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| The wedding in India, August 15, 2001 |
Too early for me to write an article since I have not even completed a month in Illinois. Thanks to Cosmo. Cosmo was not a new place for me despite the fact that I arrived here now, courtesy my husband, Pratik . It was his home for past 5 years. I had heard a lot about Cosmo-Coffee hours, dinners etc. He had also shown me the pictures and the Web site in India. It was so obvious that this was a special place, a "home away from home" and now I know why he feels the way he does.
I first went to Cosmo on a Thursday, it was an Ecuadoran Coffee Hour that day, and I met all the residents and a whole lot of people. There I met Andrea Shields, and I saw her office which has pictures of the residents who have lived in Cosmo over the years and of course I also saw a fabulous collection of souvenirs. There I found one statue of Lord Krishna from India, I always had a fascination for Krishna and I think it was very obvious from my expression. Andrea guessed it and gifted it to me, she had it for 20 years and now it is a part of my living room.
It was on the following Sunday at the Cosmo dinner that I met Judy Gordon and her mother. Both of them made me so comfortable and in just few minutes I was offered yogurt culture, which was apparently given to Judy by an Indian, Lakshmi. This culture has been kept live for many years now. I'm so glad I got it since I was struggling to develop the taste for the one available in the stores. In the course of our conversation, I learnt that Judy knew a lot about Indian culture and tradition. I also gathered that Judy was going to her home town at Arkansas that week end for a demo of draping a saree at a women's club. And guess what? Mom-daughter duo had something more to offer. They invited me to Arkansas and the next weekend I was in Arkansas.
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Hema (left) and Judy Gordon (right) demonstrating how to put on a sari |
The trip was very successful and memorable. Each one of us enjoyed every bit of it. There was a display of complete Indian clothing—Ghagra Choli, sarees, and Salwar Kameez. Everyone found the pictures of my wedding very interesting. There were a zillion questions about Indian clothing, culture, and ceremonies.
Here I cannot resist mentioning Jessy Malin, our hostess. She also happens to be Judy's schoolteacher. I was really impressed by her liveliness. At 72 she really is a "pretty old lady" and a wonderful hostess. At her home I found a plaque that said "There are no strangers in this house, they are only friends we have not met." Believe me, it is absolutely true. I felt so much at home with them.
Now that I'm back from Arkansas, there is no feeling of being new here in this country. I feel so close to the place and the people. Now friends, don't you think Cosmo has a lot to offer—to the residents as well as the non-residents. I'm Glad that I'm associated with it in some way.