Celebrating Bandra Feast! And Meeting a Youthful Publisher

Sunday, September 9, 2018
Bombay

Celebrating Bandra Feast! And Meeting a Youthful Publisher.

     Namaste from Bombay!
     My mornings have taken on a routine of their own--and so it was today: blogging, reading, responding to and drafting email.  Awoke early at 4.30 am--used 'morning brain' to get on with work. Brekkie was my birschersmuesli with hot hazelnut coffee and more reading of Anthony Horowitz's The Word is Murder--getting quickly to the end of the whodunit and still baffled. Have now downloaded a Harlan Coben novel from my library and will shortly start reading it.
     Also got down to a few chores while still feeling energetic: swabbed my tiny studio, cleaned toilet and bathroom sink. Everything takes me 10 minutes and very little sweat equity because this studio is so tiny.  What are we thinking, in the US, living in humongous homes that take so much maintenance?
     I spent a good relaxed morning while reading and then suddenly I received a call from a friend Joe asking me if I could meet a publisher who was keen on working with me. I had a phone chat with the young chap named Ishaan and make an appointment to meet him at 4.00 pm at the Juhu Ville Parle Gymkhana. I had no idea where this was but he suggested I take an Uber back and forth--which was a very good idea. And this time I was not plagued by the drivers' BO.

Ordering Lunch from Bandra Gym:
     I then showered, dressed a bit more formally for our meeting and left my home at 11.30 am to stroll to Bandra Gym to pick up take-out lunch for Dad, Russel and me as today is the day Bandrites celebrate Bandra Feast--the birthday of our Blessed Mother. The gym was already full of merry-makers. I learned the drill: you study the menu, catch hold of one of the waiters, place an order for takeaway food and wait. In the future, I know to call ahead and order our meal and then arrive there only to pick it up  They do not deliver at home. A lovely friendly lady called Deirdre Rodrigues helped me figure out what to order--she kept recommending things and telling me that everything is delicious! I ordered Pork Sorpotel (you cannot celebrate Bandra Feast without this traditional classic!), Chicken Pullao, Crispy Vegetables (sort of like Vegetable Manchurian) and Greek Salad. It took me a whole half hour to get the order but I managed to get to my Dad's flat by 12.45 so that we could start with lunch.

Bandra Feast Lunch with the Bombay Family:
     And it was great fun! Everything was delicious! We had 7 UP and port wine to accompany our meal and really enjoyed the food which was enormous in quantity.  There was more than enough for us for dinner so Dad asked me to return in the evening. We spent a long while chatting about the more controversial items in the papers--just as we used to do on the phone, we are now talking in person.  I know that Dad is grateful for the chatter and the company and the mental stimulation that he otherwise lacks with just Russel for company. I then took a short nap to recharge my batteries.
     At 3.30 pm, I called for an Uber and at 4.15, I was at the venue--traffic was awful even on a Sunday. I am simply amazed at the way the Western suburbs have developed in the three decades of my absence. The place reeks affluence.  Very swanky new restaurants, designer boutiques, shops offering the most fancy digitalized equipment and gadgets, are available for the asking in the Bandra-Juhu corridor of Bombay where income levels have skyrocketed and people live like kings. I have seen similar demographics in Manilla in the Philippines where poverty and affluence exist cheek by jowl.
 
A Very Fruitful Meeting:
     Ishaan Jajodia came to the entrance of the Gymkhana to meet me--I was struck by his youthfulness. At merely twenty (he looks sixteen), he heads a successful publishing house called Bombay Kala that he runs while completing his undergraduate studies in Architectural History at Dartmouth! I know!!! I was simply floored. Our mutual friend Ashley joined us a few minutes later. We spent the rest of the evening over lemon tea and the most delectable dahi batata puri I have ever eaten as we discussed one of my current books that is awaiting publication. I also made a pitch for a memoir that I wondered if he'd be interested in publishing. Fingers crossed as he takes a look at the manuscript.
 
Back Home for Dinner and a Visit with my new Neighbors:
      After more than two hours during which we gabbed and laughed, the meeting ended and we said goodbye to Ishaan who flies off to Dartmouth tonight for his first semester as a Junior, Ashley joined me in the Uber and rode with me to Bandra. This time the driver took me via Juhu Beach--an area that continued to amaze me by its ambience. Clearly, this is where the rich and famous live. Money was evident at every turn--in the huge bungalows, the upscale high-rise apartment buildings, the kind of shops that have mushroomed and that seem to want to imitate offerings in London or New York or Dubai. At the beach, I saw tour buses that bring Indian tourists to show them what used to be such a sleepy beach when I was growing up. Once again, the place was crowded--quite understandable on a Sunday evening. It reminded me so much of China and the throngs we saw at all sites of tourist interest.
      Ashley slipped off at Bandra Gym where he thought he could shoot the breeze with friends.  I carried on to Dad's place, then had dinner with him and Russel--afternoon's leftovers--still delectable.
     I left Dad's at 8.30 am and was just putting the key into my door when my next-door neighbors, the Dedhias, invited me into their flat. I knew that they were trying to be friendly and to get to know me better--and so I accepted their invitation.  In true Indian style, they wished to offer me dinner. I declined as I told them I had already eaten.  However, they brought me dahi wadas in a bowl and told me to take it home and enjoy it.  I will eat them for breakfast tomorrow.  They are a Jain family of four, of Kutchi descent: father, mother (who has rheumatic arthritis and is practically bedridden except for movement with a walker), a daughter who is a trained freelance beautician and hair stylist named Forum and a son who is a college student at nearby Rizvi College. I met Forum's finance named Kiran, an engineer who lives in Pune and who is visiting her for the weekend.  They mother only speaks Hindi but her children are fluent in English. I have lucked out again--I had similarly friendly and hospitable neighbors, ten years ago, in London. This time too I have next-door neighbors who are friendly and caring. How lucky am I???!!!
      I left them to go home next-door, got ready for bed and read a bit before switching off my light. Then, to my horror, I discovered that having drunk two glasses of  caffeinated lemon tea at 4.00 pm, I would remain wide awake for a good long time. I only fell asleep at 4.00 am!!! It was absolutely nuts!
     Until tomorrow....