: Undiplomatic Memories 2 #IndiaNEWS #Feature Articles By Girija Madhavan Our diplomatic journey next led to Hong Kong in 1974. The island was still under British rule. Sir Murray MacLehose

Undiplomatic Memories 2 #IndiaNEWS #Feature Articles
[Continued from November 15, 2021]

By Girija Madhavan

Our diplomatic journey next led to Hong Kong in 1974. The island was still under British rule. Sir Murray MacLehose was the Governor. The Indian mission, called the “Commission of India�? was headed by a “Commissioner�?, A. Madhavan.

Glittering Hong Kong offered superb shopping, concert halls, art shows, book shops and fine dining. Restaurants specialised in Peking Duck, some provided European delicacies. I recall a dinner when G. Parthasarathy [1912-1995] our foremost Diplomat then, was the chief guest. Amused, as Chinese waiters, in German “Lederhosen�? [ornate leather pants] and head gear, served sliced venison alternated with pate and served with a red wine sauce, he said to me in Tamil, “Girija, eat up now, Amma! You wont get this food or ambience back at home. �?

We trod a wary path between the British rulers and businessmen, the powerful Indian community, the wealthy Chinese and those who provided service, like amahs and cooks. The Sindhi community had leaders like Hari Harilela, Sital Motwani and the Melwanis. Sikhs, Gujaratis, Parsis, South Indians and other ethnic groups comprised the Indian diaspora. They all meticulously maintained their religious and cultural traditions but projected a united front despite business rivalries.

At Meenu Melwani’s Birthday Party: A. Madhavan, Meenu Melwani and Girija Madhavan.

A local wag was fond of saying, “Two Indians are an Association. Three Indians are two Associations. �? The Commission was drawn into one such minor dispute. To settle it, a local businessman proffered this advice: “The Indian Community and the Commissioner should sit ON the table and PULL THEIR SOCKS TOGETHER�? [pull up their socks]. Luckily, there was a simpler solution.

Hong Kong Indians often gave dinner parties. We learnt not to arrive punctually at 8 pm as the hosts were not ready then. A stream of snacks accompanied the drinks, dinner was served late. So it was a relief to be invited instead to a “Tea Party with a Theme�? for Mrs. Meenu Melwani’s birthday; we all had to dress up as children or teenagers. I recently found photographs of the event, shared at the time only with the guests at the party. The normally dignified, formally attired Commissioner and his saree-clad wife, dressed in Snoopy T-shirts, would surely have been severely trolled in the Social Media now!

Sir Run Run Shaw GBM, CBE [1907-2014] was a film magnate and philanthropist. He met us at a party and invited us to a showing in his private theatre of the scary film “The Exorcist�? for special guests.