Dagger drawn

Sunday morning saw us browsing through the lovely antique markets. What an education, we admired and touched eighteenth century furniture, objects from the Napoleon era and fabric, and lace that made one gasp. The romance and history attached to everything made me nostalgic enough to wish myself back to the Paris of old, full of pomp and grandeur, grace and beauty. It was one of the most memorable Sundays I have ever spent and one, I know, I will long to repeat sooner than later. Luckily for me, the furniture and paintings that I fell in love with, were just too big to transport and I got away lightly without burning a hole in my pocket.

On Monday, Ruby and I went to the chic showroom of Lorenz Baumer, the jewellery designer par excellence, who freelances for Chanel and does distinctive pieces under his own brand name. As the saying goes, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. We tried on necklaces, rings and earrings, admired his collection of objects, and boxes and thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of quot;dressing upquot; with all the wonderful gems on display. Lorenz took us to dinner at the Hotel Coste.

The8217; place to see and be seen at. It topped what had turned into an informative, learning, captivating weekend. Paris has the charm and distinction of a prime capital of the world, but it is in the little cafes and the quaint antique stalls, row upon precious row, that I felt a weave of the magic of knowledge and an education of the eye and palate. To say this older girl8217;s dream was realized, would sound trite, but true. I tripped the light fantastic and fell well and truly in love, not with a person, but with the city of Paris. If life8217;s experiences enrich one to the point of a cultural awakening, then only this trip did it, as in the umpteen other trips I had made to Paris, none had stirred me so much. When we caught the plane back to London and were just over the baggage limit, I realized that I had indulged and bought enough to tip the scale of pleasure and memories.

On scanning the headline of The Asian Age on my return, my stomach turned as I read that the death toll from the cyclone in Orissa was at twenty five thousand people. Just this single headline was a reality check, enough to goad me into planning a small exhibition-cum-auction in London next month to raise some money for the rehabilitation of the displaced people of Orissa.

It also had me thinking, when the earthquake occurred in Turkey the attention of the world was so focussed, that aid and monies literally flew in, yet the disaster in Orissa got such scant mention in the Western media. Any way you look at it, this apathy is appaling, so if each of us tries in our own way to make a contribution to the Prime Minister8217;s relief fund, perhaps we won8217;t need aid from other countries. With humility I will make a donation next month and say a special prayer for the suffering thousands devastated by mother nature8217;s fury. A stark, but real contrast to the lightness of being in Paris almost like the darkness that follows the best of days, pitch deep and dark.

Ma Cherie
The news that Cherie Blair was to become a mother for the forth time at the fashionable age of forty five, kept the media in the UK on its toes for forty eight hours, and I am sure her8217;s will be the most watched pregnancy since Diana, the Princess of Wales. What is heartening is that it proves conclusively that a good marriage and one of the most powerful positions in the world can go hand in hand. Again, sharing with the world the birth of a child at 10 Downing Street, something which has not happened in 150 years, is such marvellous news. In that the world shares in happiness stakes en par with the sadness stakes at the tragic deaths of John F Kennedy and Caroline or even Princess Diana, when it seemed the whole world mourned.

I have an almost eleven year gap between my sons and have to admit that my older son, Krish, is my pillar of strength and my little one, Shiv, my challenge to live life normally and to the fullest. The rapport between my sons is a treat to my inherent passion of motherhood and I find that the age gap ensured complete emotional security for both, even though now without the love and presence of Rajan, Cherie Blair8217;s shock and pleasure at the discovery of her accidental pregnancy and determination to keep playing the role of wife to the PM, mother to her three children and the challenge of being one of the most powerful Queen8217;s Counsel8217;s is truly inspirational. All us women can rejoice with this quot;woman of true substancequot;.