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By Sam Moore | Film | March 22, 2022 |

By Sam Moore | Film | March 22, 2022 |

From the very beginning, The Worst Person in the World knows what it wants to be; with twelve chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue, Joachim Trier is setting out to explore coming of age in a way thats explicitly novelistic. The films chapter-driven structure takes the narrative thrust of coming of age films that a chapter in someones life is ending and another is beginning and brings it crashing together with the structure of a novel. The formal choices in Worst Person also lean into the relationship between novel and film that Trier at once embraces and challenges, thanks to a heavy dose of narration from Julie (a revelatory Renate Reinsve) that feels like the prosaic voice of a novel. But what Trier does with his novelistic form and narrative digressions is set out to craft something that could only ever exist as a film. While it might be tempting to look at Worst Person and think of it as a kind of Nordic answer to Sally Rooney, the more the film goes on, the more it evolves into something both singular and cinematic.

The prologue sees Julie changing potential career paths and romantic partners at breakneck speed, and while there are moments where the film embraces this kind of rapid, chaotic uncertainty, it refuses to show coming-of-age as something thats simply a mess of mistakes. The moments where it slows down capture whats both most beautiful, and tragic, about the act of growing up: the road(s) not taken. Every change that Julie makes, from the prologue on, essentially means discarding a version of herself and trying to (re)create a new one, whether its bailing on surgery at med school to study psychology instead because the interior, rather than the exterior, is what interests her, or the tension drawing her away from one boyfriend and towards another, Worst Person allows Julie and everyone around her to exist in multitudes, as people still trying to work out who they are and what they want, as opposed to simply becoming set in stone by the time they hit 30. In Worst Person, the world itself is constantly changing there are references to the #MeToo movement, heated debates about cancel culture, and anxiety around climate change and the characters are changing, or at least trying to, with it. When comic book artist Aksel (Trier mainstay Anders Danielsen Lie, brooding and combative but hilarious throughout) is accused of sexism in his art, the defence he attempts to mount for it feels like a painfully familiar echo of so many cultural debates on both the airwaves and the internet; this is the man who spends an impassioned monologue complaining about the fact that his politically incorrect Bobcat has become the face of a family-friendly Christmas film, and even compares his work to depictions of Muhammad. Aksel insists that everyone becoming unnecessarily offended by Bobcat is generational hes over a decade older than Julie and the generational tension here instead seems to be about those who are able to change, and those who arent. Worst Person is all about this kind of change, both the possibility that it offers, and the sadness that comes from leaving something, or someone, behind.

One of the most breathtaking moments in the film is driven by this desire for change. As her relationship with Aksel begins to decline, Julie imagines herself dating, and falling in love with Eivind (Herbert Nordrum, a charmingly grounded foil to both the shapeshifting Julie, and his ex-girlfriend who becomes overwhelmed with anxiety for the climate after discovering shes 3.1% Sami). In this sequence, everything in the world stands completely still apart from Julie and Elvind. She darts out of her shared apartment with Aksel, meets Elvind, kisses him, and they fall wildly in love its swooningly romantic and breathtakingly cinematic. Watching Julie run through otherwise static streets, smile growing broader the faster her own pace becomes, it shows that the world really is her oyster. What might feel like a cliche of the genre becomes something unexpected, written in a language thats novelistic and cinematic all at once. But even this sequence, defined by movement, has moments of stillness. When Julie and Elvind kiss in the park, their own movement slows down, they get lost in each other as the camera zooms out. The world of Worst Person is sometimes overwhelmingly vast, but the intimate focus on Julie and her inner life reveals beauty in both the possibility of upheaval and also the stillness that comes with making peace with not only all we can do but what we cant. The imagery of stillness has a mournful coda in one of the films final chapters, but one that exists alongside the possibility that comes from a new dawn, watched with slow reverence by Julie.

Its these moments of visual ingenuity that capture the thematic depth of Worst Person, a film that like a lot of romantic, or coming-of-age films is relatively light when it comes to narrative incident. When Julie and Elvind take mushrooms together, Worst Person reinvents itself yet again, taking a strange, psychedelic trip through Julies inner life thats filled with bizarre imagery and moments of strange beauty. It allows the film to dive into its themes in ways that are both abstract and explicit all at once its these kind of tensions between what seem like contradictions that animate Worst Person the most posing more questions than its willing to answer about Julies relationship with Elvind; how she relates to her father; whether or not she wants to be a mother. Films that pose more questions than answers can often feel frustrating, but Worst Person finds joy in unanswered questions; its easy to say that coming of age films are about the journey rather than the destination, and theres truth in that. But what makes Worst Person so striking - and ultimately so moving is the fact that its about more than one destination and more than one journey.

The epilogue sees Julie returning to one of the versions of herself that she initially tried out during the prologue, but this doesnt mean that her journey or the journey of those around her is over. She sees a former boyfriend through a window; he has a new girlfriend and a baby. This scene doesnt offer any final answers about Julies relationship to the possibility of parenthood, but instead, it silently asks questions about why the two of them didnt have a child together, or if Julie wants a child now understanding that, even as the credits roll, and another chapter of Julies life is coming to a close, the world remains vast and full of possibility. The professional stability she feels, coupled with that personal nostalgia, feels like Worst Person in miniature: all the beauty of whats to come, and the ghostly hand of the past, serving as a reminder of what was, and what might have been.

Sam is a writer and editor based in London; you can follow them on Twitter and Instagram, where they talk about monsters, reality TV, and why you should buy their books.

Review: 'Big Mouth' Meets 'The Office' in 'Human Resources,' a Hilarious but Uneven Spin-Off |Stephanie Beatriz's 'Twin Flames' Is Essentially 'Restraining Order: The Podcast'

Header Image Source: Oslo Pictures

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'The Worst Person in the World' Is About the Beauty and Tragedy of the Possible - Pajiba Entertainment News

We publish the speech that the Member of the Finnish Parliament Pivi Rsnen gave at the General Assembly of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (Idea 2022) on 19 February 2022. The Christian politician is awaiting the sentence of the Helsinki District Court, which is expected to be made public on 30 March 2022.

Watch the video of her speech below.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends,

Thank you so much for inviting me to participate this event. It is always a joy to be together with Christian brothers and sisters.

I have been member of the parliament for 27 years and all the time open of my faith and Christian values. Since June 2011 to 2015, I held the office of the Minister of the Interior of Finland. As a minister, I was responsible for police force (internal security and migration in addition to church affairs). I am currently the chair of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Group. From 2004 to 2015, I was the chair of our party, Christian Democrats of Finland.

I studied medicine at the University of Helsinki and worked as a medical doctor until 1995 when I was elected to the Parliament of Finland. As a physician, the ethical questions I came across, especially related to abortions, aroused my interest in politics. Already as medical student I decided not to end a life though abortion. As a young doctor, I took part in the public debates about abortion, wrote books, gave lectures, and organized panels. Defending the life of unborn children has been my top priority as an MP. It was the reason I went to politics.

A five-year-old girl, on her way to Sunday school, stopped a prison deputy director on his bike. She asked the following question: Do you love Jesus? You cannot get to heaven if you do not believe in Jesus. The confused man contacted the girls mother and asked her to consider taking the girl out of the Sunday school, so that she would not totally lose her mind. The mother was not startled but led the Sunday school continue.

My own mother has told me this story from my childhood. We lived near a prison because my father worked there. I remember all the impressive moments at the Sunday school and me praying that Jesus would enter my heart and take me as his own. Jesus heard my prayer and has been faithful.

In my childhood, the Sunday schools were common and in my village all children used to attend it. In only few decades the faith of the Finns in basic Christian beliefs has dramatically collapsed. In a recently published inquiry, only four per cent of women under 35-year-old answered having a personal belief in Jesus. I have been MP for 27 years and if someone would have asked then when I started, how many genders a person has, people would have considered the questioner quite stupid.

Now, both in Finland and Europe, we are living at a stage of history when the pressure to stay away from the influence of Christian faith is strongly growing. That is visible both in the political discussions and in the decision making, whether we think of the protection of life at the very beginning or at the end of life. Expressing opinions about marriage belonging between one man and one woman, or the sinfulness of homosexual acts, has become politically incorrect. The attempt to break down the gender system based on two different genders hurts especially the children.

The battle between values is largely fought with language, by capturing the concepts like love, freedom, equality and even rainbow into new interpretations. Concepts such as man and woman, father and mother, are dearly loved and as old as the history of humanity. We Christians and our values are unfamiliar to everyday life or even considered to be dangerous. When people do not know the loving and merciful God, what is left, is a punishing and a very limited picture of the Christian faith.

Personally, the last couple of years have been surprising and heavy. During the summer 2019 started a process resulting in me being prosecuted of three crimes. I am accused of criminal agitation against a minority group, and this crime carries the sentence of a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. Even more alarming than the punishments is the possible demand for censorship: an order to remove my Bible related social media postings or a ban on the publication of my writings. A true problem is that already the whole process, even without any punishments yet, has caused self-censorship among the Bible-believing Christians.

The first trial of my case was on 24th January and the trial will continue on February 14th. After that, the decision of the court comes approximately in one month. I wait for it with a calm and hopeful mind. I am hopeful to win the case. But even if I do not win, I think this whole chain of events is part of my calling as a Christian influencer.

So, the process started in June 2019, when I posted a tweet addressing a question to the leadership of my church that had signed up to support Helsinki Pride. The main content of my post was a screenshot of verses 24-27 from the book of Romans chapter 1 from the New Testament. The aim of my criticism was the leadership of my own church, not any minority. I myself considered even resigning from the majority church at the time it announced its support of Helsinki lgbt events. When praying, I was however convinced that it was better to try to wake up the sleeping ones, not to jump out of a sinking boat, and that is why I wrote the tweet for which I am prosecuted. According to the Church Act, approved by our Parliament, all doctrine must be examined and evaluated according to Gods Holy Word.

Following a preliminary investigation launched because of a citizen's complaint, a total of five criminal complaints were filed. On April 2021, the Prosecutor General brought three separate charges against me for the tweet, a pamphlet I had written in 2004, Male and female He created them - Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity and a radio interview with Ruben Stiller, What would Jesus think about homosexuals?.

The police did not consider any crime to have been committed in these two latter cases, but the Prosecutor General nevertheless ordered preliminary investigations to be carried out.

Being criminally charged for voicing my deeply held beliefs in a country that has such deep roots in freedom of speech and religion feels unreal. The decision of the court has consequences not only to Christians freedom to express their conviction, but to everyone elses also. In court, I appealed to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions that guarantee freedom of speech and religion.

The points of view for which I am accused do not deviate from the classical Christianity. Since Christianity is the dominant state religion in Finland, it is reasonable to assume that views such as these are widely disseminated in religious communities in Finland.

In all the charges, I have denied any wrongdoing. My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible's teachings on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul's teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to ones neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people. I have always stressed that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. All human beings are sinners and are forgiven of their sins by recourse to the atoning work of Jesus. Ultimately, the question in my case is about the core of Christian faith; how a person gets saved into unity with God and into everlasting life though the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus.

The prosecutor has presented many false claims about my speech and writing, which were all easily refuted.

At the trial, the prosecutor targeted the core doctrine of Christianity. She claimed that my views are known as fundamentalist doctrine, which she summarized as love the sinner, hate the sin. This doctrine she regarded as insulting and defaming, because according to her, you cannot make a distinction between the persons identity and his or her action. If you condemn the act, you also condemn the human being and regard him or her as inferior.

Here, the prosecutor tries to deny the core message of the Bible: the teaching of law and gospel. God has created all human beings as His own image and we all have equal value, but we all are also sinners. No-ones human dignity decreases because of sin. God still loves the person but hates the sin. God so loved all the people, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to suffer the punishment that belonged to us because of our sins. Jesus condemned the sin but loved the sinners.

The thought that you could not make a distinction between the persons deeds and his or her identity or human dignity, is unfamiliar to life. As I was raising my children, I loved them all equally, but I still had to at times criticize their actions quite harshly. The prosecutors thought is also unfamiliar to the rule of law. Even the most notorious criminals do not lose their human rights or human dignity if they get a punishment for their deeds.

I have sat hours in police interrogations, and the questions have mainly focused on the Bible and its interpretation. I was asked what the message of the Letter to the Romans is and what is its first chapter about. What do I mean by the words sin and shame? I said that all of us have sinned, but the sinfulness of homosexual acts is denied. People, however, do not determine what is against Gods will, but God himself does that.

The police asked if I agree to delete within two weeks my writings. I answered that I stand behind these teachings of the Bible, whatever the consequences are. For the Christians, the Bible is the Word of God, and we must have the possibility to agree with it. Everyone should be free to express their deeply held beliefs about important issues without fear of censorship or criminal sanction. Especially important this is for Christians, who are called to lift up Jesus and His word.

It is likely that this will be a process of several years. I expect this case to go even to the European Court of Human Rights and I am ready to defend free speech and freedom of religion as far as it needs.

The three charges brought against me have to do with whether it is allowed in Finland to express a conviction that is based on the traditional teaching of the Bible and to agree with it. It is absolutely vital that Christians have the liberty to teach and speak about Gods Holy Word also at those times when Christianity and the values that derive from it go against the tide and challenge the current ethos and thinking.

A conviction based on the Christian faith is more than a surficial opinion. The early Christians did not renounce their faith in lions caves, why should I then renounce my faith in a court room. I believe it is my calling and honor to defend the foundational rights and freedoms at this point of my life.

Queen Esther was encouraged to speak up and act on behalf of Gods people, the Jews, with the question: And who knows, you may have been chosen to your royal position for just such a time as this. The same question can be asked from us today, whatever your position might be. We have not ourselves chosen the time in which we live. But exactly for just this time you were meant to live, for such a time as this you were born to love your neighbors, to act on behalf of Gods people and to hold up the Gospel.

Dear friends, the inner experience of man has become the indicator for reality. The hearts voice would function as the indicator of right and wrong if we forgot one key fact of mankind the Fall. We are valuable created in the image of God, but also evil and sinful. That is the biggest marketing problem of the Christian view of man.

I want to share with you a very peculiar experience of a panel discussion on prostitution many years ago. The discussion was led by a famous media-persona and the other panelists were supporters of legal prostitution. Many media representatives were present. The star of the panel was supposed to be woman of whom a book had just been written with the title Prostitution is my calling. I understood that I was going to a tough situation and asked my friends to pray for me. The prayers were answered in a surprising way. When I entered the pub where the panel was taking place, there was confusion.

The professional in the field did not get vacation from prison on time, and she was quickly filled in by her colleague. Iiris astounded the audience and the panelists.

She did not defend the prostitutes right to their profession, but instead told us she had quit because of finding Jesus. She told us she had from the beginning understood it as violating the will of God but said that I could not come out of prostitution with the Law of Moses, but by the blood of Jesus.

Tears in her eyes, she summarized her message: The only right place for sex is marriage between a man and a woman, where one goes as a virgin and where one stays faithful until death. She even added that if there was anyone who knows to have broken Gods commandment, the person can show up after the event, so she can pray with Pivi for the person and the person can have sins forgiven by Jesus.

Silence came and the chairman of the panel stated that nothing else can be added to this except amen. Spoken by Iiris, the ethics of marriage from a Christian perspective was hundred times more convincing than coming from my mouth. She revealed the fact that in the end, each persons conscience bears witness to the Christian view of man. When we break against Gods good commandments, we know deep down in our hearts the wrongfulness of our actions. But it is only because of the grace of the Cross that we have courage to face and confess our sinfulness.

In Romans 12:2, Apostle Paul exhorts: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is good to examine and be aware of which values at any given time are contrary to the Word of God, because too easily we just go with the flow. The Christian church has at all times been forced to live contrary to the spirit of the time in one way or another.

Helsinki News, which is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland, published an interview of Mrs. Raija Toiviainen, the Prosecutor General, in which she stated that although Pivi Rsnen would be convicted, it is not necessary to remove the Bibles from libraries and it is allowed to have discussions about it, but what is crucial is whether one agrees with the Bible. She deletes the whole right to hold opinions. For the Christians, the Bible is the Word of God, and we have to have the possibility to agree with it.

If we neglect the right to speak up and publicly confess our faith, the space for speaking will eventually get smaller. The more we keep silent about the teachings of the Bible on the painful issues of our time, the more powerful is the rejection. Our time challenges us to commit to the Word of God. We are especially called to stand firm in those parts of the Scriptures that contradict the spirit of the time.

I have been thankful for the huge international and national support I have received. People have told how God has through my case encouraged them to pray and trust Gods word. Many Christians in Finland have wakened up to defend faith and religious freedom. In July, over one thousand people gathered in front of our Parliament building and concretely raised up in their hands their Bibles to collectively show strong support for the freedom of Gods Word. The Finnish Association for Freedom of Speech and Religion was founded in June to support the case and possibly similar cases in the future.

Many churches and leading figures from different Christian organizations from Finland and abroad have shown their strong support for my case for which I am grateful.

I hope that that Christians would not be afraid of speaking up during these challenging times and that my case would set a positive precedent for the future regarding Christians and their right to express their faith in the public. According to my knowledge, the court has to for the first time take a stand on whether it is legal or not to cite the Bible and agree with it.

The judges have to weigh the relations between the foundational rights and the criminal law and the interrelationship between different foundational laws. The decision of the court will be a significant precedent that will have an impact on the legislation in Europe.

The late President Kysti Kallio called our whole nation to pray in Christmas 1939, during a difficult time in the history of Finland. He stated: Our ancestors have over the centuries, in tribulations, persecutions and in the days of peace, drawn life, strength and comfort from the Bible. At the present time our nation needs the creative power of the Word of God. Let us adopt with a humble faith the blessings of it. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. This same challenge, dear friends, is topical to us even today, in Finland or elsewhere in Europe.

I wish you all courage and wisdom to uphold the unchangeable message of Jesus Christ, who influences and changes the lives of individual persons, communities, and whole nations. Thank you so much for your attention and God bless you all!

Pivi Rsnen

19 Februrary 2022 (Spanish Evangelical Alliance General Assembly).

Published in: Evangelical Focus - Features - For Christians, the Bible is the Word of God. We must have the possibility to agree with it

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For Christians, the Bible is the Word of God. We must have the possibility to agree with it - Evangelical Focus

BATON ROUGE, La. Kim Mulkey got right to the point. In the first few days after her hire, she hosted a series of small dinners, often at Mansurs on the Boulevard. Shed invite some of the major money people around Louisiana, the movers and shakers of LSU athletics, and she didnt worry about pleasantries yet. Shed built an elite program before. She knew where to begin.

I want to get to know all of you, shed say, but for now, Im gonna ask you for some money.

She needed new offices so they wouldnt be embarrassed when they walked recruits through. They needed a new training room. A weight room, too. LSU womens basketball needed a facelift, to say the least, and thats what Mulkey was hired to do.

Before we get to Mulkeys ability as a coach, which you already know, you should know her ability to work a room. She thrives in a booster club luncheon. She cracks jokes others wont which people like around these parts and the Tickfaw, La., native makes people feel at home.

So when she had demands for how to rebuild this program, she was also going to earn them herself. One source told The Athletic when she was hired, Nobody raises money like her. And she got to work immediately.

Shes not afraid to ask for what she needs, Tiger Athletic Foundation president and CEO Matt Borman said, laughing.

Within 10 days, Mulkey raised roughly $1.3 million, a source said. They moved into the new training room last week. The new offices will be ready next season. The weight room is likely coming soon.

Eleven months after those dinners, Mulkeys shocking 26-6 season ended Monday in a nearly packed Pete Maravich Assembly Center that was almost empty for LSU womens basketball games a year ago.

Link:
'She's going to build a monster here': LSU's Kim Mulkey found surprising success in Year 1. But is this just the start? - The Athletic

Childhood years in a joint family home unlock abiding interests and lifelong loves

Four generations of babies have used this jhablu stitched from a gara saree and rocked to sleep on the chair

It's 11 years since I announced my publishing imprint. 49/50 Books. Readers to retailers, left a bit baffled by the name, still ask: Why?

The serial numbers spell my childhood address. Our two-storey Art Deco home was nameless. Letters and parcels for the Dastoors reached them simply at "49 Hill Road, Bandra, Bombay 50".

Mine is an expression of gratitude. Everything I enjoy doing, both personally and professionally, stems from a multitude of amazing family influences. Sharing the same roof with an extended entourage of spirited aunts significantly shaped my worldview. Early exposure to their wide tastes in literature, music, film, theatre and art, assured my brother and me an enriching onward journey.

The 1956 postcard from aboard the passenger liner Caledonia, which Piloo Vajifdar wrote her Bombay sisters en route England

Each of the fuis, our father's sisters, was a true bon vivant. Together they were magnificent. Almost like doting grandmothers (age disparity pegged them two generations older, not one, as aunts are), they provided us a warm, constant, loving presence. Tough on our Mum, contending with three very elderly sisters-in-law already set in their ways, from the start of her marriage. Remarkably good-natured, she deflected and minimised friction.

Our building, transformed to Trios Mall today, brushed the porch of Boman House, where Ardeshir Boman's clan from Yazd laid roots in the 1940s. He and his wife Khorshed Hormazdi considered us more family than tenants. We were invited to a bountiful Navroze table each March 21st, greeting Spring Equinox with fruit and flowers festooning their elegant dining room.

The Iranis were extremely fond of the fuis too. In fact, it was mainly on their account that Ardeshirji discerningly chose our parents over a string of previous applicants keen to rent the apartment. He was impressed with Homai and Homi moving from their Dadar homes to a new life with the unmarried sisters.

MGM Studios virtuosos Edward Nugent, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr and Josephine Dunn; autographed poster of actor John Boles

Dhunmai led the eight sibling-pack by a wide margin. She was 1900-born and the youngest, our dad Homi, 1924. Our paternal grandfather, Nusserwanji Dastur from Navsari, was manager of the Empress Mills and Ahmedabad Advance Mills. Cross-country postings with children in tow helped seed diverse interests in his six daughters (soon to be introduced) and sons, Rusi and Homi.

Forever fragrant with 4711 eau de cologne, the fuis' cupboards offered unlimited treasures. Peppermint sweets, pretty lace kerchiefs, a cocktail ring, little jhablas stitched from hand-embroidered gara sarees ("Keep for your babies," they said, which I did), a fun compilation of fables narrated by the witty-wise goat Bakor Patel and my best find - TS Eliot's own taped recitation of his Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

The aunts bustled between rooms in pursuit of their passions. We followed faithfully.

Dhunmai adored old Hindi film songs. Hobbling to the hall, she heard New Theatres ballads of Saigal and Pankaj Mullick blaring from the giant Bush radio on a carved wood tepoy reserved to balance its breadth.

Self-contained Jer cultivated quieter pastimes. Happiest engrossed in solitary card rounds of Patience, she spent hours dealing an assortment of chintzy-patterned decks spread on a four-poster. She cheerfully paused her game for as long as I wanted to chat, each time I toddled in. That was often. Because Jer loved us kids with blind devotion. I would climb onto her lap to reveal the hidden surprises of Clock Patience, which particularly delighted me. The background drone of cricket broadcasts claimed half her attention. That gently wizened face flickered to full sparkle when card or cricket score settled satisfactorily.

The living room was a sync station of sounds and varied cultural genres. Care was taken that none overlapped within minutes of the other. From a Garrard record cabinet Dad blared his beloved Beethoven symphonies and sonatas on returning from Bombay House where he worked in Tata Textiles sales. Dhunmai switched off Vividh Bharati programmes and retired to her room for pre-dinner chivda nibbles or wafers from Blue Circle, the snack haven beside New Talkies, now Marks & Spencer. Mummy listened to soulful ghazals on the kitchen transistor as she cooked for the large brood.

Only on ascertaining that his senior sister-in-law was done with the Bush booming sonorous sur and taal, did Phiroze Uncle (who outlived our aunt Dina) switch to BBC for a fascinating fix of news and radio plays. The drama of Rhinoceros unfolding orally was wonderfully stimulating for the imagination. Unusual though it felt, to hear Ionesco and Ibsen before discovering their scripts or watching them performed, I rarely missed the audio plays. Professor PE Dustoor, as academia knew him, headed the English department at Allahabad University and authored The Poet's Pen and American Days: A Traveller's Diary. Blind in his autumnal years, he relied on Mummy and me to read aloud tracts of text to him.

Aunts who didn't stay with us breezed in with welcome regularity. Daulat (Dolly) visited from next-door West View, its garden lush with palms and kadi patta we picked fresh from bushes for Saturday curry lunch. Dolly arrived armed with murder mysteries and Woman's Weekly. The sisters huddled over the magazine's knitting patterns. I devoured its Robin Family illustrated adventures.

Dolly collected posters of Hollywood stars and reviews of their hits. From the stacks amassed it was a big deal indeed to clutch close John Boles' mugshot, curtly signed "Regards". She explained how brilliantly he essayed Victor Moritz in Frankenstein. We were equally perplexed to figure Tyrone Power was Mummy's top hero. That overly slicked-back hair was demanded by the swashbuckler sagas he apparently aced.

The sole aunt settling abroad, Piloo in London, was close to all her sisters here, especially Dolly. Piloo's son, our cousin Farrokh Vajifdar, became an internationally reputed scholar of Zoroastrianism and authority on Western Classical music.

The fuis possessed a great sense of humour, albeit occasionally exasperating. They swooped to see me unwrap a Penguin copy of PG Wodehouse's Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. With indignant eye rolls they questioned, "Amaari maskeri toh nathi karto taro maanito author - Hope your favourite author isn't poking fun at us?"

How they craved to be in on things as they happened. Unlucky for them to be weekending in Panchgani precisely when family friend Mina Kava (short for Minoo Kavarana, suggested by HMV publicists commissioning him to compose a paean to the city), rehearsed the first strains of zingy "Bombay meri hai" in our living room. "Couldn't he wait with it till we returned," they pouted unreasonably, FOMO-stricken from the '60s.

Naresh Fernandes' chapter, "Attaining Hindustanese", in Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay's Jazz Age, restores forgotten snatches of the song, Bengalee Baboo, for me. On hindsight, its phrases seem preposterous. In those innocent times, people revelled in their catchy staccato cadence. Dave Carson's bestselling tune regaled Bombay a century ago with his troupe, the Original San Francisco Minstrels. The aunts warbled slightly differently from the standard version. Theirs went: "I am very good Bengalee Baboo/In Calcutta I long time stop Very good Hindu, smoke my hookah/Eat my dal bhaat every day/Night come I make plenty pooja/In Calcutta I long time stop."

The ladies sang another politically incorrect ditty with gusto. A third sister from Madras added to the household in the 1970s. Kindness personified, the parents invited her into our space once she was widowed, after losing twins and then a son to terminal illness. Khorshed, who painted evocatively, brought framed landscapes to hang on our walls alongside portraits of musicians like Dad's violinist idol Jascha Heifetz.

Khorshed also taught Dhun and Jer to belt out a song so blithely repetitive, we begged they stop. They'd zip lips for a moment, before bursting again into: "My name is Jeejeebhoy Jamshedji/Parsi driver of GIP/Engine number 63/From Byculla to Chinchpokli..." They quibbled whether the second line was "Parsi driver of GIP" (Great Indian Peninsula Railway, predecessor to Central Railway) or "Pocket full of VIP". Further conjecture ensued. Was it Engine number 420? Wasn't it Borivli to Chinchpokli? The lyrics were accompanied by a twirly jig they broke into, with puckering steam engine poofs. All that puffing plus dancing was ill-advised for Dhunmai who nursed chronic asthma.

To our combined consternation and amusement, she popped pills with aplomb while watching Parsi naataks which got her heavily wheezing with mirth. I recall soothing some paroxysms during Lafra Sadan, a caper adapted from Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott's play, Uproar in the House. Dismissing alarmed audience advice to take it easy, she gasped, "Goli garvaanu neh paachhu hasvaanu - swallow the pill and laugh on."

Not a bad life motto, thank you Dhunmai.

Author-publisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay. You can reach her at meher.marfatia@mid-day.com/www.meher marfatia.com

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A world in every room - mid-day.com

Mike Tomlin no doubt knows all the tangible, Xs and Os-related benefits newly hired Brian Flores will bring to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flores is a bright defensive mind who helped devised a plan to shut down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense last year, something teams including the Steelers began to copy.

But expanding on all the reasons why he hired Flores, Tomlin said the decisions ran deeper than just football. Heres what he said according to ESPNs Brooke Pryor, who was on a Q&A call with Tomlin Sunday afternoon.

Heres Tomlins full commentary on what led to the hire, per Steelers.coms Teresa Varley.

I wanted to stay close to Brian when his legal issues started, he said. I just didnt want him to feel like he was on an island. I think from a coaching fraternity standpoint I owed him that. I was in a position to provide that. I think that started our interactions and conversations. Over the course of those discussions, particularly when it became evident that he was not going to get a head job, I think the natural discussion began and it really ran its course rather quickly to be quite honest with you. It doesnt require a lot of time to come to the realization that you could use a Brian Flores on your staff. I was so excited that he shared the same level of enthusiasm about being a part of us as we were about potentially acquiring him. Its been really good.

Flores appeared to be on his way to being out of the league this year. The Miami Dolphins somewhat surprisingly fired him shortly after the season ended. Flores in turn filed suit against Miami, two other teams, and the NFL for racial discrimination in their hiring practices along with the heavy allegation that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss during the 2019 season in an effort to gain the #1 pick. The teams and leagues have disputed all those claims with the court battle ongoing.

With an opening on the coaching staff following Teryl Austins promotion to DC, Tomlin said he jumped at the chance to give Flores a job. As he notes, the coaching fraternity isnt an incredibly large one and frankly, if Tomlin wasnt going to hire him, no one would.

Doubling back to Flores role, while he carries the title of defensive assistant/linebackers coach, Tomlin indicated Flores will serve plenty of roles on the team.

If Flores role is similar to what Austin had done the last three seasons, Flores will be an asset on gameday as another pair or eyes for Tomlin up in the booth, assisting with in-game decisions like coaches challenges and other game management. Pittsburgh has one of the smallest coaching staffs in the league (look for an article on the topic later this offseason) but saw the value in adding Flores to the team. Flores has joined Tomlin and Colbert on at least two Pro Day trips this year to Georgia and Clemson. Flores was also spotted at Penn States workout earlier in the week.

While his legal situation is unpredictable, odds are Flores time with the Steelers will be short. Hes certainly overqualified to be just the teams assistant. Hes worthy to become a defensive coordinator and probably a head coach again. But until his legal battles are resolved, no team will hire him.

In this overly politically-charged world, some will take issue with Tomlins decision to hire Flores. But Tomlin, like any coach, knows the value of a helping hand and an opportunity. Throughout his career, Tomlin has mentioned his gratitude towards the late Bill Stewart, who gave him his first coaching job at VMI in 1995. Two years later, Tomlin become a positional coach, four years after that he broke into the NFL (hired by Tony Dungy, one of only three black head coaches at the time), and six years later, Tomlin was an NFL head coach.

Tomlin was so grateful to Bill Stewart that he hired his son, Blaine Stewart, for his first NFL job, where he remains on-staff as the teams assistant wide receivers coach. Now, Tomlin is lending a hand to Flores to keep him engaged in the game during an otherwise difficult year.

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Mike Tomlin Reached Out To Brian Flores So He 'Wouldn't Be On An Island' During Legal Battle - Steelers Depot