AT PRESENT I am editing my latest book about India. It will be called “ROAD TO HEAVEN -A Passage through India ” The book, a travelogue, will include something about the ‘elite’ clubs of India.

Here is a short excerpt from a chapter that will describe the Bangalore Club, where we stay often.:

“My wife and I find that we are respected by the staff, many of whom have known us for many years. Some of the older staff, who have long since retired remembered Lopa from when she was a child in the 1960s. One such old retainer, whom I never met was Mr Santabarbara. One afternoon in the 1970s, Lopa and her family were entertaining Jonathan Grey, a visitor from England, at the Club. Jonathan’s father, Mr Peter Grey, had been a colleague of my father-in-law in India, and had been a corporate member of the Club in the early 1950s. When Santabarbara saw Jonathan, he looked at him, and with tears in his eyes, slowly said:

“Grey Sahib’s son.”

He had never met Jonathan, and had not seen his father for at least 20 years. We visit the Club regularly, but get the similarly warm recognition from the older members of staff. Our daughter who has been going to the Club since she was about 8 months old is still known as ‘baby’ by the long-established members of the Club’s staff. As far as the Club’s staff are concerned, whether they be humble gardeners of senior stewards, decency pays dividends, and costs nothing.”