Page 11 - Seniors Toady - September Issue 2020

hostesses and had to entertain - I never useless at numbers! I have had to live and
understood that. It started a new life of learn and I’m getting better. He’s not very
travel for me. interested.
A lot of my friends are artists and that
What has moulded you - made you who we share. Salman is ever ready to go to
you are today? exhibitions because he has an interest
Kusum: I was 16 when I joined theatre in Art and likes to talk about it. And it’s
under Mr Alkazi. It was dramatic! (pun been furthered by our daughter, Navina
unintended) Haidar, who is an Art Historian (at The
I’ve done a lot of work in theatre, Met, New York). So, it’s in our blood, as it
literature, direction and acting. Art was were.
part of Mr Alkazi’s agenda as a teacher - Salman is very interested in books -
he recently passed away. We attended his he loves reading. He’s one of the good
weekly talks on Art and nobody can ever readers that I have met. Once he starts
forget his mark on them. talking about a book, he will analyse it
On one of my postings, I wasn’t too well and he remembers things about it that
and I was introduced to Tai Chi - and many people forget.
I enjoyed learning from a wonderful We share a love for literature.
teacher and benefitted and I introduced it
to many people and now I teach it too.

What has had a lasting influence on
you?
Salman: When I joined, the head of the
Service was the Prime Minister, Pandit
Nehru, and he was particularly partial, in
those days, to the Foreign Service. He put
a mark on everything that we aspired to.
Kusum has always been engaged in
theatre. So far as I am concerned, I have
certainly been sustained by a community
of Foreign Service people. We all back
each other and we know each other and
many of us are very great friends and
have shared relationships. We have much
in common that we take for granted and
appreciate that it’s sustaining.

Would you say you are differently
inclined? What are your common
interests? Do you complement each
other?
Kusum: (Laughs) We are both quite Kusum and Salman then

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #15 | SEPTEMBER 2020 11