Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Bombay
A Soaker of a Day, Afternoon Tea at Marianel's and Small Island with Nafisa
Namaste from Bombay!
I guess the novelty of the rains has subsided and the monsoon is reaching the point at which it starts to feel inconvenient. That was how I felt all day today as it poured non-stop.
So, up at 4.30, I read till 5.30 (Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan) and then took a look at Twitter and The Times. I also drafted a blog post before my thoughts turned to brekkie--and it was still only 7.30 am: in an attempt to finish all the food in my fridge, I ate two chapatis with lemon curd and peanut butter and washed it down with coffee. While munching, I watched Joolz Guides: this time, he was knocking around Clapham.
Back to the Salt Mines:
There were two important pieces of work I needed to finish before I could goof off for the day: A review and revision of a lecture I have been invited to give on Friday, July 12 at Mithibai College in Juhu; and a transcription of the interview I had done with my friend Beulah at her place after lunch on Sunday.
I have decided to vary my lecture a bit and instead of focussing on the invisibility of Britain's Anglo-Indians (a public lecture I have delivered several times), I am going to talk about aspects of Race, Caste and Gender with regards to Britain's Anglo-Indians. It is amazing how little contemporary Indians know about this ethnic minority and after the rock-star reception I got following this talk at the University of Nagpur, a few months ago, I hope it will go down well here too. Editing the talk, looking over the accompanying Powerpoint slides that I shall be projecting and synchronizing their insertion into my talk took a while--but it was time very fruitfully spent.
Next, I got down to transcribing the interview I did with Beulah. It took me about two hours by which time I was starving--my early breakfast did not help. I ate a small bowl of cereal with yogurt and then asked myself why I simply did not get lunch! It was about 12. 15 then and I finished up the last of Valerie's meal of last week while watching Julian McDonald of Joolz Guides tell me about 'Taking Afternoon Tea in London'--he was at the Langham Hotel (whose lobby I have visited to take a bit of a sit-down on one of my walking tours). This hotel was once the grandest in all of London. Its location--sandwiched between the BBC Building and the wonderful round All Souls Church right off Regent's Street--is also cool.
By then, my thoughts turned to a nap as my back (and back side) felt sore after sitting on my laptop for so long in the morning. But I barely closed by eyes for ten minutes when my upstairs neighbor called to find out if the realtor could come to see the place. I told her that I would be going in for a shower and then leaving to go out for the day. They could come after 2. 30 (I said), I presumed this would give me time to finish my shower and let them take a look at my place.
But, of course, my bell rang just as I got into the shower! I had to turn it off and get out again to open the door. Needless to say, like Queen Victoria, I was not amused! I told Anam it would not work for me to have to deal with these last-minute drop-ins and that I would need to have them scheduled well in advance. As usual, she apologized. The actually walk-through took only minutes, but I felt annoyed.
Shower done, I dressed and as it continued to pour outside, I had serious worries about how I would reach the city. Had I not booked tickets for Small Island online yesterday, I would have scrapped a visit to the city altogether. But I knew that I would lose the money--and so I decided to brave the elements. The only concession I would make to myself was that I would take an Uber (instead of the local train).
After I had dressed, I called for one and guess what? A journey that would normally have cost me Rs. 250 cost me Rs. 504! Clearly there were not many Uber drivers around in the deluge either! But come my driver did and we crawled all the way into the city. At the best of times traffic is a nightmare in Central Bombay---but when the rain hits the way it does, the problem is compounded. To make matters worse, the driver took me to a place that did not look even vaguely familiar and dropped me there. I told him that this was not where I wanted to go. A call to Marianel then gave the driver directions on how to get there--we were so far away from where we ought to have been! The end result was that I had to walk in the rain for quite a bit before I reached Marianel's place and when I did, well...she made it so worthwhile. She had called to ask if I was still coming and when I told her that I was just about to enter the Uber, she had said, "My God! You are really brave!" Brave?Foolhardy, more like.
Afternoon Tea at Marianel's:
Since Marianel is a professional chef, nothing gives her more pleasure than putting out a whole spread for people. And since she has been known to cater Afternoon Teas for cruise passengers whose vessels touch Bombay, after a heritage walk around her village (Khotachiwadi in Girgaum where she lives in a sprawling ancestral heritage two-storied bungalow), she had a whole spread out there for me that would rival anything served at London's Ritz: Tri-colored Ribbon Sandwiches (made with chutney, meat paste and cheese); sausage rolls, vol au vents filled with corn, mushroom and spinach, spring rolls, little tarts filled with her own homemade mango jam. You can just imagine what a spread she provided! I tried one of each item and then she insisted on packing up a few of the goodies in foil for me to take for Nafisa and myself to eat during the film's intermission.
What's more, Marianel had kept ready a whole bunch of things for me to look at--costume jewelry that had been gifted to her and which she never uses and a lot of blouses and kurtis, still in their original packing that she has never opened because they were not her size. I told her that I would not take them unless I tried them on and found that they worked for me. And boy oh boy, how lucky was I??? The garments looked as if they had been made for me. They were also so pretty that I was absolutely delighted. I wish she had given them to me at the beginning of my stay in Bombay as I have been managing with the same three shirts and three pants and three blouses as part of my minimalist wardrobe as I have tried to find ways and means to mix and match to make them look different. There were a lot of other clothes and costume jewelry that were not my style and those I passed up. Anyway, the new wardrobe I took away from her place is stunning. I also took two lovely pairs of ear-rings and a nice necklace--and with that I made out like a bandit!
About an hour later (how I wished we could have spent more time together as we never tire of nattering), I took a cab and drove towards South Bombay to the southern tip of the island. Nafisa had called to find out if we were still on for the evening and I assured her, we were. In the cab, I called Dad who was suffering a devastating viewing of India's dismal show in the semi-finals against New Zealand at the cricket World Cup match. He told me, heartbroken, that there was no chance India would make it to the Finals. I told Dad that I was seeing a movie in the city and would not be visiting with him or Russel this evening,
That done, I arrived at the Godrej Theater of the NCPA and found my tickets online on my phone. Nafisa followed a swift minute later and we made contact. The theater was very sparsely filled as many people stayed home.
Watching Small Island at the NCPA:
So, I have to say, that I did not have very high expectations of this production. A few years ago, the BBC had done a wonderful cinematic version. It featured people who subsequently became stars of the silver screen and were either winners or were nominated for Oscars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ruth Wilson, Naomi Harris and David Oyelowo. That version is so good that I have TIVO-ed it at home and have never wiped it away. How anything could come up to the standard of that production was beyond me. However, I have great affection for the novel and for its writer, the late Andrea Levy (whom I had the privilege of meeting in London, ten years ago). Sadly, she passed away just a few months ago and did not live to see her incredible Orange-Award winning novel on the London stage. It was she who had given me her blessings when I had told her that I was in London to research Britain's Anglo-Indians. Being of mixed race herself (her father came to England from Jamaica on the Empire Windrush in 1948 and her mother is a white Scots), she told me that it was so important to tell the stories of people of mixed racial descent.
For all these reasons, I wanted to see the staged version even though I had low expectations. Gosh! Could I have been more amazed! It was simply incredible! Superbly acted by everyone of the cast, the honors, however, go directly to Aisling Loftus who, in the role of Queenie, did such an astonishing job that she had the entire theater in thrall. I knew I had seen her somewhere before but I simply could not place her. After googling her, I discovered that she played Agnes Towler, a wonderfully sympathetic characters in Mr. Selfridge--which I had loved. I had given Nafisa a brief synopsis of the story and she was very grateful for it while being completely bowled over by the production. In the final analysis, I was patting myself on the back for braving the vagaries of the weather and getting into that theater seat--because it was worth all the anxiety.
Having feasted on Marianel's goodies during the intermission, neither Nafisa nor I needed dinner. She dropped me off in her car to Churchgate station from where I took a train home. Churchgate station was empty, the trains were empty and I reached Bandra, 25 minutes later, jumped into a waiting rickshaw and was home by 10.30 pm at which stage, I merely washed and changed and went straight to bed.
Until tomorrow...
Showing posts with label NCPA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCPA. Show all posts
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019
Interviewing a Renaissance Man and Getting Visa Documentation Ready
Monday, April 15, 2019
Bombay
Interviewing a Renaissance Man and Getting Visa Documentation Ready
Namaste from Bombay!
I was barely out of my teens and only just awakening to the cultural revolution that was Bombay in the late 1970s when I became aware of the work of Gieve Patel--poet, playwright, painter, sculptor and physician--yes, physician: a general practitioner with a thriving practice. His play Savaksa that I then saw was staged by Pearl Padamsee and starred Roger Pereira. I had also become familiar with his poetry which was being published in every Bombay periodical of the time. I had heard him read from his writing in the main cultural spaces that I had haunted in those heady days--the British Council, the USIS, the Max Mueller Bhavan. the Alliance Francaise. In a way, the work I am undertaking today on the Fulbright Fellowship is motivated as much by a desire to walk in those youthful footsteps that I left far behind when I emigrated to the US as it is to document the lively cultural history of a city that never slept.
So when my day began at 6.00 am, I started blogging and checking Twitter and responding to my email when I realized that I could not stay in bed at my laptop as long as I would have liked as I had an 11.00 am appointment with Gieve Patel--a truly Renaissance Man--in Colaba. Hence a quick brekkie of muesli and coffee and a quick shower later, I was out the door and in a bus to the city. A train ride took me to Churchgate from where I jumped into a 137 bus going to Colaba Causeway.
I feel super excited at the way in which I have mastered the use of the BEST buses--I adore them--with much the same ease with which I use the red buses in London. This one was empty and I literally had to ask the driver as I got in if it was in service! He nodded and took me to Cushrow Bagh, the 19th century colony in which every Parsi wishes he had a flat. My new friend Sam Kerawala lives in the same Parsi colony and it is through him that I have become familiar with this rather glorious little cocoon of Zoroastrian culture that has remained preserved in a cosmopolitan city as if in aspic.
Interviewing a Renaissance Man:
It is hot and very humid in Bombay now--so having to climb three floors to the terrace apartment on such a day was not something I relished. Still, after it seemed as if I had scaled Everest, I was ushered into the mercifully air-conditioned studio of Dr. Gieve Patel whose personality was instantly lovable. For the next hour, we talked about his literary and creative accomplishments. I am still kicking myself that I forgot to tell him that I have taught his Poetry in the course on Indian Writing in English that I once used to teach in the Masters Program in English at the University of Bombay. He was modest to a fault and did not over-intellectualize. His sole response quite often (to one of my more complicated questions) was , "I really don't know". or "I really cannot say" or "I can't really comment on that". On those aspects of his work that he could speak, he enlightened me unreservedly and I left his place--after he had gifted me two of this books that I insisted he inscribe--not only feeling deeply privileged that I'd had the chance to interact with this almost 80 year old artist-doctor but that I knew so much more about his life, his background, his creative impulses and the era against which he had produced his most impressive work.
Before I left Cushrow Bagh, I stopped off at the apartment of Sam Kerawala to leave him a copy of the 'Agreement to Participate' form for him to sign (as I realize that I need to get the signatures of all the people I have interviewed). This means a bit of backtracking, but I shall take it on. I also left a copy of the same form for Dhun Khandalavala whom I had interviewed last week. Sam and she are friends and he assured me that he would obtain her signature.
Off to the NCPA for More Signatures:
I was seated at the 137 bus-stop on Colaba Causeway waiting for the same bus going in the opposite direction to take me to the NCPA at Nariman Point when Anupam from the Fulbright office in Delhi called me to talk about my making a quick air-dash to the capital to get my Uzbekistan visa. If I am to leave for Tashkent on Easter Monday, I will need to get my visa from Delhi now--the rest of Holy Week will keep me very busy with family and religious commitments. Hence, we talked about my leaving early on Wednesday morning for Delhi! The Fulbright people told me that they would work on my ticket and get back to me as soon as everything fell into place. Boy! When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would be going to Delhi so soon! That's how quickly things are now working in my life!
The bus arrived within five minutes and I jumped in. It dropped me right outside the NCPA from where I made my way to the library. I had a bunch of people to whom I had to give my Agreement forms and, one after the other, I either met them personally and handed them over or left them with their secretaries. Hopefully, I shall be able to collect them at a later date. I have deputed my friend Jimi Bilimoria to pick up all the signed forms for me.
Lunch at McD's:
I was starving by the time I finished my signature-gathering mission and felt the need for sustenance before I went to my next port of call--the USIEF office at Churchgate. The Food Court at the INOX Theater beckoned, but I spotted McDs and not having had a burger in absolute ages, I decided that was what I would have. And so I sat down, in the blissful coolness of air-conditioning, to eat a Salsa Burger (which was a tad too spicy) and a drink and I was off.
I decided to walk to the USIEF office as this is all the exercise I am getting these days--my days of going to the gym seem to be left far behind as work and family commitments are consuming me these days!
Picking up Fulbright SWAG from the USIEF Office:
Ryan from the USIEF office was waiting for me and had a packet ready to hand over following his own trip to Delhi last week. He brought me another copy of the Cochin Fulbright Conference program brochure as the pages of my copy were falling apart. He also brought me SWAG (Stuff We All Get), very kindly handed over to him by Adam who had promised me sone: A Fulbright pen, a Fulbright key-ring and a Fulbright pin! I was absurdly pleased with my haul as I bid Ryan goodbye and walked the few meters to Churchgate station to get my train and bus home.
Preparing for Trips to Come...
I was so looking forward to a nice nap when I got home and indeed I curled up and had one before you could say Jack Robinson. But then the calls from Delhi started to come at me. They were suggesting that I leave for Delhi tomorrow (Tuesday) evening (not Wednesday morning). They would be putting me up in the Fulbright Guest House for Tuesday night so that I could get to the Uzbekistan Embassy at 9.00 am on Wednesday to apply for and get my visa. That way, I would have the entire day to get the document. It seemed to make sense and so I looked at my calendar and found that I had a lot of appointments that I had made for Wednesday which needed to be reshuffled. I sat on my pone after that and, one after the other, began to make my calls. I also called Dad to tell him that I had too much to do and would not be able to see him and Russel this evening or join him for Mass. He fully understood when I told him that I had to leave suddenly for Delhi tomorrow night.
I had to bring forward a doctor's appointment for Russel--and hopefully, we might still be able to see the doctor tomorrow before I get my flight! Fingers Crossed! I was sorry to have to reschedule an interview that it had taken me ages to pin down! But what do you do? This was clearly a priority and I had to step up!
Next, I sat down to put all my papers together for my trip to Delhi. I had to ensure I had passport pictures ready and had printed out the form (written entirely in Cyrillic--Russian) for the Embassy. Luckily, they have already filled it out for me in the US Embassy at Uzbekistan--all I have to do take a signed print out to the Embassy in Delhi.
Still wanting to stay abreast of the interviews I am currently carrying out, I sat and transcribed my interview with Gieve Patel while it was still fresh in my mind. It took me a little over an hour but I was very happy to have proofread it and saved it in my Google Drive before I could turn my attention to looking at interviews scheduled for later this week.
That done, I sat down to apply for my visa to Brazil where I will be traveling at the end of next month. Llew had already applied for his and had received it online--he guided me through filling out an application myself as he was keen that I do not put it off too long. And so I sat doing that chore which took me over an hour by the time I uploaded my passport and photograph, etc. according to their specifications. However, when it was all done and I got a confirmation from them telling me that my application was complete, my joy knew no bounds! Let us hope that my pictures pass muster with them. Yes, doing things online takes the leg work out of everything but it also means that one goes through a lot of stress trying to figure out the right way to do something when there is no guidance whatsoever.
I also decided that since I was going to Delhi, I would try to hook up with members of Ibrahim Alkazi's family who are settled there. He is a gigantic influence on contemporary English theater in Bombay but because he is now past ninety and bed-ridden and can no longer meet visitors, I have scheduled to talk to his daughter, Amal, who is an artist and who will meet me just before the opening of her solo exhibition in the capital.
By the time I was ready for dinner and bed, I knew that I would be leaving Bombay tomorrow (Tuesday) night for Delhi. The Fulbright folks have decided that it makes sense to fly me up so that I spend the night in Delhi at the Fulbright Guest House. This will allow me to get to the Uzbekistan Embassy as soon as it opens on Wednesday morning for my visa which, hopefully, will be done and my passport returned to me by the end of the day. I will take an 8.00 pm flight back to Bombay to arrive on Wednesday night. I think this is a far better way to go--I will have a good night's sleep in Delhi and Bombay and will avoid having to take a red eye flight. Only once I get my visa can they go ahead and purchase my round-trip ticket to Tashkent and back. Phew!
It was dinner time when I finished with all this work--I had been working steadily from 4.30 till 9.00 pm on my laptop by the time I was done. I dived into my dinner--the last of my leftovers from my previous meal (as a new delivery had been left at my door today) as I tucked into kheema matter, cabbage and the leftover roast chicken in mushroom sauce from my meal at the Yacht Club.
While munching, I finished watching the last episode of Season Two of The Sinner and I have to say that it has been compelling. I am sorry that it is over, but now I can turn to Traitors and other glorious entertainment on Netflix.
I went to bed when I was nodding off, long after midnight.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
Interviewing a Renaissance Man and Getting Visa Documentation Ready
Namaste from Bombay!
I was barely out of my teens and only just awakening to the cultural revolution that was Bombay in the late 1970s when I became aware of the work of Gieve Patel--poet, playwright, painter, sculptor and physician--yes, physician: a general practitioner with a thriving practice. His play Savaksa that I then saw was staged by Pearl Padamsee and starred Roger Pereira. I had also become familiar with his poetry which was being published in every Bombay periodical of the time. I had heard him read from his writing in the main cultural spaces that I had haunted in those heady days--the British Council, the USIS, the Max Mueller Bhavan. the Alliance Francaise. In a way, the work I am undertaking today on the Fulbright Fellowship is motivated as much by a desire to walk in those youthful footsteps that I left far behind when I emigrated to the US as it is to document the lively cultural history of a city that never slept.
So when my day began at 6.00 am, I started blogging and checking Twitter and responding to my email when I realized that I could not stay in bed at my laptop as long as I would have liked as I had an 11.00 am appointment with Gieve Patel--a truly Renaissance Man--in Colaba. Hence a quick brekkie of muesli and coffee and a quick shower later, I was out the door and in a bus to the city. A train ride took me to Churchgate from where I jumped into a 137 bus going to Colaba Causeway.
I feel super excited at the way in which I have mastered the use of the BEST buses--I adore them--with much the same ease with which I use the red buses in London. This one was empty and I literally had to ask the driver as I got in if it was in service! He nodded and took me to Cushrow Bagh, the 19th century colony in which every Parsi wishes he had a flat. My new friend Sam Kerawala lives in the same Parsi colony and it is through him that I have become familiar with this rather glorious little cocoon of Zoroastrian culture that has remained preserved in a cosmopolitan city as if in aspic.
Interviewing a Renaissance Man:
It is hot and very humid in Bombay now--so having to climb three floors to the terrace apartment on such a day was not something I relished. Still, after it seemed as if I had scaled Everest, I was ushered into the mercifully air-conditioned studio of Dr. Gieve Patel whose personality was instantly lovable. For the next hour, we talked about his literary and creative accomplishments. I am still kicking myself that I forgot to tell him that I have taught his Poetry in the course on Indian Writing in English that I once used to teach in the Masters Program in English at the University of Bombay. He was modest to a fault and did not over-intellectualize. His sole response quite often (to one of my more complicated questions) was , "I really don't know". or "I really cannot say" or "I can't really comment on that". On those aspects of his work that he could speak, he enlightened me unreservedly and I left his place--after he had gifted me two of this books that I insisted he inscribe--not only feeling deeply privileged that I'd had the chance to interact with this almost 80 year old artist-doctor but that I knew so much more about his life, his background, his creative impulses and the era against which he had produced his most impressive work.
Before I left Cushrow Bagh, I stopped off at the apartment of Sam Kerawala to leave him a copy of the 'Agreement to Participate' form for him to sign (as I realize that I need to get the signatures of all the people I have interviewed). This means a bit of backtracking, but I shall take it on. I also left a copy of the same form for Dhun Khandalavala whom I had interviewed last week. Sam and she are friends and he assured me that he would obtain her signature.
Off to the NCPA for More Signatures:
I was seated at the 137 bus-stop on Colaba Causeway waiting for the same bus going in the opposite direction to take me to the NCPA at Nariman Point when Anupam from the Fulbright office in Delhi called me to talk about my making a quick air-dash to the capital to get my Uzbekistan visa. If I am to leave for Tashkent on Easter Monday, I will need to get my visa from Delhi now--the rest of Holy Week will keep me very busy with family and religious commitments. Hence, we talked about my leaving early on Wednesday morning for Delhi! The Fulbright people told me that they would work on my ticket and get back to me as soon as everything fell into place. Boy! When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would be going to Delhi so soon! That's how quickly things are now working in my life!
The bus arrived within five minutes and I jumped in. It dropped me right outside the NCPA from where I made my way to the library. I had a bunch of people to whom I had to give my Agreement forms and, one after the other, I either met them personally and handed them over or left them with their secretaries. Hopefully, I shall be able to collect them at a later date. I have deputed my friend Jimi Bilimoria to pick up all the signed forms for me.
Lunch at McD's:
I was starving by the time I finished my signature-gathering mission and felt the need for sustenance before I went to my next port of call--the USIEF office at Churchgate. The Food Court at the INOX Theater beckoned, but I spotted McDs and not having had a burger in absolute ages, I decided that was what I would have. And so I sat down, in the blissful coolness of air-conditioning, to eat a Salsa Burger (which was a tad too spicy) and a drink and I was off.
I decided to walk to the USIEF office as this is all the exercise I am getting these days--my days of going to the gym seem to be left far behind as work and family commitments are consuming me these days!
Picking up Fulbright SWAG from the USIEF Office:
Ryan from the USIEF office was waiting for me and had a packet ready to hand over following his own trip to Delhi last week. He brought me another copy of the Cochin Fulbright Conference program brochure as the pages of my copy were falling apart. He also brought me SWAG (Stuff We All Get), very kindly handed over to him by Adam who had promised me sone: A Fulbright pen, a Fulbright key-ring and a Fulbright pin! I was absurdly pleased with my haul as I bid Ryan goodbye and walked the few meters to Churchgate station to get my train and bus home.
Preparing for Trips to Come...
I was so looking forward to a nice nap when I got home and indeed I curled up and had one before you could say Jack Robinson. But then the calls from Delhi started to come at me. They were suggesting that I leave for Delhi tomorrow (Tuesday) evening (not Wednesday morning). They would be putting me up in the Fulbright Guest House for Tuesday night so that I could get to the Uzbekistan Embassy at 9.00 am on Wednesday to apply for and get my visa. That way, I would have the entire day to get the document. It seemed to make sense and so I looked at my calendar and found that I had a lot of appointments that I had made for Wednesday which needed to be reshuffled. I sat on my pone after that and, one after the other, began to make my calls. I also called Dad to tell him that I had too much to do and would not be able to see him and Russel this evening or join him for Mass. He fully understood when I told him that I had to leave suddenly for Delhi tomorrow night.
I had to bring forward a doctor's appointment for Russel--and hopefully, we might still be able to see the doctor tomorrow before I get my flight! Fingers Crossed! I was sorry to have to reschedule an interview that it had taken me ages to pin down! But what do you do? This was clearly a priority and I had to step up!
Next, I sat down to put all my papers together for my trip to Delhi. I had to ensure I had passport pictures ready and had printed out the form (written entirely in Cyrillic--Russian) for the Embassy. Luckily, they have already filled it out for me in the US Embassy at Uzbekistan--all I have to do take a signed print out to the Embassy in Delhi.
Still wanting to stay abreast of the interviews I am currently carrying out, I sat and transcribed my interview with Gieve Patel while it was still fresh in my mind. It took me a little over an hour but I was very happy to have proofread it and saved it in my Google Drive before I could turn my attention to looking at interviews scheduled for later this week.
That done, I sat down to apply for my visa to Brazil where I will be traveling at the end of next month. Llew had already applied for his and had received it online--he guided me through filling out an application myself as he was keen that I do not put it off too long. And so I sat doing that chore which took me over an hour by the time I uploaded my passport and photograph, etc. according to their specifications. However, when it was all done and I got a confirmation from them telling me that my application was complete, my joy knew no bounds! Let us hope that my pictures pass muster with them. Yes, doing things online takes the leg work out of everything but it also means that one goes through a lot of stress trying to figure out the right way to do something when there is no guidance whatsoever.
I also decided that since I was going to Delhi, I would try to hook up with members of Ibrahim Alkazi's family who are settled there. He is a gigantic influence on contemporary English theater in Bombay but because he is now past ninety and bed-ridden and can no longer meet visitors, I have scheduled to talk to his daughter, Amal, who is an artist and who will meet me just before the opening of her solo exhibition in the capital.
By the time I was ready for dinner and bed, I knew that I would be leaving Bombay tomorrow (Tuesday) night for Delhi. The Fulbright folks have decided that it makes sense to fly me up so that I spend the night in Delhi at the Fulbright Guest House. This will allow me to get to the Uzbekistan Embassy as soon as it opens on Wednesday morning for my visa which, hopefully, will be done and my passport returned to me by the end of the day. I will take an 8.00 pm flight back to Bombay to arrive on Wednesday night. I think this is a far better way to go--I will have a good night's sleep in Delhi and Bombay and will avoid having to take a red eye flight. Only once I get my visa can they go ahead and purchase my round-trip ticket to Tashkent and back. Phew!
It was dinner time when I finished with all this work--I had been working steadily from 4.30 till 9.00 pm on my laptop by the time I was done. I dived into my dinner--the last of my leftovers from my previous meal (as a new delivery had been left at my door today) as I tucked into kheema matter, cabbage and the leftover roast chicken in mushroom sauce from my meal at the Yacht Club.
While munching, I finished watching the last episode of Season Two of The Sinner and I have to say that it has been compelling. I am sorry that it is over, but now I can turn to Traitors and other glorious entertainment on Netflix.
I went to bed when I was nodding off, long after midnight.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, April 14, 2019
A Not So Productive Sunday ends with Lovely Concert and Delightful Dinner
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Bombay
A Not So Productive Sunday ends with Lovely Concert and Delightful Dinner
Namaste from Bombay!
If I had any hopes of getting any work done today, I was sadly disappointed. However, I did what one is supposed to do on a Sunday--get a bit of leisure and enjoyment from it!
An Unusual Brekkie:
So I was up early today--at 5.00 am and after blogging and checking my Twitter feed, I got down to transcribing. I stopped for Breakfast--a most unusual one based on goodies that my Dad gave me yesterday that was part of the food offerings he has been receiving from visitors: I had a Punjabi Samosa (brought by a family friend, Bina), a delicious Goa-sausage filled stuffed pau that was then gently battered and shallow-fried (a most unusual concoction from my friend Sharon's Mum, Selda) and jalebis (also bought by Bina). What a fabulous way to start a Sunday, right?
Attending Mass and After...
Then, because I did manage to find assurance that Michelle Lawrence who had appointed me to do the Second Reading at evening Mass would find a substitute, I had to go for the 9.15 Mass today--it being Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. I dressed and left for Mass--quite happy that I managed to finish one really long transcription based on a very long interview I had done). After Mass, I spent quite a while outside the church chatting with my cousin Brian into whom I ran after a very long time. He filled me in on what has been going on with him and we parted after exchanging telephone numbers. It will be fun to meet for dinner at the Bandra Gym sometime.
I then stopped off at Dad's to leave Russel his vada and in doing so, ended up spending quite a long time there. Fortunately, I had eaten my breakfast before leaving for Mass or I'd have been starving.
Back home, I started preparation for the Travel Writing Workshop I will be teaching in Uzbekistan--if, fingers crossed, I manage to get the visa to get there on schedule! That took me about an hour. I had actually done this preparation when I had conducted the same workshop at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, about two months ago...but I had not saved it anywhere and I lost the Documents when I had my awful computer debacle. So, here I am, having to undertake the prep for that workshop (two sessions of 90 minutes each) all over again.
Lunch-time Chatter:
I stopped to place an order for our lunch at Bandra Gym: it would be Chinese Pad Thai Noodles, Rawas Fish with Chilli and Basil and Garlic Pepper Vegetables. I then continued to prepare my lessons when Samir from the gym called to tell me it was ready. I went there, picked up the food and went straight to Dad's. Poor fellow! He is having really a hard time putting in his dentures. He simply does to know how to do it and they are either too loose and keep falling off or causing him sudden twinges of pain. I had no idea how complicated they are be.
Lunch done, I sat chatting with Dad for a long time. He is not keeping too well and his energy levels are very low. As he says, he is more mentally disturbed than anything else with the complicated prognosis we have received over Russel's situation and he is probably wondering how and where he can find the inner resources to take on all these challenges. This from a man who is usually so stoic and so upbeat that he is always telling us that we must face the challenges that life throws at us bravely and prayerfully.
Off to a Kiddies' Concert at the NCPA:
I went back home after my lunch and chat with Dad and thought I would take a quick nap before I had to leave the house for my ride into the city. My friend Kamal had offered me a ticket to the concert given by the students of the NCPA's Music Academy at the Tata Theater. As I have been interviewing a few of the adults who are associated with this 'school' as administrators or teachers, Kamal thought I would like to find out what it is that these kids are actually learning in this school (the first one of its kind in India) and how they fare as musicians as a result of their training.
I took a shower and got dressed, took a bus to Bandra Station, got a slow train to Churchgate, found a cab right outside the station to get me to Nariman Point and was at the appointed spot at the Tata Theater right on time to meet Kamal. There were a few faces with which I have become familiar (Jimi and Hutoxi Billimoria, Xeres Unvala, Dolly Thakore, my former colleague at Jai Hind College, Vispi Balaporia) and after meeting some of Kamal's friends, we settled down in our seats to enjoy the concert.
In a word, it was brilliant! Given the age of the kids and the number of years each of them has been studying, it was astounding with what virtuosity that are playing their chosen instruments. There were solos on the piano, trumpet, clarinet, flute, cello and double bass--all the soloists were accompanied by a few members of the Symphony Orchestra of India--I recognized another person I had interviewed, Francis Mendes--under the conducting baton of Marat Bissangaliev (whom I have also interviewed). His sister, Aida, who is the resident Piano teacher, was resplendent at the end, in a beautiful salwar khameez outfit. I really did have such a good time listening to these kids who played a range of thrilling music with some very familiar pieces such as 'Mexican Hat Dance' and 'The Entertainer' as well as far more classical work by Grieg and Johan Christian Bach (Johan Sebastian Bach's son). Really really wonderful! Hats off to the kids (for the undoubted hours of practice it must take them to play like this) and to their teachers (all of whom as Kazakhs) for their dedication and insistence on perfection.
Dinner at the Yacht Club:
Kamal, who is a member there, suggested that we adjourn for an early dinner at the Yacht Club and we did. It was a nice ride to the Gateway of India (which is simply bursting with people on a warm Sunday evening in April with most schools out now) and I admired her negotiating skills as she drove her vehicle through the haphazard traffic and scary humans hordes until we entered the club and the valet took over her car.
Dinner was upstairs in the dining room where we started off with drinks (vodka and tonic for her, a G and T for me--and believe me, nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer's evening in Bombay than this elixir!). And then we ordered: a steak for Kamal, roasted chicken with mushroom sauce for me, both served with mashed potato and grilled veg. Lovely, lovely, lovely. We enjoyed our wonderful heart to heart and I was grateful for Kamal's empathetic ear as I told her all about Russel's prognosis and the strains that lie ahead for him and the family members who will be caring for him. Dessert was a Bread and Butter Pudding that I thought would be more in the English style with the warm creaminess of a semi-set custard--but it was actually simply Bread Pudding--set far too much for my liking.
Kamal dropped me off to Churchgate Station from where I took a train back to Bandra seated in the general compartment which was practically empty but had enough people in it to make me feel secure--I never travel in a compartment if there is only one person in it.
Back home, I had to wait for quite a while to get the bus (they are probably few and far between on a Sunday) and sat to watch The Sinner--but I found myself dozing through most of it as I simply could not keep my eyes open. A few texts exchanged with Llew saw me through the end of the day as I nodded off to sleep.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
A Not So Productive Sunday ends with Lovely Concert and Delightful Dinner
Namaste from Bombay!
If I had any hopes of getting any work done today, I was sadly disappointed. However, I did what one is supposed to do on a Sunday--get a bit of leisure and enjoyment from it!
An Unusual Brekkie:
So I was up early today--at 5.00 am and after blogging and checking my Twitter feed, I got down to transcribing. I stopped for Breakfast--a most unusual one based on goodies that my Dad gave me yesterday that was part of the food offerings he has been receiving from visitors: I had a Punjabi Samosa (brought by a family friend, Bina), a delicious Goa-sausage filled stuffed pau that was then gently battered and shallow-fried (a most unusual concoction from my friend Sharon's Mum, Selda) and jalebis (also bought by Bina). What a fabulous way to start a Sunday, right?
Attending Mass and After...
Then, because I did manage to find assurance that Michelle Lawrence who had appointed me to do the Second Reading at evening Mass would find a substitute, I had to go for the 9.15 Mass today--it being Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. I dressed and left for Mass--quite happy that I managed to finish one really long transcription based on a very long interview I had done). After Mass, I spent quite a while outside the church chatting with my cousin Brian into whom I ran after a very long time. He filled me in on what has been going on with him and we parted after exchanging telephone numbers. It will be fun to meet for dinner at the Bandra Gym sometime.
I then stopped off at Dad's to leave Russel his vada and in doing so, ended up spending quite a long time there. Fortunately, I had eaten my breakfast before leaving for Mass or I'd have been starving.
Back home, I started preparation for the Travel Writing Workshop I will be teaching in Uzbekistan--if, fingers crossed, I manage to get the visa to get there on schedule! That took me about an hour. I had actually done this preparation when I had conducted the same workshop at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, about two months ago...but I had not saved it anywhere and I lost the Documents when I had my awful computer debacle. So, here I am, having to undertake the prep for that workshop (two sessions of 90 minutes each) all over again.
Lunch-time Chatter:
I stopped to place an order for our lunch at Bandra Gym: it would be Chinese Pad Thai Noodles, Rawas Fish with Chilli and Basil and Garlic Pepper Vegetables. I then continued to prepare my lessons when Samir from the gym called to tell me it was ready. I went there, picked up the food and went straight to Dad's. Poor fellow! He is having really a hard time putting in his dentures. He simply does to know how to do it and they are either too loose and keep falling off or causing him sudden twinges of pain. I had no idea how complicated they are be.
Lunch done, I sat chatting with Dad for a long time. He is not keeping too well and his energy levels are very low. As he says, he is more mentally disturbed than anything else with the complicated prognosis we have received over Russel's situation and he is probably wondering how and where he can find the inner resources to take on all these challenges. This from a man who is usually so stoic and so upbeat that he is always telling us that we must face the challenges that life throws at us bravely and prayerfully.
Off to a Kiddies' Concert at the NCPA:
I went back home after my lunch and chat with Dad and thought I would take a quick nap before I had to leave the house for my ride into the city. My friend Kamal had offered me a ticket to the concert given by the students of the NCPA's Music Academy at the Tata Theater. As I have been interviewing a few of the adults who are associated with this 'school' as administrators or teachers, Kamal thought I would like to find out what it is that these kids are actually learning in this school (the first one of its kind in India) and how they fare as musicians as a result of their training.
I took a shower and got dressed, took a bus to Bandra Station, got a slow train to Churchgate, found a cab right outside the station to get me to Nariman Point and was at the appointed spot at the Tata Theater right on time to meet Kamal. There were a few faces with which I have become familiar (Jimi and Hutoxi Billimoria, Xeres Unvala, Dolly Thakore, my former colleague at Jai Hind College, Vispi Balaporia) and after meeting some of Kamal's friends, we settled down in our seats to enjoy the concert.
In a word, it was brilliant! Given the age of the kids and the number of years each of them has been studying, it was astounding with what virtuosity that are playing their chosen instruments. There were solos on the piano, trumpet, clarinet, flute, cello and double bass--all the soloists were accompanied by a few members of the Symphony Orchestra of India--I recognized another person I had interviewed, Francis Mendes--under the conducting baton of Marat Bissangaliev (whom I have also interviewed). His sister, Aida, who is the resident Piano teacher, was resplendent at the end, in a beautiful salwar khameez outfit. I really did have such a good time listening to these kids who played a range of thrilling music with some very familiar pieces such as 'Mexican Hat Dance' and 'The Entertainer' as well as far more classical work by Grieg and Johan Christian Bach (Johan Sebastian Bach's son). Really really wonderful! Hats off to the kids (for the undoubted hours of practice it must take them to play like this) and to their teachers (all of whom as Kazakhs) for their dedication and insistence on perfection.
Dinner at the Yacht Club:
Kamal, who is a member there, suggested that we adjourn for an early dinner at the Yacht Club and we did. It was a nice ride to the Gateway of India (which is simply bursting with people on a warm Sunday evening in April with most schools out now) and I admired her negotiating skills as she drove her vehicle through the haphazard traffic and scary humans hordes until we entered the club and the valet took over her car.
Dinner was upstairs in the dining room where we started off with drinks (vodka and tonic for her, a G and T for me--and believe me, nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer's evening in Bombay than this elixir!). And then we ordered: a steak for Kamal, roasted chicken with mushroom sauce for me, both served with mashed potato and grilled veg. Lovely, lovely, lovely. We enjoyed our wonderful heart to heart and I was grateful for Kamal's empathetic ear as I told her all about Russel's prognosis and the strains that lie ahead for him and the family members who will be caring for him. Dessert was a Bread and Butter Pudding that I thought would be more in the English style with the warm creaminess of a semi-set custard--but it was actually simply Bread Pudding--set far too much for my liking.
Kamal dropped me off to Churchgate Station from where I took a train back to Bandra seated in the general compartment which was practically empty but had enough people in it to make me feel secure--I never travel in a compartment if there is only one person in it.
Back home, I had to wait for quite a while to get the bus (they are probably few and far between on a Sunday) and sat to watch The Sinner--but I found myself dozing through most of it as I simply could not keep my eyes open. A few texts exchanged with Llew saw me through the end of the day as I nodded off to sleep.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, February 10, 2019
A Red Letter Day for Russel and Attending Concert by the Symphony Orchestra of India
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Bombay
A Red Letter Day for Russel and Attending Concert by the Symphony Orchestra of India
Namaste from Bombay!
Today was a singularly important day in Russel's life and one in which Dad and I were very happy to participate. Russel was all set to have his plaster cast removed after exactly four months. Oh happy day!
I awoke at about 6.30am and had my breakfast of muesli and coffee before I had a shower and left for Dad's place. Russel had an ambulance coming over to Dad's place at exactly 10.00 am for our 10.30 am appointment at Holy Family Hospital in the Endoscopy Department. The orthopedist Dr. Derrick D'Lima had asked me to remind him at 8.00 am about our 10.30 am appointment--which I did!
You could tell that Russel was a bundle of nerves but trying hard to keep calm. He is always afraid that a trip to the hospital means that he will be made to stay there. This time, of course, all it involved was the removal of his plaster cast. Dr. Parth Patel, his usual intern, who happened to be there as soon as we arrived at the Endoscopy Department, took Russel in right away and attended to the removal of the cast really quickly. He told us that there was not much fluid accumulated in his knee at all--the mass is muscle mass that has grown since the removal of the synovectal layer--which is normal. He told us that Russel was in good shape and there was no reason to worry at all. Phew! The light at the end of the tunnel finally shone brightly upon us all.
I did the running around involved in paying for the ambulance and the medical procedure for the day. Dr D'Lima arrived about a half hour later, reviewed the procedure, found it done well and instructed us to make sure that Russel walks at home. He says that he should attain increasing mobility daily. There is a lot of dark dead skin that has grown under the cast, but this is easily removed with a good hot bath. With instructions on how to obtain a knee brace for Russel, we were off and away by ambulance again.
By 11.00 am, much to Russel's relief, we were back home. Russel was ecstatic and so thrilled to be relieved of the appendage that he carried around so patiently for so long. He says that there is no pain or discomfort whatsoever. Now it only remains to get him to start walking without the walker--which he is able to do, and to get back to his normal life again--prior to the arthritis, if possible. I need to investigate the buying of a knee brace for him--one that has an adjustable hinge to enable him to flex his knee and get walking.
I thank you all for your prayers on Russel and Dad's behalf and I ask you to continue to keep him in your prayers now that the rehab has begun. It is our fondest hope that Russel will be back to his normal life again.
Back Home to Work:
I got back home earlier than expected. Having had a lousy night (unable to sleep until almost 2.00 am), I had an early hunch (Valerie's tiffin is still going strong) and then tried to have a nap. I managed a 20 minute nap and then sat down to transcribe the interview I did with Merlin D'Souza. I was not able to finish it, however, as I had to get dressed for my evening's activity.I swallowed a quick cup of tea and ate a slice of cake to sustain me through the journey into the city.
Off to the Symphony:
I had been given a complimentary ticket by the Director of the NCPA, Khushroo Suntook, to attend the concert to be given this evening in the Tata Theater by the Symphony Orchestra of India whose members I have been interviewing over the past few months. This evening was especially thrilling for me as they were playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and while I have heard individual movements of it over the years, especially the final movement which contains the famous Ode to Joy, I do not believe that I have ever heard it in its entirety.
The auditorium was packed to capacity and I was delighted to find that I had superb seats on the same row as Khushroo and Marat Bissangaliev, Director of the Orchestra. The evening began with a swift introduction to the work by Zane Dalal (whom I had interviewed yesterday) who told us that since Beethoven was the special love of the benefactor of the NCPA, Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, this performance was being dedicated to him. How wonderful! How grand to be remembered in this fashion, years after you have passed on, for the glorious legacy of music that you have left for the beloved city of your birth to enjoy! How lucky are Bombayites to be the recipients of such a bequest!
Listening to the Symphony Orchestra of India:
The concert was simply superb. Conducted by Martyn Brabbins who is one of the world's best conductors at this time, it started with Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, Opus 80. which was written just before his Ninth Symphony and which many believe to be a forerunner to the great work as a result of the similarity of the themes. The solo pianist was Andreas Haefliger who was just brilliant. At the end, the chorus that comprised the Khazak State Philharmonic Capella and the Living Voices from Bombay led by their choral director, Blossom Mendonca, came into their own to present a soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone. Haefliger ended with a huge flourish bringing all the thunder and power of Beethoven's most characteristic sounds to his finale. He received a great ovation after which a 15 minute intermission was announced.
I had been invited to what is called the 'Museum', a cordoned off private area, for the enjoyment of refreshments and I was very happy to meet Khushroo and thank him personally for the gift of the ticket. I also met Marat and had a word with him as I snacked on paneer sandwiches, egg sandwiches, chutney and vegetable sandwiches, cheese sticks, corn fingers and a glass of white wine. This would very likely be my dinner as I did not know what time I would get back home and if I would have any energy left to eat. I met a couple of other folks there with whom I made casual conversation--including the lady who was seated by my side and who told me her name was Anjali.
The Thrill of Listening to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony:
The second half of the program comprised the four movements of Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 in D minor, Opus 125. Once again, the power of this wonderful orchestra was evident in the virtuosity of the instrumentalists and the choral section which was huge under the baton of Brabbins. The stage was crammed as more than 200 performers crowded it for our listening pleasure. Needless to say, the last movement which contains the Ode to Joy is always a profoundly stirring piece of music and I am hard pressed to decide whether this one or Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is for me the most moving of the two. They got a standing ovation which they more than deserved as we left the auditorium and made our way out into the absolute pleasantness of a February evening in Bombay.
Back Home:
Just as I was wondering if I would be fortunate enough to find a cab, I found myself walking alongside Anjali. I asked her where she was headed and how and she told me that she had a car with a driver parked near the Oberoi Hotel. I asked her if she could give me a ride up to Churchgate Station and she said that she would be more than happy to oblige. And so it was that I was dropped off to the train station. In no time at all, I was on the train and then on a bus and home by 10.00 pm. I was a bit hungry when I got back, so I did have a cup of soup and some Waldorf Salad and some ice-cream. I was too tightly wound up after such a terrific evening of classical music that it took me a while to wind down for bed.
But what a day it had been! Russel's triumph and then this stupendous performance! My cup of happiness runneth over...
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
A Red Letter Day for Russel and Attending Concert by the Symphony Orchestra of India
Namaste from Bombay!
Today was a singularly important day in Russel's life and one in which Dad and I were very happy to participate. Russel was all set to have his plaster cast removed after exactly four months. Oh happy day!
I awoke at about 6.30am and had my breakfast of muesli and coffee before I had a shower and left for Dad's place. Russel had an ambulance coming over to Dad's place at exactly 10.00 am for our 10.30 am appointment at Holy Family Hospital in the Endoscopy Department. The orthopedist Dr. Derrick D'Lima had asked me to remind him at 8.00 am about our 10.30 am appointment--which I did!
You could tell that Russel was a bundle of nerves but trying hard to keep calm. He is always afraid that a trip to the hospital means that he will be made to stay there. This time, of course, all it involved was the removal of his plaster cast. Dr. Parth Patel, his usual intern, who happened to be there as soon as we arrived at the Endoscopy Department, took Russel in right away and attended to the removal of the cast really quickly. He told us that there was not much fluid accumulated in his knee at all--the mass is muscle mass that has grown since the removal of the synovectal layer--which is normal. He told us that Russel was in good shape and there was no reason to worry at all. Phew! The light at the end of the tunnel finally shone brightly upon us all.
I did the running around involved in paying for the ambulance and the medical procedure for the day. Dr D'Lima arrived about a half hour later, reviewed the procedure, found it done well and instructed us to make sure that Russel walks at home. He says that he should attain increasing mobility daily. There is a lot of dark dead skin that has grown under the cast, but this is easily removed with a good hot bath. With instructions on how to obtain a knee brace for Russel, we were off and away by ambulance again.
By 11.00 am, much to Russel's relief, we were back home. Russel was ecstatic and so thrilled to be relieved of the appendage that he carried around so patiently for so long. He says that there is no pain or discomfort whatsoever. Now it only remains to get him to start walking without the walker--which he is able to do, and to get back to his normal life again--prior to the arthritis, if possible. I need to investigate the buying of a knee brace for him--one that has an adjustable hinge to enable him to flex his knee and get walking.
I thank you all for your prayers on Russel and Dad's behalf and I ask you to continue to keep him in your prayers now that the rehab has begun. It is our fondest hope that Russel will be back to his normal life again.
Back Home to Work:
I got back home earlier than expected. Having had a lousy night (unable to sleep until almost 2.00 am), I had an early hunch (Valerie's tiffin is still going strong) and then tried to have a nap. I managed a 20 minute nap and then sat down to transcribe the interview I did with Merlin D'Souza. I was not able to finish it, however, as I had to get dressed for my evening's activity.I swallowed a quick cup of tea and ate a slice of cake to sustain me through the journey into the city.
Off to the Symphony:
I had been given a complimentary ticket by the Director of the NCPA, Khushroo Suntook, to attend the concert to be given this evening in the Tata Theater by the Symphony Orchestra of India whose members I have been interviewing over the past few months. This evening was especially thrilling for me as they were playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and while I have heard individual movements of it over the years, especially the final movement which contains the famous Ode to Joy, I do not believe that I have ever heard it in its entirety.
The auditorium was packed to capacity and I was delighted to find that I had superb seats on the same row as Khushroo and Marat Bissangaliev, Director of the Orchestra. The evening began with a swift introduction to the work by Zane Dalal (whom I had interviewed yesterday) who told us that since Beethoven was the special love of the benefactor of the NCPA, Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, this performance was being dedicated to him. How wonderful! How grand to be remembered in this fashion, years after you have passed on, for the glorious legacy of music that you have left for the beloved city of your birth to enjoy! How lucky are Bombayites to be the recipients of such a bequest!
Listening to the Symphony Orchestra of India:
The concert was simply superb. Conducted by Martyn Brabbins who is one of the world's best conductors at this time, it started with Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, Opus 80. which was written just before his Ninth Symphony and which many believe to be a forerunner to the great work as a result of the similarity of the themes. The solo pianist was Andreas Haefliger who was just brilliant. At the end, the chorus that comprised the Khazak State Philharmonic Capella and the Living Voices from Bombay led by their choral director, Blossom Mendonca, came into their own to present a soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone. Haefliger ended with a huge flourish bringing all the thunder and power of Beethoven's most characteristic sounds to his finale. He received a great ovation after which a 15 minute intermission was announced.
I had been invited to what is called the 'Museum', a cordoned off private area, for the enjoyment of refreshments and I was very happy to meet Khushroo and thank him personally for the gift of the ticket. I also met Marat and had a word with him as I snacked on paneer sandwiches, egg sandwiches, chutney and vegetable sandwiches, cheese sticks, corn fingers and a glass of white wine. This would very likely be my dinner as I did not know what time I would get back home and if I would have any energy left to eat. I met a couple of other folks there with whom I made casual conversation--including the lady who was seated by my side and who told me her name was Anjali.
The Thrill of Listening to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony:
The second half of the program comprised the four movements of Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 in D minor, Opus 125. Once again, the power of this wonderful orchestra was evident in the virtuosity of the instrumentalists and the choral section which was huge under the baton of Brabbins. The stage was crammed as more than 200 performers crowded it for our listening pleasure. Needless to say, the last movement which contains the Ode to Joy is always a profoundly stirring piece of music and I am hard pressed to decide whether this one or Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is for me the most moving of the two. They got a standing ovation which they more than deserved as we left the auditorium and made our way out into the absolute pleasantness of a February evening in Bombay.
Back Home:
Just as I was wondering if I would be fortunate enough to find a cab, I found myself walking alongside Anjali. I asked her where she was headed and how and she told me that she had a car with a driver parked near the Oberoi Hotel. I asked her if she could give me a ride up to Churchgate Station and she said that she would be more than happy to oblige. And so it was that I was dropped off to the train station. In no time at all, I was on the train and then on a bus and home by 10.00 pm. I was a bit hungry when I got back, so I did have a cup of soup and some Waldorf Salad and some ice-cream. I was too tightly wound up after such a terrific evening of classical music that it took me a while to wind down for bed.
But what a day it had been! Russel's triumph and then this stupendous performance! My cup of happiness runneth over...
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Two Scoops--Two Academic Scoops! Interviews with SOI Top Brass!
Friday, February 8, 2019
Bombay
Two Scoops--Two Academic Scoops! Interviews with SOI Top Brass!
Namaste from Bombay!
It was a heck of a day! I waited a long time for it and finally it dawned! I had completed all my interviews with personnel of the Symphony Orchestra of India about 2 months ago. I was only waiting for the top guns to arrive from overseas for the 'season' so that I could interview them. And today I got those under my belt too. I have been working, as the Beatles put it, like a dog! Hopefully, it will all pay off in time.
But, first things first...I awoke and drafted a blog post and then caught the bread man for 3 broons--two for my brekkie with spreads and one with cold roasted tongue to make a sandwich to take for lunch. That done, I hopped into the shower and then took my usual Bandra local train at 9.45 and got to the city.
I was at Nariman Point by 10.45 but since my first interview was not until 1.00 pm, I had time to go and see a very special exhibition.
Azra Bhagat's Installation at the Bajaj Art Gallery:
You have all heard of my friend Shahnaz by now, right? Well, her lovely daughter Azra, a student at Ashoka University near Delhi right now where she is doing her Masters in the Humanities, is also an artist--she was trained in London and worked for a while as a graphic artist in an advertising agency before deciding to change streams and go all Liberal Arts on us! Welcome to the Club!
However, she still does more than just dabble in art and she is a participant in a group exhibition right now at the Bajaj Art Gallery in Nariman Point. I waited until the gallery opened at 11.00 and was the first visitor in today.
The show is called The Future is Here and it contains a series of highly digitalized works that bring all sorts of new media (including social media) into the artistic realm. I have to admit that I do not understand much of what was on display, but Azra's work focussed on Emoticons and what sorts of impact they have when they are 'mashed' up, for instance. She had three ways in which emoticons might be reinterpreted for our times and they are all interactive, i.e. the viewer is encouraged to become a participant in the art project in the same way that you would actually use the Emoticons in your daily communication. A very interesting concept and very well executed. I am both happy and excited for Azra who is the sweetest person and such a talented soul too!
Off to the NCPA:
I then spent the next two hours in the library of the NCPA reading Laughter in the House by Meher Marfatia which deals exclusively with Parsi Gujarati Theater and is a lavish almost coffee-table sort of book that documents the golden age of this kind of theater--from the 1930s until 2000. It is chockfull of wonderful black and white pictures and all sorts of interviews, reminiscences by next of kin of those who have passed on, eg. Adi Marzban and Jimmy Pocha. In the process, it opened up for me a whole new means of looking at my own project and thinking about how I might be able to incorporate some of the techniques the author has used to enliven my own future book/s and make it/them accessible for the lay man (as opposed to the limited target audience of the academic community). I asked for several pages of it to be photocopies (and I will pick them up in a few days). Meanwhile, I have also begun my perusal of Taj Mahal Fox Trot by Naresh Mehta which is a similar pean on Jazz in Bombay through the same period. However, as Marfatia's book took me two hours to puruse, I merely found the time to leaf through Naresh's book before I had to leave. I will be looking at it in detail, of course, and also trying to fix up an interview with both authors.
An Interview with Marat Bissangaliev:
If you want to see how a chance encounter (purely by happenstance) can completely change the life of a performing artist, there is no better example than Marat Bissangaliev. In 2006, he was just another highly talented Russian violinist trying to find an international niche in London. Khushroo Suntook, Director of the NCPA, happened to hear him play at a local church and was so struck by his virtuosity that he went up and asked him if he would help him create a symphony orchestra in India. Just like that. Marat accepted! And?
The rest is history. The orchestra went into creation in 2007 and has never looked back. Marat is the Director and although he now lives in the south of France, he visits Bombay twice a year during the season. He selected the musicians who comprise the orchestra (90 % of whom are Khazaks like himself, 10% of whom are Indians!) and, in the process, also ended up creating a music school for young Indian musicians to be trained in the same way that pupils are trained in any of the European conservatoires of music.
My interview with him lasted a little over an hour. He was more that co-operative, very happy to admit how completely his life changed after that chance meeting and how amazed he still is that he has made history as the creator and founder of India's first symphonic orchestra. He is given an apartment at the NCPA for his use when he is in town and his sister Aida (a great pianist whom I had interviewed earlier) was also present. Similarly a man who called himself Sudipto (I think) Sea was also there. He happened to be retired from the Reserve Bank of India, so we had a bit of a chat about our common place of work!
It was great fun chatting with Marat who was wonderfully open to my line of questioning and responded in a very satisfactory fashion. Aida sweetly made us tea (which I did not have) and left us some Russian cookies (which were delish--marshmallows covered with dark chocolate--yum!).
I then ate my lunch in Hutoxi Bilimoria's office and returned to the library.
An Interview with Zane Dalal:
My next interview was with Zane Dalal, conductor and Artistic Director of the SOI, who comes to Bombay twice a year from Los Angeles where he is based all year round. Believe me, I have never found a more articulate, enthusiastic, learned and compelling interviewee. Turns out he graduated from Oriel College, Oxford, with a degree in Music (why did I not guess he was a fellow Oxonian?). While there, he was Choir Master--as a Parsi, he is the first non-Christian to hold that position.
I found it simply fascinating talking to this animated man who threw light on so many little aspects about Western Performing Arts in India that I took copious notes and learned so much.
I will be attending a performance of the SOI tomorrow night (can't wait!!!) and will have the chance finally to listen to some of the musicians I have interviewed (Francis Mendes, Mark Nunes) as well as watch choir conductor Blossom Mendonca conduct the Living Voices Choir as the orchestra plays Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. What a treat awaits me!!!
So, when the interview ended, I took the pictures I needed and left the NCPA. I hopped into a bus and got to Churchgate and went straight to Gaylord's to get some more take-home Waldorf Salad as I had given most of mine to Dad and Russel so that they could enjoy it.
Back Home for Mass:
I got home later the usual, but had a pot of tea with cake as I watched Still Game on TV. A little later, I went straight for Mass (as Dad told me he was too tired to join me today). After Mass, I visited with him and Russel for about an hour and then, when it was their dinner time, I left and got home to my dinner--Cream of Broccoli Soup with crackers, pasta with Russian Salad--while I watched a great action movie, Bastille Day with Idris (Luther) Elba. My brother Russel would have enjoyed it--all dishoom, dishoom! Great edge of the seat excitement and a plot that was good (although a wee bit corny in parts). Plus, it is set in Paris! What's not to love?
It was time to call it a night after a very fruitful day. I have a lot of transcribing to do plus two presentations to prepare (conference at University of Nagpur and Fulbright Conference in Cochin), a grant application to complete, a lot of email correspondence to tackle...I have decided to keep next week interview-free so that I can catch up on pending items on my To-Do List.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
Two Scoops--Two Academic Scoops! Interviews with SOI Top Brass!
Namaste from Bombay!
It was a heck of a day! I waited a long time for it and finally it dawned! I had completed all my interviews with personnel of the Symphony Orchestra of India about 2 months ago. I was only waiting for the top guns to arrive from overseas for the 'season' so that I could interview them. And today I got those under my belt too. I have been working, as the Beatles put it, like a dog! Hopefully, it will all pay off in time.
But, first things first...I awoke and drafted a blog post and then caught the bread man for 3 broons--two for my brekkie with spreads and one with cold roasted tongue to make a sandwich to take for lunch. That done, I hopped into the shower and then took my usual Bandra local train at 9.45 and got to the city.
I was at Nariman Point by 10.45 but since my first interview was not until 1.00 pm, I had time to go and see a very special exhibition.
Azra Bhagat's Installation at the Bajaj Art Gallery:
You have all heard of my friend Shahnaz by now, right? Well, her lovely daughter Azra, a student at Ashoka University near Delhi right now where she is doing her Masters in the Humanities, is also an artist--she was trained in London and worked for a while as a graphic artist in an advertising agency before deciding to change streams and go all Liberal Arts on us! Welcome to the Club!
However, she still does more than just dabble in art and she is a participant in a group exhibition right now at the Bajaj Art Gallery in Nariman Point. I waited until the gallery opened at 11.00 and was the first visitor in today.
The show is called The Future is Here and it contains a series of highly digitalized works that bring all sorts of new media (including social media) into the artistic realm. I have to admit that I do not understand much of what was on display, but Azra's work focussed on Emoticons and what sorts of impact they have when they are 'mashed' up, for instance. She had three ways in which emoticons might be reinterpreted for our times and they are all interactive, i.e. the viewer is encouraged to become a participant in the art project in the same way that you would actually use the Emoticons in your daily communication. A very interesting concept and very well executed. I am both happy and excited for Azra who is the sweetest person and such a talented soul too!
Off to the NCPA:
I then spent the next two hours in the library of the NCPA reading Laughter in the House by Meher Marfatia which deals exclusively with Parsi Gujarati Theater and is a lavish almost coffee-table sort of book that documents the golden age of this kind of theater--from the 1930s until 2000. It is chockfull of wonderful black and white pictures and all sorts of interviews, reminiscences by next of kin of those who have passed on, eg. Adi Marzban and Jimmy Pocha. In the process, it opened up for me a whole new means of looking at my own project and thinking about how I might be able to incorporate some of the techniques the author has used to enliven my own future book/s and make it/them accessible for the lay man (as opposed to the limited target audience of the academic community). I asked for several pages of it to be photocopies (and I will pick them up in a few days). Meanwhile, I have also begun my perusal of Taj Mahal Fox Trot by Naresh Mehta which is a similar pean on Jazz in Bombay through the same period. However, as Marfatia's book took me two hours to puruse, I merely found the time to leaf through Naresh's book before I had to leave. I will be looking at it in detail, of course, and also trying to fix up an interview with both authors.
An Interview with Marat Bissangaliev:
If you want to see how a chance encounter (purely by happenstance) can completely change the life of a performing artist, there is no better example than Marat Bissangaliev. In 2006, he was just another highly talented Russian violinist trying to find an international niche in London. Khushroo Suntook, Director of the NCPA, happened to hear him play at a local church and was so struck by his virtuosity that he went up and asked him if he would help him create a symphony orchestra in India. Just like that. Marat accepted! And?
The rest is history. The orchestra went into creation in 2007 and has never looked back. Marat is the Director and although he now lives in the south of France, he visits Bombay twice a year during the season. He selected the musicians who comprise the orchestra (90 % of whom are Khazaks like himself, 10% of whom are Indians!) and, in the process, also ended up creating a music school for young Indian musicians to be trained in the same way that pupils are trained in any of the European conservatoires of music.
My interview with him lasted a little over an hour. He was more that co-operative, very happy to admit how completely his life changed after that chance meeting and how amazed he still is that he has made history as the creator and founder of India's first symphonic orchestra. He is given an apartment at the NCPA for his use when he is in town and his sister Aida (a great pianist whom I had interviewed earlier) was also present. Similarly a man who called himself Sudipto (I think) Sea was also there. He happened to be retired from the Reserve Bank of India, so we had a bit of a chat about our common place of work!
It was great fun chatting with Marat who was wonderfully open to my line of questioning and responded in a very satisfactory fashion. Aida sweetly made us tea (which I did not have) and left us some Russian cookies (which were delish--marshmallows covered with dark chocolate--yum!).
I then ate my lunch in Hutoxi Bilimoria's office and returned to the library.
An Interview with Zane Dalal:
My next interview was with Zane Dalal, conductor and Artistic Director of the SOI, who comes to Bombay twice a year from Los Angeles where he is based all year round. Believe me, I have never found a more articulate, enthusiastic, learned and compelling interviewee. Turns out he graduated from Oriel College, Oxford, with a degree in Music (why did I not guess he was a fellow Oxonian?). While there, he was Choir Master--as a Parsi, he is the first non-Christian to hold that position.
I found it simply fascinating talking to this animated man who threw light on so many little aspects about Western Performing Arts in India that I took copious notes and learned so much.
I will be attending a performance of the SOI tomorrow night (can't wait!!!) and will have the chance finally to listen to some of the musicians I have interviewed (Francis Mendes, Mark Nunes) as well as watch choir conductor Blossom Mendonca conduct the Living Voices Choir as the orchestra plays Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. What a treat awaits me!!!
So, when the interview ended, I took the pictures I needed and left the NCPA. I hopped into a bus and got to Churchgate and went straight to Gaylord's to get some more take-home Waldorf Salad as I had given most of mine to Dad and Russel so that they could enjoy it.
Back Home for Mass:
I got home later the usual, but had a pot of tea with cake as I watched Still Game on TV. A little later, I went straight for Mass (as Dad told me he was too tired to join me today). After Mass, I visited with him and Russel for about an hour and then, when it was their dinner time, I left and got home to my dinner--Cream of Broccoli Soup with crackers, pasta with Russian Salad--while I watched a great action movie, Bastille Day with Idris (Luther) Elba. My brother Russel would have enjoyed it--all dishoom, dishoom! Great edge of the seat excitement and a plot that was good (although a wee bit corny in parts). Plus, it is set in Paris! What's not to love?
It was time to call it a night after a very fruitful day. I have a lot of transcribing to do plus two presentations to prepare (conference at University of Nagpur and Fulbright Conference in Cochin), a grant application to complete, a lot of email correspondence to tackle...I have decided to keep next week interview-free so that I can catch up on pending items on my To-Do List.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Lunch with Connecticut Friend, Book Launch at Taj Mahal Hotel, Elton John-Whitney Houston Tribute at NCPA
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Bombay
Lunch with Connecticut Friend, Book Launch at Taj Mahal Hotel, Elton John-Whitney Houston Tribute at NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
What a fabulous Day I had--well, almost (the fridge catastrophe almost spoiled it)! Truly, on days like this, I fully re-live each day I had spent in London when I had lived fully in the moment and made use of every precious second!
Awaking at 5.30 am, I began blogging and reading through my Twitter feed, email and whatsapp messages. Then, I fell asleep again for about 20 minutes and was awoken by the bicycle bell of the bread man whom I fully expected to come to my studio. But when he didn't, I was deeply disappointed. The man seems to function quite well in life with just half a brain! Oh well! Now that I will soon by leaving for Goa, I don't want to confuse him any further. He claims he cannot remember to come to my house and that he can't keep track of my order (only every other day!--how hard is that, for Pete's sake???)
So I fixed my own predictable brekkie (muesli and coffee, of course!) and watched Unnatural Causes based on the novel by P.D. James and starring her detective Adam Dalgleish--this time played not by my favorite Martin Shaw but by Roy Marsden. It stars the extremely underrated Mel Martin whom I have seen off and on on TV for so many years that I actually mistook someone else for her at Bill's restaurant in Essex a few years ago when I was there with my friend Rosa. Anyway, it has been developed in many parts and I am not sure I will finish seeing them all before I have to live.
I thought I had to go to Dad's so that we could go back to the Telephone Exchange office, but when I called him to confirm, he told me that he would go at his leisure and that I should just get on with my To-Do List. And mine was long! So I set off to attack it right away.
First of all, I began preparing for my Travel Writing Workshop at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies whichI have been invited to conduct by my friend Prof. Celia Rodrigues who teaches there herself. This involves a great deal of thought and a lot of hard work as I have never undertaken anything like this before. The session goes on for two long hours (eeeek!) and involves the dissection of student writing samples for a group of...get this...90 students! I told her that workshops can never occur with more than 12 students...but she is adamant. This is India!!! How on earth one can conduct a workshop for 90 students is quite beyond my 30 plus years of university teaching experience! Still, I will do what I can do...
That done, I stopped to begin packing for Goa. I gave it about an hour and I was almost entirely done by then. In fact, I would have been done completely had disaster not struck quite unexpectedly! You see, I have never in my life owned a fridge that needs manual de-frosting. It appears that I have such a one installed in my studio (provided by my landlord). Having no idea how to defrost it, I have been perplexed at the buildup of ice in my freezer. I asked my niece Menaka when I was in Chennai what I was supposed to do to handle the situation and she told me that I ought to press a button that would begin the process. She told me that there is usually a tray at the back of the fridge that would fill up with water which I would later need to toss.
So there I went: I had pressed the defrost button before I went to bed last night and this morning, I found that water had pooled all around my fridge. Turns out the pipe that ought to have taken the water away was missing and water was flowing through my fridge and on to the floor! Needless to say, I spent the next backbreaking half hour drying it all up, calling Menaka in desperation to find out what had gone wrong. She told me to place a bowl under the water outlet as the pipe that would take the water away was obviously missing! Good Lord! I had to move all my computer paraphernalia out of the way as much of it was very close to the pool of ice-cold water. Anyway, I got a grip on the situation in about half an hour as I tried desperately to stay cool, calm and collected through it all. Fortunately, all of this happened fairly early in the morning and I did not need to switch my afternoon plans around and I had a really full one.
Lunch with a Connecticut Friend:
When my little place was all sorted again (thank heavens for small spaces!), I went in for a shower and then left to meet my friend Lynn who had arrived from Norwalk, Connecticut, a week ago. She had carried two of our church calendars with her and I had picked them up from her place, two days ago. At that time, I had only two minutes with her but had told her that I would like to visit longer with her. Lunch at the Bandra Gym was the best deal (as she too is a member). So I invited her to join me and when I got there at 1.00 pm, she was there already.
We spent the next one and a half hour yakking about everyone we know back home in Connecticut (which made me feel very homesick!) and in Bandra as Lynn and her husband Ralph have lived here most of their lives. The food, as usual, was outstanding: we had Chicken Alfredo with Penne and a Tandoori Chicken Salad (which was quite an interesting concoction) and drinks: she had a mojito while I had a Choco Delight--not so great. Too watery, mine was. Not like the lovely creamy drink I'd had two days ago. I am going down the Mocktails list on the menu, that's for sure!
But soon we had to leave and off Lynn went. I returned home to drop off the doggie bag of food as we had not managed to finish it all even though we'd shared it. And then I was off again on the bus and then the train and a taxi to get to the Taj Mahal Hotel in the city.
Launch of Coastline Book by Paul Fernandes:
I had been invited to the launch of this new book by Gerson da Cunha whom I had interviewed, a few weeks ago. Paul Fernandes, the author, is his friend. He is the artist who is responsible for this incredibly well-produced coffee table edition called Coastline which provides a visual feast based entirely on his drawings and paintings as it takes one down the West Coast of South India from Bombay into Susegad Goa, then on to Mangalore and Kerala. When I got there at 4.00 pm exactly (as the invitation had said 4-6 pm), there was merely a sprinkling of people--although to his credit, I must say that Paul and his entourage were already there. I met him, his wife Renu and a publisher from India book House--which has nothing to do with the book as Paul informed me that it is self-published. That was it. 4.00 pm and about six people were present. It is this aspect about Indianness that infuriates me. Where is the respect for people's time!!??
Anyway, I had the chance to browse quite thoroughly through the wonderful book (which reminded me very much of the books that the late Goan cartoonist Mario Miranda had autographed and presented to me many moons ago) as well as through the many paintings that were propped up all around. I had an orange squash because, at that time, only tea and coffee with biscuits were being offered (the invitation said High Tea--a true misnomer. What they meant was Afternoon Tea as any blue-blooded Anglophile would know!) The Afternoon Tea was concealed at that time under enticing silver domes!
At 4.30 pm, Gerson walked into the room by which time the sprinkling of people has swollen to a couple of dozen! The show only got under way at 4.50 pm--God, give me strength! after some remarks were made that Modi would not be coming. It turns out that PM Modi was in Bombay and, as a result, the police were out thicker than flies! Gerson was supposed to be launching the book but the chief guest was politician Milind Deora who only showed up at 5.15 pm. Thankfully, he did apologize profusely and several times--he said that the PM was in town...which, I suppose, was considered valid reason for his delay--but which made no logical sense to me. Lynn had been grumbling to me during lunch that one of the worst things about returning to india was how unaware of promptness the folks are here. Well, Deora joined the folks on the dais and entered smoothy into the conversation that was conducted by Naresh Fernandes.
I failed to understand why the launch of a book should have sparked a whole discussion about the woes of the the city of Bombay but there are a lot of things that make no sense to me and I suppose I need to put it all down to cultural illiteracy on my part. I still have to get accustomed to the crazy cultural quirks of life in Bombay. The questions asked seemed quite irrelevant to the book and poor Paul, who ought to have been the subject of our admiration and attention, was left out in the cold while other people took up the tenor of the discussion--why there should have been such a discussion during a book launch is still quite beyond my understanding! I have certainly never seen anything like this at book launches in the US!
At exactly 6.00 pm, while they were still pontificating, I got up to leave The invitation said 4-6pm. I was there at 4.00 pm on the dot and I left at 6.00 pm on the dot. This meant that the lovely tea which lay attractively open by this point was just a tad beyond my reach! Still, I had Marianel to meet at 6.10 at the NCPA for my 6.30 pm show and I could not afford to be late. So leave I did.
Elton John-Whitney Houston Tribute at the NCPA:
I jumped into a taxi (which I was fortunate to find at Apollo Bunder) and was at the NCPA by 6.15. At the Guest Relations desk, I picked up my complimentary tickets (courtesy of producer Raell Padamsee whom I will be interviewing next week) and waited on the steps for Marianel who simply did not show! At 6.27, I went inside leaving her ticket with the folks outside. I thought that she might have been caught up in the PM's traffic jams, but it turns out that she took a nap and simply did not wake up until 8.30 pm!!!! What a waste of a ticket!
Anyhoo... the show was spectacular. Four of Bombay's best-known singers gave us performances that were simply stunning: Lisa Rodrigues and Sarosh Nanavaty belted out the Houston numbers and Shahriyar Atai and Siddharth Meghani played The Rocket Man! Directed by Carla Singh with choreography by Chirag Agarwal's dancers, it was an aural and visual treat that reminded me quite a bit of the ABBA Tribute Show I had seen last month. I enjoyed every minute of it and missed Llew and Chriselle very much as I am sure they'd have adored the entire spectacle of light, sound and movement. The auditorium was also house full, the audience ranged widely in age from baby boomers to kids, applause and participation were tremendous. At the end of the show, Raell came up on stage and thanked the crew.
Carla Singh has taken the production of rock musicals to new heights in Bombay and as Raell put it, one feels so proud of the talent that Bombay is throwing up in Western Performing Arts. Siddharth Meghani, who is the son of my photographer friend Madhu, whom my family has known for ages, was a true revelation to me. The kid is a phenomenon! He took on all the slow Elton numbers and did them so admirably. As for Sarosh Nanavty, well...what can I say? She truly made my hair stand as she hit the highest notes. Whitney will be sitting up in her grave and taking notice, that's for certain!
During the intermission, my complimentary tickets entitled me to a bevy of snacks and drinks which I enjoyed as I was starving by that point--having been deprived of the promised Tea at the Taj!!! I had occasion to met the dancer-actor-choreographer Shiamak Davar who is something of a celebrity in performance circles. Everyone wanted a picture with him and he was quick to oblige as he "Darling-ed" all and sundry! Sheer fun to watch him in action I found a cab (luckily!) to take me back home at the end of the show which, because I was alone, reminded me of the many theatrical shows I have been to alone in London! On the train home, I spoke to Marianel to find out more about the debacle of the Sleeping Beauty then hopped on the bus to get home just a little after 1.00 pm. when I had dinner made out of the last bits and bobs in my fridge. I also finished a few more items of packing that had to go into my case. I continued watching Unnatural Causes before going to bed at a little past midnight with the realization that it is Sunday tomorrow and I ought to go for the 9.15 am Mass.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
Lunch with Connecticut Friend, Book Launch at Taj Mahal Hotel, Elton John-Whitney Houston Tribute at NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
What a fabulous Day I had--well, almost (the fridge catastrophe almost spoiled it)! Truly, on days like this, I fully re-live each day I had spent in London when I had lived fully in the moment and made use of every precious second!
Awaking at 5.30 am, I began blogging and reading through my Twitter feed, email and whatsapp messages. Then, I fell asleep again for about 20 minutes and was awoken by the bicycle bell of the bread man whom I fully expected to come to my studio. But when he didn't, I was deeply disappointed. The man seems to function quite well in life with just half a brain! Oh well! Now that I will soon by leaving for Goa, I don't want to confuse him any further. He claims he cannot remember to come to my house and that he can't keep track of my order (only every other day!--how hard is that, for Pete's sake???)
So I fixed my own predictable brekkie (muesli and coffee, of course!) and watched Unnatural Causes based on the novel by P.D. James and starring her detective Adam Dalgleish--this time played not by my favorite Martin Shaw but by Roy Marsden. It stars the extremely underrated Mel Martin whom I have seen off and on on TV for so many years that I actually mistook someone else for her at Bill's restaurant in Essex a few years ago when I was there with my friend Rosa. Anyway, it has been developed in many parts and I am not sure I will finish seeing them all before I have to live.
I thought I had to go to Dad's so that we could go back to the Telephone Exchange office, but when I called him to confirm, he told me that he would go at his leisure and that I should just get on with my To-Do List. And mine was long! So I set off to attack it right away.
First of all, I began preparing for my Travel Writing Workshop at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies whichI have been invited to conduct by my friend Prof. Celia Rodrigues who teaches there herself. This involves a great deal of thought and a lot of hard work as I have never undertaken anything like this before. The session goes on for two long hours (eeeek!) and involves the dissection of student writing samples for a group of...get this...90 students! I told her that workshops can never occur with more than 12 students...but she is adamant. This is India!!! How on earth one can conduct a workshop for 90 students is quite beyond my 30 plus years of university teaching experience! Still, I will do what I can do...
That done, I stopped to begin packing for Goa. I gave it about an hour and I was almost entirely done by then. In fact, I would have been done completely had disaster not struck quite unexpectedly! You see, I have never in my life owned a fridge that needs manual de-frosting. It appears that I have such a one installed in my studio (provided by my landlord). Having no idea how to defrost it, I have been perplexed at the buildup of ice in my freezer. I asked my niece Menaka when I was in Chennai what I was supposed to do to handle the situation and she told me that I ought to press a button that would begin the process. She told me that there is usually a tray at the back of the fridge that would fill up with water which I would later need to toss.
So there I went: I had pressed the defrost button before I went to bed last night and this morning, I found that water had pooled all around my fridge. Turns out the pipe that ought to have taken the water away was missing and water was flowing through my fridge and on to the floor! Needless to say, I spent the next backbreaking half hour drying it all up, calling Menaka in desperation to find out what had gone wrong. She told me to place a bowl under the water outlet as the pipe that would take the water away was obviously missing! Good Lord! I had to move all my computer paraphernalia out of the way as much of it was very close to the pool of ice-cold water. Anyway, I got a grip on the situation in about half an hour as I tried desperately to stay cool, calm and collected through it all. Fortunately, all of this happened fairly early in the morning and I did not need to switch my afternoon plans around and I had a really full one.
Lunch with a Connecticut Friend:
When my little place was all sorted again (thank heavens for small spaces!), I went in for a shower and then left to meet my friend Lynn who had arrived from Norwalk, Connecticut, a week ago. She had carried two of our church calendars with her and I had picked them up from her place, two days ago. At that time, I had only two minutes with her but had told her that I would like to visit longer with her. Lunch at the Bandra Gym was the best deal (as she too is a member). So I invited her to join me and when I got there at 1.00 pm, she was there already.
We spent the next one and a half hour yakking about everyone we know back home in Connecticut (which made me feel very homesick!) and in Bandra as Lynn and her husband Ralph have lived here most of their lives. The food, as usual, was outstanding: we had Chicken Alfredo with Penne and a Tandoori Chicken Salad (which was quite an interesting concoction) and drinks: she had a mojito while I had a Choco Delight--not so great. Too watery, mine was. Not like the lovely creamy drink I'd had two days ago. I am going down the Mocktails list on the menu, that's for sure!
But soon we had to leave and off Lynn went. I returned home to drop off the doggie bag of food as we had not managed to finish it all even though we'd shared it. And then I was off again on the bus and then the train and a taxi to get to the Taj Mahal Hotel in the city.
Launch of Coastline Book by Paul Fernandes:
I had been invited to the launch of this new book by Gerson da Cunha whom I had interviewed, a few weeks ago. Paul Fernandes, the author, is his friend. He is the artist who is responsible for this incredibly well-produced coffee table edition called Coastline which provides a visual feast based entirely on his drawings and paintings as it takes one down the West Coast of South India from Bombay into Susegad Goa, then on to Mangalore and Kerala. When I got there at 4.00 pm exactly (as the invitation had said 4-6 pm), there was merely a sprinkling of people--although to his credit, I must say that Paul and his entourage were already there. I met him, his wife Renu and a publisher from India book House--which has nothing to do with the book as Paul informed me that it is self-published. That was it. 4.00 pm and about six people were present. It is this aspect about Indianness that infuriates me. Where is the respect for people's time!!??
Anyway, I had the chance to browse quite thoroughly through the wonderful book (which reminded me very much of the books that the late Goan cartoonist Mario Miranda had autographed and presented to me many moons ago) as well as through the many paintings that were propped up all around. I had an orange squash because, at that time, only tea and coffee with biscuits were being offered (the invitation said High Tea--a true misnomer. What they meant was Afternoon Tea as any blue-blooded Anglophile would know!) The Afternoon Tea was concealed at that time under enticing silver domes!
At 4.30 pm, Gerson walked into the room by which time the sprinkling of people has swollen to a couple of dozen! The show only got under way at 4.50 pm--God, give me strength! after some remarks were made that Modi would not be coming. It turns out that PM Modi was in Bombay and, as a result, the police were out thicker than flies! Gerson was supposed to be launching the book but the chief guest was politician Milind Deora who only showed up at 5.15 pm. Thankfully, he did apologize profusely and several times--he said that the PM was in town...which, I suppose, was considered valid reason for his delay--but which made no logical sense to me. Lynn had been grumbling to me during lunch that one of the worst things about returning to india was how unaware of promptness the folks are here. Well, Deora joined the folks on the dais and entered smoothy into the conversation that was conducted by Naresh Fernandes.
I failed to understand why the launch of a book should have sparked a whole discussion about the woes of the the city of Bombay but there are a lot of things that make no sense to me and I suppose I need to put it all down to cultural illiteracy on my part. I still have to get accustomed to the crazy cultural quirks of life in Bombay. The questions asked seemed quite irrelevant to the book and poor Paul, who ought to have been the subject of our admiration and attention, was left out in the cold while other people took up the tenor of the discussion--why there should have been such a discussion during a book launch is still quite beyond my understanding! I have certainly never seen anything like this at book launches in the US!
At exactly 6.00 pm, while they were still pontificating, I got up to leave The invitation said 4-6pm. I was there at 4.00 pm on the dot and I left at 6.00 pm on the dot. This meant that the lovely tea which lay attractively open by this point was just a tad beyond my reach! Still, I had Marianel to meet at 6.10 at the NCPA for my 6.30 pm show and I could not afford to be late. So leave I did.
Elton John-Whitney Houston Tribute at the NCPA:
I jumped into a taxi (which I was fortunate to find at Apollo Bunder) and was at the NCPA by 6.15. At the Guest Relations desk, I picked up my complimentary tickets (courtesy of producer Raell Padamsee whom I will be interviewing next week) and waited on the steps for Marianel who simply did not show! At 6.27, I went inside leaving her ticket with the folks outside. I thought that she might have been caught up in the PM's traffic jams, but it turns out that she took a nap and simply did not wake up until 8.30 pm!!!! What a waste of a ticket!
Anyhoo... the show was spectacular. Four of Bombay's best-known singers gave us performances that were simply stunning: Lisa Rodrigues and Sarosh Nanavaty belted out the Houston numbers and Shahriyar Atai and Siddharth Meghani played The Rocket Man! Directed by Carla Singh with choreography by Chirag Agarwal's dancers, it was an aural and visual treat that reminded me quite a bit of the ABBA Tribute Show I had seen last month. I enjoyed every minute of it and missed Llew and Chriselle very much as I am sure they'd have adored the entire spectacle of light, sound and movement. The auditorium was also house full, the audience ranged widely in age from baby boomers to kids, applause and participation were tremendous. At the end of the show, Raell came up on stage and thanked the crew.
Carla Singh has taken the production of rock musicals to new heights in Bombay and as Raell put it, one feels so proud of the talent that Bombay is throwing up in Western Performing Arts. Siddharth Meghani, who is the son of my photographer friend Madhu, whom my family has known for ages, was a true revelation to me. The kid is a phenomenon! He took on all the slow Elton numbers and did them so admirably. As for Sarosh Nanavty, well...what can I say? She truly made my hair stand as she hit the highest notes. Whitney will be sitting up in her grave and taking notice, that's for certain!
During the intermission, my complimentary tickets entitled me to a bevy of snacks and drinks which I enjoyed as I was starving by that point--having been deprived of the promised Tea at the Taj!!! I had occasion to met the dancer-actor-choreographer Shiamak Davar who is something of a celebrity in performance circles. Everyone wanted a picture with him and he was quick to oblige as he "Darling-ed" all and sundry! Sheer fun to watch him in action I found a cab (luckily!) to take me back home at the end of the show which, because I was alone, reminded me of the many theatrical shows I have been to alone in London! On the train home, I spoke to Marianel to find out more about the debacle of the Sleeping Beauty then hopped on the bus to get home just a little after 1.00 pm. when I had dinner made out of the last bits and bobs in my fridge. I also finished a few more items of packing that had to go into my case. I continued watching Unnatural Causes before going to bed at a little past midnight with the realization that it is Sunday tomorrow and I ought to go for the 9.15 am Mass.
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
ABBA Tribute by Platinum and Afternoon Tea at US Club Made It A Fabulous Day!
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Bombay
ABBA Tribute by Platinum and Afternoon Tea at the US Club Made It A Fabulous Day!
Namaste from Bombay!
Today was another extraordinary day in this extraordinary city! I was chatting with Llew and he asked me if I intended to get back at all as I am having such a good time here!
I was up at 6.00 today, I blogged, responded to work email and made plans for the day. I then had my breakfast of muesli and coffee and left for the gym where I spent an hour working out and reading Bridget Jones' Mad About the Boy--the latest novel by Helen Fielding whose work I love. But guess what (spoiler alert here!), Fielding has killed off Mark Darcy!!! This is about the worst thing that could happen since Julian Fellowes killed off Mathew Crawley in Downtown Abbey!!! How is this even possible? I am heartbroken. The book is fun all the way and as I adore Fielding's style, I am lapping it up.
Back home, I showered and got ready to work on my laptop. I made it a priority to get our Christmas letter off as I will be leaving for Orissa and Calcutta on the weekend and want to get those done before I am gone. But disaster struck when I realized that I never figured out how to transfer my Contacts from Optonline to Gmail. Since I cannot use Optonline to send anything from overseas (insufficient band width, I am told), I had to switch to using my Gmail account. And it is absolutely painful to manually transfer each Contact to one of my Christmas mailings. Plus, my Gmail account only holds the email addresses of those folks with whom I have communicated using Gmail--and as I use this email account so rarely (only when overseas), this is proving to be highly problematic for me. Many of the folks who usually get our annual Christmas greetings might not receive it this year. Oh well...it is an unusual year for The Almeidas all around.
After about an hour of sending out letters, I took a break to stretch and made a call to confirm an interview appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Then, I got back to my laptop and sent out letters for one more hour. At 12. 20, I stopped to put together a lunch plate for myself. I was going off to Dad's to have lunch with him and Russel as I knew that I had afternoon and evening plans that would prevent me from spending any time with them. And I took my own lunch with me because if I end up eating at Dad's, my own food lies in my fridge and I end up accumulating leftovers!
Dad was busy writing his own Christmas cards when I arrived at his place, ten minutes later. It was good to see piles of cards there with lists and address books, etc. as poor Dad copes with these old-fashioned tasks (of sending out Christmas cards) using old-fashioned methods (such as the mailman and the postal service--which as I have told you, really sucks). Anyway, we soon stopped to have lunch together. Russel is now able to sit at the table and eat his meals as he did earlier (before his fall) with his knee still in a leg brace to prevent the bones from dislocating again. He is also in good spirits as he looks forward to the Christmas season.
I left Dad's after lunch and got back home to take a short nap. At 2.30 pm, I was dressed and ready to leave my home for the next item on the agenda--meeting my friend Nafisa at Churchgate. She wanted to introduce me to a very special, "tucked-away" place, she said. So, as planned and on schedule, I was at the meeting point across from Eros Cinema when she swung by in her car and picked me up at 3. 30 pm.
Afternoon Tea at the United Services Club at Navy Nagar:
We had the best afternoon. The place she was taking me to was the United Services (US) Club which is at the southernmost point of the island of Bombay at the area that is known as Navy Nagar. This is a highly protected area and security here is very tight. The Indian Armed Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) stationed in Bombay have their headquarters here--this includes the various ships, such as the INS Ashvini as well as their living quarters--these range from apartments to colonial bungalows (depending on the rank of the personnel who form the armed services in India).
I remember, years and years ago, when I was little and into my early teenage years, taking long BEST bus drives with my Mum and Dad who often brought us here on the No. 3 bus from Mazagoan. We would get off at the last stop (the depot) which is right near the glorious Victorian Anglican church that is known as Afghan Church as it was built to house the mortal remains of British colonial officers who had died in the mid-nineteenth century Anglo-Afghan Wars. So as we drove through the colony, I kept thinking of my Mum and missed her so much. I feel more and more grateful, as I grow older, to my parents for the wonderful childhood they gave us and the many sights to which they introduced us when we were so little and the deep love they instilled in us for the city of our birth. They were truly enlightened parents and we were so lucky to have them. Dad, even at this age, is a daily marvel to me and I am so grateful that I have all this quality time with him at this stage in my life.
Back to Afghan Church: I have tried, in recent years, without success to get in there...but to no avail. There is some spectacular Victorian mortuary sculpture in there (similar to the kind to be found in St Thomas' Anglican Cathedral at Fort) but the church is always locked and the caretaker never around when I have visited. Now, as it turns out, there is an Evening of Festive Christmas Music there tomorrow--a free concert being given by the world-class Paranjoti Choir under its legendary conductor Coomi Wadia. My cousin Blossom is arriving from Madras for Christmas tomorrow and she and Nafisa and I will be going to the concert--so we will actually be inside the church and will get to see it! Fingers crossed!
Anyway, back to the US Club (as it is known). The place is gorgeous--just as idyllic as Nafisa described it. It is on the water's edge and since the tide was in, the mighty Arabian Sea lapped at our feet. Thickly planted with coconut palms--whose coconuts and water are sold in the coffee shop--and surrounded by manicured green lawns (many of which are golf links), it is lovely. Friends like Ian who have been on safari with us to South Africa will remember the turquoise-blue bird that our guide Dee had told us is the most photographed bird in the world--the Lilac-Breasted Roller to give it its correct name! Well, guess what, there was a Lilac-Breasted Roller right there--in Bombay, on the lawns of the US Club! And it kept flying obligingly from one pole to the other to give us a full visual treat--its spectacular wide-wing span that is a vivid blue. When stationary, it has a coral head and a lilac breast--so you can just imagine how fabulous it is. I was so thrilled to see it and I introduced Nafisa to it as we found a table and chairs under a sun umbrella and ordered our Afternoon Tea.
Since I cannot have tea (darn caffeine intolerance!), I opted for a lassi and Nafisa joined me. We also ordered Mushrooms on Toast and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches--both of which were super tasty. Sitting there in this quiet spot with hardly a few other people around was such a joy. Nafisa told me that the crowds come in after 6.00 to see the sunset and then to walk on the promenade. When I say 'crowds', I mean just the local residents of Navy Nagar--so, basically, just a sprinkling!
After a lovely long, uninterrupted natter, Nafisa and I left--the sun was low in the evening sky by this point but we could not wait to see it disappear under the horizon as that would have made us late for our next treat--ABBA. Still, I keep thinking about how lucky I am that I have all these friends who keep taking me to these private, members only, clubs at which I am enjoying the good life: With Vaman, I have been to the very posh colonial Willingdon Sports Club; with Firdaus, it is the superbly nautical Yacht Club; with Sam Kerawala, it was the old-world Wodehouse Club; with Shahnaz, it is the snazzy Otter's Club! And I, of course, have my own membership to the Bandra Gymkhana, another private club. Getting our own membership there, a few years ago, was a truly inspired idea, I think, although I did not believe that I would get to enjoy the benefits of membership so soon.
ABBA Tribute at the NCPA:
So, the next item of the evening and the one that absolutely made our day was the ABBA Tribute at the NCPA. A look-alike, sound-alike band called Platinum from London travels the world dressing like ABBA and singing and dancing exactly like the Swedish group did. I have made contact with Raell Padamsee whom I shall be interviewing soon. She was the organizer of this event through her huge production company called ACE Productions--one would expect nothing less from the daughter of the legendary Alyque and Pearl Padamsee! Anyway, she gave me tickets to the show and I invited my friends Nafisa and Marianel to go with me (Shahnaz had seen the show already last year and told me it was spectacular!).
So we met at 6. 30 pm on the steps of the NCPA and boy oh boy oh boy...did we have a blast?! You should have been there! The packed house was simply rocking. These four performers were dressed in the kind of outfits that ABBA popularized in the 70s and their music was just grand. It was so hard to believe how much like Agnetha and Anafrida (the girls from ABBA) the two female singers looked--I mean, right down to their features. It was unbelievable! The guys (Bjorn and Benny) did not look even remotely like the original ABBA male performers (I almost wrote male members there...but then I don't want any weirdos thinking this is a porn site!!!) of ABBA.
They invited the audience to sing with them and then to dance in the aisles and so many people got up and were doing just that. The three of us had such a blast as one after another they belted out ABBA songs, made many costume changes and really superb dance moves. When doing "I Have A Dream", they asked the audience to use the flashlights on their IPhones and the entire house was filled with beams of light--it was just incredible! I could have sworn I was at an ABBA concert. I kept waiting and waiting for my favorite ABBA song of all--guess which one?? And then, just when I began to despair that they would play it, they actually ended the show with it. With 'Waterloo'!!!! I was just beside myself! For an encore, they came back on stage and did 'Dancing Queen' and the entire house was on its feet. Marianel and I kept thinking of our high school days as we listened to one song after the other--and the great times we used to have singing around the piano as one of our classmates would play. Really and truly, those were the days!
The concert finished in 90 minutes (without an interval) and it was easily among the best 90 minutes I have spent since arriving in Bombay. What's more, in January, Raell is bringing an Elton John Tribute (Ian, want to come to Bombay?) and a Whitney Houston Tribute--so you can bet I will be attending those concerts too! Marianel brought me home made potted meat sandwiches and Nafisa brought me a velvet blouse--which is love. She said she thought the shades on the blouse would bring out the color of my eyes--the dominant color was a warm hazel! How very nice of them!
It was only 8.00 pm when we were done as there was a repeat performance at 8.30 pm. We wondered if we should go for dinner somewhere but then Nafisa and I were still full from our big Tea and decided against it. She dropped Marianel and me to Churchgate station from where Marianel took a cab and I took the train home.
Back home, I watched The Two Fat Ladies on the pier at Lldadno in Wales as they cooked for the keepers of a lighthouse and ate my dinner--white pumpkin, cutlets and chicken curry. By the way, I have just discovered why, despite going to the gym daily and leaving off carbs, I am still a few pounds heavier than I like. And I realize it is the daily fried food I am eating (either pan rolls, or potato chops or cutlets or potato tikkies). At home in Southport, Llew and I do not eat any fried foods at all--so this has to do with the stubborn few pounds that I cannot shift. Oh well...the convenience of having the daily tiffin delivery is something I value...so I will focus on dropping fried foods again when I get home.
At 11.00 pm, I switched the light off after another incredible day in Bombay!
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
ABBA Tribute by Platinum and Afternoon Tea at the US Club Made It A Fabulous Day!
Namaste from Bombay!
Today was another extraordinary day in this extraordinary city! I was chatting with Llew and he asked me if I intended to get back at all as I am having such a good time here!
I was up at 6.00 today, I blogged, responded to work email and made plans for the day. I then had my breakfast of muesli and coffee and left for the gym where I spent an hour working out and reading Bridget Jones' Mad About the Boy--the latest novel by Helen Fielding whose work I love. But guess what (spoiler alert here!), Fielding has killed off Mark Darcy!!! This is about the worst thing that could happen since Julian Fellowes killed off Mathew Crawley in Downtown Abbey!!! How is this even possible? I am heartbroken. The book is fun all the way and as I adore Fielding's style, I am lapping it up.
Back home, I showered and got ready to work on my laptop. I made it a priority to get our Christmas letter off as I will be leaving for Orissa and Calcutta on the weekend and want to get those done before I am gone. But disaster struck when I realized that I never figured out how to transfer my Contacts from Optonline to Gmail. Since I cannot use Optonline to send anything from overseas (insufficient band width, I am told), I had to switch to using my Gmail account. And it is absolutely painful to manually transfer each Contact to one of my Christmas mailings. Plus, my Gmail account only holds the email addresses of those folks with whom I have communicated using Gmail--and as I use this email account so rarely (only when overseas), this is proving to be highly problematic for me. Many of the folks who usually get our annual Christmas greetings might not receive it this year. Oh well...it is an unusual year for The Almeidas all around.
After about an hour of sending out letters, I took a break to stretch and made a call to confirm an interview appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Then, I got back to my laptop and sent out letters for one more hour. At 12. 20, I stopped to put together a lunch plate for myself. I was going off to Dad's to have lunch with him and Russel as I knew that I had afternoon and evening plans that would prevent me from spending any time with them. And I took my own lunch with me because if I end up eating at Dad's, my own food lies in my fridge and I end up accumulating leftovers!
Dad was busy writing his own Christmas cards when I arrived at his place, ten minutes later. It was good to see piles of cards there with lists and address books, etc. as poor Dad copes with these old-fashioned tasks (of sending out Christmas cards) using old-fashioned methods (such as the mailman and the postal service--which as I have told you, really sucks). Anyway, we soon stopped to have lunch together. Russel is now able to sit at the table and eat his meals as he did earlier (before his fall) with his knee still in a leg brace to prevent the bones from dislocating again. He is also in good spirits as he looks forward to the Christmas season.
I left Dad's after lunch and got back home to take a short nap. At 2.30 pm, I was dressed and ready to leave my home for the next item on the agenda--meeting my friend Nafisa at Churchgate. She wanted to introduce me to a very special, "tucked-away" place, she said. So, as planned and on schedule, I was at the meeting point across from Eros Cinema when she swung by in her car and picked me up at 3. 30 pm.
Afternoon Tea at the United Services Club at Navy Nagar:
We had the best afternoon. The place she was taking me to was the United Services (US) Club which is at the southernmost point of the island of Bombay at the area that is known as Navy Nagar. This is a highly protected area and security here is very tight. The Indian Armed Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) stationed in Bombay have their headquarters here--this includes the various ships, such as the INS Ashvini as well as their living quarters--these range from apartments to colonial bungalows (depending on the rank of the personnel who form the armed services in India).
I remember, years and years ago, when I was little and into my early teenage years, taking long BEST bus drives with my Mum and Dad who often brought us here on the No. 3 bus from Mazagoan. We would get off at the last stop (the depot) which is right near the glorious Victorian Anglican church that is known as Afghan Church as it was built to house the mortal remains of British colonial officers who had died in the mid-nineteenth century Anglo-Afghan Wars. So as we drove through the colony, I kept thinking of my Mum and missed her so much. I feel more and more grateful, as I grow older, to my parents for the wonderful childhood they gave us and the many sights to which they introduced us when we were so little and the deep love they instilled in us for the city of our birth. They were truly enlightened parents and we were so lucky to have them. Dad, even at this age, is a daily marvel to me and I am so grateful that I have all this quality time with him at this stage in my life.
Back to Afghan Church: I have tried, in recent years, without success to get in there...but to no avail. There is some spectacular Victorian mortuary sculpture in there (similar to the kind to be found in St Thomas' Anglican Cathedral at Fort) but the church is always locked and the caretaker never around when I have visited. Now, as it turns out, there is an Evening of Festive Christmas Music there tomorrow--a free concert being given by the world-class Paranjoti Choir under its legendary conductor Coomi Wadia. My cousin Blossom is arriving from Madras for Christmas tomorrow and she and Nafisa and I will be going to the concert--so we will actually be inside the church and will get to see it! Fingers crossed!
Anyway, back to the US Club (as it is known). The place is gorgeous--just as idyllic as Nafisa described it. It is on the water's edge and since the tide was in, the mighty Arabian Sea lapped at our feet. Thickly planted with coconut palms--whose coconuts and water are sold in the coffee shop--and surrounded by manicured green lawns (many of which are golf links), it is lovely. Friends like Ian who have been on safari with us to South Africa will remember the turquoise-blue bird that our guide Dee had told us is the most photographed bird in the world--the Lilac-Breasted Roller to give it its correct name! Well, guess what, there was a Lilac-Breasted Roller right there--in Bombay, on the lawns of the US Club! And it kept flying obligingly from one pole to the other to give us a full visual treat--its spectacular wide-wing span that is a vivid blue. When stationary, it has a coral head and a lilac breast--so you can just imagine how fabulous it is. I was so thrilled to see it and I introduced Nafisa to it as we found a table and chairs under a sun umbrella and ordered our Afternoon Tea.
Since I cannot have tea (darn caffeine intolerance!), I opted for a lassi and Nafisa joined me. We also ordered Mushrooms on Toast and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches--both of which were super tasty. Sitting there in this quiet spot with hardly a few other people around was such a joy. Nafisa told me that the crowds come in after 6.00 to see the sunset and then to walk on the promenade. When I say 'crowds', I mean just the local residents of Navy Nagar--so, basically, just a sprinkling!
After a lovely long, uninterrupted natter, Nafisa and I left--the sun was low in the evening sky by this point but we could not wait to see it disappear under the horizon as that would have made us late for our next treat--ABBA. Still, I keep thinking about how lucky I am that I have all these friends who keep taking me to these private, members only, clubs at which I am enjoying the good life: With Vaman, I have been to the very posh colonial Willingdon Sports Club; with Firdaus, it is the superbly nautical Yacht Club; with Sam Kerawala, it was the old-world Wodehouse Club; with Shahnaz, it is the snazzy Otter's Club! And I, of course, have my own membership to the Bandra Gymkhana, another private club. Getting our own membership there, a few years ago, was a truly inspired idea, I think, although I did not believe that I would get to enjoy the benefits of membership so soon.
ABBA Tribute at the NCPA:
So, the next item of the evening and the one that absolutely made our day was the ABBA Tribute at the NCPA. A look-alike, sound-alike band called Platinum from London travels the world dressing like ABBA and singing and dancing exactly like the Swedish group did. I have made contact with Raell Padamsee whom I shall be interviewing soon. She was the organizer of this event through her huge production company called ACE Productions--one would expect nothing less from the daughter of the legendary Alyque and Pearl Padamsee! Anyway, she gave me tickets to the show and I invited my friends Nafisa and Marianel to go with me (Shahnaz had seen the show already last year and told me it was spectacular!).
So we met at 6. 30 pm on the steps of the NCPA and boy oh boy oh boy...did we have a blast?! You should have been there! The packed house was simply rocking. These four performers were dressed in the kind of outfits that ABBA popularized in the 70s and their music was just grand. It was so hard to believe how much like Agnetha and Anafrida (the girls from ABBA) the two female singers looked--I mean, right down to their features. It was unbelievable! The guys (Bjorn and Benny) did not look even remotely like the original ABBA male performers (I almost wrote male members there...but then I don't want any weirdos thinking this is a porn site!!!) of ABBA.
They invited the audience to sing with them and then to dance in the aisles and so many people got up and were doing just that. The three of us had such a blast as one after another they belted out ABBA songs, made many costume changes and really superb dance moves. When doing "I Have A Dream", they asked the audience to use the flashlights on their IPhones and the entire house was filled with beams of light--it was just incredible! I could have sworn I was at an ABBA concert. I kept waiting and waiting for my favorite ABBA song of all--guess which one?? And then, just when I began to despair that they would play it, they actually ended the show with it. With 'Waterloo'!!!! I was just beside myself! For an encore, they came back on stage and did 'Dancing Queen' and the entire house was on its feet. Marianel and I kept thinking of our high school days as we listened to one song after the other--and the great times we used to have singing around the piano as one of our classmates would play. Really and truly, those were the days!
The concert finished in 90 minutes (without an interval) and it was easily among the best 90 minutes I have spent since arriving in Bombay. What's more, in January, Raell is bringing an Elton John Tribute (Ian, want to come to Bombay?) and a Whitney Houston Tribute--so you can bet I will be attending those concerts too! Marianel brought me home made potted meat sandwiches and Nafisa brought me a velvet blouse--which is love. She said she thought the shades on the blouse would bring out the color of my eyes--the dominant color was a warm hazel! How very nice of them!
It was only 8.00 pm when we were done as there was a repeat performance at 8.30 pm. We wondered if we should go for dinner somewhere but then Nafisa and I were still full from our big Tea and decided against it. She dropped Marianel and me to Churchgate station from where Marianel took a cab and I took the train home.
Back home, I watched The Two Fat Ladies on the pier at Lldadno in Wales as they cooked for the keepers of a lighthouse and ate my dinner--white pumpkin, cutlets and chicken curry. By the way, I have just discovered why, despite going to the gym daily and leaving off carbs, I am still a few pounds heavier than I like. And I realize it is the daily fried food I am eating (either pan rolls, or potato chops or cutlets or potato tikkies). At home in Southport, Llew and I do not eat any fried foods at all--so this has to do with the stubborn few pounds that I cannot shift. Oh well...the convenience of having the daily tiffin delivery is something I value...so I will focus on dropping fried foods again when I get home.
At 11.00 pm, I switched the light off after another incredible day in Bombay!
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Another Interview and Library Study at the NCPA
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Bombay
Another Interview and Library Study at the NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
I awoke at 6.30 am today--the reason I keep jotting down my wake-up time is that I am amazed at how it keeps fluctuating daily. I am routinely waking at 4. 30 am (yes, still) and if I am lucky, I will nod off again and awake after 6.00 am. If I am too wired, it is more like 5.30 am. Anyway, it seems to work for me to wake up early and get started on my laptop. And I do have the luxury, most days, of taking an afternoon nap.
As usual, I blogged, read Twitter and checked my email before getting ready for my day. I had an appointment in the city in the morning--with Khushroo Suntook, Director of the NCPA--plus I wanted to get on with some reading in the library. Breakfast of muesli and coffee done (during which I continued to watch The Two Fat Ladies) and I was ready for a shower. Only I found out that I had no water! So no shower!
I dressed and left and was in the city by 10.45 am. I used the time before my interview to fish out the latest book that I am reading--Theaters of Independence by Aparna Dharwadkar--an Indian-American academic that I had met briefly once, long ago, at an MLA Conference--as I am finding it very useful for the manner in which she has grounded her study of Indian language theater in India. Since I am focussing on Western performing arts, her book might be a good model to follow in terms of structure and theory.
My interview began at 11. 30 and went on for one more hour--till 12. 30 pm. It is amazing how busy the Director is and how crazy his life can be with so many people begging for his time. Now I understand why I had to wait for so long to get these interviews with him.
As I had not made a sandwich today, I walked off to the INOX Theater's Food Court for lunch as I was quite keen to taste the Frankie--"a mutton-egg roll in naan"-- as I remember it fondly from my teenage years in Bombay when it used to be sold by a company called Agha's at Electric House in Colaba. I have fond memories of long BEST bus drives as a family on a weekend evening when we'd get to Electric House and my Mum and Dad would take us to Agha's for a Frankie. It was always delicious. Well, it turned out that the one I ordered had far more onions in it than I remembered plus the masala wasn't exactly like the one I recall. Still, it made a good meal with a sweet lassi that I ordered from Tarachand--another food kiosk in the Food Court.
Back at the NCPA, I returned to the book I was reading and continued to make notes. I am finding it exceedingly difficult to sit at the library for a long time as the chairs are so horribly uncomfortable and merely twenty minutes into reading, I get a really horribly aching back. I actually have to bend over at the waist and continue to read if I want to get rid of the pain. As it turned out, I had a lot of notes I wanted to make from the book and thought I would just get the pages photocopied--when it struck me: I wondered if the book right be available at the NYU Library because if it was, I would be able to access it with my ID card online. And guess what???? It was!!!! I was thrilled. I do have wifi at the NCPA Library and I was able to download the book. I was particularly keen on the helpful appendices at the back that Dharwadkar has provided--plus the excellent extensive Bibliography (some of which would apply to my work). I have all this now on my fingertips and can continue to work on it at home (where I can eliminate the aching back!).
I waited till 4.00 pm to finish browsing through those bits of the book that are relevant to my study and then I left. I was home by 5.00 pm for a cuppa--I was dying for one. But then, my neighbors at the entrance told me that there was no electricityh and that it would come back at 6.00 pm. Oh dear! I was so looking forward to some tea (but without my electric kettle, I could not have one) and a shower (but without my geyser, I could not have one). So I had a nap instead!
Twenty minutes later, I hear a commotion downstairs and discovered that the electricity was back. I fixed myself a pot of tea with two cheese sandwich biscuits out of a packet--they are delicious!--and then I went in for a nice shower. Since the weather is lovely and cool now, a hot shower feels so good. All these months, I had the shower on tepid--as hot water was much too overwhelming in this climate.
Then, I left my house for Dad's, but I had only about 20 minutes with Russel today before I had to leave a bit early for Mass. I told Dad to follow when he was ready as I needed to run over the reading for the day as I had been assigned it as a Lector. Following the Mass and the reading (which went well--phew!), I walked home with Dad who was full of the assembly election results and the good showing by the Congress against the BJP. He had been glued to the TV all day as the results poured in. They had been see-sawing all day, he said, with the Congress celebrating prematurely as early results showed them sweeping. By the end of the day, it was obvious that they were neck to neck in many states. Still, it kept most of the country on edge as these results are a good indication of what will happen during National elections 2019. Suffice it to say, that overall it was a big debacle for the BJP and a big victory for the Congress.
I got back home for dinner--chicken curry, a cutlet, a pan roll and some cabbage--and finished watching Hot Fuzz. It turned out to be the silliest movie you can imagine and for the life of me, I cannot understand how so many actors agreed to do those silly cameo roles. It was also perhaps one of the longest movies I have ever seen--it had Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in it and it was crazy!
I fell asleep at about 10.30 pm after another day well-spent thinking that I really ought to start sending out our Christmas letter tomorrow as well as doing a bit of gift shopping.
Until tomorrow....
Bombay
Another Interview and Library Study at the NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
I awoke at 6.30 am today--the reason I keep jotting down my wake-up time is that I am amazed at how it keeps fluctuating daily. I am routinely waking at 4. 30 am (yes, still) and if I am lucky, I will nod off again and awake after 6.00 am. If I am too wired, it is more like 5.30 am. Anyway, it seems to work for me to wake up early and get started on my laptop. And I do have the luxury, most days, of taking an afternoon nap.
As usual, I blogged, read Twitter and checked my email before getting ready for my day. I had an appointment in the city in the morning--with Khushroo Suntook, Director of the NCPA--plus I wanted to get on with some reading in the library. Breakfast of muesli and coffee done (during which I continued to watch The Two Fat Ladies) and I was ready for a shower. Only I found out that I had no water! So no shower!
I dressed and left and was in the city by 10.45 am. I used the time before my interview to fish out the latest book that I am reading--Theaters of Independence by Aparna Dharwadkar--an Indian-American academic that I had met briefly once, long ago, at an MLA Conference--as I am finding it very useful for the manner in which she has grounded her study of Indian language theater in India. Since I am focussing on Western performing arts, her book might be a good model to follow in terms of structure and theory.
My interview began at 11. 30 and went on for one more hour--till 12. 30 pm. It is amazing how busy the Director is and how crazy his life can be with so many people begging for his time. Now I understand why I had to wait for so long to get these interviews with him.
As I had not made a sandwich today, I walked off to the INOX Theater's Food Court for lunch as I was quite keen to taste the Frankie--"a mutton-egg roll in naan"-- as I remember it fondly from my teenage years in Bombay when it used to be sold by a company called Agha's at Electric House in Colaba. I have fond memories of long BEST bus drives as a family on a weekend evening when we'd get to Electric House and my Mum and Dad would take us to Agha's for a Frankie. It was always delicious. Well, it turned out that the one I ordered had far more onions in it than I remembered plus the masala wasn't exactly like the one I recall. Still, it made a good meal with a sweet lassi that I ordered from Tarachand--another food kiosk in the Food Court.
Back at the NCPA, I returned to the book I was reading and continued to make notes. I am finding it exceedingly difficult to sit at the library for a long time as the chairs are so horribly uncomfortable and merely twenty minutes into reading, I get a really horribly aching back. I actually have to bend over at the waist and continue to read if I want to get rid of the pain. As it turned out, I had a lot of notes I wanted to make from the book and thought I would just get the pages photocopied--when it struck me: I wondered if the book right be available at the NYU Library because if it was, I would be able to access it with my ID card online. And guess what???? It was!!!! I was thrilled. I do have wifi at the NCPA Library and I was able to download the book. I was particularly keen on the helpful appendices at the back that Dharwadkar has provided--plus the excellent extensive Bibliography (some of which would apply to my work). I have all this now on my fingertips and can continue to work on it at home (where I can eliminate the aching back!).
I waited till 4.00 pm to finish browsing through those bits of the book that are relevant to my study and then I left. I was home by 5.00 pm for a cuppa--I was dying for one. But then, my neighbors at the entrance told me that there was no electricityh and that it would come back at 6.00 pm. Oh dear! I was so looking forward to some tea (but without my electric kettle, I could not have one) and a shower (but without my geyser, I could not have one). So I had a nap instead!
Twenty minutes later, I hear a commotion downstairs and discovered that the electricity was back. I fixed myself a pot of tea with two cheese sandwich biscuits out of a packet--they are delicious!--and then I went in for a nice shower. Since the weather is lovely and cool now, a hot shower feels so good. All these months, I had the shower on tepid--as hot water was much too overwhelming in this climate.
Then, I left my house for Dad's, but I had only about 20 minutes with Russel today before I had to leave a bit early for Mass. I told Dad to follow when he was ready as I needed to run over the reading for the day as I had been assigned it as a Lector. Following the Mass and the reading (which went well--phew!), I walked home with Dad who was full of the assembly election results and the good showing by the Congress against the BJP. He had been glued to the TV all day as the results poured in. They had been see-sawing all day, he said, with the Congress celebrating prematurely as early results showed them sweeping. By the end of the day, it was obvious that they were neck to neck in many states. Still, it kept most of the country on edge as these results are a good indication of what will happen during National elections 2019. Suffice it to say, that overall it was a big debacle for the BJP and a big victory for the Congress.
I got back home for dinner--chicken curry, a cutlet, a pan roll and some cabbage--and finished watching Hot Fuzz. It turned out to be the silliest movie you can imagine and for the life of me, I cannot understand how so many actors agreed to do those silly cameo roles. It was also perhaps one of the longest movies I have ever seen--it had Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in it and it was crazy!
I fell asleep at about 10.30 pm after another day well-spent thinking that I really ought to start sending out our Christmas letter tomorrow as well as doing a bit of gift shopping.
Until tomorrow....
Monday, December 10, 2018
A Super Sunday! Upper Crust Food Festival, Mousetrap at the NCPA
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Bombay
A Super Sunday! Upper Crust Food Festival, Mousetrap at the NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
A day of rest turned out, in some ways, to be most productive for me. Awake at 5.00 am today, I did not try to go back to sleep as I kept thinking how much I had to do before the weekend ended!
After blogging really quickly and checking Twitter, I got dressed and left for the Bandra Gym as I hoped to pick up a South Indian breakfast of idlis, dosas, sambhar and chutney for Dad, Russel and myself. When I got to Bandra Gym at 8.30 as I had been instructed, two disappointments awaited me: nothing was ready and would not be until 9.30 am as I had been misinformed by one of the waiters earlier). Also the South Indian buffet breakfast has been scraped. They would have puri bhaji, pakoras, bhajias and Punjabi samosas but none of these would be ready until 9.30 anyway--and my Mass was at 9.15.
Damage control resulted as I marched to Blue Tokkai to pick up croissants and other baked goods--only to discover that they do not get their fresh supplies until 11.00 am. The attendant told me I could pick up yesterday's goods but, of course, they were stale and were not offered at any discount! I was stunned! Can you believe it? They tell you their goods are stale and then they do not offer them at a discount!!! What sort of establishment does that? You can be sure that I shall be tweeting about it and shall write a letter to the manager of the place to complain.
Left with no choice and feeling pretty desperate, I picked up a butter croissant, two bagels and 2 Mushroom Danishes--they cost me a pretty penny, let me tell you and they were, as expected, really stale! Still, when I dropped them off at Dad's, you should have seen how patiently (and hungrily!) Russel was waiting for breakfast. Of course, he was disappointed there were no idlis (which would have cost me one-third of the money I spent!) but when I explained what happened, everyone understood.
I rushed off to church and left them to eat their disappointing brekkie. After Mass, I dropped off Russel's vada pau, read him and Dad the church notices for the week and left to eat my own breakfast (one of the bagels) at home. I discovered that my microwave can easily function as a toaster--all I have to do is keep the baked goods there for a while and keep turning them around every few seconds. The inside burns quickly while the outside still looks fine--the secret is to find out exactly how long it takes to get the toasted crunch and flavor without completely ruining the item by burning it. I am sure I will soon get the hang of it.
After brekkie, I began cleaning my house. I am doing it quite adeptly now and I realized, it does not take me more than an hour. Sunday morning is really the best time to do it. I next relaxed with my novel and actually started to feel sleepy. I ordered lunch on the phone at Bandra Gym--as it is the last day of their Seafood Festival and as Russel was keen to eat fried Bombay ducks (a native fish found in the Bombay seas), I ordered two plates of Bombay ducks for him, plus Chicken Shahi Korma (which was delicious) and Vegetable Kolhapuri (which was much too spicy) with a Paratha and a naan each for them. I carried all this food to Dad's place and there we sat and ate it together until Russel left the table to have his nap. It is great to see him walking around the house now with his walker and having attained mobility, he now watches the cricket on the telly with Dad and his attendant while in the living room. Dad and I sat chatting until 2.00 pm when I left and went home.
I had a short nap, then woke up to take a shower and get dressed as I was headed into the city on the train.
Visiting the Upper Crust Food and Wine Festival:
First all, I stopped at the World Trade Center in Cuffe Parade for the annual Food and Wine Festival held by Upper Crust magazine, India's only culinary magazine. The editor is my friend and school classmate Farzana Contractor to whom I have occasionally submitted articles that have been published. I was delighted to run into her just after she had finished judging a culinary contest. Meanwhile, I called my friend Aban who lives in Casablanca building across the street. Aban came there to meet me. But she had pulled a muscle in the back of her leg and was dealing with severe pain. So although we walked around the stalls that were selling food to see what was on offer, we did it quickly.
Next, we went off to the first floor where there were a large number of kiosks and vendors either introducing their food and wine wares or offering them at discounts. Aban and I had a whole load of nibbles--we tasted jams, marmalades, chocolate cake with orange marmalade, cheeses (Amul now makes Gouda, Emmenthal and Cheddar), spreads (all sorts from guacamole and mustard to salad dressings like balsamic and onion to green goddess and thousands island), drinks and wines (I had to forego all the samples of teas and coffees as no one provides decaff which, they told me, does not sell at all in India--don't people in India have caffeine intolerance???), loads of muesli and granola and soups. Anyway, by the time I was done visiting all the stalls (and it was a maze, let me tell you), I was so stuffed! This, although I ate only a tiny morsel of the food on offer. Aban's leg had been bothering her too much, so she excused herself and left while I continued browsing.
I was absolutely thrilled that I attended the festival as it gave me such a good idea of all of the kinds of exotic foods that are available now in India. As I do not do any grocery shopping here and do not cook, I have no idea what is available. It was a real eye-opener for me. Yes, you can go to a fancy supermarket like Nature's Basket (organic offerings) and pay through your nose for imported foods or you can buy the Indian version of all these foods (and truly they had everything). It was a most heartening experience.
I then nipped off to Aban's place and spent abut twenty minutes with her. Rusi, her husband, was taking his Sunday afternoon siesta--so Aban and I sat chatting for a while. At 6.20, I left her place to take a taxi to Nariman Point for my next appointment at the Jamshed Bhabha Theater to see The Mousetrap.
Seeing The Mousetrap at the NCPA:
I have been traveling back and forth to London for at least 30 years and yet I have never seen The Mousetrap which has been playing there since 1957 (before I was born!). In fact, it was only two years ago, for the first time, that on one of my walks in London's Theater District, I happened to come upon St. Martin's Theater where the show is staged. It is in such a tucked-away corner off Seven Dials, that if one were not actually looking for the theater, one would never find it. I had been sorely tempted, on a couple of occasions, to buy tickets (Ten at Ten, i.e. 10 pounds tickets at 10.00 am on the morning of the show); but somehow I always kept saying, Oh it will still be here when I come next time! And so, I have never seen it.
I suppose it was fated that I see it when it came to Bombay--they are probably doing some renovations to the theater in London...who knows? But, for the moment, the current cast of the show (and it changes every year), is on a global tour and they have a few shows scheduled in Bombay. The cost of tickets are sky high (ranging from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 8,000!) I have never paid such prices even for the best shows on Broadway or the West End. So when Shahnaz and I happened to be at the NCPA on the day the tickets went on sale, we bought the cheapest tickets in the last row (Rs 1,200). I was sure that with my field-glasses, they would be terrific.
We enjoyed the play immensely and as Shahnaz had driven in, we went by car back home to Bandra where I reached at 10.30 pm. It was a lovely evening at the theater and worth every penny of the low price we had paid for our tickets. Shahnaz and I remembered the 5 pounds and 10 pounds we had paid for plays in London when we were there together, two years ago, and the terrific first-row seats we had snagged for that money! We talked about returning to London again to do nothing else but theater, museums and art galleries--because we so thrive on that kind of thing!
I tried to get to sleep right after I reached home, but instead I looked at our Christmas letter once again and made a few more changes before emailing it off for Llew to tweak it any way he chose.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
A Super Sunday! Upper Crust Food Festival, Mousetrap at the NCPA
Namaste from Bombay!
A day of rest turned out, in some ways, to be most productive for me. Awake at 5.00 am today, I did not try to go back to sleep as I kept thinking how much I had to do before the weekend ended!
After blogging really quickly and checking Twitter, I got dressed and left for the Bandra Gym as I hoped to pick up a South Indian breakfast of idlis, dosas, sambhar and chutney for Dad, Russel and myself. When I got to Bandra Gym at 8.30 as I had been instructed, two disappointments awaited me: nothing was ready and would not be until 9.30 am as I had been misinformed by one of the waiters earlier). Also the South Indian buffet breakfast has been scraped. They would have puri bhaji, pakoras, bhajias and Punjabi samosas but none of these would be ready until 9.30 anyway--and my Mass was at 9.15.
Damage control resulted as I marched to Blue Tokkai to pick up croissants and other baked goods--only to discover that they do not get their fresh supplies until 11.00 am. The attendant told me I could pick up yesterday's goods but, of course, they were stale and were not offered at any discount! I was stunned! Can you believe it? They tell you their goods are stale and then they do not offer them at a discount!!! What sort of establishment does that? You can be sure that I shall be tweeting about it and shall write a letter to the manager of the place to complain.
Left with no choice and feeling pretty desperate, I picked up a butter croissant, two bagels and 2 Mushroom Danishes--they cost me a pretty penny, let me tell you and they were, as expected, really stale! Still, when I dropped them off at Dad's, you should have seen how patiently (and hungrily!) Russel was waiting for breakfast. Of course, he was disappointed there were no idlis (which would have cost me one-third of the money I spent!) but when I explained what happened, everyone understood.
I rushed off to church and left them to eat their disappointing brekkie. After Mass, I dropped off Russel's vada pau, read him and Dad the church notices for the week and left to eat my own breakfast (one of the bagels) at home. I discovered that my microwave can easily function as a toaster--all I have to do is keep the baked goods there for a while and keep turning them around every few seconds. The inside burns quickly while the outside still looks fine--the secret is to find out exactly how long it takes to get the toasted crunch and flavor without completely ruining the item by burning it. I am sure I will soon get the hang of it.
After brekkie, I began cleaning my house. I am doing it quite adeptly now and I realized, it does not take me more than an hour. Sunday morning is really the best time to do it. I next relaxed with my novel and actually started to feel sleepy. I ordered lunch on the phone at Bandra Gym--as it is the last day of their Seafood Festival and as Russel was keen to eat fried Bombay ducks (a native fish found in the Bombay seas), I ordered two plates of Bombay ducks for him, plus Chicken Shahi Korma (which was delicious) and Vegetable Kolhapuri (which was much too spicy) with a Paratha and a naan each for them. I carried all this food to Dad's place and there we sat and ate it together until Russel left the table to have his nap. It is great to see him walking around the house now with his walker and having attained mobility, he now watches the cricket on the telly with Dad and his attendant while in the living room. Dad and I sat chatting until 2.00 pm when I left and went home.
I had a short nap, then woke up to take a shower and get dressed as I was headed into the city on the train.
Visiting the Upper Crust Food and Wine Festival:
First all, I stopped at the World Trade Center in Cuffe Parade for the annual Food and Wine Festival held by Upper Crust magazine, India's only culinary magazine. The editor is my friend and school classmate Farzana Contractor to whom I have occasionally submitted articles that have been published. I was delighted to run into her just after she had finished judging a culinary contest. Meanwhile, I called my friend Aban who lives in Casablanca building across the street. Aban came there to meet me. But she had pulled a muscle in the back of her leg and was dealing with severe pain. So although we walked around the stalls that were selling food to see what was on offer, we did it quickly.
Next, we went off to the first floor where there were a large number of kiosks and vendors either introducing their food and wine wares or offering them at discounts. Aban and I had a whole load of nibbles--we tasted jams, marmalades, chocolate cake with orange marmalade, cheeses (Amul now makes Gouda, Emmenthal and Cheddar), spreads (all sorts from guacamole and mustard to salad dressings like balsamic and onion to green goddess and thousands island), drinks and wines (I had to forego all the samples of teas and coffees as no one provides decaff which, they told me, does not sell at all in India--don't people in India have caffeine intolerance???), loads of muesli and granola and soups. Anyway, by the time I was done visiting all the stalls (and it was a maze, let me tell you), I was so stuffed! This, although I ate only a tiny morsel of the food on offer. Aban's leg had been bothering her too much, so she excused herself and left while I continued browsing.
I was absolutely thrilled that I attended the festival as it gave me such a good idea of all of the kinds of exotic foods that are available now in India. As I do not do any grocery shopping here and do not cook, I have no idea what is available. It was a real eye-opener for me. Yes, you can go to a fancy supermarket like Nature's Basket (organic offerings) and pay through your nose for imported foods or you can buy the Indian version of all these foods (and truly they had everything). It was a most heartening experience.
I then nipped off to Aban's place and spent abut twenty minutes with her. Rusi, her husband, was taking his Sunday afternoon siesta--so Aban and I sat chatting for a while. At 6.20, I left her place to take a taxi to Nariman Point for my next appointment at the Jamshed Bhabha Theater to see The Mousetrap.
Seeing The Mousetrap at the NCPA:
I have been traveling back and forth to London for at least 30 years and yet I have never seen The Mousetrap which has been playing there since 1957 (before I was born!). In fact, it was only two years ago, for the first time, that on one of my walks in London's Theater District, I happened to come upon St. Martin's Theater where the show is staged. It is in such a tucked-away corner off Seven Dials, that if one were not actually looking for the theater, one would never find it. I had been sorely tempted, on a couple of occasions, to buy tickets (Ten at Ten, i.e. 10 pounds tickets at 10.00 am on the morning of the show); but somehow I always kept saying, Oh it will still be here when I come next time! And so, I have never seen it.
I suppose it was fated that I see it when it came to Bombay--they are probably doing some renovations to the theater in London...who knows? But, for the moment, the current cast of the show (and it changes every year), is on a global tour and they have a few shows scheduled in Bombay. The cost of tickets are sky high (ranging from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 8,000!) I have never paid such prices even for the best shows on Broadway or the West End. So when Shahnaz and I happened to be at the NCPA on the day the tickets went on sale, we bought the cheapest tickets in the last row (Rs 1,200). I was sure that with my field-glasses, they would be terrific.
- And I was right. With field glasses, the show was fabulous as the acoustics are brilliant. The Jamshed Bhabha Theater foyer was jam packed when I arrived to find Shahnaz waiting for me. We took our seats and settled down for curtain rise. The acting was superb (as all British plays are) and the plot was wonderful. Now, when you look back on it, it is a bit dated but the twist at the end was quite unexpected. As is traditional and as the cast have been doing for 63 years, they requested the audience at Curtain Call time not to reveal the end of the whodunit to anybody. I found that the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway had done the same thing--they begged the audience to "Keep the Secret"!
We enjoyed the play immensely and as Shahnaz had driven in, we went by car back home to Bandra where I reached at 10.30 pm. It was a lovely evening at the theater and worth every penny of the low price we had paid for our tickets. Shahnaz and I remembered the 5 pounds and 10 pounds we had paid for plays in London when we were there together, two years ago, and the terrific first-row seats we had snagged for that money! We talked about returning to London again to do nothing else but theater, museums and art galleries--because we so thrive on that kind of thing!
I tried to get to sleep right after I reached home, but instead I looked at our Christmas letter once again and made a few more changes before emailing it off for Llew to tweak it any way he chose.
Until tomorrow...
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Two Important Interviews--With Khushroo Suntook and Pooh Sayani
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Bombay
Two Important Interviews--With Khushroo Suntook of the NCPA and Pooh Sayani
Namaste from Bombay!
A very busy (but very important) day lay ahead and I was well aware of this when I awoke at 6.30 to race through a blog post and my Twitter feed. I had my breakfast of mueslis and coffee, showered, dressed and was off. Am still savoring the peace and quiet of my apartment sans its shrill next-door female occupant. Did not realize what an addict I have become to quietude!
I was on the bus and in the Bandra local train and in a bus again--such an easy, comfortable commute as every single one of these forms of conveyance is empty! I know! Its impossible to believe, isn't it? And yet, I speak nothing but the absolute truth. It takes me no more than an hour--door to door! That too is a rare luxury I do not have in Connecticut.
Sadly, my first interviewee, Khushroo Suntook, who is the Director of the NCPA, was delayed as he had some issues with his driver. I had waited forever to get this interview with him as he is such a busy man...but in the end, it was all worthwhile. The delay gave me time to sit for a hour in the library and continue with my research. I finished a book I was reading and began work on another before I got the call to say he had arrived.
Our interview was wonderful--he is so full of knowledge, information and anecdotes that time flew past. He apologized for keeping me waiting and asked if we could fix another appointment as he really does want to see me again--he has so much to tell me! I was delighted. He really is a lovely man and sitting in his office surrounded by pictures of some of the world's greatest classical musicians and learning about their association with Bombay was superbly heartening.
I had my sandwich lunch (cold roasted salted tongue with mayo and mustard--yum,yum,yum) in the office of my friends at the NCPA and then I went back to the library and continued my reading while taking notes on my IPad. It was shaping into an entirely productive day.
About an hour later, my next interviewee arrived--Ayesha (Pooh) Sayani, daughter of the late wonderful Hamid Sayani, who was the English voice of All-India Radio and the original compere of the 'Bournvita Quiz Contest' which with we had all grown up! Ayesha too was filled with marvelous anecdotal family information--she is the niece of the late Alyque Padamsee (her mother was Alyque's sister Jerry) and had loads of family lore to share. She is also the sweetest person--a film-maker in her own right and someone who has the ability to articulate with fluency and style. Such a delight to interview! I keep thinking how fortunate I am that my data collection is proceeding with such ease. I am having the opportunity too meet such gorgeous people and to be able to interact with them at the academic level is a pure daily treat. No wonder I am enjoying my assignment in Bombay so much.
Back home on the bus and train, I had just enough time for a cuppa and slice of cake before I left my studio to go over to Dad's to spend some time with Russel. He is making good (if slow) progress from a walker to a walking stick--his boot, which should come in a couple of days, will make his walking even easier (we believe). Please continue to pray for him. As Dad and I can see it, it is not the fractured shin that will prove to be problematic, in the long run, but his arthritic knee--the solution of which eludes his orthopedist who will have to come up with something creative to keep Russel mobile.
Dad and I then left for church together for the 7.00 pm Mass after which I got home to have my dinner (remnants of noodles, dal with spinach, koftas, papri) that is still languishing in my fridge with half a guava for dessert. I watched the second half of Muriel's Wedding on TV and found that the only part I really liked were all the ABBA songs! I am also delighted that Rael Padamsee, Producer of the show, has given me tickets to see The ABBA Tribute at the NCPA next Wednesday--which should be a lot of fun!
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
Two Important Interviews--With Khushroo Suntook of the NCPA and Pooh Sayani
Namaste from Bombay!
A very busy (but very important) day lay ahead and I was well aware of this when I awoke at 6.30 to race through a blog post and my Twitter feed. I had my breakfast of mueslis and coffee, showered, dressed and was off. Am still savoring the peace and quiet of my apartment sans its shrill next-door female occupant. Did not realize what an addict I have become to quietude!
I was on the bus and in the Bandra local train and in a bus again--such an easy, comfortable commute as every single one of these forms of conveyance is empty! I know! Its impossible to believe, isn't it? And yet, I speak nothing but the absolute truth. It takes me no more than an hour--door to door! That too is a rare luxury I do not have in Connecticut.
Sadly, my first interviewee, Khushroo Suntook, who is the Director of the NCPA, was delayed as he had some issues with his driver. I had waited forever to get this interview with him as he is such a busy man...but in the end, it was all worthwhile. The delay gave me time to sit for a hour in the library and continue with my research. I finished a book I was reading and began work on another before I got the call to say he had arrived.
Our interview was wonderful--he is so full of knowledge, information and anecdotes that time flew past. He apologized for keeping me waiting and asked if we could fix another appointment as he really does want to see me again--he has so much to tell me! I was delighted. He really is a lovely man and sitting in his office surrounded by pictures of some of the world's greatest classical musicians and learning about their association with Bombay was superbly heartening.
I had my sandwich lunch (cold roasted salted tongue with mayo and mustard--yum,yum,yum) in the office of my friends at the NCPA and then I went back to the library and continued my reading while taking notes on my IPad. It was shaping into an entirely productive day.
About an hour later, my next interviewee arrived--Ayesha (Pooh) Sayani, daughter of the late wonderful Hamid Sayani, who was the English voice of All-India Radio and the original compere of the 'Bournvita Quiz Contest' which with we had all grown up! Ayesha too was filled with marvelous anecdotal family information--she is the niece of the late Alyque Padamsee (her mother was Alyque's sister Jerry) and had loads of family lore to share. She is also the sweetest person--a film-maker in her own right and someone who has the ability to articulate with fluency and style. Such a delight to interview! I keep thinking how fortunate I am that my data collection is proceeding with such ease. I am having the opportunity too meet such gorgeous people and to be able to interact with them at the academic level is a pure daily treat. No wonder I am enjoying my assignment in Bombay so much.
Back home on the bus and train, I had just enough time for a cuppa and slice of cake before I left my studio to go over to Dad's to spend some time with Russel. He is making good (if slow) progress from a walker to a walking stick--his boot, which should come in a couple of days, will make his walking even easier (we believe). Please continue to pray for him. As Dad and I can see it, it is not the fractured shin that will prove to be problematic, in the long run, but his arthritic knee--the solution of which eludes his orthopedist who will have to come up with something creative to keep Russel mobile.
Dad and I then left for church together for the 7.00 pm Mass after which I got home to have my dinner (remnants of noodles, dal with spinach, koftas, papri) that is still languishing in my fridge with half a guava for dessert. I watched the second half of Muriel's Wedding on TV and found that the only part I really liked were all the ABBA songs! I am also delighted that Rael Padamsee, Producer of the show, has given me tickets to see The ABBA Tribute at the NCPA next Wednesday--which should be a lot of fun!
Until tomorrow...
Monday, December 3, 2018
A Visit to Dad's Doctor and an Evening at the Opera
Monday, December 3, 2018
Bombay
A Visit to Dad's Doctor and an Evening at the Opera
Namaste from Bombay!
I ear-marked today for accompanying Dad to Hoy Family Hospital so that he could get his annual visit to his endocrinologist, Dr. Vaishali Naik. So with most of the day yawning free, here is how I spent it:
I awoke at 6. 30am, blogged, read my Twitter feed and zoomed through the headlines in The Times of London. It was peaceful next-door as the wedding preamble, which reaches its crescendo in the evenings, had calmed down. I ate an almond croissant for breakfast with 2 cups of coffee to wash it down. Then I phoned Dad to find out what time he would like me to be at his place--he said 10.45. That left me with enough time to shower and begin transcribing my interview with Gerson da Cunha.
At 10.45 on schedule, I was at Dad's. We took a rickshaw to Hoy Family Hospital's Out Patient Department where the place was fairly crowded. However, it is very orderly, peaceful and comfortable and, in due course--although Dad's number was 17--we did see the doctor and were out in under an hour. All is well with the health of Dad's thyroid holding steady. Next visit after a year.
I hopped off at my place while Dad carried on home in a rickshaw. I had another hour to continue transcribing before lunch, but I barely put in 15 minutes when Dad called to tell me that the man who has to come over to his place to measure Russel for a boot to enable him to start to walk with a stick through physiotherapy would be arriving in 15 minutes. Dad wanted me to be present. So I dropped everything and returned to Dad's place, finished off with the task that was carried out by one Mr. Vijay More and returned home again.
I was hungry so I had lunch at home immediately--leftovers from my earlier tiffin although a new one was delivered today. While eating, I watched Come Dine With Me and then got back to the task of transcribing and proofreading my interview with Gerson. I also managed to get in a short nap.
At 4.45, I left my home to take the train to go to the city. I was at the NCPA at 5.30 well in time for the 6.00 pm viewing of the HD Live screening from the Metropolitan Opera in New York of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. Shahnaz was waiting for me inside as she had spent the day with friends in the city. I also ran into my friends Kamal and Firdaus and I saw Jinx Akerkar whom I interviewed last week. It is nice to find familiar faces and have people that I can actually say Hello to--I am not as anonymous now as I was when I first arrived in Bombay.
There weren't many people in the theater as this is not a very popular opera. Also, its setting is weird--California during the Gold Rush. It was a bit incongruous to see cowboys spouting arias! Still, it was fun and unusual and the music was great. Puccini considered this his best oepra--but it is a difficult opera to produce and, therefore, not staged too often. Shahnaz and I enjoyed it overall but it was not one of our most scintillating nights at the opera.
I had snacked on chicken and chutney sandwiches through the evening bought from the snack bar plus I had nuts and biscuits in my bag. However, after a super quick cab ride home--that took exactly 30 minutes, if you can believe it--from Nariman Point till Shanaz's place--we were ready for dinner. I was spending the night at Shahnaz' place at Pali Hill to avoid the tumultuous din of the pre-wedding ceremonies next door.
Shahnaz had pomfret curry and lovely kheema parathas for us for dinner and a kheer for dessert. Her son Hasan joined us from his late evening out halfway through dinner--so we sat catching up with him as well. At midnight, we finally called it a day as I used her daughter Azra's room to bed down for the night. Shahnaz lent me one of her nighties and after brushing and flossing my teeth, I was off.
Until tomorrow...
Bombay
A Visit to Dad's Doctor and an Evening at the Opera
Namaste from Bombay!
I ear-marked today for accompanying Dad to Hoy Family Hospital so that he could get his annual visit to his endocrinologist, Dr. Vaishali Naik. So with most of the day yawning free, here is how I spent it:
I awoke at 6. 30am, blogged, read my Twitter feed and zoomed through the headlines in The Times of London. It was peaceful next-door as the wedding preamble, which reaches its crescendo in the evenings, had calmed down. I ate an almond croissant for breakfast with 2 cups of coffee to wash it down. Then I phoned Dad to find out what time he would like me to be at his place--he said 10.45. That left me with enough time to shower and begin transcribing my interview with Gerson da Cunha.
At 10.45 on schedule, I was at Dad's. We took a rickshaw to Hoy Family Hospital's Out Patient Department where the place was fairly crowded. However, it is very orderly, peaceful and comfortable and, in due course--although Dad's number was 17--we did see the doctor and were out in under an hour. All is well with the health of Dad's thyroid holding steady. Next visit after a year.
I hopped off at my place while Dad carried on home in a rickshaw. I had another hour to continue transcribing before lunch, but I barely put in 15 minutes when Dad called to tell me that the man who has to come over to his place to measure Russel for a boot to enable him to start to walk with a stick through physiotherapy would be arriving in 15 minutes. Dad wanted me to be present. So I dropped everything and returned to Dad's place, finished off with the task that was carried out by one Mr. Vijay More and returned home again.
I was hungry so I had lunch at home immediately--leftovers from my earlier tiffin although a new one was delivered today. While eating, I watched Come Dine With Me and then got back to the task of transcribing and proofreading my interview with Gerson. I also managed to get in a short nap.
At 4.45, I left my home to take the train to go to the city. I was at the NCPA at 5.30 well in time for the 6.00 pm viewing of the HD Live screening from the Metropolitan Opera in New York of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. Shahnaz was waiting for me inside as she had spent the day with friends in the city. I also ran into my friends Kamal and Firdaus and I saw Jinx Akerkar whom I interviewed last week. It is nice to find familiar faces and have people that I can actually say Hello to--I am not as anonymous now as I was when I first arrived in Bombay.
There weren't many people in the theater as this is not a very popular opera. Also, its setting is weird--California during the Gold Rush. It was a bit incongruous to see cowboys spouting arias! Still, it was fun and unusual and the music was great. Puccini considered this his best oepra--but it is a difficult opera to produce and, therefore, not staged too often. Shahnaz and I enjoyed it overall but it was not one of our most scintillating nights at the opera.
I had snacked on chicken and chutney sandwiches through the evening bought from the snack bar plus I had nuts and biscuits in my bag. However, after a super quick cab ride home--that took exactly 30 minutes, if you can believe it--from Nariman Point till Shanaz's place--we were ready for dinner. I was spending the night at Shahnaz' place at Pali Hill to avoid the tumultuous din of the pre-wedding ceremonies next door.
Shahnaz had pomfret curry and lovely kheema parathas for us for dinner and a kheer for dessert. Her son Hasan joined us from his late evening out halfway through dinner--so we sat catching up with him as well. At midnight, we finally called it a day as I used her daughter Azra's room to bed down for the night. Shahnaz lent me one of her nighties and after brushing and flossing my teeth, I was off.
Until tomorrow...
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