
BENGALURU: I seem to have brought some of the circa 2024’s, bad juju with me into the New Year! I have been plagued by a series of accidents which have nearly left me immobile! I decided that instead of becoming a permanent part of my home furnishings, it would be way more prudent to be with the family in Mumbai. But then again, I had a nasty bruise on my face and my bones creaked every step of the way.
To cut a long story short, I managed to get to the maximum city, but for most of my trip there, I sat glued to the furniture as moving around was literally and figuratively ‘a pain in the derriere’! Of course, a dinner here and there coupled with an American Whiskey tasting by my friend Nikhil Agarwal from All Things Nice and The Distilled-Spirits Council of the United States, at Mumbai’s Four Seasons Hotel prompted some movement from me. As my son wryly remarked, “Mom will be whining and groaning till she sees the next brand outlet where she can shop at!”
Well, I travelled back home alone and what I needed to say needs to be said! There are still large conglomerates of people, totally unconnected to you, who are kind, considerate and helpful. My ‘dearly-beloved’ unceremoniously dumped me at the airport, diffidently asking me to ‘take care’, and hurried off, while strangers saw me struggling, and stepped forward to help. I was plonked on a wheel-chair and wheeled across the vast expanse of Mumbai’s airport where I was accorded the same courtesy and consideration in the aircraft.
And when I de-boarded in namma-ooru, my friend George Kuruvilla, CEO, of hospitality at BIAL got wind of my arrival and pulled out all the stops to ensure I was not inconvenienced in any way. There was a mini-coterie of placard-wielding people waiting for me as I de-boarded. They were solicitous, caring and efficient.
Seeing that I was truly in need of assistance, they made sure my bags were picked up and I was duly escorted to my (very impressed) driver and car! I have travelled all over the world and I keep saying this to all the ‘India-bashers’ – mera desh mahaan!
Time spent in Mumbai was bitter-sweet. When one is physically incapacitated then one is painfully aware of how busy everyone is. It was great spending time with my munchkin who can talk even her formidable ‘glamma’ under the table. She too has a packed schedule and battling for her time in between her myriad of friends, parents and nanny was fun…sort of! Nikhil Agarwal who was just back after a raucous event in Bengaluru was ready to take on Mumbai.
It was fun rubbing shoulders and networking with the who’s who of Mumbai while Nikhil put us through our paces with a selection of whiskies, showcasing their moot points. A large family dinner with relatives from the US and Dubai at the very upmarket Soho House in Juhu was eventful. Loud opinions and louder disagreements with a general collapse into laughter marked a very special evening. It was my husband’s birthday so it was great having everyone around, eating, drinking and making merry. I have stepped into this year, no different than the last year. But I have understood that it is our own expectations that hurt, not others’ actions.
(The writer’s views are personal)