A Fun Sunday Divided Between Family and Friends.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Bombay

A Fun Sunday Divided Between Family and Friends.

            It is good to wake up on a Sunday morning and have a relaxing lie-in. Not having to rush to church can be actually quite nice. We had bruns for breakfast with guava jam and had a good chat around the table. I think that Dad really enjoys having me home because I offer company—he is lonely although he is also busy. Loneliness can be quite a terrible thing.

            I then set out to clear some more of Dad’s cabinets and drawers in the living room. Making space feels good. The idea is to try and remove things that are lying on surfaces because they collect dust that does not get cleaned because the people we hire as domestic help never clean to our satisfaction. When I had created a few more piles of things that needed disposing of, I left to run some more errands. I needed to buy gifts for the friends in London with whom I will be staying. I also needed to print out some more forms for Dad and I needed to get my umbrella repaired. It is quite difficult to find a really sturdy one that withstands the fury of Bombay’s winy rainstorms. I did find the umbrella repairer and I told him to replace all of the plastic spokes of my Nautica umbrella with metal ones. He told me to pick it up in the evening. It really is amazing how easily one can find people to repair things in Bombay–and for so little money too.  

            I got back home in time to have Sunday lunch with Dad and Russel. They ordered in from a place called Mr. Chow’s and we feasted on Hot and Sour Soup, Chicken Noodles, Chilli Chickens and Wontons. As is customary all over India, Sunday after is characterized by a long and leisurely nap and all life comes to a standstill on Sunday afternoons as people indulge in their siestas. I had a nap too (but then I have a daily 20 minute power nap!)  

            We awoke to say the family rosary, I had a cup of tea with a handful of nuts, sat with Dd for a while to help him fill out the medical Claim forms that have come to use for Russel’s medical reimbursement from his insurance company. I then made a brief visit to my friend Jackie’s place by rick to meet her daughters. And very cute they were too! However, I could not stay too long as I had a talk on the History of Bandra to attend at the Bandra Gymkhana that was being given by Dennis Rodrigues who is the brother of my friend Herman who is also an amateur historian. Herman and his wife, Vinita had invited me to attend it and, being a history buff myself, I was quite happy to do so. My friend Shahnaz was also supposed to join me there with her daughter Aza. But she got caught up in a commitment with her mother and backed out.

            Azra was waiting for me at the entrance of the Gymkhana when I arrived. We bumped into Ajit Rodrigues, one of the trustees of the gym and then into Roger Pereira, another trustee.

We were among the first attendees to arrive and so had a chance to pick up a beverage and biscuits before the talk began. It was interesting indeed to learn about Bandra’s earliest beginnings as a fishing village, its acquisition by the Portuguese as part of their Indian colonial holdings and to get to the post-colonial period when earnest modern building began as part of the five Town Planning Schemes. We also learned about the properties held by the Salcette Society and St. Sebastian’s Society in Bandra.

            I had every intention to return home to have dinner with Dad and Russel…but Shahnaz called to tell us to make our way to Otter’s Club to have dinner at Artisan Restaurant there which I was quite happy to do. So Shahnaz, Azra and I celebrated Azra’s birthday (which was the next day) as well as belatedly celebrated mine (as Shahnaz was on a cruise when I had mine). I was hungry by then and ordered a chocolate milk shake to start with. The rest of the menu was picked by Azra who ordered Lamb Sliders and Prawns with Bacon while we had Chicken Strogonoff. The dessert was probably one of the best I have ever had—Chocolate Hazelnuts Pots. It is a round dark chocolate shell filled with a hazelnut-brownie. A warm caramel sauce is poured over the whole thing until the shell collapses and merges with the brownie beneath. It is fun, it is dramatic and it is very delicious indeed.

            Shahnaz and Azra dropped me home to Dad’s gate from where I walked up the driveway and got home while Dad was watching a late night cricket match.

     Until tomorrow…     

Giving a Lecture at SNDT University, Lunch and Dinner with Friends

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Bombay

Giving a Lecture at SNDT University, Lunch and Dinner with Friends

     Namaste from Bombay!

     It was strange to wake up in my parental home again after a year. I’d had quite a disturbed night with two wake-ups in-between. Luckily, I fell back asleep pretty soon each time, but the end result was that it was about 7.15 am by the time I was ready to rouse myself.

     Breakfast was two bruns which I walked out to the small corner shop at my Dad’s front gate to buy—I decided I needed two as I did not know when my lunch would be and I did not fancy being hungry. I ate it with mango jam that had been gifted to me by my friend Marianel who made it herself. That, a piece of mango (the very last of them) and some gorgeously sweet and very dark cherries that had been sent for my Dad and Russel by my brother Roger through a crew-member friend of his, saw us through breakfast.

     After breakfast, I sat and blogged for a while, but soon it was time for me to get ready for my afternoon’s assignment: I had been invited to give a talk at the SNDT Womens’ University at Churchgate by my friend Margaret who is a retired Professor of English herself. I had known Margaret years ago when we were both English majors at Elphinstone College. Margaret too became a university professor, ending her teaching career, a couple of years ago, at SNDT University—she continues to teach at Hinduja College today as an adjunct. It was she who had arranged for me to be invited by the Graduate department of English of the university to speak about my research on Anglo-Indians.

     And so it was that I made my way from Dad’s place to the bus-stop at Perry Cross Road to wait for the 220 bus which came along just as I reached there.  With the fares down to half now, the buses are more crowded. However, I still managed to get a seat as peak hour had passed. At Bandra Station, I bought a second-class ticket (again, because trains are not crowded at 11.00 am) and found myself going through a very comfortable journey. Well, either my standards are low or I am open to a certain amount of discomfort; but I still do not get why people in Bombay turn their noses up at public transport. It is cheap, easy and superfast—what’s not to like???

     Once at Churchgate station, I asked around and was soon at the gate of the university where I found my way up to the 7^th floor in the elevator. What a huge difference one finds immediately in the look and atmosphere of a government college (which this one is) and the private ones. Having given lectures at Mithibai College and Narsee Monjee College of Management Studies, I was so floored by the premises there—these, by contrast, left much to be desired. I was told that being a government college, there is almost no money to go around and this was certainly reflected in the paltry sum of money they gave me for the guest lecture—that said, I really wasn’t expecting anything at all; so it was a small bonus.

     I spoke to the grad students (M.A. and M.Phil. in English) on my research among Britain’s Anglo-Indians and I am pleased to say that the classroom was packed with very bright, articulate and intellectually curious students who asked me all sorts of questions at the end of it. I was particularly questioned by a Goan girl who is working on Goans who left Goa after the liberation and settled in Lisbon in Portugal where they, too, she says, have acquired invisibility (as the Anglo-Indians have done in the UK). It was fun talking to her about her research.

     I was happy to meet Drupadi, one of the faculty members who earned her Ph.D. most unusually from the University of Heidelberg (Europe’s oldest) in Germany. She had talked to me about her research and she kept insisting that I return to lecture to the students again. I was pleased to see that the students really did seem to enjoy my talk as much as I enjoyed giving it.  This is literally my last assignment in Bombay before I return to the US and I was happy to close on a nice note.

    

Lunch with Margaret:

     It was 2.00 pm by the time we finished and I suggested to Margaret that we find a place where we could go and get a bite to eat. I suggested the West End Hotel where I had started my life in Bombay, a year ago; but Margaret did not fancy going to a three-star hotel and suggested we go to a small South Indian place called Satkar which was about five minutes away. I was so famished by then, I could eat a horse—but I settled for a plate of dahi batata puri and a royal falooda, by the end of which I was really stuffed. Margaret had a rava masala dosa and a fresh lime soda. I will miss all this amazing Indian food so much!!!

Best of all, we got to catch up and talk about our lives after our grad school years at Elphinstone.  Margaret gave me the heartbreaking news that she had lost her only child at age 21 to dengue—the dangerous mosquito-inflicted disease of which I was quite terrified when I came to live in Bombay. When she explained to me the speed with which he died, four years ago, I could barely contain my tears. It was just too too sad. We talked also about a lot of other former colleagues and classmates and then, when we had both eaten our fill, we walked together to Churchgate station where we got into a slow train. I got off at Bandra and Margaret carried on to Andheri, four stops away. I was very grateful to her for arranging for me to give this talk—she had also arranged for me to give the talk at Mithibai College.

     Back home after getting the 220 bus from Bandra Station, I arrived again at Dad’s and immediately took a half hour nap. When I awoke, I had a cup of tea and a small piece of cake before I relaxed a bit with Twitter. I spent some time chatting with Russel. Next, I had a shower and got dressed for my evening’s appointment.

Dinner with More Friends at Bandra Gymkhana:

        My next appointment was with more friends—friends from my youth, literally! I invited my lawyer friend Denzil and his wife, Ruth (as well as some others). We go back a really long way to when I was 18 years old and Denzil’s family used to live in Dad’s building. I became very friendly with all of his siblings (there are five of them) and have continued to stay closely in touch with them even though they are spread out. Denzil recently helped me draft an affidavit for the change of my name that would help me release my bank account in my maiden name. Denzil is married to Ruth, who is the sister of a very good physician friend of mine, Chris D’Souza, the famous ENT Specialist in Bombay. I had also invited Vinita, who was also (with Denzil and me) in the Youth Movement in my church of St. Anne at Pali Hill. Vinita is married to Herman, an amateur historian, whom I had met at Denzil and Ruth’s place when they had invited me for lunch, several months ago. In turn, Vinita and Herman had then invited me for a dinner party to their home, a couple of months later. I have really enjoyed the company of these couples who also happen to be very good friends. The other person I invited was Persis, my Parsi friend, who lives down the road from my place and whom I keep bumping into, on the street, very often. I had been telling her that I would call her so that we could get together and that was indeed why I invited her too. I do not have the room in my studio to entertain anybody and I was keen to reciprocate the many invitations I have been receiving through the year—hence, this gathering. 

     We all met at Bandra Gymkhana at 8.00 pm and after introductions were made, we found our way to the restaurant upstairs where we settled down to enjoy a really good meal. We decided to order drinks first and got chicken wontons and chicken reshmi kebabs to begin with as we settled down with beers and whiskey and soft drinks. Everyone decided to go the Goan route, so dinner was Pork Vindaloo, Chicken Cafreal and Prawns Caldine with Chinese Vegetables in Black Bean Sauce (because the Goans do not do vegetables!). For dessert, everyone had a different choice from Caramel Custard and Chocolate Ice-cream to kulfi and serra dura. We had such a grand chinwag that we all lost track of the time. It was about 11. 30 pm when we eventually decided to get going. Denzil and Ruth dropped Persis and me to our respective gates. It was almost midnight when I got home and everyone else at Dad’s was fast asleep. So I crept around the bathroom to change and brush my teeth and did not lose any time getting to bed.

     Until tomorrow…    

Celebrating St. Anne's Feast at Dad's and 'Dear Liar' at Prithvi Theater

Sunday, July 28, 2019
Bombay

Celebrating St. Anne's Feast at Dad's and Dear Liar at Prithvi Theater

     Namaste from Bombay!
      Wow! Today was a most unusual day--but then almost every day in Bombay has been unpredictable. I have rarely had a dull moment!
     I was awake at 6.30 am and felt almost relieved that I did not have to rush off to church--as I went last night for the Saturday evening Mass. Instead, I downloaded the Sunday Times of London and finally finished my audio book (The Silkworm by R.K. Galbraith, aka JK Rowling). I have to say that I did not realize who the killer was till the last revelation and that I have grown to rather like the detecting couple: Cormoran Strike (How like JKR to give her protagonist a name like that!) and his assistant, Robin (Batman and Robin?) I have dowloaded Circe by Madeline Miller, also as an audio book, but with only 6 days left before I have to return it (and the book is in hot demand right now), I doubt I shall actually finish it.
     So not long after my breakfast of chappatis with spreads (getting over quickly), I went off to Dad's place to make sure all was in control. You see, this afternoon was supposed to be a farewell lunch for me at which my cousins would be present at Bandra Gym. But when I realized, last night, that today was St. Anne's Feast, I did not feel comfortable leaving Dad and Russel alone for the feast lunch. So I sent out a text to my cousins asking if they would not mind moving the venue to Dad's place. They all thought it was a great idea but still insisted on splitting the cost. Of course, I would have nothing of it. Back at Dad's, Rohit had done a great job getting all the china and silverware out and setting up the living room, the dining table, etc. I made sure everything was in place and was actually present when the bottles of beer were delivered. I then left and hurried home for a shower and to order the food.
     I did that as soon as I got home. We decided to have a Chinese menu with Chicken Singapore Noodles, Chicken in Honey Ginger Sauce and Vegetables in Hot Garlic Sauce. There were also fuggias, potato chops and pan rolls that I had picked up yesterday from the church fete and these we would put out on the table too.
      I had just finished showering when my guy Sameer called from Bandra Gym to tell me that my food was ready for pick up. I left my place and was Bandra Gym in five minutes and carrying the food to Dad's, I was there just before 1.00 pm. A few of my cousins had already arrived. I apologized for the delay and then Meera got down to the task of taking drinks orders and furnishing them while I handled the nibbles--putting spicy peanuts and potato chips into bowls. And so the party began. We were about a half hour into it when my cousin Bonnie arrived. Linnet had bought a cake which said 'Happy Feast' on it and so we decided to serve it for dessert.
     Soon, it was time to heat the food and get it organized and I did so with a bit of help from Meera, Dad and Rohit. Since we were a small group of just nine folks, it was very easy and I was not in the slightest bit stressed. The meal was much appreciated and we had the best time. I do not remember laughing so much with all my cousins in such a long time. Russel was also part of the evening in his wheelchair, Dad who was still not quite fighting fit, was mainly relaxing or just walking in to offer his help and so it went on. The afternoon just flew as we chatted nineteen to the dozen and listened to a lot of the conversation that Russel was making. I felt really pleased with myself that I had made the decision to move the party over to Dad's as Russel and he also had a grand time.
     For dessert, we cut the cake Linnet brought and we all put our hands on the knife as it was a Feast Day for Dad, Russel, Meera, Cyril and myself as we all belong to St. Anne's parish. I had purchased little pots of vanilla ice-cream for dessert and so I served that too for dessert--it went really well with what turned out to be a fresh cream-pineapple layer cake. I also took orders for tea and as everyone wanted tea, that was what I ended up making. I keep repeating myself but it really was a fun time!
     My cousin Bonnie also broke the news that her daughter Hailey was getting married on December 30 and she told me that she hoped to see me at the wedding. I was happy to get the news well in advance. I can now plan my next trip to Bombay keeping in mind that I have a big family wedding to attend--probably the last of the family weddings as Hailey is almost the youngest of my cousin's kids. It certainly gives me something to which I can look forward on my next trip to Bombay!
     It was actually 5.00 pm by the time my cousins got up to leave--by which time I was ready to leave myself--for my next appointment. I wheeled Russel back to his room as his attendant Rohit had left for the 4.30 pm evening Mass in Hindi at St. Teresa's Church. That done, I hurried off to meet my friend Maria whom I was meeting at her gate for our date at the theater. Five minutes later, she was picking me up from Dad's gate by rick and we were off.
     Maria happens to be the next-door neighbor of Naseeruddin Shah, the actor, who has lived in the same building for over three decades with his wife, Ratna Pathak-Shah who was my classmate at Elphinstone College. They were in a full-length duet on stage called Dear Liar by Jerome Kitty, based on the long romantic relationship between the playwright George Bernard Shaw and the stage actress Mrs. Patrick (Kitty) Campbell. I had seen them in the same play, thirty years ago, when I used to be a theater critic for the Bombay press. The play was put on again to celebrate the Ruby (40h Anniversary) of Motley, the Theater Company that Naseer and his best drama school buddy Benjamin Gilani, had founded. When I had interviewed Naseer, about three months ago (how time flies!) he had told me about Motley's anniversary but I was not sure that I would still be in Bombay at this time.
     Anyway, Motley is celebrating its fortieth anniversary with a festival of plays at the Prithvi Theater where the career of so many of the stars took off. Nasser became the most successful of the lot but every single one of them breathed life into Bombay's theater world and I was very fortunate to have been there at the very beginning when it all began. For that reason, I was very happy to be present with Maria, forty years later, to see a play that I had seen on stage when it had been originally staged by the same two actors--who, since then, got married and had two children. Based on the interesting, if off-beat relationship between two talented and very feisty characters, the play made superb watching. It was also very realistically portrayed by these veteran actors whose few verbal gaffs on stage only made the production more credible. Maria and I loved it as they played to a full-house in the small Prithvi Theater. I am glad that I finished my year of Fulbright research in Bombay with this play. I am now looking forward to returning home to Southport and starting work on what will become my book.
     Maria and I took a rick back when a delightful evening at the theater ended. She had to hop off soon to meet her cousins for dinner at the Marriott Hotel but I carried on home to Bandra.
     I had dinner chez moi--the remains of the Vietnamese pho (with strange black noodles) that I had carried from Anil and Ninaz's place last night when our evening had ended so suddenly with Anil's illness. I also ate a bit of the Chocolate Vertigo Cake that I bought from the cafeteria at the Prithvi Theater with some of the Belgian Chocolate Ice-cream that I bought yesterday from Huber and Holly.
     While eating, I watched a really fantastic movie called The Next Three Days with Russel Crowe and Elizabeth Banks--a real thriller if ever there was one. Knowing, as you all now do, that I tend to fall asleep in front of the telly, I will tell you that I was wide awake as the adrenalin had pumped right through my system with the excitement of the film that kept me on the edge of my seat. This is compelling watching!  Please watch this movie!!!
     I then had a long chat with Llew with whom I had not spoken for quite a while. We caught up before I realized that it was 1.00 am and fell asleep!
     Until tomorrow...