“Pheroze, what in heaven are you wearing? I imagined you to be a salesman, albeit with a slightly better sense of dressing. Is this a new look that we have to get used to?” Lady Flora couldn’t believe her eyes. Her friend, Sir PM, was wearing a tracksuit, and looked entirely uncomfortable. “Well, you see, I am training for the upcoming annual marathon. It’s such a wonderful way to encourage people across ages to stay fit and healthy, especially with the hectic lives we lead.” Lady Flora wasn’t convinced, “Out with it, Pheroze. Tell me what has triggered this sudden passion to get fit? You’re out of breath well before we complete even 50 paces…” Sir PM was in a corner. “So, Viegas and I went to meet the Prince of Wales at the museum, and I was rather startled at how fit he looked. I mean, he could so easily have gone south, if you know what I mean…what with all the royal feasts and ceremonial pageantry but he’s looking in terrific shape. It made me feel rather awkward. Even the missus strongly feels that I should hit the road soon, take my fitness routine more seriously.” All Lady Flora could notice was his rotund self. She tried her best to hide a wide grin as he wiped away beads of perspiration that had trickled down his temples.

“Oh but if you must know, we went to congratulate Georgie [George V] for the stupendous win. It was an amazing honour, especially in the centenary year of the museum,” Sir PM announced, pretty sure that he had outsmarted his friend by sharing this bit of news. Far from it, Lady Flora had all the news, courtesy her informers in Fort. She loved to play along, though. “So what victory are you talking about?” she asked, innocently. Sir PM beamed as he rolled out the details, “There are these prestigious awards by UNESCO that are announced annually in Bangkok to salute some of the finest [mostly privately owned] restored heritage sites. And, our Prince of Wales’s home—now known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya—actually won the highest honour here, the Award of Excellence. Isn’t it just stupendous? I believe the jury hailed the project for restoring such a major civic institution in our historic city and commended it for its scale and for overcoming challenges due to the pandemic,” he motored along from a rehearsed script, Lady Flora could tell. ‘Poor fellow,’ she muttered under her breath, appreciative of his effort. “That’s just fabulous, Pheroze. Now tell me, aren’t you missing something?” she asked, much to Sir PM’s bafflement. “Yes, yes, that’s all we know and are very happy for our city to shine at such an important stage.”