Of Glaucoma and two old icons of Bombay other than moi of course .
The brightly hued Sri Lanka cotton handloom worn this time Indian style ; what my mother Maiji says is known as the Telengu Podavai . How different it looked when I wore it the Kandiyan way that night in Colombo .
Been dying to wear it again as o really loved the bright colours and the Pallu . It was a long day yesterday that began really early as I had my Glaucoma check up and that means the long haul to Kemps Korner with the rising sun . Doc said all was good and I was ok for the next eight weeks . Very reticent and parsimonious with his words the saree elicited a compliment from him though !!! Very colourful , he said , very bright .
One good thing about my Glaucoma is the lovely friend I have found in my Doc .
So my dear Pacters , if you are above 40 and especially if you have family history , do get yourselves checked for warning signs of Glaucoma . Don’t be daft like I was . Waiting till I had lost so much of my vision in one eye .
But what the heck I’ve had my surgeries and enough vision left to revel in the beauty around us and a great example in Maiji who has been living with the Big G for over two decades letting nothing come in the way of her reading , knitting and till a while ago , blogging .
Talking of beauty , just across the road ( Cumballa Hill Rd?) from doctor’s clinic is this gorgeous edifice that most times is hidden from one’s view when one is in a car or bus.
Apparently it belongs to an elderly Parsee lady who is the sole occupant there these days . Once upon a time it housed injured war veterans or was the Red Cross or Salvation Army HQ. I must find out for sure or if someone knows please share !
Since I had taken time off from work for the eye check up and a lunch date I decided to quickly sneak in a long overdue hair cut and then collecting more compliments for the Rangeen Saree I headed off for Lunch .
Whenever friend Manil Suri is in town we have a couple of favourite addas where we never, ever fail to hang out .
Britannia & Co at Ballard Estate is one and I do swear if you like Parsee food then this is the place ; And if you don’t like Parsee food then once you go here you will learn to love it for the rest of your life.
Can you decipher the order old Mr Boman Kohinoor took down in the way he’s been doing for years and years ? He’s truly what you would call an Institution and has been around ever since I remember ; since having been to the place for the first time which must’ve been at least 35 years ago.
And somehow you don’t mind hearing all about his political and other views all over again nor do you mind looking at the laminated letter he has from Windsor Castle ; the Queen’s message via the Lady in Waiting and the admiring couple from Palo Alto in California one more time . Not when he’s just so absolutely his honest Here Come The Gullible Tourist self ! The melt in your mouth , slathered with chutney Fish Patra will also make you laugh indulgently at all those dire warnings posted all over the walls where you cannot miss them.
Back to work after a lunch at Britannia may seem almost an impossibility but then it’s Bombay where anything is possible . Not only an afternoon of work but an evening buying gifts for the visiting friends as well as a birthday gift for another and then going over for some birthday beer and hugs .
And only in Bombay will the discerning boutique owner where you are shopping tell you that you are welcome to use the trial room to re tie and refresh your Saree .
Which is what I did do ; untied the Saree , gave it a few sharp shake downs and re draped it giving the colorful and malleable cotton a new life for a few more hours .