collecting memories --A memorable dinner with our very special friends

We were invited for dinner at Zense, Central world yesterday, Rikhi called it a Farewell dinner and said 'I hope it will be a memorable one for you' and it was! People who read my blogs know about them. I have written about Rikhi and his work with the Lions' club and Seema has contributed to my blog by writing about Toto My dog.

We had excellant food and service and I quote from a restaurant review:

'The restaurant's four kitchens blend some of the globe's most distinctive fare, each a new treat for the palate – be it Japanese, Thai, Indian or Italian, there will be something to awaken and satisfy your taste buds. And let us not forgot the small matter of the patisserie chef, who produces some of the best pastries I have tried in Thailand'. (http://www.bangkok.com/restaurant-reviews/zense-review.html)

We agree with this review and the service provided was one of the best. Impressive considering the general standard of service in Thailand is high! I must mention this: After dinner Rikhi's friends needed a Taxi. This was arranged quickly and a girl came with us all the way down 17 floors and made sure they got on the Taxi and quietly walked away.

(This is where we were supposed to have our dinner while enjoying the panoramic view, but due to expected rains, which never came, we were seated inside the restaurant. I suppose Rikhi has to invite us again to make it more memorable! While we tried Italian and Mike and Veronica had Indian cuisine this time, we could try Indian next time!)

Rikhi was my boss at Wireforms and Seema was a director of the company. While she intended to spend more time with the company, she got busy raising a family. She did participate in the Lakshmi Pooja we performed every deepavali at the factory. While we began with an employer and employee relationship, they are our friends now and are very special for us.

It is only after I retired and they moved to Rishicourt that we were fortunate to get to know them better. There are so many things to write about, my weekly lunch with Rikhi is something I will miss a lot. Also the books he gives me to read, he reads a lot, mainly on self-improvement and motivational topics. Obviously he still has hopes for me!

Recently Seema and I started exchanging books we happen to read and like. We enjoy chatting about books and about life in general over a cup of tea. This again is something I will surely miss. While I introduced her to some Indian authors, she thinks they are too serious; I also enjoyed reading a few of the books she prefers and learnt why books written by women for women are so popular! She is also the one who encouraged me to learn swimming and arranged a teacher for me. I tell her that she should write a 'how to' book on 'bringing up a grandfather!'

Any way at the dinner we met their friends Mike and Veronica, a very engaging couple. Mike is a positive person and is full of energy and has a lot of experience in project management and plans to start a consultancy on this speciality after he retires. Both Rikhi and Mike like to play soccer and love to organise soccer games for children and that is how they met.

A few days before our dinner, Rikhi, Seema and children Shreya and Renesh joined us one evening for Masala dosas. Sweet of Shreya and Renesh to join us at a short notice. Here a few pictures of the evening for our memory collection.