Black Cats of THE PRESS CLUB OF INDIA

By B Narayanan

t’s twilight in Delhi, and a blue dusk has settled over the leafy courtyard of the Press Club of India in Raisina Road in Delhi near Parliament. The bar opens at 7 pm, and soon, the courtyard is crowded with media persons sitting at tables, quaffing their nimbu-pani, or beer, a Bloody Mary, or a simple vodka-with-lime. Along with drinks are the plates of snacks – chicken or mutton or fish. As the evening draws on, silent black shadows flit below the tables, hoping for a leftover piece to be thrown by one of the members. These silent, smooth apparitions are the ubiquitous cats of the Press Club, as much at home as the members themselves, as much part of the scene as the famed cats of the Press Club in Islamabad.