25 November,2017 08:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Chetna Sadadekar
Catherine Lobo regales us with tales of Bandra of the yore, her undying love for cooking, and her Salman Khan link
Catherine Lobo will turn 100 today, but the Bandra resident's zest for life has not aged. Ahead of the milestone, Lobo spent an afternoon with mid-day, remembering the good ol' Bandra where she was born and grew up. Early into the discussion, Lobo indulges in some then and now about the city's favourite suburb.
Catherine Lobo at her Chapel Road residence
"Earlier, not everyone here was rich. There were big, beautiful bungalows and cottages but now, there are only big towers and flats around here that are not really pleasing. After staying on a huge property surrounded by several fruit trees on Chapel Road, where a building now stands tall, the new Bandra certainly looks different and seems very expensive," she said.
Lobo's age hasn't diminished her love for cooking. Pic/Rane Ashish
Dishing her favourites
Over her years in the city, Lobo has lived through a part of the British Raj - and she's a fan, but only because the city was much more organised back then. Lobo got married when she was 20 and has been a homemaker all her life. She had her first child in 1939 and five more followed. Fast forward to the present day, and she has seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The soon-to-be centenarian is famous for her fish curries and meat preparations and would always have something special waiting for her children back home. Even now, she does not shy away from cooking. But ask her what's her favourite dish and pat comes the reply, "I eat everything."
Won't stop cooking
Narrating an incident about Lobo's love for cooking, Pam Pereira, her youngest daughter, who is based in Australia but is in the city for her mother's birthday, said, "When I told her I am coming down and we can order a tiffin [for our meals], she said she will cook for the two of us. Of course, I'm not allowing her to do that, but she is still very enthusiastic and refuses to hire a full-time maid."
This enthusiasm continues despite a fall about four years ago, where she injured her left leg and was bedridden for three months. Pereira said, "She still challenges herself and does not like to sit in one place for a long time."
The Salman factor
Lobo is updated about the current issues and is also aware that many celebrities also reside in her neighbourhood, one of them being Salman Khan. "When we want a taxi driver to drop us at our house, we don't have to tell them the address. We just tell them to take us where Salman Khan stays and they drop us to our building, as he resides just next to us."
