HI! FERZANA
She is my friend from school, Nirmala Convent, Rajkot, Gujarat. And a very strong memory I have of her is she was friendly (is) and carried the most delicious cheese sandwiches. I naturally tend to love Parsis for their generosity in slathering the butter and usage of slabs of cheese. Apart from their fondness for the tipple and the accompaniment of the choicest of bad words and never utter them singly. They are always a string of gaalis....
With the cheese sandwich memory, I don't do justice to Ferzu. She is here from Rajkot (my hometown in Gujarat) to spend a couple of days with her son Aarish, who is in the hotel business and is a revenue officer. Her elder one, Anosh is in the front office of Denwa Backwaters near Bhopal.
Since her visit to Delhi coincided with my visit, we met for lunch and lounged. Khan Market is a kiss away from The Ambassador and so we sashayed in the sun and saw that people thronged and everyone was selling or looking for something to eat.
Cafes abound and all packed. They are all cheek by jowl, but carry a different ambience, different menu. Fascinating how markets work. If the noon time crowd was such, the night time crowd would have been hot and sizzling.
We were looking for a particular restaurant, with Lebanese fare and landed near an auto repair section, where apparently an old Chinese Restaurant had now shifted. Only 5 tables but the smells were tempting. And we had a very nice meal. Managed to get up and walk back in the sun.
Maybe I make a fuss about the heat, but I seriously have not stepped out in the noon sun in a long time. We were told not to. And walking in the sun? Sheer madness, I would think, but not if you see the tourists. My god!
To say Ferzu is mother of two sons is factually correct, but she was Mother to a bunch of kids for years and years at the Rajkumar College (a school for children of royalty and now the rich and those who can't speak English). She was teacher and House mistress and lived at the Prep Lodge in RKC.
After retirement she has joined the Sunshine International School, which she enjoys. She is currently getting the children to be interested in the Wizard of Oz. Bollywood beats and swaying hips notwithstanding, she has at least got the children curious and keen.
In fact she lived at the Lodge to keep an eye on the young ones. The problems they used to have were incredibly cute (for us adults) and hilarious when Ferzu relates them. Always upbeat and with a positive attitude, many of us school friends remain in touch because of her and another dear friend Harsha Parekh, who is our own Wikipedia.
Murali and I then went to the Foreign Correspondents Club, where the husband has managed an associate membership. But the place was swank with a fantastic menu and very-easy-on-the-pocket bar list and superb service. Did not know a soul but it was a nice evening.
But then this is all about Ferzana. She wanted to see the Qutub Minar and when I asked Akhila what to do in Delhi she said the Lotus Temple was a great visit. And our driver mentioned the Humayun Tomb and so from 11 am to 4 pm we did the rounds of these structures. We also had a very nice lunch.
But coming back to tourism, majority of the population of the country seemed to be there. The Lotus temple visit was a disaster, with crowds thronging, trying to keep their footwear in bags and not being able to store them and then go up to see the huge meditation hall. Children, adults, shiny clothes, selfies and no one was complaining except for yours truly.
Primarily I think there must be a ban on tourists between 12 and 3 pm. Especially in the summer months. Strictly my opinion, because everyone is merry, going about with their water bottles, eating chole kulches, drinking pudina ka paani or shikanji. And all of them are taking photographs.
My memory of the Qutub is with my parents. I had high fever and they left me on the lawns with a snack and Jaisiyaram na penda and walked up and waved to me from there. I later did manage to climb up.
But despite the heat the Qutub is awesome. And it might be on the landing path, because as we went around, there were 8 flights. And if you manage to find some shade, it is a proud moment to see half the country hanging around there and everywhere else getting a glimpse of what is truly India.
I still think it is criminal to go out in this heat. I did go though, had a decent time and I have only Ferzana to thank for that.
With the cheese sandwich memory, I don't do justice to Ferzu. She is here from Rajkot (my hometown in Gujarat) to spend a couple of days with her son Aarish, who is in the hotel business and is a revenue officer. Her elder one, Anosh is in the front office of Denwa Backwaters near Bhopal.
Since her visit to Delhi coincided with my visit, we met for lunch and lounged. Khan Market is a kiss away from The Ambassador and so we sashayed in the sun and saw that people thronged and everyone was selling or looking for something to eat.
Cafes abound and all packed. They are all cheek by jowl, but carry a different ambience, different menu. Fascinating how markets work. If the noon time crowd was such, the night time crowd would have been hot and sizzling.
We were looking for a particular restaurant, with Lebanese fare and landed near an auto repair section, where apparently an old Chinese Restaurant had now shifted. Only 5 tables but the smells were tempting. And we had a very nice meal. Managed to get up and walk back in the sun.
Maybe I make a fuss about the heat, but I seriously have not stepped out in the noon sun in a long time. We were told not to. And walking in the sun? Sheer madness, I would think, but not if you see the tourists. My god!
To say Ferzu is mother of two sons is factually correct, but she was Mother to a bunch of kids for years and years at the Rajkumar College (a school for children of royalty and now the rich and those who can't speak English). She was teacher and House mistress and lived at the Prep Lodge in RKC.
After retirement she has joined the Sunshine International School, which she enjoys. She is currently getting the children to be interested in the Wizard of Oz. Bollywood beats and swaying hips notwithstanding, she has at least got the children curious and keen.
In fact she lived at the Lodge to keep an eye on the young ones. The problems they used to have were incredibly cute (for us adults) and hilarious when Ferzu relates them. Always upbeat and with a positive attitude, many of us school friends remain in touch because of her and another dear friend Harsha Parekh, who is our own Wikipedia.
Murali and I then went to the Foreign Correspondents Club, where the husband has managed an associate membership. But the place was swank with a fantastic menu and very-easy-on-the-pocket bar list and superb service. Did not know a soul but it was a nice evening.
But then this is all about Ferzana. She wanted to see the Qutub Minar and when I asked Akhila what to do in Delhi she said the Lotus Temple was a great visit. And our driver mentioned the Humayun Tomb and so from 11 am to 4 pm we did the rounds of these structures. We also had a very nice lunch.
But coming back to tourism, majority of the population of the country seemed to be there. The Lotus temple visit was a disaster, with crowds thronging, trying to keep their footwear in bags and not being able to store them and then go up to see the huge meditation hall. Children, adults, shiny clothes, selfies and no one was complaining except for yours truly.
Primarily I think there must be a ban on tourists between 12 and 3 pm. Especially in the summer months. Strictly my opinion, because everyone is merry, going about with their water bottles, eating chole kulches, drinking pudina ka paani or shikanji. And all of them are taking photographs.
My memory of the Qutub is with my parents. I had high fever and they left me on the lawns with a snack and Jaisiyaram na penda and walked up and waved to me from there. I later did manage to climb up.
But despite the heat the Qutub is awesome. And it might be on the landing path, because as we went around, there were 8 flights. And if you manage to find some shade, it is a proud moment to see half the country hanging around there and everywhere else getting a glimpse of what is truly India.
I still think it is criminal to go out in this heat. I did go though, had a decent time and I have only Ferzana to thank for that.
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