Snippets!

I think my cat secretly watches Pink Panther films because her favourite game is to hide in and around corners, and leap out at poor unsuspecting me; believing this game of cat and mouse (me of course being the terrified mouse!) is great fun! I look like a lunatic half the time, as she nibbles my ankles whilst I attempt to carry on serious conversations on subjects of supposed profundity (!) with students, and simultaneously try to avoid this pretend piranha! Most mornings I am woken by a purring mound as she balances on my hip whilst I valiantly try to get a five minute extended snooze in; finally being forced to get out of bed from her insistent gentle kneading of her back claws in to my flesh, all this being done as the delight of being my morning alarm service! Any takers for this, just drop a note!

The weekend had Mithun down with us in Baroda and the house teeming with the children taking time off from collective studio practice activities, and indulging in lazing around. Friends joined us for the big Sunday feast which has become the standard norm; and scrabble, IPL and tons of yummy food became the agenda of the weekend. Our home sometimes resembles a Jane Austin novel gone slightly off it's intended narrative with a stream girls and boys of varying ages that pop up in every nook and crevice of the house! Begum our cat, who is always in the midst of anything that occurs at home, always finds something to push off its perch. Most times it is of value and gets broken or damaged! What occurs is a sequence of pretend-pretend again. Me pretending to be angry and she pretending a ghost cat lives in the house and does these bad things!

Was in Bombay for the day on Monday and really take my hat off to the Mumbaikars for their zest to live with commuting time that averages many hours from one destination to another, for so many residents of this metropolis. I was tripping around a few locations and Crawford market was one of them. Dressed all in flowing black, with my Cristina odhani worn more like a veil over my face and head to protect me from the scorching sun, I fitted into the ambiance perfectly and could have been miya gulabi quite easily! Just my Prada glasses flashed from this veil of mystery....maybe 007 films should be my reverse revenge with my cat, Begum!

Today sees me off in the hospital with one of our spiritual daughters who has to undergo an investigative surgery procedure. As I potter around at 5 am, Begum looks at me from half closed eyes, licks my hand with pretended comfort and goes right back to sleep, whilst for me it is Florence Nightingale time!