By Alka Gupta

Every Senior at ICC has a story to tell. Share how ICC has chnaged their life and how they have influenced the life of others at ICC! They have all gone through a journey and there is a lot we can learn from them, especially, how we can contribute to the indian senior society in America.

Below are some excerpts about their experiences with ICC Senior program and how their involvement with it has changed their lives towards being more fun and fulfilling. In addition, how their contributions are bonding the Indian senior society into one large extended family.

Mrs. Gopi Godhwani is the Chair for the Senior Program at ICC and simply put, she is the soul and inspiration of this program. The entire Senior community at ICC adore and love her. Gopi Ji, along with her sons, Anil and Gautam, conceived the idea of opening an indian community center in the bay area in 2000. After much planning and contemplation, ICC was opened in 2003. Soon after ICC was opened, Gopi Godhwani launched the Senior program in ICC after merging it with the long existing, rather informal senior program for Seniors in Santa Clara called ICSC. Since then, the Senior program has made progress by leaps and bounds under the leadership of Gopi Ji. There are more than X members of this program today. Gopi Ji has played a role in each and every one's life, in making it more meaningful and happy. Everyone at the Senior community is very grateful to Gopi Ji and want to express their sincerest gratitude for running this show with passion and love. Everyone whose life GopiJi has touched, has never been the same again. Everyone has found the inner self in them that they were always seeking and aspiring for! But never got the opportunity. Gopi Ji encourages everybody to get their best out of them. She goes about working like a charged robot and like there is no tomorrow. She is a role model for all senior indian women aspiring to live a honorable independent life while helping others in the society along the way.

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Rajni Kulkarni is the site manager for the Senior Nutrition program at ICC. She has formally been trained for this role and has received a certificate form Santa Clara County. Besides, she has also done a course on business communication technology which helps her manage this program at ICC. Rajni is a member at ICC since 1996, originally from Bombay, India. Has a Bed, MA and was a teacher in India. She was a general sports champion in college in India. Like almost all other seniors at ICC, she initially came to USA to visit her children, and eventually settled here with them. Rajni has been actively involved in writing several dramas that have been performed by the seniors on stage for different events. She is also the author of the book “jini bhini yaadein” which was published by her ICC friends Arya Bhushan and Suresh Sharma. Rajni has been very involved in cultural programs at ICC, presided over “chajju ka chaubara”, a rang manch even at ICC, an all time favorite and has also been a yoga instructor. ICC is her favorite place, which she calls her big home, a place where she looks forward to spending rest of her life with friends and well wishers. She believes she has received everything she ever aspired for in ICC, it has given her a life that she could not get anywhere else. Full of love, affection, honor, security, self confidence and independence. She wants to express her gratitude to Gopi Godhwani who is at the heart of the Senior program at ICC.

Sushma Chopra is one of the most versatile volunteer worker and participant at ICC Senior Community. She was a lecturer by profession in USA since 1980 and was introduced to ICC through a friend in 2002 after her retirement from work. She initially tried the program for a week but soon was hooked to it. It was up to her taste and liking and she has never looked back since then. She now chairs the Rang Manch program which has given her a platform to explore her passion in this area which she used to enjoy in college days, but did'nt really get a chance after that. She started at the center as a Yoga student, and is now an instructor. She started exploring Bollywood dance and was then selected to join the Senior Bollywood troupe called Jollywood, which she considers a big accomplishment as she wasnt much into dancing even growing up and now is considered an expert it at, even as a senior! She has since performed for several ICC banquet events and many other programs. She believes ICC has given her the opportunity to explore her talents, a missed opportunity so far. Considers ICC as an avenue for dreams to come true and to make new dreams! and assists in several other activities as needed.

Balbir Rehal is an active volunteer and participant at the ICC Senior center, and their planning committee. She has a very inspiring story in how ICC changed her life, rather brought it on track. She used to work for LSI Logic, and led a very happy life with her husband and kids. While at LSI, she went on a business trip to Europe where she experienced some health issues, which were later linked to heart problems on return to USA. She was put on heart related medications like blood thinners, but a year later suffered brain hammoreage leading to memory loss ! As a result, she was partly paralyzed and had to re-learn her life pretty much from scratch. She went through several surgeries, knee replacement till 2002 and life did not look at all to her or her family. Then she was introduced to ICC and miracle happened. Instead of staying at home and focusing her time on health issues, she began to focus on ICC seniors and how she could be of service to them like cooking food for them, and other volunteer activities. There was a plethora of Love and support she received from GopiJi and other senior friends at ICC. Everyone was very encouraging and open about everything, and embraced her with open arms. Very soon, her limping reduced, she started to become more independent and confident. Its been a great journey for her so far at ICC, her own family loves ICC for how it has helped her get back to life. Balbir says that ICC is her home and she can do anything for ICC.

Bakshish Sandhu is highly educated and a very well respected member of the ICC senior community. She has served as the commissioner for the Senior Citizen Advisory committee of Milpitas, a very prestigious position. Prior to that, Mrs. Bakshi has contributed more than 50 years of her life in education related positions in Delhi. She has also worked in the Planning Commission of India along side Manmohan Gandhi and others. She graduated from Banaras university with a Masters in Economics at the time Radhakrishnan was the Vice chancelor of the University. Has had the honor of meeting Pundit Nehru and Indira Gandhi close and personal. Mrs Bakshi first came to USA with her husband in 1983 and has been permanently settled here with her son since 1988. Mrs. Bakshi has been affiliated with the ICC senior program for more than a decade now, since it was run informally as a small group in Sunnyvale temple. She says that ICC has given her and other seniors a platform to spend their time respectfully with dignity. They feel wanted and important by the community. Its a unique type of friendship they develop with others. They feel independent, which is very important for the mental health of seniors. They happily share their routine experiences, thick or thin. She is very proud to be able to give back to the community, what she gained from society in her service. She says that ICC is an institution to give you guidance, as well as bring peace, happiness and harmony in your families with whom you live. You do not feel like you have lost your “maan and abhimaan”. You meet other doctors, judges, military officials and other professionals in similar phases of life, mostly retired, but still contributing to society through community service. She feels the time spent here is the time spent closer to God! She did indicate that coming to ICC is a bit of a problem for those who cannot drive on their own. She worked for a pre-school here for a few years in the 1990's, hence receives SSN benefits, and takes pride in the fact that she is not dependent on her children at all for more than 10 years. . Says she loves to work with Gopi Ji and rest of the seniors thoroughly at ICC. There is a wealth of knowledge amongst the seniors, you simply forget the loneliness and depression once you begin to engage with the community here.

Suresh Sharmaji has been a member of the Senior group since 1990, even before it was formalized as a senior program in ICC. At that time, the group was called the Indian Community of Senior Center (ICSC) and was hosted in the Sunnyvale Temple where they would have social, economic and religious discussions. In course of 5-7 years, the group grew to about 100 members and now is a well organized community hosted in Cupertino by ICC. Sharmaji commutes to Milpitas by the Santa Clara County Bus Service called OUT REACH that picks him from home and drops him at ICC and back. He is very interested in creative writing, and has even published a book of poems and writings called “Ateet ke jharoke”

Pushpa Pathak is a Real Estate agent and a mortgage consultant. She joined ICC in January 2004, and is probably one of the youngest member of the community. Always happy and smiling. She initially participated in the ICC fitness classes but soon learned about the ICC senior program and realized how much she was missing by not being its member. She not only signed up for the Senior program, but became one of its first life time member, which costs $2500. She has been overwhelmed by the love and affection she has received from everybody. All members treat each other like brother, sister, father, mother etc....just like their family. Pushpa says that after coming to ICC, she found a reason to start dressing up once again, and found that long lost feeling of desire to look good. She now actively participates in all ICC senior programs like Roundtable, Jollywood, rang manch etc. Is also part of the planning committee and spends a lot of time and energy with other volunteer activities at ICC Senior program. She says its amazing how people care for you, if you dont come to ICC even for a day, you have members calling you up to see if all is fine and if they can be of any help. Everyone misses each other. She says: ICC is “jaan” sor the senior members and is very proud to be a part of it. She drives 30 miles one way every day to come to ICC, but still comes regulalry just to get all the love, joy, respect and recognition from friends at ICC. It makes her feel so much younger and happier. Everybody dresses up for each other. Its her personal desire to financially sponsor a few members to ICC, so they too can get the benefits that she has received, especially those who might be sitting at home suffering from depression.

Usha Tandon joined ICC in 2003 when it first opened. Her daughter informed her about ICC and invited her here to live with her. Usha Ji reluctantly came to USA, skeptical that she would get really bored here. But once she joined ICC, there was no going back. Since then she has been permanently settled here at ICC and considers ICC her home. Would be happy to get a room at ICC and spend her life doing "seva" for those in need. Usha Ji was a home science teacher in India, and knitting has always been her hobby. She has very brilliantly levergaed her skills to raise money. She is the knitting queen. People say she knits even when she is sleeping. The beauty of her work is that all proceeds from her knitting products go to the homeless or to the ICC senior funds. Its absolutely amazing to see the passion Usha Ji has towards raising money for the needy through her knitting. And she is so humble about it. She also exhibits clothes and jewellery donated by the community to ICC, which she sells to raise money for the homeless. ICC helps her to stay busy and in good health. She is very fortunate to have great kids who care for her, at the same time be part of the ICC extended family who love her very much.

Indu Chitaliva has been coming to the ICC Senior Program for last 4 years along with her husband. They come all the way from San jose to Milpitas. They take the VTA from San Jose to the Great Mall, and from Great Mall a bus to the ICC center. She has developed good friendship with others at the center, and feels there is no discrimination of any sort. Says she feels there is a “khula maidan” here to explore her potential in areas like poetry, proverbs etc and that others really like what she has to say. (honsla badhate hain). Mrs Indu and her husband live here with their son and daughter-in-law who are both very supportive of them and encourage them to just relax and have a nice time.

Hari Saini is a relatively newer but very active member at the ICC Senior center. After serving 10 years in the army in India, he joined the India Banks and was actively involved with the bank unions towards helping the people. He moved to USA in 1996 and worked day and night to run his family. During the day he studied towards getting his engineering degress in Engineering, and at night worked 12 hours to earn bread and butter for his family. Now his family and sons are well established and he has taken retirement at the age of 63. He spends his day at ICC keeping active and helping other ICC seniors. He enjoys it so much, that this is how he wants to spend the rest of his life, staying away from aging. He spends him time and energy organizing events, participating in all cultural events, sometimes giving other fellow friends rides as needed. He has helped one of the fellow senior come out of depression by helping her engage with ICC activities. He is an avid musician, and is currently taking harmonium classes. ICC gives him a platform to explore his potential and express his caliber.

Shobha Mahajan is originally from Delhi, came to USA in 1988 with her husband and two daughters. She is well settled here with her husband, while both daughters are happily married. She has a remarkable story to share. In 2003, she was diagnosed with aorta and neurisim, a heart condition which the doctors suggested was probbaly a birth defect. This got her very worried about her future health. In addition, she was having knee issues. Just around the same time, Shobha Ji joined ICC Senior program and actively started participating in yoga and pranayam. She went about her life at ICC, trying to keep herself busy and healthy. When she returned for her heart checkup after 2 years, to her shock, doctor told her that she did not have any heart abnormality any more. Slowly her knee problems also went away and she can run! She attribues life at ICC to fixing all her health problems and being able to live a fear free healthy life once again. Shobha Ji says that at this age, health is the top priority and ICC helps her stay fit. Its her second home.

Yogi Mahendra gives Yoga classes for the seniors and his classes have become a favorite activity by the seniors. Everyone adores Mahendra Ji as he brings fun and enthusiasm into the Yoga practice. His classes are geared towards overall personality development of the seniors including meditation, chanting, relaxation, breathing, yoga, therapeutic exercises, positive affirmation and thinking. He can be reached at aumguru@yahoo.com for consultation. He also teaches in hospitals, offices, as well as homes for 1on1 sessions.