and said that his mother used to be the Head of the English Department at St. Andrew's College. I guessed then that he was the son of my late friend, Prof. Lorna Barrett, who died a few years ago. Lorna and I used to meet on every single trip that I made to Bombay and I always found her such a lovely person--so I was really happy to meet her son.
      After the speeches ended, I went up and spoke to Russel and told him that I was his Mum's friend. He said he remembered my name well although he was much younger when Lorna and I used to meet. As it turned out, Russel who was present with his wife, Janice, then said that he was able to give me a ride to Bandra as he lived close by. I also met an old friend Mario Poppen with whom I had once studied French at the Alliance Francaise de Bombay. Mario and I too go back decades--it was he who shared a cab with Marianel and dropped her right to her doorstep.
        And so I got home in pouring rain, in the comfort of a car and in the company of young folks with whom I found so many other connections with other people with whom I have made contact during the past year. It was about 9.30 pm when I got home, called Dad to tell him I had reached home safely, and had a cup of soup with cheese, crackers and fruit (mango) before calling it a day.
    It had been an eventful and most productive day and I was absolutely delighted by its outcome.
     Until tomorrow...

A Packed Day--An Interview Plus Lunch, Tea and Dinner with Friends

Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Bombay

A Packed Day--An Interview Plus Lunch, Tea and Dinner with Friends

     Namaste from Bombay!
     Whew! Once in a way I have the kind of day that literally leaves me breathless.  This was such a one.
     Up to blog, read Twitter and catch up with my email messages, I did not waste much time. I had a fairly big breakfast--muesli packed with a larger apple and two figs--plus coffee--as I knew that I'd be having a late-ish lunch. Right after breakfast, my friend Delyse called from Connecticut--we had a lovely long chat and catch up. She told me that she had been reading my blog posts and that her sister Carol had once been a private secretary to theater actor Roger Pereira whom I had interviewed--apparently she worked for Roger when he was at Shilpi Advertising Agency. I told her that I keep running into Roger and I would ask if he remembered Carol! I also used Google maps to find the location of the place I had to go to, for my first appointment--an interview with the stage thespian Sabira Merchant at her home at Mount Pleasant Road.  It is a part of the city with which I am not familiar--hence the need to find directions.
     I had a shower, dressed and left my place by about 11.00 am for my 12.30 appointment with her. On the bus, I got to the station where I needed to buy my monthly first class pass--as I have not used the train for a long time. That done, I hoped into the ladies first class compartment of the suburban train and got off at Bombay Central from where I hopped into a cab. The driver was extremely surly and did not want to take me to my destination for some reason.  Everything changed when he realized that my destination was right across the street from Varsha--the residence of Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Fadnavis! Then his attitude became sweetness itself!
   
An Interview with Sabira Merchant:
     I was amazed and delighted to discover that Sabira Merchant remembered me from my having interviewed her more than 30 years ago for one of my magazine columns!!!! As soon as I walked into her gorgeous, two-storied, palatial duplex home, decorated as in a magazine, she greeted me and said, "Have we not met sometime earlier?" She said that I reminded her of a private secretary she had once had--Wilma Rego. And I told her that it was Wilma who had organized my interview with her, thirty years ago! Honestly, I am amazed by the many different connections I have been encountering in Bombay.
     It was delightful to speak with Sabira who has acted on the Bombay stage since 1961 and is still at it.  I remember her playing Blanche duBois in A Streetcar Named Desire--the play in which she so nailed the role that I really did not wish to see anyone else in that play again (until I saw Gillian Anderson, two years ago, in a National Theater, London, production in which she simply floored me). Anyway, Sabira talked about her entry into theater at a time when Muslim women would never have dreamed of being on stage, about asking and getting approval not just from her husband plus her mother-in-law, about taking on major roles with zero acting training, about learning on the job from some of the finest stage directors Bombay had produced (Pearl Padamsee, Alyque Padamsee, Adi Marzban), etc. She talked about the Golden Age of English language theater which has passed as the thespians that made it so are fast disappearing--Hosi Vasunia, Alyque Padamsee, Burjor Patel, Pesi Khandalawala. She was eloquent and very patient with me and gave me a ton of very valuable information that was factual as well as anecdotal. I stayed with her for about two hours and then took my leave.

Lunch with a Fulbright Colleague:
     My next port of call was the library of the University of Bombay where I had a luncheon appointment with Abigail McGowan who has just arrived in Bombay to take on her Fulbright assignment.  Abby is a professor at the University of New Hampshire and an old hand at carrying out research in India which she absolutely adores and where she has been making trips for the past 25 years. She first arrived in India as an undergrad student to study at Ferguson College in Pune and since she works on Indian crafts, crafts production, especially textiles, she is working with one of India's oldest interior design companies called Kamdar which is based in Churchgate for her Fulbright project.
     As it turns out, Abby has found an apartment on Pali Hill, not far from me at all. She has arrived in Bombay with her husband, 5-year old son and her 15-year old nephew who are both studying at the American School at the Bandra-Kurla complex. I found her a very stimulating companion and good fun too as we ate lunch at The Pantry Cafe at Kala Ghoda as my favorite soup and salad buffet place at Copper Chimney had a 50 minute wait today! It seems everyone has discovered my gastronomic secret! I ordered an absolutely gorgeous salad made with baby arugula leaves (my favorite!), dried figs, goat cheese and blue cheese, toasted almonds and a fabulous vinaigrette served with a toast point--really the most perfect salad you can imagine. It cost me Rs. 400 but it was worth every paise! Abby had a rice and quinoa bowl with lentils and some chicken which was also good (as I had a small taste). I did not want to eat too much because less than an hour later, I had an appointment to meet my friend Margaret for Tea!
     It was while I was finishing lunch with Abby that I got a call from a friend called Narain telling me that my missing business cards (sent for me by Llew through my friend Leslie) had been found! They had been sent by mistake to someone called Ravi who had found these strange items and wondered what to do with them! Narain asked if I could pick them up from his office and since his office building was right across the Oval Maidan, only ten minutes away, I told him I would walk across and pick them up before I set out to see Margaret.

A Wild Goose Chase:
    But in the end, my expedition turned out to be a wild goose chase because those business cards were not mine--but belonged to someone else! Somewhere my business cards have been lost in transit--Leslie can't find them at home in Westport, Connecticut, and no one in Bombay seems to know where they are. Oh well...I need them pretty urgently as I have been giving them out like peanuts, thanks to the many meetings and official conferences and readings that I have been attending. We'll now have to find some other way to get them across unless I simply print out more cards locally.

Off to See Margaret at Kailash Parbat:
     I had wanted to take a cab to the end of Colaba Causeway where my appointment with Margaret was scheduled. As it turned out, Narain was leaving the office and heading in the same direction and gave me a ride to the exact spot--Kailash Parbat--the famous chaat restaurant, where Margaret was clearly interested in eating bhel puri! She is from Vancouver, Canada, and is visiting Bombay briefly as part of her vast travels in India and Australia over two months. I had met her a couple of weeks ago in Chennai where she too had attended the International Anglo-Indian Reunion and had told me that she was headed for Bombay where she hoped we could meet again.
     Margaret was already inside when I got there at 4.00 pm and we proceeded to order her desired bhel puri and dahi batata puri for me--which I had with a sweet lassi.  I still had a dinner party to attend--so I hoped to stay light. Margaret had dessert (malai rabri) which I avoided as I was simply too full. It was grand to see her again and have quiet private time together.  We have tons in common--apart from being an Anglo-Indian who is familiar with my own research work, she is also a freelance travel writer and makes a retired living publishing travel articles in various global periodicals. Margaret is a brilliant writer and an even better editor and has edited a couple of volumes for our mutual friend Blair Williams' series of CTR publications. She is single, in her late 70s and travels all over the world alone--a true inspiration to me!
     We strolled down at leisure through Colaba Causeway where, like me, she passed often to take pictures with a proper camera (like me!), not an I-Phone! I pointed out Kulsum Terrace where theater history has been made and she pointed out the many gorgeous homes in the area in which she lived as her father was a very senior officer in the Indian Railways. We both took pictures of Cafe Leopold where I told her about my personal family history! She loved the story! At Regal Cinema, we paused to take a selfie together and then we parted.
     Margaret intended to get to the Victorian Terminus to shoot a few pictures of its beautifully illuminated facade. I needed to cross the Oval Maidan again for my dinner appointment. But I had about an hour to kill. She suggested I go to the Jehangir Art Gallery as some of the current exhibitions are very good, she said. So I hopped into her cab and got off about 200 meters ahead.

Surveying the Exhibitions at the Jehangir Art Gallery:
     Although I have passed the Jehangir Art Gallery several times since my arrival in Bombay, I have not gone inside so far. So, I was happy to survey its offerings.  What first caught my eye was an exhibition of color photographs by Sanjeev Bhagwat called Prague and Beyond. It was fabulous as it took me back to my own travels in Eastern Europe with Llew and Chriselle at least 15 years ago. Using his lens, Sanjeev has captured some of the most beloved corners of the city--from the Karlovy Most (Charles Bridge) to St. Vitus Cathedral, from the banks of the Vltava River that I remember so well to the arched entrances of Old Town with the wonderful facades of the Art Deco buildings thrown in for good measure.  It was a grand exhibition.  In addition, he had pictures taken in Berlin (several of the Berliner Dom--the Cathedral) which I have also combed--so overall, it was a show that filled me with nostalgia.  I also had a chance to speak with the photographer who is an architect in Bombay by profession (which explains why so many of his shots were architectural--something with which I, with my great love for architecture, could fully identify!). Such a lovely show indeed!
     Later, with dusk falling around me, I took some great shots of Elpinstone College, across the road. This gallery used to be my stomping ground when I was an undergrad student across the road and it was where my art education began. How much I owe to this space!
     Just before I left for my last appointment of the day, I nipped across the street into Westside Department Store where I browsed to kill time and used the facilities.
   
Dinner at the Residence of Gerson da Cunha:
      Finally, I had arrived at the last item on my day's agenda: A dinner party at the home of retired advertising man and theater thespian Gerson da Cunha whom I'd had the pleasure of interviewing a few weeks ago.  Gerson and I hit it off so well and discovered so many connections! His great-uncle Jose Gerson da Cunha (after whom he was named) was a prolific 19th century writer and historian while being a full-fledged physician and linguist--he spoke Portuguese, Konkani, Marathi and English and wrote in all those languages. My colleague and friend from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, Filipa Vincente, has been working on Jose's writing and presented me with a chapter on his work for my book on Goa. I met Filipa, for the first time, in Goa, last week, when she had told me that she was looking forward to giving a talk on Jose at the Bombay Museum--to which Gerson had also invited me, several weeks ago. Following the talk, the next day, Gerson was hosting a dinner at his home for Filipa and her family (husband Diogo and 13-year old daughter Magdalena who had accompanied her to India). Sadly, yesterday, I had to skip the talk (to which I had been looking forward for a long time) as I had the funeral of Lieut-Gen. Francis Dias to attend. I was glad to catch Filipa again at the dinner party.
     And what a lovely dinner party it was! For one thing, the setting was glorious: Gerson and Uma da Cunha's sprawling Churchgate flat overlooking the Oval Maidan is filled tastefully with the most wonderful Indian and international antiques, paintings, prints, artifacts, etc. Secondly, the company was most interesting. There was Fr. Myron Pereira, a Jesuit priest, who once headed the Xavier Institute of Communications and who now, after retirement, had taken to writing Fiction--last year, he published two novels and a collection of short stories that he told me he had been writing for years! There was also the renowned pianist Carmen Miranda (who is also on my list of people to interview!) whose husband Francis is related to Gerson. Next, a very old friend of mine arrived: retired Prof. Marguerita Colaco who has been associated with the English Department at Sophia College for 52 years! After retiring from the English Department, she went on to found the School of Communication Studies where she still teaches as an adjunct. She came with her sister Fatima who retired from Air-India. Also present was Monica Correa, wife of the late architect Charles Correa who acquired international renown for his work including a building that is part of the Ismaeli Museum in Toronto, Canada, that I had visited with Llew and our friends Sylvia and Tony Pinto when it had just opened. I told Monica how proud I was to find the work of her husband, a fellow-Indian, in Canada, and she told me that the building was actually his last work.  However, he is also renowned for a hospital that he designed and built in Belem, just outside of Lisbon, on the banks of the Tagus River for which every Portuguese person knows him! And finally, in walked Roger Pereira! The same Roger Pereira about whom my friend Delyse had talked to me only that morning! Roger lives only a couple of buildings away and has been Gerson's colleague in advertising and in theater for over half a century. Naturally, I asked Roger about Carol, Delyse's sister and he remembered her warmly.
     So, you can just imagine what a grand evening of stimulating conversation it was with some of the most notable Bombayites seated around the room with some of us from overseas being brought into the conversation in the most natural of ways. There was a Man Friday who took care of all our needs: I had beer with lovely nibbles--pita chips with hummus, little cheese and spinach tarts, lamb kebabs. We talked and talked and talked and never ran out of topics as the room was filled with artists and intellectuals who were all connected in one way or the other. I apologized that I missed Filipa's talk but, of course, she completely understood that I could not attend it. I presented Gerson with a copy of my book on Goa which carried Filipa's chapter on his great-uncle and which he said he would always treasure!
     Dinner was simply splendid. I had tried to save room at lunch and tea but could not do justice to the vast array of food on the table--I have still to get used to the fact that a dinner party in India will have at least 12 items on the table! There was a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian side. I took a small helping of the famous Lamb Berry Pullao that was delivered to the da Cunha residence from Britannia Restaurant at Ballard Estate where it had acquired iconic status--it was fabulous! I also had Goa Sausages with Potatoes that Monica had picked up last week from Mapuca Market in Goa! Delish! How could I resist the salad of grated carrots, mint and pomegranate? Lovely! And I had mini dahi wadas that floated in creamy yoghurt. So good! I could not even taste the chicken curry and the dal that were also on the table as I was so stuffed and could barely have the chopped strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and served with cream for dessert! And just when I thought I could have nothing more, a tray of liqueurs was brought to the table and I found that I could not resist a shot of Drambuie! Truly, it was a dinner party to write home about.
     But while most of the other guests were local, I had to get back to Bandra and when Fr. Myron got up to leave, so did I.  He gallantly walked me to Churchgate station, two minutes away, where I hopped into a train (I took the ladies second class as I knew that the first class compartment would be empty--this was practically empty too but there was an armed sentry in the car--a new addition that the railways have introduced to fight crime against women!). At Bandra Station, I jumped into a rickshaw and got home in ten minutes.
     Whew! What a day I'd had! Good job I have nothing on my calendar tomorrow except a dental appointment--I can catch up with so much!
     Until tomorrow!              

Amidst Heritage Buildings and Seeing Naseeruddin Shah on Stage at the NCPA

Saturday, September 29, 2018
Bombay

Amidst Heritage Buildings of South Bombay and Seeing Naseeruddin Shah on Stage at the NCPA

     Namaste from Bombay1
      I had another fabulous day! With Russel now safely ensconced at home with Dad, a semblance of routine has re-entered my life. So I awoke at 5.30 am and began reading The New York Times online. So exciting that I can now do this! And then, guess what? On Twitter, I found a special offer for international readers of The Times (of London) and The Sunday Times of which I have been a fan since the time I lived in London, ten years ago.  It was a special introductory offer of 1 pound per month for the next three months! How could I resist the offer? Of course, I went ahead and purchased the offer and presto--I had my first Weekend and Travel issues of The Times of London to browse through.  I was super excited.

Daily Constitutional at Jogger's Park:
     At 6.45 am, I stopped to wash and dress and have a cup of coffee before leaving the house at 7. 15 am to go to Joggers Park for my daily constitutional.  Today, I listened to both Engelbert Humperdinck's Greatest Hits and Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits and had the time of my life.  I am now actually wondering whether I should renew my gym membership at the Bandra Gymkhana (on October 1 when membership fees are collected for the next quarter) or simply continue with these walks in the Jogger's Park. I have enjoyed using the Park enormously
   Back home, I had a shower and my breakfast (muesli and coffee) and blogged on my doings of the day before.  I also checked email and tried to make some plans with other Fulbrighters whom I have just discovered are also Bandra-based. A host that has been assigned to me is called Monica James--she was a Fulbrighter in San Francisco where she did Media and Gender Studies and now works for Teach for India. I am looking forward to very happy times with her.
   
Off to South (or Downtown) Bombay:
     At 12.30 pm, I had an early lunch at home and then got my bag packed for an overnight stay at my friend Nafisa's place in Spence Lane, Byculla. I stopped off briefly at Dad's place to see how Russel was doing before I left and took the 220 bus to go to Bandra Station for my trip into the city. My monthly pass had expired and so I renewed it and got a Western Railway one for Rs. 490 for the month (about $7.00--such a steal!). Then I got on a Churchgate-bound train and made my way into the city.
     
Touring Downtown Bombay:
     I had an appointment to see my friend Aban and her husband Rusi at their apartment at Cuffe Parade at 5.00 pm and a theater appointment at 7.00 pm with Nafisa and her daughter Tasneem who had arrived from Singapore to spend two weeks in Bombay. That left me about 3 hours to play around with in South Bombay and I decided to go out and explore it on foot--one of my favorite things in the world to do.
   
The Fabulous Oval Maidan--Bombay's Answer to New York's Central Park:
     I relived my college days at Elphinstone College, Bombay, by crossing the Oval Maidan from Churchgate Station to the main gate of the campus of the University of Bombay.  This used to be my daily commuting route when I was an undergrad in Bombay and it brought back delightful memories for me of chatting with my commuting Bandra-based friends in those good old days as we took this way to Churchgate station.
     The Eucharistic Congress of Bombay was also held in the Oval Maidan in 1964 and crossing it on foot took me back to the era of Pope Pius VI who, when I was but five years old, had visited Bombay.  My Dad was an usher at the Congress and we had prime seats that gave us such a clear view of the Pope as he was driven down the main aisle to shouts of "Viva Il Papa" from Indians--including kids like myself--who had never spoken Italian in their lives! All these thoughts came rushing out at me as I crossed the vast lawn.

In the Library of the University of Bombay:
     At the gate of the campus of the University of Bombay from where I had taken all my primary degrees before leaving India, I was questioned by a security man who wanted to know where I was headed. I told him I wanted to see the Librarian in the Library--which was indeed my intention. And then seconds later, I was striding into the glorious building that was designed by none other than Sir George Gilbert Scott who had also designed--and what a coincidence this is!--the chapel of Exeter College, Oxford, of which I have only the most wonderful memories of Evensong when I was a grad student there.
     And as if that were not enough, the run-down decrepit building with missing window panes, pigeon-droppings, etc that I remembered so well of old when I used to have a carrel on the ground floor while I was a doctoral student at the University of Bombay, have disappeared. In their place is a gorgeously refurbished building which simply shines in its new avatar.  Not a single window pane is missing. Indeed every single one has been recreated and reconstructed in the original design. There is not a pigeon in sight. Freshly power-washed, the walls, turrets, towers, spiral staircase, wide balcony and neo-Gothic window arches are simply glowing. It was a sight for sore eyes. Someone has invested tons of money in making many signifiant Victorian-Gothic buildings of colonial Bombay new again. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven! I simply could not believe that this was the dusty, tired, faded building in which I had spent so much time scanning through old card catalogues, walking through the stacks to find the books I needed, etc.  You could have fooled me that this building was in Oxford. Sadly, I was not allowed to take any photographs of the interior--so I had to commit everything to memory.
     I made my way into the Reading Room on the ground floor and found the librarian--a lovely woman called Varsha who told me that I could get a Reader's Card for Rs. 500 after filling out a form. However, when she discovered what my field of research was, she told me that I ought to go to the library of the NCPA--I did not even know there was such a thing as a library in this complex. Naturally, as I was headed to that very place, I thought I would check it out later in the evening. However, Varsha did invite me to explore the Reading Room above and take a look at the card catalogue and see if there was anything in my bibliography that was available there.  She told me that the library today houses only the Law collection as all other collections (including English Literature) have been moved to the campus at Kalina. If I wanted to find my own bound Ph.D. Thesis dating from 1994, she said it would be in Kalina! Wow!        
      I deposited my bag, got a token and then climbed to the top floor to get to the Reading Room. Again, I regretted bitterly that I could not take any pictures as the place absolutely lent itself to architectural photography. The stone work, stained glass windows, Gothic tracery within which glass panes are set, solid stone stairs that curve gracefully upwards, were all worthy of pictures and I felt so frustrated that I could take none.
     Upstairs, I found no more than a dozen men seated at various long tables as close to the massive pedestal fans as possible as it was a very warm afternoon indeed. The superb soaring wooden hammered ceiling has recently been re-polished and varnished and it too glows. Once again, stained glass detail gave a Gothic grandeur to the space. I have researched and borrowed books from some of the world's most famous libraries--for example, the Bodleian Library at Oxford including Duke Humphrey's Library where the Harry Potter films were shot, the Radcliff Camera (both in the upper Baroque section and lower Gothic level) where I had taken pictures galore because I so wanted to immortalize my times there. And then here I was in a building that was architecturally on par with any of those! And how proud and privileged I felt that I was an alumna of this wonderful space and had graduated from it in the university's heyday!

Having a Chocolate Milk Shake at Kala Ghoda Cafe:
     It was time to make my way down the stairs, to retrieve my bag and find a place where I could get a cold drink.  I called Shahnaz for some suggestions as many of the restaurants from my time (Samovar, The Wayside Inn, etc.) have closed down. She suggested Kala Ghoda Cafe which she described as a very cute place and she directed me there. I made my way there on foot and was completely taken by the manner in which that area has changed since the time it was my youthful stomping ground--when I was an undergrad student of English at Elphinstone College that was across the road. That street is now filled with one-of-a-kind designer boutiques selling high-end clothing and restaurants galore. I needed a seat for one; but the only place available was a bar-stool at the bar--which I was quite happy to occupy. I had barely made myself comfortable when the waiter told me that a table for two had opened up in the annex on the other side.
     And that was where I had a delicious chocolate milk shake that was refreshing and filling at the same time (Rs. 230). I enjoyed the cool ambience of the air-conditioned place and after sitting for about 45 minutes, left to enter the warm humidity of a September afternoon in Bombay.

Visiting the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room:
     Right across the street was the beautiful black and white face of the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room, and of course, because I had never been in there, I decided I would make it a first time. This building too, that dates from 1870 when the Reading Room was founded, has been recently restored.  It is magical to me how wondrously these heritage buildings in Bombay are being brought back to life with tender loving care.  A big thank you to the history buffs of the city who are using the new-found wealth of its entrepreneurs to harness the grand architectural heritage of the British in India.  I am all for it.
     Once inside the glorious tiled foyer, I realized why I had never been inside--even though I studied for four full undergraduate years just next door in Elphinstone College.  It is because Only Members are allowed in.  However, I asked the watchman if I could take a look around and he told me I could provided I did not occupy a seat.  I thanked him kindly and wondered why he would say such a thing---going by the number of people in the Reading Room of the University of Bombay's Library (only a handful), I thought there would be seats going a-begging upstairs.
     I was so mistaken.  In an equally beautiful upstairs Reading Room, not a single seat was available.  Males and females alike had occupied every seat and were either reading or keeping busy on their phones.  At the entrance, all the major Indian newspapers were available for those who wished to browse.  I have rarely seen a sight that has made my heart leap up for joy more than this one did! The irony is that in the Library of the University of Bombay which is free there was hardly anyone.  In this place, where one had to buy a membership, there was not a vacant chair.
     Here too I wandered out on the broad balcony which was filled with the lovely Parsee-style "easy-chairs," India's equivalent of the chaise-longue, that had seen better days and were in need of a good varnish.  The spiral stairs, balcony railings, etc. were pristine and the tiles on the floor--gorgeous ceramic tiles from two previous centuries ago, such as I have seen in Dublin, Ireland, on the floor of the Cathedral of St. Steven, still stood as they have done since they were first laid out.  All these sights simply lifted my heart.
     From the balcony on which I ventured, I was able to take lovely pictures of Rampart Row just below me. The area is called Kala Ghoda because, in colonial times, there was an equestrian statue of the then Prince of Wales, Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria, seated on a bronze black horse (the kala ghoda --in Hindi--of the area's name). When, after Indian Independence, all such vestiges of colonialism were obliterated, the statue was removed and sent off to a sculpture graveyard somewhere. However, the name of the area remained unchanged and someone thought it prudent to replace the erstwhile sculpture with a contemporary one.  Thus, a huge black horse now stands on a traffic island on its own pedestal--but, I have to say, it absolutely lacks the heft of its colonial forebears.
     Such libraries and Reading Rooms were the brainchild of 19th century philanthropists who wished to make reading and education mainstream and not just the preserve of a privileged few.  Hence, in London in the late 1800s, Edward Passmore created a wealth of public buildings devoted to reading--they are known as Passmore Reading Rooms and can be found all over the East End of London to this day--although many of them have been recommissioned for more contemporary purposes. I spotted a few in Aldgate, Spitalfields and Hackney when I lived in London. Here in Bombay, Jewish industrialists and philanthropists put their money into such charitable ventures and the David Sassoon Reading Room, named after Jewish philanthrophist David Sassoon, came into being while Victoria still held sway over half the globe.  A beautiful marble sculpture of this generous founder stands at the main entrance just under the stairwell and adds to the old-world ambience of this place. I was simply charmed by this building and the history behind it.

Off to Cuffe Parade:
     Across  the street, right outside the Jehangir Art Gallery--another one of my familiar haunts in my undergrad days and where I was first exposed to art--I found a taxi that whisked me off to Cuffe Parade for my appointment with my friend Aban and her husband Rusi who live in a beautiful high-rise building called Casablanca right opposite the World Trade Center and the Reserve Bank of India where my father once had his office.
     My friendship with Aban goes back to my earliest years as a professor in Bombay when both she and I had taught at Jai Hind College. Aban has taught French in Bombay for nearly half a century and her knowledge and facility with the language is better than that of native speakers. Now that she has retired, she teaches full-time at the Alliance Francaise de Bombay (from where I myself got my Diploma de Langue Franciase, so many years ago) and is a translator and interpreter that is much in demand in Bombay. She is married to a Chartered Accountant called Rusi who is also now a dear friend of Llew and me.
     Visiting with them was a real joy and very useful too--as they gave me the names and contact numbers of a number of Parsees with whom I can now begin my research. Over cold coconut water and some Indian sweetmeats, we talked about my past month and Russel's state before we said goodbye and I scooted off to my next appointment.

A Taxi to the National Center for the Performing Arts:
     It took me a while to find a taxi to get to the National Center for the Performing Arts as none were free at that hour.  Still, with some patience, I managed to find one and in about fifteen minutes, I was on the steps of the Tata Theater making my way to the back, cross a lovely garden to the front entrance of the Experimental Theater.
     Nafisa and Tasneem, her daughter, met me there. Tasneem happens to be Chriselle's classmate--Nafisa and I had met on the very first day that our daughters had entered Junior Kindergarten. She had booked tickets to see The Father, a play written originally in French by Florian Zeller, and starring one of India's best-known thespians, Naseeruddin Shah. It was directed by his wife Ratna Pathak-Shah, who happened to be my classmate at Elphinstone College before she transferred to the National School of Drama in Delhi from which she graduated. The play also starred Naseer's daughter Heeba by a previous marriage.

My Review of The Father:
     The theater was intimate because seating was in an amphitheater format. It was very informal in terms of set design and costumes. I have to admit that I had a hard time trying to figure out exactly what was going on in the beginning. Centered around the advancing loss of mental faculties of the protagonist Andre (played by Naseer), the script presented his mental processes through a number of supporting characters such as his daughter Anna and her boyfriend Pierre. I found the use of mime irritating throughout. If they were going to use Suzuki techniques in the play, then all of it should have been in that vein. Sound effects that coincided with mimed action on the part of the characters was a device that did not work for me. I would much rather have had real props such as wine glasses and dinner platters to make the sets more realistic.  Nasser was good, I will say that, but I found the script rather slow-moving and repetitive and, overall, it was certainly not one of the best works I have seen.  Still, Motley Theater Group has been known to work in experimental genres and this represents exactly the kind of work they are wont to do.
             After the play, Nafisa drove us back to her place in her car. We were in Byculla in about 20 minutes and sat down straight to dinner--kheema pullao with sprouted mung raita and cut cucumbers. For dessert, there were brownies and gulab jamuns. We had a very companionable dinner at which Nafisa's husband Husefa joined us and we spent much of the time catching up in their spacious flat.
    We only called it a day at about 11. 30 pm when I brushed and flossed my teeth and changed to get to sleep.
     Until tomorrow...