CONNIE FRANCIS PASSES ON

Remember Connie Francis, the peppy girl singer with the sweet voice who delighted us with her songs in late 1950s and early '60s? Two songs which come to mind immediately are "Lipstick On Your Collar" and "Stupid Cupid".

"Lipstick..." is about a girl who spots lipstick on the collar of her boyfriend when he comes back after going out supposedly to buy a soda pop. On being questioned, he says the lipstick marks are hers although the girl notices the marks are of a different shade. Just then, 'Mary Jane' walks in with lipstick all a mess and it is evident that the boy was smooching Mary, the singer's best friend. "Lipstick on your collar told a tale on you, lipstick on your collar said you were untrue, bet your bottom dollar, you and I are through."

Usually singing in a smooth style,  Connie Francis charmingly modulates her voice with a kind of  hiccup while warbling the title words in 'Stupid Cupid'. That is what she calls her boyfriend who she blames for being mean and flitting, making her act like a lovesick fool and carrying his books to school. She is bothered that she felt fine after kissing his lips of wine but now pleads, "Hey, hey, set me free, Stupid Cupid stop picking on me." 

Her other big hits included "Who's Sorry Now", "The Majesty of Love", "My Happiness", "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" and "Pretty Little Baby" which though released in 1962, went viral on TikTok this year and became a sleeper hit much to Connie's delight who said she had forgotten the song but was "pleased that her music, and the innocence it sought to represent, was being embraced by a younger audience".

Though her songs keep coming back to me, why am I specially thinking of her today? Because I just read that she is no more. She suffered an injury early this year and was wheelchair bound and passed away yesterday, 16 July, at the age of 87. Connie Francis was the top-charting female vocalist at her prime and sold more than 200 million records worldwide. An American citizen, she was of Italian descent with the originsl name 'of 'Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero'. Her success was international and in 1960, she was recognised as the most successful female artist in Germany, Japan, UK, Italy, Australia and the US.

Unfortunately her love life was not as smooth as her voice. She and Bobby Darin, the popular singer with hits like "Splish Splash", "Mack the Knife and "Beyond the Sea" (English adaptation of the classic French song "La Mer") were deeply in love but Connie's father did not allow them to get married on the grounds that Bobby Darin was not an Italian! She had four marriages and a partner in her final years but maintained that not marrying Bobby was her biggest mistake in life.

Bobby Darin later fell in love with Sandra Dee while filming the beautiful comedy "Come September" with the very catchy title song composed by Bobby. Unfortunately Bobby died at the young age of 37 in 1973 due to a weak heart.

Rest in peace, Connie Francis, your voice will never die.

 

MY VI VISIT TO ITALY - THE FINALE - MILAN

Milan, richest and largest and the second-most populous city after Rome in Italy had eluded me on my five previous trips to that country. This time I was determined not to let it go and we arrived there on the evening of 12 June. 

Milan is a wonderful mix of the ancient and the modern. It's historical monuments testify to its ancient art and culture while in present times it is recognised as the global capital of modern fashion and design. In a lighter vein, I am tempted to make something out of its name: 'Mil' in Hindi means 'meet', 'a' stands for 'ancient' and 'n' for 'new'. So Milan is where ancient and new meet!

On with our sightseeing and we started with the Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral, the largest church in Italy and third largest in the world after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida in Brazil. Commissioned in 1386, it took nearly 600 years to complete. The church has more than 3400 statues, 135 spires and 155 gargoyles. Its multitude of spires and pinnacles reaching for the sky are fascinating. Rooftop terraces provide a breathtaking view of the city which prohibits any construction higher than the church's highest spire dedicated to St. Mary.

The church opens out on to a large square, Piazza del Duomo, teemed with tourists getting an eyeful of the complex and intricate design of the church. At night, it is brilliantly illuminated and one has to literally tear oneself away from the sight.

Across the road to the north is a big archway providing an entry to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the oldest active shopping arcade in Milan. The arcade covered by an arching glass and cast iron roof is built around the street linking Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala. A large glass dome covers the octagonal central space the floor of which is marked by four beautiful mosaics portraying the cost of arms of the old three kingdoms of Italy, Turin, Florence and Rome, and Milan. We saw a large number of people crowding around the Turin mosaic taking turns to spin around the centre. Our guide told us that the centre once had testicles of a bull from Turin and it was a belief that spinning three times around with a heel on the testicles brought the person good luck. The act has made the testicles disappear leaving a hole in the floor but the superstition still holds for the spinning hopefuls. Good luck to them!

The Rome mosaic shows two little boys sucking milk from a she-wolf depicting the mythical legend of Romulus and Remus who were abandoned as infants and nursed by the she-wolf. Growing up, the two founded a city but in a dispute, Romulus killed Remus and named the city Rome after himself.

Our guide told us that the Prada store in the arcade was the first that the luxury brand opened up in the world. Passing by the many restaurants, we pointed out one where we had dinner the previous evening. The guide said that restaurant, Biffi Caffe, was the oldest in the arcade and had been functioning ever since 1867, the year the arcade started functioning. That made us feel good and we happily recalled the exquisite taste of the tagliatelle we had had there. 

Right at the entrance, there was a big queue at the Amorino Gelataria which claims to serve the best  gelato in Milan. So we had to have it even though it took ages for our turn to come.

We exited from the arcade on to Piazza della Scala, a smaller square in the centre of which there is a monument to Leonardo da Vinci consisting of his tall statue with figures of four of his pupils on the base. And there, just across the road, was Teatro alla Scala, one of the most well-known opera houses in the world.

Inaugurated in August 1778, La Scala, as it is commonly known, is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres globally and has held premieres of many of the most popular operas. The historic auditorium is awe-inspiring with a multitude of boxes and superb architecture including the spectacular ceiling which appears to be curved but is actually flat. On the upper floor there is a museum with a large collection of paintings, statues and costumes. As one passes the busts of the great composers, their popular works come to mind; Verdi and La Traviata, Puccini and Madame Butterfly, Rossini and The Barber of Seville, the overture of which is our family favourite. I also remembered "La Donna e Mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto which I had written about earlier in my blog. By the side of Rossini, there was a smaller bust of Beethoven who had written only one opera but I guess his greatness deserves a place in the museum. Another item of interest was a piano said to be the oldest in the world.

Next place on our itinerary was Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a museum containing works of Leonardo da Vinci (Portrait of a Musician), Caravaggio (The Basket of Fruit, said to be the first still life painting), Raphael (School of Athens, a cartoon representing the greatest mathematicians, philosophers and scientists who lived at different times but are shown together under one roof here), Titian (Adoration of the Magi), and Boticelli (Madonna of the Pavilion).

I was curious to know why Raphael's work was known as a 'cartoon' when it did not resemble anything like today's cartoons. I was told that the English word 'cartoon' is derived from the Italian 'cartone' which means 'large paper'. Raphael drew full-scale drawings on numerous sheets of paper and pasted them together as preparatory drawings for his frescos and tapestries. From there devolved the present-day 'cartoon'. 

We saw some miscellaneous items also such as the gloves that Napoleon wore at Waterloo. And "Codex Atlanticus", the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings and drawings.

In the heart of the city there is a castle named Sforzesco. Built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan and renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Once accessed by a drawbridge, today it provides a nice walk inside its walls and below majestic towers.

We rounded off our sightseeing in Milan with a visit to Santa Maria della Grazie, a small church but internationally known, for this is where Leonardo da Vinci painted his famous and fascinating mural, "The Last Supper." It covers an entire wall with its size of 15 feet by 29 feet. As you know, during the supper, Jesus Christ is believed to have told his 12 apostles that one of them would betray him. The painting depicts the reaction of the apostles ranging from surprise and shock to awe and anger. The greatest critics and connoisseurs all over the world have been scrutinising and analysing the mural for over 525 years trying to interpret what exactly were the complex emotions of the apostles.

On the opposite wall there is another brilliant mural, "Crucifixion" by Montorfano.

So our dream trip to Italy was coming to an end and it was time to say 'Arrivederci Italia' and think of home. We were booked to fly back to Delhi from Milan by Air India Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) on the evening of Sunday 15 June and had the day free till then. But there was a bit of drama to be played out that day. An Air India Dreamliner had crashed in Ahmedabad on 12 June and all such aircraft were to undergo rigid inspection. On 14th afternoon, we got a message that our flight would be delayed by a few hours. Messages about further postponements continued till 15th forenoon when we were told that the flight was cancelled. That had all of us stunned. Our travel agent advised us to contact Air India in Milan and place ourselves in their hands. That was unacceptable because we were in no mood to be stranded in Milan even at Air India's expense.

We contacted Ruchir in New York by which time he had already come to know of the cancellation. He advised us to wait. Meanwhile, he and his very resourceful Chief of Staff, Paul Weiner, got into action to get us out of the mess. After a couple of anxious hours, they had managed to book us by SwissAir on 16th forenoon for which we had to go to Zurich. Getting a car was also a problem as it was a Sunday and drivers were not available. Finally, a car and driver were arranged and we left Milan just before 9 p.m. 

Milan to Zurich through Alps would be a lovely road journey in the daytime but we had sunlight only for less than an hour during which we passed some familiar spots like Lake Como and Lugano. Then it was dark and we were dozing off and on till reaching our hotel next to the airport.

After the anxious previous day, we heaved a huge sigh of relief when our flight took off from Zurich and started thinking of home, sweet home.

Tailpiece. Winter 1951. Father Mackessack's after school musical class in the old St. Xavier's building, Jaipur. He sings and we join reading from our little songbook-

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home

A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there

Which seek thru' the world is ne'er met elsewhere

Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home!

There's no place like home

There's no place like home!"

MY VI VISIT TO ITALY - Part II - IN AND AROUND FLORENCE

In planning the second part of our visit, there were two opinions. As we had just one week, Shumita felt we should limit it to one place and see it in detail whereas I thought we should cover 3-4 cities including Rome as this was the first trip to Italy for Shumita and the boys. Both Ruchir and Shumita thoight Rome was too far and so we settled on two, Florence and Milan. Also, I was for train travel but the others said that as there were five of us with baggage, we should rent a car for the long road journeys.  

So off we went at noon on 8 June hitting the road to Florence. In about 2 1/2 hours, we reached Modena, birthplace of Ferrari and home to its Formula One racing team. We made our way to the Enzo Ferrari Museum (Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari) and had our hearts racing just looking at the various models of the super racing cars from the rare ones of 1950s to Michael Schumacher's and more recent ones. There were a few Alfa Romeo and Maserati cars on display too and a video presentation depicting the life of the great Enzo Ferrari. A second part of the museum is the former house and workshop of Enzo's father which takes one back to the history of Ferrari's origins.

While leaving Modena, Shumita told me something I didn't know; my favourite singer of Neapolitan and opera songs, Luciano Pavarotti, was born here. After spending a lifetime entertaining audiences all over the world with his brilliant and powerful singing, he went back to Modena to rest in peace beneath the green, green grass of home. 

We got back on the road to Florence or Firenze as the Italians call it, arriving there at about 6 pm. We checked in our hotel which was ideally located in the heart of the city, just a short walk from most of the famous sites, and settled down for our stay.

The next two days we followed the true tourist itenerary visiting one landmark after the other beginning with the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore commonly known as the Duomo which with ts huge dome symbolises Florence just as Hawa Mahal represents Jaipur. Inside is the most famous feature of the church, the enormous octagonal cupola built by Brunelleschi. Historical frescoes and stained glass windows glorify the church which is one of the most well-known in the world.

Incidentally, I always thought 'duomo' meant 'dome' but learnt that it is actually an Italian term for a church.

After the Duomo, Akhila and I rested while Shumita and the boys climbed the 414 steps to the top of Campanile, the tower alongside the Duomo, to get a magnificent view of Florence. 

Next we visited the Galleria dell'Accademia which is home to the famously infamous 17-foot sculpture of David. Onwards to the Uffizi Gallery to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo da Vinci's Anunciation, Michelangelo's Holy Family and many other paintings of Titian, Lippi, Raphael and Caravaggio.

We then entered the Vasari corridor, a private passageway of the Medici family built in the 16th century. It links the Uffizi Gallery with Palazzo Pitti, the palace of the Medicis, via the top of the historic bridge, Ponte Vecchio. The Second World War saw the destruction of all old bridges over the Arno River but remarkably, Ponte Vecchio was left untouched. The bridge is now one of the landmarks of Florence with shops on both sides known particularly for selling exquisite jewellery.

Palazzo Pitti was closed for renovation but we did visit Giardino di Boboli, the pretty garden above the palace, which has many classic sculptures, fountains and breathtaking vistas.

On the evening of 9 June, following the recommendation of a friend of Shumita's, we went to Piazzale Michelangelo, a square on a hill just south of the city centre, which provides an excellent panoramic view of Florence. A replica of David's statue stands near the edge of the hill where there was a big crowd of tourists waiting to watch the sun go down over Ponte Vecchio and beyond the Arno river. Coincidentally, it was the evening just one before full moon, so as we watched the sun set in the west, the moon rose directly opposite in the east. A brilliant sight!

On 11 June, we hired a car to go an extensive road trip starting with Pisa. A drive of just over an hour and we stood looking at the amazing Leaning Tower, one of the seven wonders of the world, with people taking photographs either pretending to push or support the Tower. Once again, Shumita and the boys climbed up the Tower while Akhila and I sipped our Cappuccino at one of the many cafes in Piazza del Miracoli by the side of the Tower. A quick look inside the ancient Cathedral next to the Tower and we resumed our journey.

We headed to Siena, two hours away from Pisa. This drive in Tuscany is considered to be one of the most scenic in Italy. It joins the road from Florence to Siena which is known as 'Chiantigiana' after the famous red wine, Chianti. Majestic cypress trees, lush vineyards, huge wheat farms and bright yellow flowers (ginestra) on slopes of rolling hills provide stunning views all along. 

The Gothic town city of Siena has a walled centre with medieval brick buildings and dark lanes. Its 13th century Duomo is one of the prettiest churches I have seen. The entire floor is covered with inlaid marble mosaic and the church houses a plethora of works of the best Italian sculptors of that era including Michelangelo and Donatello. Besides, it has frescoes, stained glass windows and a hexagonal dome topped with Bernini's gilded lantern like a golden sun. A unique feature is the Piccolomini Library inside the church featuring a cycle of frescoes illustrating ten episodes from the life of Pope Pius II. There was a large collection of ancient, holy tomes of huge sizes with big, bold and colourful typefaces  dating back to the 15th century.

The other landmark we visited was the Piazza del Campo where a prestigious horse race takes place twice a year. As usual, the Piazza had many cafes and a gelataria claiming to be the best in the world for its mouth-watering gelatos in which we indulged.

Reversing course towards Florence, we came to another small and cute hill town of San Gimignano known for its 14 towers of varying heights. No cars are allowed inside the town, so while Shumita and the boys climbed up the road to see whatever sites they could, Akhila and I ambled up to Piazza del Duomo to sip our Cappuccino. On our walk down with wine shops on both sides, I could not resist the temptation to buy some local wine and settled for the glorious red Chianti.

By now the sun was going down and tired but happy, we made our way back to Florence. Our driver was a sweet lady who kept up a nice commentary describing the countryside and the places we were passing by. Additionally, we had music going on with "Grande, Grande, Grande" and "Il Mondo" on my request followed by Shumita appropriately playing Andrea Bocelli who was born in the village of La Sterza in Tuscany, about 40 kms. south of Pisa. Our driver told us that on his birthday on 22 September (all good people are Virgoans!), he holds a free concert and party in his village.  Tempted to join the fun?

A dinner at a restaurant in the busy Piazza della Repubblica with a colourful carousel in the centre marked our final evening in Florence and the next morning we were on the road to Milan. 

Looking at the road map, I had seen that only a small diversion was required to include Verona in our itinerary and Verona as everyone knows was the setting of Shakespeare's love story of Romeo and Juliet. So we took the detour and arrived at Verona by lunchtime. Again, the city allows no cars inside so we were dropped at Piazza Bra, the city's largest square. A quick lunch and we walked to the Roman amphitheater, the Arena, which was built around 30 AD and is the third largest in Italy after Rome's Colosseum and the Amphitheatre of Capua. 

After a quick look at the Arena which was under renovation, we entered the narrow lanes of the city and made our way to Via Cappello for Casa de Giulietta, the house of Juliet. An archway leads to a small courtyard with a lifesize bronze statue of Juliet. On the right stands the house with the famous balcony where much of Shakespeare's drama is played out.

Hardcore realists will say 'Romeo and Juliet' is a work of fiction and there was no family such as the Capulets. Tell that to the hundreds of romantics who throng to Verona every day just to see Juliet's statue, house and the balcony. This is the house of Juliet, this is the balcony from where the love of Juliet and Romeo blossomed, this is the balcony which Romeo climbed to be with Juliet. And the statue- it is believed that rubbing Juliet's right breast is a charm for love and fertility. So young lovers, may that work for you and may your love bloom and grow forever!

On to Milan.

MY VI VISIT TO ITALY - PART I

The belief is that while in Rome, the eternal city, if one throws a coin in Trevi Fountain, it shall ensure a return to the city. Remember "Three Coins in the Fountain", the 1954 movie with its vastly popular theme song sung by The Four Aces?

On my first three visits to Rome, I threw a coin each time and returned for a fourth time. I threw a coin on that trip too but haven't been back to Rome. Akhila and I, while on a holiday in Monaco, did make a day trip to Sanremo on the Italian Riviera in 2018 so could that be attributed to the coin since we did visit Italy? There was, of course, no coin throwing on that trip so we should have been through with the country.

Not so. This summer, we had to get away from Delhi. Jaipur was a no-no with our house undergoing renovation. Various options were discussed and we finally settled on a two-week sojourn to North Italy, a region I had not seen. Ruchir took up the planning and said he would join us for a week. We asked Gaurav to come with family but he said he couldn't get away though Shumita and the boys could join us. So plans were made for 1-15 June.

The trip took off with an Air India flight from Delhi to Milan on 1 June. After a 45 minute drive from Milan airport, by midnight we were at our hotel, Villa d'Este, located in a town called Cernobbio on the banks of Lake Como. Ruchir had already got there earlier.

We spent the next six days exploring the area extensively beginning with our hotel itself. The main building is surrounded by parks sprawling over 25 acres. The property has its origins dating back to 1578 when it was developed as a residence for a Cardinal. It was converted into a hotel in 1873. A book about the hotel had an interesting line: "George Washington did not sleep here but Alfred Hitchcock did!" Elizabeth Taylor's love affair with Richard Burton blossomed here with Liz, according to the famous director, Mike Nichols (The Graduate), attempting to hide her identity by wearing a large hat all the time.

For me, the most fascinating part of the hotel was the magnificent "Mosaic Garden" also known as the Nymphaeum. The lush green lawn adorned with multiple-coloured flowers, some of them gigantic, leads to a small pool after which a few steps take one to a dozen marble structures representative of Italian Renaissance art. The path is decorated with colourful pebbles and a 50-metre climb leads to the statue of Ercole (Hercules) below old fort ruins and a tall bell tower which is a typically common feature of the area.

Another unique feature was the floating swimming pool which was brilliantly lit at night.

Lake Como is a huge lake, the third largest but deepest in Italy, covering an area of 147 sq. kms. It is shaped like an inverted Y with the three arms meeting at the town of Bellagio. The lake is said to be the oldest holiday retreat dating back to Roman times. A boat ride is a must and with gusty winds, there is a swell which, with the vastness of the lake, makes one feel as if one is at sea. Our first boat ride was a round trip for one hour and the lake seemed endless. We sailed feasting our eyes on romantic villas and luscious green waterfront promenades. The boat Coxswain proudly pointed out world-famous hotels with exquisite names as we passed them by. There was Villa Passalacqua, the 24 suites of which have centuries old original frescoes and ceiling carvings, a 200-year old greenhouse and floral parasols. This is a new hotel which started functioning in 2022, was voted as Europe's Best Hotel in 2023 and World's Best Hotel in 2024. Another hotel belonging to the same owners is the famous Grand Hotel Tremezzo located just opposite Bellagio which is home to Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni located right on the waterfront.  

Apart from hotels, the Coxswain pointed out houses belonging to celebrities like George Clooney and Gianni Versace. And then there were villas where popular films like 'Casino Royale' and 'Star Wars' and TV serials like 'Succession' and 'Made in Heaven' were shot. 

There is a marriage venue too where our own Deepika Padukone/Ranveer exchanged wedding vows.

We had a meal in most of these hotels which boast of Michelin star chefs. Being vegetarians, we provided them with a different challenge which they took on quite sportingly! 

We made two land trips, the first to the nearby city of Como on the southwest end of the lake centred on Piazza Cavour with a big lakeside promenade. After roaming around and visiting the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, we followed our lunch with delicious gelato at a gelataria highly recommended by our driver.

The second trip was across the border to the Swiss city of Lugano by the side of the lake of the same name. We went up a hill to Restaurant Montalbano for lunch and savoured a beautiful panoramic view of the lake and the picturesque valley.

I had invited our friends we made last year in Zurich, Natasha and Adrian, to come and have a meal with us. Very sportingly they obliged and came all the way and we had dinner at restaurant Veranda at our hotel. There was a three-man combo playing soft music and I remembered Natasha telling me that their son had studied with the grandson of Domenico Modugno who originally sang "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" which was made popular in English by Dean Martin as "Volare". We requested the Combo to play it which they promptly did. Another request was made for "Buona Sera" and the band obliged again.

On Saturday night after dinner, we walked into the hotel bar with a young two-person band, a boy and a girl, singing popular songs. Here my request was for "Gloria" and "La Bamba" which were duly played much to the delight of all with many taking to the dance floor.

Sunday morning and our Lake Como visit came to an end. At noon, Ruchir went off to Zurich to catch his flight to New York and we took a car to Florence for the second part of our holiday.The week would transform into an unforgettable dream.

LALIT "TIGER" TALWAR AND ME - A TIMELINE

January 1956. I begin my second term in NDA transferred from 'Fox' to the newly-formed 'King' squadron.  Fresh 15th course cadets arrive and two of them impress me as they have a certain air about them: Vijay Malhotra and Lalit Talwar. They are both naval cadets with consecutive academy numbers of 2420 and 2421 respectively, and since they are in the same division as me, we have cabins on the same floor. Over my five remaining terms, I keep bumping into them though we have little to do with each other being from different courses. But that lays the foundation of a lifelong friendship with both.

December 1963-May 1965. I am posted in NDA as a Divisional Officer and so is Lalit Talwar. Both are bachelors and stay in the Officer's Mess with cabins near each other on the same floor. We now meet almost every day and spend a lot of time together in the evenings along with other naval bachelors like Subodh "Guppy" Gupta, Mel Charles Kendall and Sudhir "Ike" Isaacs. Guppy and Lalit take up golf and insist that I join them. After some resistance holding that golf is an old man's game, I cave in and join them but not before a few lessons from the Russian blue-blooded Dimitri Jouravlov, NDA golf coach, who is well-known for his remark that water is the best drink in life but as he can't afford the best, we can give him the second best, Rum.

Somewhere down the line, we start calling Lalit, "Tiger". I suspect it was because of his prowess at golf that the nickname got associated with a champion golfer as borne out years later by Eldrick Tont Woods appropriating the nickname for himself. For some reason, maybe wayward golf and kiddish temperament, Tiger and Guppy call me "Child". Tiger continued to address me as such all through his life.

Apart from golf, I discover another passion of Tiger's- Indian classical music. From Ravi Shankar to Ali Akbar Khan and Bismillah Khan, he has a big library of tapes which he makes me listen to whenever I visit his cabin. I too become a fan of this class of music and Tiger gladly transfers his collection on to my tapes. 

Mid-end1965. I am transferred to New Delhi as Flag Lt to Admiral Chatterji, Commandant, National Defence College. Tiger is selected for the new Submarine branch and comes to Delhi to learn Russian while standing by to go to the USSR. Both of us apply to join the Delhi Golf Club, become permanent members within a month and start playing there.

One Saturday evening, I invite Tiger to have drinks and dinner with me at the NDC where I stay. We sit outside on the huge lawn and after just 2 whiskies, Tiger says he is feeling groggy and leaves without dinner. We have a game planned the next morning and when I go to pick him up from Kotah House, he is still in bed. He says he has a massive hangover and won't be playing. I go back to my cabin and while putting away the bottles taken out the previous evening, discover that a gin bottle, which was more than half full, is empty. It then dawns upon me that Tiger was mixing gin instead of water with his whisky and hence the hangover!

We attend many classical music performances. I vividly recall a jugalbandi with Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan accompanied by the tabla wizard Allah Rakha.

Tiger gets engaged to Rashmi and both families decide that he is too handsome to be left alone in the hands of Russian girls. So Rashmi and Tiger are married before Tiger goes abroad. 

1966-1990. We operate in different spheres with Tiger leaving the Navy in 1980 and settling in Noida while I am at Navy's call shuttling between different cities. 

1990-2020. I settle down in Delhi after taking retirement from the Navy and meet Tiger off and on and we play some rounds of golf at the DGC. I am playing regularly at the Army GC and I invite Tiger to join me there. For some reason, the Army course is Tiger's Achilles heel, so he doesnt't come as often as I would like him to.

Summer 2005, after visiting Ruchir in New York, Akhila and I are returning to India and are at Heathrow changing flights. Suddenly I hear someone shouting 'Ravi'. I turn around and am pleasantly surprised to see Tiger. He tells me he is on his way to US after a stay in London. He has one daughter in UK and one in USA so it is convenient for him to break journey in London both ways rather than take long connecting flights.

2020-2024. Thanks to the lockdown, we keep in touch on WhatsApp. The first message I have from him is a forward of a youtube recording of Ustad Shujaat Khan playing Sitar and singing the ghazal 'Zindagi Se Badi Saza Hi Nahin' at Jashn-e-Rekhta. Tiger's forwarding message says, "Enjoy, my favourite artist." There are regular exchanges of music including a sufi qawwali with a dervish dance. And, of course, "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar"! Tiger also says he enjoys my blog and often sends appreciative comments which boost my morale.

14 October 2024. We meet at Kailash Kohli's last rites. This would turn out to be the last time I would see him in person.

03 January 2025. I am on a visit to the NDA and go to our old Squadron 'King' now 'Charlie'. There is an album with old photographs and I find some of Tiger's on joining the NDA in 1956. I send these to him. I also send some of the NDA golf course where it all started. He mentions Jouravlov in his response and I tell him that the course is now appropriately named after our old friend.

24 January-14 May 2025. Tiger undergoes a complex liver surgery. He is in and out of hospital. His daughters create a site on WhatsApp on which they keep his friends apprised of his condition.

15 May 2025. We get a message that Tiger is no more.

So rest in peace, my friend. Thanks for the happy times we spent together and many, many thanks for introducing me to golf and Indian classical music.

If there is a golf course in Heaven, you and Kailash will already be playing. If not, I am sure you will convince St. Peter to make one. And music, they are all there, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan, Bismillah Khan, Allah Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain.

ALILA FORT BISHANGARH- A HIDDEN GEM

I haven't kept count of the number of trips I have done between Delhi and Jaipur on National Highway 48, but if someone said 100, it would be grossly short. After settling down in Delhi in 1990 post-retirement and with one leg in Jaipur, 3-4 trips per year have been the norm. For 35 years, you do the math.

Once one enters Rajasthan at Shahjahanpur, one sees a number of forts atop hills. The first one is Neemrana, a pathbreaker of sorts since it set the pace for converting forts into heritage hotels. Then there is one at Shahpura followed by Achrol which featured in the popular 1984 TV miniseries "The Far Pavilions". Driving on, when you see the majestic well-known Amer fort, you know you have reached Jaipur. The same hill range has the Jaigarh fort famous for its cannon named "Jaivana" which was manufactured in 1720 in the foundry within the fort, and was then the largest cannon on wheels in the world. Finally, we see the Nahargarh fort which keeps a watchful eye on the whole of Jaipur. Don't go there at night; it is believed to be haunted!

Sometime back, searching for heritage hotels around Jaipur, I came across one named Alila Fort located near Manoharpur which is on NH 48 next to Shahpura and just 50 kms. from Jaipur. I wondered why we had never seen it from the highway and then forgot about it....

Till last month when we got an invitation from Akhila's cousin, Anup, to the wedding of his daughter, Anusha, with a boy also named Anup! This was followed by a number of calls from Anup and his wife, Sarita, and the venue for the wedding was Alila fort.

We decided we must go for the wedding and hit the road a day before the date. In three and a half hours, we had crossed Shahpura and turned off the highway to the right for the fort. After about 5 kms. we sighted the fort for the first time, a quaint structure on a small granite hill. When thinking of forts, one generally pictures a fortification spread over a large area. This fort is different as it is only as wide as the small hill it is perched on but is nine stories high more like a modern multi-storey building. Appropriate, as the fort was originally built 240 years ago as a watchtower with a long-range panoramic view of the surroundings to provide early warning to Amer/Jaipur for any approaching aggressors.

Originally called Bishangarh fort after the village it is located in, it is now popular as Alila, a name given by Hyatt for a luxury class of hotels. ‘Alila’  means ‘surprise’ in Sanskrit which Hyatt hopes to achieve for their guests in these hotels by offering glimpses of local culture combined with ultra-modern facilities.

For many years, Bishangarh fort lay unoccupied, neglected and deserted. A "For Sale" sign was up on the highway when it caught the eye of one Rahul Kapur. He decided to have a look and after sighting it, roped in his architect brother and friends to buy and convert it into a heritage hotel. His account of their travails to do that makes interesting reading. There was no road and to reach the fort, they had to clamber up on hands and knees. They had to be careful not to annoy hordes of monkeys for whom the fort was a safe haven from leopards. The fort was in a state of decay and covered with vegetation consisting of thorns and brambles. And when they attempted to enter the fort, "zillions of bats" flew out. 

With no road, when the renovation work started, Rahul Kapur became the proud owner of 22 donkeys to cart the material to a height of 145 metres. Extreme caution was exercised not to cause any damage to the original structure the complex nature of which required three lifts to reach different levels much like changing trains at railway junctions! Finally, 15 years from its rediscovery and 9 years of renovation, Hyatt started running a 58 room hotel with two presidential suites in 2017. 

Its potential was then recognised as a venue for weddings. 60 more rooms were added at ground level along with lawns, gardens, halls and special sites for different Indian wedding ceremonies. To say that we were glad to attend a wedding at this spectacular fort would be an understatement.

The wedding evening started with the reception of the 'baraat' at the gate of the ramparts of the fort. That was followed by the 'Varmala'  ceremony with the bride walking slowly down the slope escorted by other young girls and the bridegroom receiving her at the bottom of the hill. They then moved to a gazebo by a small pool for the exchange of garlands. Finally the 'Pheraas' which were held down in a 'Baaori'.

Watching the ceremonies, I thought the scene was ideal for a romantic movie. Which story would be better: Romeo scaling the walls of the fort to abduct Juliet or Juliet running down the winding road in the dark to elope with Romeo?

Any royalties from the story would be mine!

THREE SONGS BROUGHT TO MIND BY TODAY'S GOOD WEATHER

April was a hot, hot month. Temperatures in Delhi were around five degrees above normal. Add pollution to that and you get the depressing picture!

The last day of April was just as bad. The first of May was slightly better but I had a runny nose and felt fatigued and missed my golf date. My usual golf companion said the breeze was cool and he enjoyed his round. And then on 2nd May, I was woken up in the early hours of the morning by flashes of lightning and loud rumblings of thunder. It was pouring heavily and pleasantly surprised, I went back to sleep.

When I finally got up, the weather was beautiful. From 5 degrees above average, it had plunged to seven degrees below normal. The lawn outside our apartment was flooded and it was still raining. An easterly breeze of 15-20 knots made it appear cooler than the actual temperature and kept the pollution levels low. With this spell, the next few days should be cool and there is more rain predicted.

Gone was the fatigue and my runny nose. I was in the mood for a song and what should come to mind but the old song Vinnie Mama taught me way back in early '50s soon after he joined the Navy, "She wore a yellow ribbon". The following lines will make it clear why I remembered this particular song : 

"And in her hair, she wore a yellow ribbon

She wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of May

Hey, hey, and if you ask, oh why the hell she wore it

She wore it for a sailor who is far, far away."

In this mood, remembering old times, can Shashi Mama be far behind? No, and promptly, I was swaying to his favourite, "Balma ja ja ja, balma ja." Any party or get-together and you would have Shashi Mama singing and dancing and adding to the merry-making with this song.

The third song was a surprise. Quite out of context and on a serious note was Tom Jones' "Delilah". A lot of us would be familiar with this number in which the singer discovers the unfaithfulness of his lover, Delilah, by seeing 'flickering shadow of love on her blind....as she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind.... she stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more. My, my, my Delilah! Why, why, why Delilah?' 

Perhaps the reason for recalling this song is the revival of Agatha Christie in my mind. In the '50s-70s, she was my favourite author of mystery novels featuring either the eccentric but sharp Hercule Poirot or the clever and observant Miss Marple. The other day, I read a news item that BBC is adapting her novel, "Towards Zero", for a TV serial. That put Agatha Christie back into my reading list and I have just finished the brilliant book which features a love triangle. 

Anyway, "Delilah" was one of Tom Jones' extremely popular numbers which we used to sing happily and boisterously in parties, never mind its murderous lyrics! 

May your May be happy and bright!