52/100
Raiding sis in law Jai Ramakrishnan​ ‘s wardrobe once again ! What to do she has these lovely gems 🙂 This so as smooth as silk Bandini Georgette in a mustard orange brown combination is from Baroda and a Saree she herself got from her Mom . I realize I do not have a tie n dye Bandini in my collection ! So that’s one to add to my must look out for list which now has a Chungdi on it.
And not only do I raid her wardrobe I ask her to take my Saree Pact pictures too !!!! The glistening , rustling in the breeze and newly rain washed trees are as green as green can get . And the atmosphere so cool and fresh . Lovely summer evening in Chicago .
The evening and then the night got lovelier as Naren​ and Karuna Malhotra came by and we all headed to Northbrook to meet Amita and Ashis Banerji at their home for Dinner.
Meeting up with friends is always fun and catching up with news of common friends and respective children and yes grandchildren too is even more fun . But when these are friends you were together with decades ago as young parents and even newly married in a strange and unfamiliar land far away from home then this kind of catching up takes on a different meeting all together !
Flashback to 1979 when Krishnaswami Venkatesh​ Venky and I came to Venezuela with 5 VIP bags , lots of nervous anticipation and two little toddlers …and began living in this strange and wondrous land where no one spoke English and he started work in the Oil Refinery and I set up home for the first few weeks in a Trailer Camp.
No cell phones , no Emails , no means of communication except writing letters that took four or more weeks to get home and me wanting to share every bit of that exciting experience with my mother and my brothers and sisters and friends right now , there and then !
Learning a new language , learning new and incredible stuff of this new land and life and meeting people from all over the world who were part of the little refinery township .
The relationships formed then have been forced into amazing friendships that have lasted over decades of not even being in the same time zone !!!
So I have already spoken about Dianne Diaz​ and Jorge here and now these other two wonderful couples who were an integral part of our lives in Venezuela . The Banerjis and the Malhotras .
I can only feel blessed and more blessed at being able to have this gift in my life . To be able to go back in time and still have those memories weave new magic all over again . So over Vodka and pomegranate juice , figs and crackers and cheese , Paalak Paneer and Gobi Muttar and kaali daal here we are having such a wonderful time . And driving Banerji Jr up the wall by posing for pictures that will document one happy reunion ! Que Chevere as they would say in Venezuela !