The mother is narrating her story about taking the “Damra” ship from Bombay’s “Yellow Gate” on her way to Kuwait where she worked as domestic help for one year. They stopped at the ports of Karachi & Bahrain. Circa April 1973. Whoa.

7 days of travel by the sea in (what was then called) “third class compartment” in the lowest level of the ship along with the working class. She was all by herself with a daughter left behind in Bombay with the grandmother. During a storm they’d distract people with movies lol.

Mehmood’s movies played a key role in distracting people from nausea, depression & fear during the long 7 day ride, with no land to be seen, just the waters and the skies, at times not being able to differentiate which one was what.

15 minutes of patient conversation with the mother going down the memory lane gives me tons of meaningful soulful content. My attention span is usually very small, if I overcome that I will be able to sit and talk with her longer. Every anecdote has substance.

I feel like I’m Mammo’s Rizwan when I talk to her. The non-religious child with a modest Bombay Muslim family going to an English medium school with Rohan as his best friend, ashamed & embarrassed to bring other rich/fancy friends home.

...just that I don’t smoke though, lol