The USA Cultural Presentation at the Malaysia Conference

20th International Conference Pre-Conference workshop

PPSEAWA USA Delegation to Conference

N.Y. Chapter Spotlight: Janet Nixon

PPSEAWA New Jersey Chapter Begins

A View on What Happened at the Conference

Solomon Islands Merit Scholarship for Women (SIMSW)

NGO Liaison Officer Appointed

Old Friends (New PPSEAWA Members) Attend Malaysia Conference

Wall Hanging

To Mani Chari, thanks, Godspeed

To Mani Chari, thanks, Godspeed

First, we say good-bye to a remarkable human being, Mani Chari. Is there a soul in Toledo's international cultural community who doesn't know, respect, and love her?

Since arriving in Toledo from India with her husband, Nallan, in 1960, Mrs. Chari has developed into a first-rate missionary of culture and spirituality. In her special way, quiet yet determined, warm and charming, sparked with a puckish sense of humor, she has brought enlightenment into so many, many lives.

We first came to know Mrs. Chari as a dancer, a breathtaking performer of the complex and symbolic classical dances of her homeland. A professional performer in India, she had studied the difficult tradition in Madras and her hometown, Andhra. Transplanted, she introduced her new hometown to the sensory splendor of bharatanatya, with its intriguing music, hypnotic movement, and elaborate costumes.

As her children, Deepak and Roopa, grew up, Mrs. Chari used Indian traditions as community building opportunities. For Deepak's first birthday she threw a party mingling Indian and American traditions. As Roopa showed talent for dancing, Mrs. Chari imparted to her the precise movements and timeless stories behind the dances. Who could forget the delight of watching their duo performances at the Toledo Museum of Art and other stages.

A promoter of culture, Mrs. Chari saw to it that touring Indian dance and musical groups stopped in Toledo, She invited Indian philosophers and spiritual leaders to share their wisdom here.

Before Toledo had a single Indian restaurant, this accomplished cook was turning on local gourmets to the complex and beguiling tastes of curries and biriyanis, pooris and raitas. Not only was Mrs. Chari generous with her recipes and techniques in cooking classes, she passed along ancient Vedic philosophy underlying that remarkable approach to eating.

Mrs. Chari supported her husband Nallan, a brilliant chemical engineer and ordained Hindu priest, in formation of the India Association of Toledo. But when her husband died suddenly and prematurely in 1983, Mrs. Chari did not subside but seemed to grow stronger. She took over as head of the India Association and helped shepherd construction of the beautiful Hindu temple on King Road. Today, it's a religious, cultural, and social center for the growing Indian community, and site of the Festival of India.

In the midst of a large gathering, it's never hard to find Mrs. Chari, a whirlwind in a bright-colored sari. She smiles and gives orders like a general; she draws people to her but is always concerned with others' needs; she is highly focused on the matter at hand yet aware of what goes on around her. She indeed practices what she preaches, living the lessons of the ancient Vedas which encourage balance among all aspects of life, inner awareness, self-discipline, and loving compassion for all.

Happily for this ever-adventuresome woman, a new horizon beckons. Sadly, it will take her far from Toledo. With her daughter, Roopa, now a physician, Mrs. Chari will soon move to San Diego, setting up housekeeping while her daughter enters a holistic medical practice in a progressive clinic.

It was impossible to ignore the gleam of excitement in Mrs. Chari's eyes as she spoke of the new state, new house, and new life ahead. "But, we will miss Toledo," she confessed with conviction. "It has been our home for so long."

It's safe to say that for someone who has made as deep an impression on a community as Mani Chari. Toledo will always be her home. And in our hearts, as in the hearts of so many this extraordinary woman has touched, the light will always be on.