Sunday, August 4, 2019
Bombay
A Fun Sunday Divided Between Family and Friends.
It is good to wake up on a Sunday morning and have a
relaxing lie-in. Not having to rush to church can be actually quite nice. We
had bruns for breakfast with guava jam and had a good chat around the table. I
think that Dad really enjoys having me home because I offer company—he is
lonely although he is also busy. Loneliness can be quite a terrible thing.
I then set out to clear some more of Dad’s cabinets and
drawers in the living room. Making space feels good. The idea is to try and
remove things that are lying on surfaces because they collect dust that does
not get cleaned because the people we hire as domestic help never clean to our satisfaction.
When I had created a few more piles of things that needed disposing of, I left
to run some more errands. I needed to buy gifts for the friends in London with
whom I will be staying. I also needed to print out some more forms for Dad and
I needed to get my umbrella repaired. It is quite difficult to find a really
sturdy one that withstands the fury of Bombay’s winy rainstorms. I did find the
umbrella repairer and I told him to replace all of the plastic spokes of my
Nautica umbrella with metal ones. He told me to pick it up in the evening. It
really is amazing how easily one can find people to repair things in Bombay–and
for so little money too.
I got back home in time to have Sunday lunch with Dad and
Russel. They ordered in from a place called Mr. Chow’s and we feasted on Hot
and Sour Soup, Chicken Noodles, Chilli Chickens and Wontons. As is customary
all over India, Sunday after is characterized by a long and leisurely nap and
all life comes to a standstill on Sunday afternoons as people indulge in their siestas.
I had a nap too (but then I have a daily 20 minute power nap!)
We awoke to say the family rosary, I had a cup of tea with
a handful of nuts, sat with Dd for a while to help him fill out the medical
Claim forms that have come to use for Russel’s medical reimbursement from his
insurance company. I then made a brief visit to my friend Jackie’s place by
rick to meet her daughters. And very cute they were too! However, I could not
stay too long as I had a talk on the History of Bandra to attend at the Bandra
Gymkhana that was being given by Dennis Rodrigues who is the brother of my
friend Herman who is also an amateur historian. Herman and his wife, Vinita had
invited me to attend it and, being a history buff myself, I was quite happy to
do so. My friend Shahnaz was also supposed to join me there with her daughter
Aza. But she got caught up in a commitment with her mother and backed out.
Azra
was waiting for me at the entrance of the Gymkhana when I arrived. We bumped
into Ajit Rodrigues, one of the trustees of the gym and then into Roger
Pereira, another trustee.
We were among the first
attendees to arrive and so had a chance to pick up a beverage and biscuits
before the talk began. It was interesting indeed to learn about Bandra’s
earliest beginnings as a fishing village, its acquisition by the Portuguese as
part of their Indian colonial holdings and to get to the post-colonial period
when earnest modern building began as part of the five Town Planning Schemes.
We also learned about the properties held by the Salcette Society and St.
Sebastian’s Society in Bandra.
I had every intention to return home to have dinner with
Dad and Russel…but Shahnaz called to tell us to make our way to Otter’s Club to
have dinner at Artisan Restaurant there which I was quite happy to do. So
Shahnaz, Azra and I celebrated Azra’s birthday (which was the next day) as well
as belatedly celebrated mine (as Shahnaz was on a cruise when I had mine). I
was hungry by then and ordered a chocolate milk shake to start with. The rest
of the menu was picked by Azra who ordered Lamb Sliders and Prawns with Bacon
while we had Chicken Strogonoff. The dessert was probably one of the best I
have ever had—Chocolate Hazelnuts Pots. It is a round dark chocolate shell
filled with a hazelnut-brownie. A warm caramel sauce is poured over the whole
thing until the shell collapses and merges with the brownie beneath. It is fun,
it is dramatic and it is very delicious indeed.
Shahnaz and Azra dropped me home to Dad’s gate from where
I walked up the driveway and got home while Dad was watching a late night
cricket match.
Until tomorrow…
