JIM HAYNES

Antonia Hoogewerf

70, rue Saint Antoine
75004 Paris France
tel +33 1 4271 2541
e-mail: info@madaboutindia.com

Bombay party, Jim and Dolly (to right)

The first trip Jim Haynes and I did together to India was in February 2005. We landed in Bombay and had one busy day before going to Dolly Thakore's apartment where she was hosting a party for us. Lots of interesting people came, mostly in the film business, notably the well-known Indian actor Om Puri who was charming and had met Jim during his first visit to Bombay in 1977. We left late that night to fly to Calcutta, landing in the early hours and making our way to the Fairlawn Hotel. As we checked in we were immediately introduced to Paddy, an actor, and Shashi Kapoor their patron, another wonderful Indian actor (from one of the great families of Indian cinema) who we got to know well over the following week, and invited to a performance of "Perchance to Dream", a Shakespeare medley that evening. The whole troupe was staying at the Fairlawn. Another old friend from India joined us in Calcutta, Sanjeev Prakash, and he can be seen later in Delhi trying to take over the rickshaw wallah's job! And so it went on, from one social event to another, from one theatre performance to another, meeting new people all the time - drinks with painter Norman Hutchinson and his wife Gloria, a boat trip on the River Hooghly (the Ganges) with my Bengali friend Chiru Sur, a roof top Sunday Dinner for 50 new and old friends, lunch at the Indian Coffee House with Kent Dahl, a Danish journalist, a party on Violet Smith's fairy lit terrace.
Martin Lehberger and Karolina Blåberg joined us after a few days and we all went on to Delhi. We stayed at Nirula's, now sadly closed, and met more old friends, Neelima and Pramod Mathur and their son, Varun, Gandhi's grandson, Shashi again and many others. Alladine Lacroix arrived from Paris and Jim went back, while Martin, Karolina, Alladine and I went on into Rajasthan - Jaipur, Pushkar, Osian, Jodhpur, Kumbahlgarh with our lovely driver Dohni. They all left and I returned to my beloved Calcutta.

The second trip was in November 2006 and organised specifically to coincide with the 12th Calcutta International Film Festival. Séamas McSwiney came with us and we were to be guests of the Government of West Bengal as Special Delegates from France. We arrived early and were billeted at the Bengal Club which was magnificent and we loved it. Great situation, just off Park Street, the hub of Calcutta night life, and a car and driver at our disposition for the week. The films were many and various and the inaugural film from Denmark was interesting and powerful and we liked it, though a bit lost on the Calcutta audience. David Turner arrived and stayed locked with his camera for the next five weeks, making the occasional appearance amongst us - although not enough to feature in this exhibition. Stanley Cohen came from the States and we lodged him in the beautiful Oberoi Grand Hotel, where we all enjoyed the pool and several poolside lunches. Stanley got his accreditation and we all went film-hopping. The Festival was wonderfully organised and every evening there was a magnificent party with sumptuous food and drinks flowing. The hospitality was really superb, ending with a great party at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. We managed to give another great Sunday Night Dinner on Sanjeev Goenko's roof top, before flying to Delhi for a few days. Lunch at the Imperial Hotel is a treat and several of our party stayed there. Then home for Jim and off to Rajasthan for the rest of the motley party, that is, Seamas, Stanley, my sister Patricia Burt, her friend Simon Watson and myself. The Taj Mahal at dawn, Jaipur where Seamas left us, Udaipur where Stanley left us, Delhi again where Tricia and Simon left - me! and I am drawn yet again back to Calcutta ...

Antonia Hoogewerf - Paris January 2007