2/13/2005 - An AFS Valentine: The Story of Subhash and Kalpana

Valentine’s Day, celebrated in the U.S. and throughout the West on February 14, usually brings to mind candy and flowers or other special gifts that people exchange to celebrate their affection for each other. Here at AFS, our thoughts also turn to warm sentiments as this day approaches, and to mark this occasion, we look back at the love stories of our own AFS exchangees. Following is the very special story of Subhash and Kalpana that begins in India.

AFS first began operating its intercultural exchange programs in India in 1962. The program was administered locally by a foundation based in Pune (formerly Poona). The foundation’s director, Dr. N. Parulekar was closely affiliated with the Times of India and a local newspaper that was read in the Pune area called Sakal. It was in this newspaper that Subhash, a fifteen year old boy, first learned about the fledgeling AFS India exchange program.

Click here for more information regarding AFS India programs.

An Application for the Future “I was a country boy, visiting the city of Pune, about 100 miles from Bombay,” said Subhash, “ I picked up a copy of the paper and read an article about the first batch of five Indian AFS participants who had gone to the U.S. on an intercultural exchange and I was immediately interested. I had never been out of the country and this seemed like a great opportunity to travel and learn about different cultures. I went to the local AFS office and picked up an application and managed to hand it in right before the deadline for submissions was over. “

“The whole application and selection process took about three months. An AFS staff member traveled to my country town to interview me and then there was not much more to do but wait. One fine day, in May of 1963 I received a long letter from my American ‘family’ from Indianapolis. Each member of the family described themselves and what a typical day was like for them. I had no idea what the experience was going to be like, but reading that letter taught me much about what to expect, and everything that I read only made me more eager to have this experience. That day was a fantastic day in my home, everyone was so excited that I was going travel so far and have the opportunity to know what the American culture was like.”

Kalpana, a fifteen year old girl and a resident of Pune, saw the ad in the newspaper as well. “I was very interested in Indian dance and music. I enjoyed dancing and playing Indian music on the sitar” said Kalpana, “I talked to my mother about AFS and we decided that it would be a wonderful idea to share these aspects of our culture with people in the United States, so I decided to apply.” After some months, Kalpana also received a letter from her prospective ‘family’, who lived in West Covina, California. “They said that they were waiting for my arrival. I couldn’t wait to meet them; they seemed to be so warm and welcoming.”

The application and acceptance process over, both Subhash and Kalpana traveled to Bombay along with 48 other Indian AFS students for a pre-departure orientation, and then, it was time to go. The students flew from Bombay to Amsterdam and then traveled by bus to Rotterdam where they boarded the Seven Seas, the ship that was to take them to New York and to the beginning of their AFS adventure.

Rough Seas and Pleasant Encounters “I will never forget the first few days of that trip” said Subhash, “We were on the English Channel on our way to the open waters of the Atlantic and it was extremely rough sailing, a horrifying experience. Most everyone was sick to their stomachs, unable to move and quickly dehydrating because they could not keep anything down. I was one of the few lucky ones who seemed to be immune from sea sickness and was recruited by the ship’s doctor to attend to the well being of our fellow AFS passengers.

To download the full text of the story please click here.

In the photo: Subhash and Kalpana Padhye