Everytime we visit we get a formal photo done of the entire Guha clan at a local studio. Today was that day and we realised that we didn’t actually have any nice shirt for Thomas to wear. We headed out to FabIndia near CA Market to have a look at what they had in store. With everyone here, it is a tight squeeze in my parents little Hyundai i10 – but a lack of seatbelts and low speeds makes it possible for us to fit 5 in the back seat. A lot of the houses in the old suburbs in Salt Lake have been rezoned into commercial buildings and changed into stores and restaurants. FabIndia is no different and the parking is effectively the old garage for the house. The shop in itself was quite well stocked with a variety of clothes, linen, trinkets and gifts. Thomas, Ben and I all found shirts that suited us, and Tom even got a waistcoat that he was desperate for. Mimi joined us for lunch at Afraa in City Centre. We seem to have atleast one meal at Afraa at every visit and it never disappoints. The kids really liked the starters which was a combination of chicken cutlet, fish chap and spinach triangles. Thomas has been intrigued by the ability for the wait staff to dish out the meals with one hand and he asked our waiter for tips on how he could do it himself. I think it will take a bit of practice still.

In the afternoon we went to Studio Manorama for our family portrait. The studio has existed as long as I can remember and is a good chronology of our family over the past 3 decades. With 8 people in the photo it took a few goes to make sure everyone was facing the right way and smiling at the appropriate time. The photographer did a pretty good job to keep Thomas and Emily engaged and reacting at the right time. We needed to do a couple of trips in the car to make our way back home and stopped at the local sweet shop en route to get another collection of sweets for dessert.

For dinner Ma had made paw bhaji which is always a family hit. Unfortunately it requires someone in the kitchen constantly frying the bread and so Matthew and Emily volunteered so Dida could actually take a break for a bit and have dinner.