There's an old lady in Bandra at whose house I'm welcome whenever I happen to be passing through Mumbai. It's on the 12th floor of a sturdy old high-rise on Carter Road, with a sweeping view of the Arabian Sea obstructed only by an inebriate seaward-leaning coconut palm and a Christmas tree that Zelma Lazarus herself planted decades ago, which now stands ten storeys high. Definitely the tallest Christmas tree I've ever seen.

Zelma has lived in this sunswept, windblown house for as long as I've known her, which would be almost 40 years, right from when she was around 40 herself. She turned 81 eight days ago, but still lives independently, goes to work every morning, church every Sunday, and for a stroll along the sea every evening. She enjoys crossword puzzles and sentimental rhyming poetry, writes everything down so that nothing is forgotten, loves a rich breakfast with cheeses, cold cuts, eggs and home-made butter, and never misses the 9 o'clock news.