Thursday, May 28, 2009
In Bombay
at the moment. Got here on the weekend for my dad's book launch which was on Monday. It went off totally fantastically and we are all terribly happy about that - being the first family event since my grandmother passed away so everyone wanted it to be a huge success. It was the first event to be held at the Taj's Crystal Ball Room since November and obviously it was a big event for the Taj staff as well, all of whom were lovely and really went out of their way to put up a great show. It was also the first time a lot of my family were going back to the hotel, since having been stuck there while having dinner on that 26th, so it was emotional for them too. I was sad to see the lovely old building barricaded the way it was, no longer as open and welcoming as it once was. In between all the rush, I slipped into the also newly reopened Sea Lounge for coffee and managed to meet Ratan Tata (who was launching the book) and be suitably excited about it all evening. I have been too busy being force fed all manner of things by my family to have done anything else. Photographs haven't been taken yet, (unless candids of Mr. Tata count), but I am here for another week or so, so that should be rectified.
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18 comments:
Tell us, did you have to bite your tongue when you said "bye" to Mr. Tata? :)
(And congratulations on the book launch. Any links possible?)
Why would I say "bye"? Only "hello" and "so nice to meet you".
Links here here and here
yeah, but saying, "Tata, bye bye" to a Tata has been a dream of mine.
//Ah, so now we know who's behind the incredible campaign (pun intended). Very cool.
km: ha!
szer: any of your photos in the book?
oh my God, I want to read that book! and congratulations, you must be very proud!
Hopefully Bombay has been nicer to you than it is to me on a regular basis.
It's pretty crummy city for the natives.
And of course, excellent news on your dad's book launch.
Je veux lire ce livre et retourner à Bombay aussi. Prends des photos, s'il vous plait! Maintenant, je vais étudier pendant mon examen :(
km: just hunt down a Parsi named Tata na? Otherwise I will keep you in mind if I ever meet one!
spacebar: not even one :(
roxana: proud, yes. Btw, if you would really like the book I'll happily mail it to you... let me know..
pan: stop with the french! Seriously!
It must had been a great feeling. Seeing your dad's book being launched by a very important man. What's the book about?
sz!!!!! that would be soooooo great, you know how fascinated i am with India, its culture and people (this includes food as well, of course :-) - have always dreamt to go there, unfortunately it is really very expensive to fly from Romania. i've recently heard from a collegue who has an indian husband that it would be much cheaper to fly from Germany, for ex...
some day i will, for sure...
but noooo, i can't possibly... you are so nice, much too nice, thank you, i couldn't possibly bother you with that...
congrats lady!! din know u are here for this. Also read abt Oxford. DOUBLE congrats! when r u coming back to delhi? :).. gotta take a party from u :P
Whoa! Yet another blogger I read is in town.
Scherezade, I beg to disagree. Other cities are worse. Especially if you want basic infrastructure in place.
So, Mumbai is better by the virtue of other cities being worse?
Hmm. Sound analysis. And I haven't yet comprehended the mysteries of basic infrastructure. So.
I love my city as much as I love to hate it. It's a Bombayite thing to do. Not much can be done about that, I am afraid.
Scherezade.
All places suck. Some places suck less.
Mumbai is one of those places which suck less.
Basic infrastructure = power, transport, water, services ...
Personally, I love a fast, high speed life. I also love the ability to hit the jungle in two/three hours of travel.
The niceness of your neighbours not caring about what you do in daily life, but being there to help when you really need them. Come hell, or high water.
It's a big city thing.
jigar: Thanks, the book talks about the Incredible India campaign.
roxana: I am totally serious, feel free to email me with details if you want and you can show me around Romania when I visit ;) I know India has a lot of tourist traffic from Germany so its not surprising the fares are much cheaper.
twilight fairy: Haha, thanks! I should be back in Delhi next week so yes I will treat you when we meet up.
anonymouse, hello! It's nice to see you around these parts again.
scher: I won't argue about the pros and cons of Bombay - I don't think it's a city I would live in, love it as I do and all its pluses aside - but that's mostly because I really have to come to like Delhi, despite it being unsafe an for large parts terribly crass. But I do think Bombay probably has more functional basic infrastructure than the other metros. It's the only place where I have seen a remotely active Muncipal Corporation. But then again, I only see the superficial.
(btw, I would love to meet up with both of you Bombay people if you have the time and patience to meet meeee!)
http://www.tubaah.com/details.php?video_id=79188
Oh boy! I missed the meetup comment. Apologies, but I have not had too much spare time in the past few months.
I am passing through Delhi in August and September, I'll let you know if I have the time (and the ability to meet up with you there).
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