When I, TechnoGranny, met Saroj Gopal Kulkarni I decided immediately that her travel stories were worth recording and eventually her cooking ability. It was an easy fit for me having lost my own mother three years ago who would have been 79. Saroj has the same welcoming attitude that my Italian mother had. Welcome, Namaste, and a big hug will always greet you. Like my mother she will ask how you are and tell you a little story of how she is and then you must eat. She will ask if you are hungry and of course like in my mother's kitchen, there is always something wonderful either cooking or just cooked. The smells are always tantalizing. And the aromas never lie. Sorry, mom, but Saroj is equally as good a cook as you.
Saroj, Mom, has a wonderful talent for making you feel at home and making you laugh. She has a homespun sense of humor that belies her cosmopolitan education. Although she never attended college, she can tell you more about the countries of the world than most Geography majors. Do they still study Georgraphy in the United States? If they don't, in schools, they should and if they don't want to pay for it, then they can just come and have lunch with Mrs. Kulkarni. Soon you will be calling her mom and hoping earnestly that she invites you back for wonderful Indian food. Being a vegetarian does not seem distateful in her kitchen as both she and her daughter, Sunita, have such a wonderful way with vegetables that you will never miss meat.
And when I get lucky enough to bring some leftovers home, my son always wants to know if either of them are single.
During my first background interview with Saroj, the Travel Granny, I tried to remain stoic and professional although her many stories at times made me want to just crack up with laughter. She was so amusing that her daugher, Sunita, had to leave the room not to disturb the interview. You will hear that interview soon on the TechnoGranny Show and also on a unique, soon to be released show, Techno Granny Meets Travel Granny. I assureyou I will probably not be able to maintain my business like demeanor and you will hear my laughter from Pittsburgh to Indiana or perhaps the state of Maharashtra. I have not yet learned to spell the name of Saroj's home town.
So until the next time, remember, when you are travelling to engage a lovely older woman in conversation, she probably has an amazing story to tell besides the one of her arthritis and her bad knee. If you are charming enough, she will probably forget any aches and pains in a sincere attempt to entertain you.
