BENGALURU: Even though the mighty Arabian Ocean separates us, I am always excited at this time of the week because I get to connect with you guys! The (hidden) narcissist in me mentally builds a picture of my adoring friends waiting with bated breath for my weekly column. Bengaluru or Mumbai, the feeling of belonging and kingship is unbeatable.
I spent a lot of my impressionable years in ‘Sin-City’, as Mumbai is fondly referred to, and my friends and experiences here are varied. Why I bring this up is because it is somehow by divine providence, that my relationships and friendships are intrinsically entwined with the city of my birth. Many friendships from my ooru have had a seamless osmosis into Mumbai and vice-versa.
I met with an old acquaintance, Parvana Noorani yesterday for lunch at Riyaaz Amlani’s popular European restaurant ‘Saltwater Café’. You could say we were family because Parvana is the sister of my brother’s former wife. I remember her as this svelte and strikingly attractive stewardess flying with the prestigious Air India, where ladies were handpicked for their acumen.
The relationship though brief was an affectionate one as Parvana was always a warm and bubbly person. I didn’t know that she had moved briefly to Bengaluru from Mumbai with her husband and had proceeded to write, Catwalk Cuisine: The Models’ Cookbook in collaboration with who else but our very own fashion and enterprise guru, Prasad Bidapa! What are the chances that two people from the early part of my life meet up and become friends under extraordinary circumstances?
Parvana and I had a long drawn out lunch, and it’s always a pleasure to lunch with someone who knows their food, and also knew chef Gresham Fernandes, better than I did! We had an exquisite lunch, with Gresham pulling out all the stops and when I smeared his creamy chicken liver-pate with onion jam over a focaccia which used crushed grapes, I knew I was in heaven.
People often say that they are short on time. But, it’s a question of making time to call a dear friend who has had a recent bereavement, talk with another who is going through his own angst and still be a ‘brave-heart’ when your daughter is just on the verge of delivery. At the end of the day, one ends up juggling so many roles that it becomes difficult to separate one from the other…especially when the younger ’uns tell you to chill in a shrill voice and one doesn’t know whether to nod in acquiescence or give a dissentious growl!
Call it a sadistic streak but there is nothing like being surrounded with a loud, gregarious, opinionated family. There is so much love floating around that it can swamp you. I got married very young and went into a multi-hued joint family and all my nieces and nephews are grown up with kids (and opinions) of their own. I see my children interacting and having a great relationship with their gaggle of cousins (all the things I didn’t have) and I know that ‘all is well’.
We celebrated my son-in-law, Anees’ birthday at home surrounded by a loving family and chocolate cake…Love deeply and forgive quickly, life is too short to be unhappy.