We’ll have one cosmopolitan, please!

Maybe September Irsquoll love againMaybe a rainbow will catch me thenrdquoThis little boyhellipLady Flora was amused but also impressed with his sense of tonality after she caught on to the lyrics of the Tony Bennett classic Maybe September as it rolled out from Sir PMrsquos mouth He was seated at their temporary adda a bench inside Cooperage Bandstand and wasnrsquot aware that she had arrivedldquoPheroze You never told me you were a Bennett fanrdquo she remarked A sheepishlooking Sir PM managed a halfsmile as he realised that his friend must have heard him sing aloud for the first time ever ldquoNow donrsquot look embarrassed I thought that rendition was lovelyhellipperhaps you should pursue it as a hobbyrdquo she said encouragingly adding ldquoBut tell me about the choice of song is it just because wersquore in September or is there a deeper meaningrdquoSir PM replied in a flash ldquoThis morning when Viegas and I were sipping on our cuppa we realised how many festivals or important religious days have come together this September It started with Janmashtami then the Mount Mary Basilica feast and fair Paryushan is underway Rosh Hashanah festivities began last week and now we have Ganesh Chaturthi as well as IdeMilad to look forward to Isnrsquot that amazingrdquoldquoSpot on Pherozerdquo said Lady Flora ldquoAs if the universe is trying to send out a message to remind this wonderful city and its citizens of its amazing cosmopolitanism that they should be proud of and safeguard more importantly Amidst this rat race to earn more wealth and look at everything only from a commercial lens we tend to forget our inherent core our multicultural fabric the very foundations on which this city grew and is called the lsquoMelting Pot of Culturesrsquordquo she continuedSir PM loved how their conversations had a life of their own and both could speak their minds freely without being judged ldquoI am glad you mentioned this point because lately Irsquove been feeling that Bombay has been losing sight of this unique character ndash of being the most cosmopolitan of all big Indian cities My friends in Calcutta will throw a fit that wersquove claimed this title but I donrsquot carerdquo shared Sir PM Lady Flora smiled ldquoI second you Irsquove witnessed for centuries ndash and this yoursquod agree ndash of how the city has always welcomed diverse communities from the seas as well as the mainland with open arms and offered them space and comfort to not just survive but thrive My 10 fingers wonrsquot be enough if I were to start counting these communities Itrsquos a wonderful advertisement for community livingrdquo she reasonedldquoTake for example my descendants who came from Persia What a welcome they received here in Bombay Throughout my practice I enjoyed our camaraderie irrespective of which side of the case we were represented After work wersquod almost always head to someonersquos home for a late lunch or early supper I got to savour fare from countless communities as a result of this diversityrdquo he chuckled The duo strolled around the Fort neighbourhood Sir PM was a hardcore foodie and was always proud of how his community gave the city the beloved Irani cafeacute However being a Sunday none were operational so they had to forego the bunmaska routineldquoRecently a cousin who was visiting from the Isles remarked how she had spotted people across faiths when we headed to the Mount in Bandra She was wowed by their devotion You never see such scenes back home itrsquos why we are a special city On our way back we noticed preparations for the upcoming Ganesha festival were in full swing It was all very revelatory for herrdquo shared Lady Flora By now they had passed by the Blue Synagogue in Kalaghoda ldquoI made a dash to Byculla last week to visit a sick relative and on my return I dropped by their splendid synagogue the Jews were in prayer for their festival it served as a timely reminder of the communityrsquos presence and benevolence for this city dating back to Sir David Sassoon and his descendantsrdquo added Sir PMldquoSpeaking about reminders I am planning to visit the Keshavji Naik chawl Ganesha this year will you come along Lady Flora asked her friend ldquoOf course I remember we promised to do the trail this yearrdquo smiled Sir PM He had fond memories of this historic mandal tucked in a quiet bylane off Jagannath Shankarsheth Road ldquoWe always headed there during the festival Tilak was a visionary he and his friends believed that such community events were the way forward to keep the citizens wellinformed Itrsquos a simple celebration and Irsquom told that current generations continue to ensure its essence hasnrsquot got dilutedrdquo By now they had reached the Fort pandal that was preparing for Bapparsquos arrival Lady Flora noticed that people across faiths were trying to catch a glimpse of the grand stage for the elephant god ldquoThis city is in the detailsrdquo she smiled as both of them also decided to head theremiddayrsquos 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