Keep the cultural vibe all year through

Gosh This seems like summer Itrsquos freezing back in Londonrdquo sulked Lady Felicity Lady Florarsquos cousin as she sought refuge in the pleasant confines of the Cathedral as soon as the setting sun cast an orange hue over the late evening sky She was in town to spend the Christmas holidays with her cousin ldquoGoodness This is hardly salubrious weather My pashmina is of no userdquo she sighed as she wiped off beads of perspiration from her forehead Lady Flora and Sir PM looked a shade embarrassed listening to her utterances all true and hence pointless to disputeShe cooled off after sipping on a lemonade that Sir PM had arranged for from the nearby juicewallah It helped she seemed in better spirits ldquoI love this city it seems like itrsquos abuzz all the time Flo The festivals the melas the eventshellipI am finding it tough to cover so much ground Is this the mood all year or does it spring up only in these monthsrdquo she asked Both friends exchanged glances She had hit the nail on its headldquoFelsy this is something that Pheroze and I continue to deliberate about year after year It is intriguing that you too as a firsttimer to the city have noticed this considering yoursquove hardly been here for a couple of weeks We cannot fathom why the city continues to be packed with events only for these few months And yoursquore right when you say that itrsquos hardly winterrdquo Lady Flora smiled ldquoI too had to pack off my cashmere sweaters in the attic Blame it on climate changerdquo she addedLady Flora noticed that Sir PM was missing for the last part of their chat She turned around to check only to spot him returning propping a massive calendarlike chart in both his hands ldquoLook at this data that Irsquove saved from the last year the itinerary builds up by late Octoberearly November and is chocabloc till February of the following year before it winds down rather abruptly by the end of that month There is a spurt in AprilMay due to the summer vacations but this is followed by an awfully long lull before things revive in the last quarterrdquo Sir PM summarised Both cousins especially Lady Felicity seemed impressed with this detailed brief presentation Lady Flora was proud of her friendrsquos data collection skills and was secretly amazed at how he kept a close watch on the cityrsquos cultural calendar ldquoPheroze the research is insightful clearly this is a skewed calendar Itrsquos disappointing for a city that is blessed with a rich repository of resources from ideas to visionaries and supportersmdashthough I feel the last point needs better representation Irsquoll save that for another day We continue to be baffled why the monsoon months are ignoredrdquo Lady Flora opined Lady Felicity who was listening with great intent felt she ought to step in ldquoLondon has very clear seasonsmdashand Flo you know very well how the wet weather mdashusually around autumnmdashand the winter both can be very harsh and uninviting Somehow organisers manage to draw in the numbers I see no reason why it cannot be followed herhelliprdquo she trailed off Sir PM and Lady Flora egged her onldquoItrsquos simple Move everything indoors during the months of bad weathermdashduring your mercurial monsoons and unforgiving summers I see Londoners pretty adept at managing the biting winters and the drippy autumnal phases They I am realising are just like you Bombaywallahs they have high expectations but are the nononsense kinds whorsquove adapted well to their extreme usually fickle weather They will show up as long as the event is worth the effort I recall a heritage walk festival that paid tribute to the cityrsquos great writers it took us through their homes study areas favourite restaurants and librarieshellip It was themed on Arthur Conan Doyle We managed well because most of the route covered indoor spacesrdquo she revealed ldquoOn another occasion a series of culinary events including cooking dos sessions about Englandrsquos food culture and histories were held under a giant temporary canopy with excellent heating in charming Covent Garden We never felt the cold wet weather outside and everyone was kept warm with muffins and hot chocolaterdquoBoth friends did a slow clap ldquoThis is great information itrsquos clearly doable I am going to share these suggestions with my friends from the cultural circuit It may not be a directly conceivable solution but whatrsquos the harm reallyrdquo Lady Flora said confidently She looked positive Sir PM too chimed in ldquoI will discuss these gems with my friends in the corporation to consider taking the indoor route in the unpleasant months Thank you my lady We are grateful for your inputrdquoBuoyed by this new challenge and goal for their beloved Bombay in the new year the trio guided their guest towards the Art Deco ensemble facing Marine Drive as the stunning Queenrsquos Necklace played silent observermiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom