A Tale of Indian Hospitality: Dinner with Amrit and his Family

Amrit with his Family
[Right to Left: Amrit, his wife Kritika, their daughter Dolphin, and Neelam (ABE 2010 student)]

On March 12th, we left New Delhi for Hyderabad where, upon arrival, we were greeted by (Dr.) Sister Alphonsa Vattoly, Principal of St. Francis College for Women, and Mr. Amrit Talreja, the coordinator of exchange activities of St. Francis College for Women with SAU.  Sister Alphonsa had visited SAU in Summer 2010 when four of her students attended the inaugural "American Business Experience" (ABE) at SAU. Both of them greeted us warmly with beautiful bouquets of flowers to welcome us to Hyderabad.

This far south in the country we experienced 'high summer' with temperatures in the mid-90's.  Our hotel, in central Hyderabad was just 15 minutes from St. Francis College and would be our 'staging area' for the next four days. 

On the first evening, to our delight, we were invited to experience Indian hospitality in Amrit's home where we would meet three generations of his family.

Upon arrival, we met Amrit's family living together in a beautiful home which he designed himself using his background as an architect. 

His mother, sister and two brothers live together in a four-story home designed, decorated and furnished in an elegant Indian style.

After greetings, we settled in for the first of three rounds of what would be ultimately 21 courses of Indian cuisine. 

Over the next few hours we shared stories of our families including the opportunity to see a family photo album.  In the picture below, you can see (Left to Right) Amrit, Dolphin, Kritika, Sr. Alphonsa, Sr. Joan, Neelam, Dinesh, and David O'C) viewing the family photo album.

Dolphin (Amrit & Kritika's daughter) Takes a Sip

The entire evening wrapped us in sense of gracious hospitality which ended in an exchange of mementos.  How fortunate we were to be welcomed into an Indian home!  It will be one of our lasting memories.