Lady Flora realised something was amiss when Sir Pheroze suggested they meet by the steps of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, for their midnight stroll, instead of one of the usual addas. She spotted him from a mile, given that the crowd had long gone. “All well, Pheroze?” she enquired, keen to know about his decision. “I am better now, thank you. Yesterday was an unexpectedly tiring day. The great grandniece was in town, and an accompanying family member suggested we have a picnic all the way in the Borivli National Park. I didn’t realise how exhausting it would turn out to be. When I suggested Malabar Hill Forest Walkway, which is also amidst nature, the counter-argument was that they wanted to experience real “open spaces”,” he sighed, using his fingers to gesture the inverted commas. He was upset that his legal background couldn’t win this round.

“But it must have been worth the trek? To sit literally in the lap of nature. We are lucky to have a national park within the city’s limits,” she marvelled, hoping to make him feel a shade better. “Oh yes, but reaching there took us ages, as we trudged our way through Sunday traffic. Next, there were crowds who seemed to have had similar plans. Of course, once we entered, it was heaven, after we found a secluded open space. The kids had a blast. That’s when it struck me how low-ranked we must be as a global city when it comes to accessible open spaces for children and adults.”